Strategy library · Mean reversion and bands
Internal bar strength (IBS) backtest on NQ and ES futures
Internal bar strength (IBS)
Also called: IBS strategy, internal bar strength indicator, IBS mean reversion, buy when the day closes in the bottom 20% of its range, short when the day closes in the top 20% of its range
What happens if you buy NQ every time the day closes in the bottom 20% of its range?
What it is
Internal bar strength (IBS) is where the close sits within the day's range. This strategy goes long when the day closes in the bottom 20% of its range and short when it closes in the top 20%, and exits on the first close in the top 20% of the day's range (long) or the bottom 20% (short).
What it did
On NQ futures from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 70 trades on the daily chart, won 64.3% of them and finished 2,667.50 points ($53,350 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage. From 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 on NQ, the 18 long trades on the daily chart won 72.2% and made 2,781.50 points ($55,630 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage. On ES futures from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 64 trades on the daily chart, won 60.9% of them and finished 464.00 points ($23,200 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage. This strategy was tested on the daily chart only; every trade is listed on this page.
How it was tested
CE Market Solutions tested the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy on NQ (2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07) and ES (2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27) futures, before commission and slippage, with each signal filled at the next bar's open, intraday positions flat at 15:59 ET and textbook default indicator settings; every trade is listed on this page.
See it tested with one change · $19
Tested by CE Market Solutions on 2026-10-26. Every trade is listed below. Gross, no commission or slippage. Last 2 years.
Results
Rule as tested: Long when the day closes in its bottom 20%; short in its top 20%. Exit: Next close in the top 80% / bottom 20%.
| Timeframe | NQ · 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 | ES · 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trades | Win % | Avg pts | Profit factor | Net pts | Net $ (1 NQ) | Max DD pts | Trades | Win % | Avg pts | Profit factor | Net pts | Net $ (1 ES) | Max DD pts | |
| Daily | 70 | 64.3% | 38.11 | 1.183 | 2,667.50 | $53,350 | 6,428.00 | 64 | 60.9% | 7.25 | 1.178 | 464.00 | $23,200 | 740.25 |
| Daily · longs only | 18 | 72.2% | — | — | 2,781.50 | $55,630 | 611.25 | 17 | 58.8% | — | — | 268.00 | $13,400 | 224.75 |
| Daily · shorts only | 52 | 61.5% | — | — | −114.00 | −$2,280 | 5,908.25 | 47 | 61.7% | — | — | 196.00 | $9,800 | 666.25 |
Free to use with credit to CE Market Solutions (CC BY 4.0).
NQ daily: the equity line
Long and short
| Side | Trades | Net pts |
|---|---|---|
| Long | 18 | 2,781.50 |
| Short | 52 | −114.00 |
By month
| Month | Trades | Net pts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-10 | 3 | 235.25 |
| 2024-11 | 4 | −21.25 |
| 2024-12 | 5 | 2,219.75 |
| 2025-01 | 3 | 344.00 |
| 2025-02 | 3 | −177.25 |
| 2025-03 | 2 | 400.50 |
| 2025-04 | 3 | 629.75 |
| 2025-05 | 2 | −1,053.50 |
| 2025-06 | 4 | −282.75 |
| 2025-07 | 3 | 25.50 |
| 2025-08 | 5 | 1,566.75 |
| 2025-09 | 1 | −607.75 |
| 2025-10 | 1 | −631.25 |
| 2025-11 | 4 | 1,232.50 |
| 2025-12 | 2 | 422.00 |
| 2026-01 | 3 | 1,483.50 |
| 2026-02 | 3 | 2,370.50 |
| 2026-03 | 2 | −196.75 |
| 2026-04 | 1 | −3,113.50 |
| 2026-05 | 2 | −2,703.25 |
| 2026-06 | 5 | 2,215.50 |
| 2026-07 | 3 | 421.00 |
| 2026-08 | 5 | −507.75 |
| 2026-09 | 1 | −1,604.00 |
Every trade, NQ daily70 trades
Daily results show the table and the equity line; there is no chart viewer for them yet.
