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Running a Backtest

Running a Backtest in the ORB Backtester

The ORB Backtester lets you test Opening Range Breakout strategies across 600+ symbols with 2 years of 1-minute candle data. With over 150,000 historical setups and 1.6M backtested trades in the database, you can validate any ORB strategy in seconds.

This guide walks you through the process of running your first backtest and understanding the results.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

  • An active ORB Setups subscription
  • A list of symbols you want to test (up to 5 at a time)
  • A target and stop strategy in mind

Step 1: Open the Backtester

Click Backtester in the top navigation bar. This opens the backtest control panel where you configure your test parameters.

Running a Backtest - screenshot 1

Step 2: Enter Your Symbols

Type the ticker symbols you want to test in the Symbols field. You can enter up to 5 symbols per backtest. Testing a single symbol gives you focused results, while testing multiple symbols shows you how a strategy performs across different stocks or ETFs.

The backtester includes data for 600+ symbols, covering major stocks, ETFs, and high-volume trading instruments.

Step 3: Select Your ORB Timeframe

Choose your opening range timeframe from the ORB Range dropdown:

  • 5-minute: Captures the first 5 minutes of trading. Best for aggressive breakout strategies with tighter ranges.
  • 15-minute: A balanced approach that filters out early noise while still catching morning momentum.
  • 30-minute: Wider ranges with fewer false breakouts. Works well for swing-style day trades.

Step 4: Choose Your Lookback Period

Use the Lookback Period selector to scope your backtest to a specific window of history. Longer windows give you more trades and statistical significance; shorter windows let you focus on recent market conditions.

Available windows:

  • 30d — last 30 days, recent behavior only
  • 90d — last 90 days, the default for most quick reads
  • 1yr — full year of data
  • 2yr — full 2 years of available history

The database contains 2 full years of intraday data, refreshed daily after market close.

Step 5: Configure Your Target and Stop

Set your exit strategy using the Target Rule and Stop Rule controls. Both are sized as multiples of the opening range width — you pick from a menu of preset risk/reward ratios.

Target Rule options:

  • Half — 0.5× the opening range
  • Full — 1× the opening range (1:1 with a Full stop)
  • 1.5× — 1.5× the opening range
  • 2× — 2× the opening range
  • 3× — 3× the opening range
  • PB BE — pullback re-entry, exit at break-even (multi-entry strategy)
  • PB T1 — pullback re-entry, exit at the original target (multi-entry strategy)

Stop Rule options:

  • Half — stop at 0.5× the opening range
  • Full — stop at the opposite end of the opening range

The combination you pick determines your effective risk/reward — for example, Target = 2× and Stop = Half gives a 4:1 R/R per trade. The PB BE and PB T1 rules are how you backtest the multi-entry pullback strategy after an initial breakout.

Step 6: Run the Backtest

Click the Search button to start your backtest. Results appear in under 2 seconds, regardless of how many symbols or days you test.

Understanding Your Results

After the backtest completes, you get access to:

  • Strategy Report: Win rate, total P/L, trade expectancy, and key performance metrics
  • Trade List: Every individual trade used to calculate the backtest results, including entry price, exit price, and outcome
  • Performance Charts: Visual breakdown of your strategy performance over time

Use these results to compare different timeframes, test various target/stop combinations, and identify which symbols have the strongest historical ORB performance.

Tips for Better Backtests

  • Test one variable at a time: Change only the timeframe or only the target/stop between tests so you can isolate what works.
  • Use sufficient sample size: A backtest with 50+ trades gives you more reliable statistics than one with 10 trades.
  • Compare across market conditions: Run backtests on different date ranges to see how your strategy performs in trending vs. choppy markets.
  • Check the trade list: Review individual trades to understand why the strategy won or lost on specific days.

Next Steps

Once you find a strategy configuration that shows positive expectancy, head to the Live Scanner to apply those same parameters in real-time. The scanner updates every 2 seconds across all 600+ symbols, alerting you when setups matching your backtested criteria appear.

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