FAQ
Questions, answered plainly
Is this investment advice?
No. The lab tests rules that you build and tells you how they did on past prices. It never tells you to buy or sell anything, sells no signals and makes no promise of returns. A rule that passed every check can still lose money. Read the risk disclosure.
Do I trade with real money?
No. Everything runs on paper money. Portfolios and autopilots use your own Alpaca paper account, and the lab refuses live keys: it only ever sends orders to Alpaca's paper environment.
Which broker do I need?
A free Alpaca paper account, only if you want portfolios and the autopilot. The fair test itself needs no broker at all. You paste the paper account's keys in Settings; they are stored sealed, and you can remove them at any time.
Which markets can I test?
US large-cap stocks, on daily prices from 2016: the Dow 30, and 20 other large caps kept apart to confirm what the Dow 30 shows (or the other way round). Autopilots can also trade the large US index funds on paper.
Where do the prices come from?
Alpaca's consolidated market data (all US exchanges), adjusted for splits and dividends. Costs are charged on every simulated trade: a fee and slippage on each side.
Why do most rules fail the test?
Because the test is strict on purpose. A rule must earn money after costs on years and stocks it was not built on, beat simply holding the same stocks, and beat the same trades taken on random dates. Most rules that look good were shaped by the years they were drawn on. Why backtests lie.
Is my strategy private?
Yes. Your rules, tests, portfolios and keys are visible to you only. Other members see only the messages you post in the community, under the name you choose. You can download all your data, or delete your account, in Settings.
How does the free trial work?
Sign in with your email and you have 3 days with everything included, no card asked. Nothing renews by itself: when the trial ends, you choose whether to subscribe. Your rules and results are kept.
How do I cancel?
In Settings, at any time, in a few clicks. The subscription then runs to the end of the period already paid and stops. Any autopilot is paused when access ends; open paper positions keep their stops.
Can I change my mind after subscribing?
Yes. Consumers in the European Union have 14 days to withdraw. If you asked for the subscription to start at once, you pay only for the days used and the rest is refunded. Details are in the terms, section 4.
Another question? Use the contact form.