All trades (70), newest first
Times are New York time; points are gross.
| Session date | Side | Entry (ET) | Entry price | Exit (ET) | Exit price | Exit reason | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | short | 2026-09-03 18:00 | 29505.00 | 2026-10-07 16:59 | 31403.75 | window end | −1,604.00 |
| 2026-08-31 | long | 2026-08-30 18:00 | 29540.00 | 2026-08-31 18:00 | 29518.25 | ibs above 80 | −21.75 |
| 2026-08-19 | long | 2026-08-18 18:00 | 29566.50 | 2026-08-26 18:00 | 29499.50 | ibs above 80 | −67.00 |
| 2026-08-14 | short | 2026-08-13 18:00 | 30210.75 | 2026-08-17 18:00 | 30077.00 | ibs below 20 | 133.75 |
| 2026-08-10 | short | 2026-08-09 18:00 | 29851.25 | 2026-08-10 18:00 | 29764.50 | ibs below 20 | 86.75 |
| 2026-08-04 | short | 2026-08-03 18:00 | 28930.00 | 2026-08-05 18:00 | 29569.50 | ibs below 20 | −639.50 |
| 2026-07-27 | long | 2026-07-26 18:00 | 28500.00 | 2026-07-30 18:00 | 28317.00 | ibs above 80 | −183.00 |
| 2026-07-17 | long | 2026-07-16 18:00 | 29191.00 | 2026-07-21 18:00 | 29310.75 | ibs above 80 | 119.75 |
| 2026-07-06 | short | 2026-07-05 18:00 | 29930.25 | 2026-07-13 18:00 | 29446.00 | ibs below 20 | 484.25 |
| 2026-06-30 | short | 2026-06-29 18:00 | 30007.25 | 2026-07-01 18:00 | 30089.75 | ibs below 20 | −82.50 |
| 2026-06-25 | short | 2026-06-24 18:00 | 30089.75 | 2026-06-28 18:00 | 29282.50 | ibs below 20 | 807.25 |
| 2026-06-19 | short | 2026-06-18 18:00 | 30740.00 | 2026-06-23 18:00 | 29770.00 | ibs below 20 | 970.00 |
| 2026-06-15 | short | 2026-06-14 18:00 | 29907.00 | 2026-06-16 18:00 | 30306.50 | ibs below 20 | −91.50 |
| 2026-06-08 | long | 2026-06-07 18:00 | 28844.50 | 2026-06-11 18:00 | 29456.75 | ibs above 80 | 612.25 |
| 2026-05-21 | short | 2026-05-20 18:00 | 29253.00 | 2026-06-03 18:00 | 30453.00 | ibs below 20 | −1,200.00 |
| 2026-05-01 | short | 2026-04-30 18:00 | 27631.75 | 2026-05-17 18:00 | 29135.00 | ibs below 20 | −1,503.25 |
| 2026-04-06 | short | 2026-04-05 18:00 | 24093.50 | 2026-04-29 18:00 | 27207.00 | ibs below 20 | −3,113.50 |
| 2026-03-16 | long | 2026-03-15 18:00 | 24285.00 | 2026-03-31 18:00 | 23889.00 | ibs above 80 | −611.25 |
| 2026-03-10 | short | 2026-03-09 18:00 | 24981.50 | 2026-03-12 18:00 | 24567.00 | ibs below 20 | 414.50 |
| 2026-02-23 | short | 2026-02-22 18:00 | 25033.75 | 2026-03-08 18:00 | 24435.25 | ibs below 20 | 598.50 |
| 2026-02-09 | short | 2026-02-08 18:00 | 25153.75 | 2026-02-12 18:00 | 24842.25 | ibs below 20 | 311.50 |
| 2026-02-03 | short | 2026-02-02 18:00 | 25876.50 | 2026-02-05 18:00 | 24416.00 | ibs below 20 | 1,460.50 |
| 2026-01-27 | short | 2026-01-26 18:00 | 25861.25 | 2026-02-01 18:00 | 25530.00 | ibs below 20 | 331.25 |
| 2026-01-12 | short | 2026-01-11 18:00 | 25949.00 | 2026-01-20 18:00 | 25149.50 | ibs below 20 | 799.50 |
| 2026-01-02 | long | 2026-01-01 18:00 | 25478.50 | 2026-01-06 18:00 | 25831.25 | ibs above 80 | 352.75 |
| 2025-12-24 | short | 2025-12-23 18:00 | 25815.75 | 2025-12-30 18:00 | 25683.25 | ibs below 20 | 132.50 |
| 2025-12-16 | long | 2025-12-15 18:00 | 25345.75 | 2025-12-21 18:00 | 25635.25 | ibs above 80 | 289.50 |
| 2025-11-25 | short | 2025-11-24 18:00 | 24966.25 | 2025-12-14 18:00 | 25223.50 | ibs below 20 | −257.25 |
| 2025-11-20 | short | 2025-11-19 18:00 | 24966.75 | 2025-11-20 18:00 | 24110.00 | ibs below 20 | 856.75 |
| 2025-11-11 | short | 2025-11-10 18:00 | 25722.25 | 2025-11-13 18:00 | 25095.25 | ibs below 20 | 627.00 |
| 2025-11-07 | long | 2025-11-06 18:00 | 25314.75 | 2025-11-09 18:00 | 25320.75 | ibs above 80 | 6.00 |
| 2025-10-14 | short | 2025-10-13 18:00 | 24913.75 | 2025-11-04 18:00 | 25545.00 | ibs below 20 | −631.25 |
| 2025-09-05 | short | 2025-09-04 18:00 | 23700.00 | 2025-10-12 18:00 | 24542.00 | ibs below 20 | −607.75 |
| 2025-08-25 | short | 2025-08-24 18:00 | 23602.00 | 2025-08-31 18:00 | 23479.00 | ibs below 20 | 123.00 |
| 2025-08-13 | short | 2025-08-12 18:00 | 23945.00 | 2025-08-19 18:00 | 23461.00 | ibs below 20 | 484.00 |
| 2025-08-11 | short | 2025-08-10 18:00 | 23764.00 | 2025-08-11 18:00 | 23635.00 | ibs below 20 | 129.00 |
| 2025-08-06 | long | 2025-08-05 18:00 | 23091.75 | 2025-08-06 18:00 | 23418.50 | ibs above 80 | 326.75 |
| 2025-08-04 | long | 2025-08-03 18:00 | 22850.00 | 2025-08-04 18:00 | 23354.00 | ibs above 80 | 504.00 |
| 2025-07-31 | short | 2025-07-30 18:00 | 23705.00 | 2025-07-31 18:00 | 23308.50 | ibs below 20 | 396.50 |
| 2025-07-17 | short | 2025-07-16 18:00 | 23065.50 | 2025-07-29 18:00 | 23452.00 | ibs below 20 | −386.50 |
| 2025-07-15 | short | 2025-07-14 18:00 | 23034.25 | 2025-07-15 18:00 | 23018.75 | ibs below 20 | 15.50 |
| 2025-06-25 | short | 2025-06-24 18:00 | 22412.00 | 2025-07-06 18:00 | 22970.00 | ibs below 20 | −558.00 |
| 2025-06-20 | long | 2025-06-19 18:00 | 21748.25 | 2025-06-23 18:00 | 22079.00 | ibs above 80 | 330.75 |
| 2025-06-09 | short | 2025-06-08 18:00 | 21799.25 | 2025-06-17 18:00 | 21927.50 | ibs below 20 | 111.75 |
| 2025-06-02 | short | 2025-06-01 18:00 | 21303.75 | 2025-06-05 18:00 | 21471.00 | ibs below 20 | −167.25 |
| 2025-05-27 | short | 2025-05-26 18:00 | 21281.25 | 2025-05-29 18:00 | 21371.25 | ibs below 20 | −90.00 |
| 2025-05-05 | short | 2025-05-04 18:00 | 20181.50 | 2025-05-21 18:00 | 21145.00 | ibs below 20 | −963.50 |
| 2025-04-14 | short | 2025-04-13 18:00 | 19225.00 | 2025-05-01 18:00 | 19782.50 | ibs below 20 | −557.50 |
| 2025-04-04 | long | 2025-04-03 18:00 | 18660.00 | 2025-04-09 18:00 | 19266.75 | ibs above 80 | 606.75 |
| 2025-04-02 | short | 2025-04-01 18:00 | 19600.50 | 2025-04-02 18:02 | 19020.00 | ibs below 20 | 580.50 |
| 2025-03-31 | long | 2025-03-30 18:00 | 19319.75 | 2025-03-31 18:00 | 19411.25 | ibs above 80 | 91.50 |
| 2025-03-10 | short | 2025-03-09 18:00 | 20147.00 | 2025-03-26 18:00 | 20046.00 | ibs below 20 | 309.00 |
| 2025-02-25 | long | 2025-02-24 18:00 | 21442.50 | 2025-03-02 18:00 | 21005.25 | ibs above 80 | −437.25 |
| 2025-02-11 | short | 2025-02-10 18:00 | 21832.00 | 2025-02-23 18:00 | 21700.75 | ibs below 20 | 131.25 |
| 2025-02-04 | short | 2025-02-03 18:00 | 21592.00 | 2025-02-09 18:00 | 21463.25 | ibs below 20 | 128.75 |
| 2025-01-20 | short | 2025-01-19 18:00 | 21600.00 | 2025-02-02 18:00 | 21200.00 | ibs below 20 | 400.00 |
| 2025-01-14 | short | 2025-01-13 18:00 | 21020.00 | 2025-01-16 18:00 | 21227.50 | ibs below 20 | −207.50 |
| 2025-01-06 | short | 2025-01-05 18:00 | 21532.25 | 2025-01-07 18:00 | 21380.75 | ibs below 20 | 151.50 |
| 2024-12-26 | short | 2024-12-25 18:00 | 22049.50 | 2025-01-01 18:00 | 21269.00 | ibs below 20 | 780.50 |
| 2024-12-20 | long | 2024-12-19 18:00 | 21429.25 | 2024-12-23 18:00 | 21743.25 | ibs above 80 | 314.00 |
| 2024-12-17 | short | 2024-12-16 18:00 | 22115.00 | 2024-12-18 18:00 | 21499.75 | ibs below 20 | 919.50 |
| 2024-12-12 | short | 2024-12-11 18:00 | 21756.75 | 2024-12-12 18:00 | 21720.75 | ibs below 20 | 36.00 |
| 2024-12-09 | short | 2024-12-08 18:00 | 21649.00 | 2024-12-09 18:00 | 21479.25 | ibs below 20 | 169.75 |
| 2024-11-25 | short | 2024-11-24 18:00 | 20935.00 | 2024-12-05 18:00 | 21450.00 | ibs below 20 | −515.00 |
| 2024-11-18 | long | 2024-11-17 18:00 | 20504.00 | 2024-11-19 18:00 | 20762.25 | ibs above 80 | 258.25 |
| 2024-11-07 | short | 2024-11-06 18:00 | 20923.50 | 2024-11-14 18:00 | 20977.50 | ibs below 20 | −54.00 |
| 2024-11-01 | long | 2024-10-31 18:00 | 20071.00 | 2024-11-05 18:00 | 20360.50 | ibs above 80 | 289.50 |
| 2024-10-30 | short | 2024-10-29 18:00 | 20734.00 | 2024-10-30 18:00 | 20482.00 | ibs below 20 | 252.00 |
| 2024-10-22 | short | 2024-10-21 18:00 | 20536.50 | 2024-10-28 18:00 | 20513.00 | ibs below 20 | 23.50 |
| 2024-10-09 | short | 2024-10-08 18:00 | 20294.25 | 2024-10-15 18:00 | 20334.50 | ibs below 20 | −40.25 |
Page 1 of 1
The other trades quoted above
Every trade, ES daily64 trades
Newest first. Times are New York time; points are gross.
| Session date | Side | Entry (ET) | Entry price | Exit (ET) | Exit price | Exit reason | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-18 | long | 2026-08-17 18:00 | 7766.00 | 2026-08-26 18:00 | 7722.00 | ibs above 80 | −44.00 |
| 2026-08-14 | short | 2026-08-13 18:00 | 7825.00 | 2026-08-16 18:00 | 7809.25 | ibs below 20 | 15.75 |
| 2026-08-07 | long | 2026-08-06 18:00 | 7735.00 | 2026-08-09 18:00 | 7776.75 | ibs above 80 | 41.75 |
| 2026-08-04 | short | 2026-08-03 18:00 | 7631.00 | 2026-08-05 18:00 | 7756.75 | ibs below 20 | −125.75 |
| 2026-07-30 | long | 2026-07-29 18:00 | 7338.00 | 2026-07-30 18:00 | 7479.50 | ibs above 80 | 141.50 |
| 2026-07-22 | short | 2026-07-21 18:00 | 7545.00 | 2026-07-26 18:00 | 7490.00 | ibs below 20 | 55.00 |
| 2026-07-16 | short | 2026-07-15 18:00 | 7615.00 | 2026-07-20 18:00 | 7484.00 | ibs below 20 | 131.00 |
| 2026-06-30 | short | 2026-06-29 18:00 | 7495.50 | 2026-07-13 18:00 | 7557.00 | ibs below 20 | −61.50 |
| 2026-06-17 | long | 2026-06-16 18:00 | 7581.25 | 2026-06-18 18:00 | 7576.75 | ibs above 80 | −4.50 |
| 2026-06-08 | long | 2026-06-07 18:00 | 7368.00 | 2026-06-11 18:00 | 7397.50 | ibs above 80 | 29.50 |
| 2026-05-26 | short | 2026-05-25 18:00 | 7561.25 | 2026-06-03 18:00 | 7539.75 | ibs below 20 | 21.50 |
| 2026-05-11 | short | 2026-05-10 18:00 | 7403.50 | 2026-05-17 18:00 | 7410.00 | ibs below 20 | −6.50 |
| 2026-05-06 | short | 2026-05-05 18:00 | 7300.50 | 2026-05-07 18:00 | 7340.00 | ibs below 20 | −39.50 |
| 2026-05-01 | short | 2026-04-30 18:00 | 7256.00 | 2026-05-03 18:00 | 7276.25 | ibs below 20 | −20.25 |
| 2026-04-06 | short | 2026-04-05 18:00 | 6590.00 | 2026-04-29 18:00 | 7150.00 | ibs below 20 | −560.00 |
| 2026-03-16 | long | 2026-03-15 18:00 | 6608.50 | 2026-03-31 18:00 | 6562.00 | ibs above 80 | −99.00 |
| 2026-03-10 | short | 2026-03-09 18:00 | 6800.75 | 2026-03-12 18:00 | 6684.25 | ibs below 20 | 116.50 |
| 2026-02-23 | short | 2026-02-22 18:00 | 6918.00 | 2026-03-08 18:00 | 6685.50 | ibs below 20 | 232.50 |
| 2026-02-09 | short | 2026-02-08 18:00 | 6960.25 | 2026-02-12 18:00 | 6865.50 | ibs below 20 | 94.75 |
| 2026-01-27 | short | 2026-01-26 18:00 | 6977.00 | 2026-02-05 18:00 | 6785.50 | ibs below 20 | 191.50 |
| 2026-01-09 | short | 2026-01-08 18:00 | 6973.25 | 2026-01-20 18:00 | 6839.00 | ibs below 20 | 134.25 |
| 2026-01-07 | short | 2026-01-06 18:00 | 6988.50 | 2026-01-07 18:00 | 6967.50 | ibs below 20 | 21.00 |
| 2025-12-22 | short | 2025-12-21 18:00 | 6906.25 | 2026-01-01 18:00 | 6902.00 | ibs below 20 | 4.25 |
| 2025-12-11 | short | 2025-12-10 18:00 | 6887.00 | 2025-12-17 18:00 | 6792.00 | ibs below 20 | 153.50 |
| 2025-11-25 | short | 2025-11-24 18:00 | 6726.25 | 2025-12-09 18:00 | 6847.25 | ibs below 20 | −121.00 |
| 2025-11-20 | short | 2025-11-19 18:00 | 6697.50 | 2025-11-20 18:00 | 6560.00 | ibs below 20 | 137.50 |
| 2025-10-20 | short | 2025-10-19 18:00 | 6721.00 | 2025-11-13 18:00 | 6762.75 | ibs below 20 | −41.75 |
| 2025-10-09 | short | 2025-10-08 18:00 | 6802.75 | 2025-10-12 18:00 | 6632.00 | ibs below 20 | 170.75 |
| 2025-08-27 | short | 2025-08-26 18:00 | 6486.75 | 2025-10-05 18:00 | 6768.00 | ibs below 20 | −224.75 |
| 2025-08-25 | short | 2025-08-24 18:00 | 6493.00 | 2025-08-25 18:00 | 6460.25 | ibs below 20 | 32.75 |
| 2025-08-11 | short | 2025-08-10 18:00 | 6422.75 | 2025-08-17 18:00 | 6467.00 | ibs below 20 | −44.25 |
| 2025-08-06 | long | 2025-08-05 18:00 | 6323.00 | 2025-08-06 18:00 | 6371.00 | ibs above 80 | 48.00 |
| 2025-08-04 | long | 2025-08-03 18:00 | 6257.00 | 2025-08-04 18:00 | 6370.00 | ibs above 80 | 113.00 |
| 2025-07-31 | short | 2025-07-30 18:00 | 6435.50 | 2025-07-31 18:00 | 6359.50 | ibs below 20 | 76.00 |
| 2025-07-17 | short | 2025-07-16 18:00 | 6299.25 | 2025-07-29 18:00 | 6404.00 | ibs below 20 | −104.75 |
| 2025-07-10 | short | 2025-07-09 18:00 | 6306.00 | 2025-07-15 18:00 | 6273.75 | ibs below 20 | 32.25 |
| 2025-06-25 | short | 2025-06-24 18:00 | 6144.75 | 2025-07-06 18:00 | 6307.75 | ibs below 20 | −163.00 |
| 2025-06-20 | long | 2025-06-19 18:00 | 5994.00 | 2025-06-23 18:00 | 6078.00 | ibs above 80 | 84.00 |
| 2025-06-11 | short | 2025-06-10 18:00 | 6038.75 | 2025-06-17 18:00 | 6030.75 | ibs below 20 | 63.50 |
| 2025-06-06 | long | 2025-06-05 18:00 | 5931.75 | 2025-06-08 18:00 | 6010.00 | ibs above 80 | 78.25 |
| 2025-05-27 | short | 2025-05-26 18:00 | 5889.00 | 2025-06-04 18:00 | 5974.25 | ibs below 20 | −85.25 |
| 2025-05-13 | short | 2025-05-12 18:00 | 5868.00 | 2025-05-21 18:00 | 5858.00 | ibs below 20 | 10.00 |
| 2025-05-05 | short | 2025-05-04 18:00 | 5705.00 | 2025-05-06 18:00 | 5608.50 | ibs below 20 | 96.50 |
| 2025-04-23 | short | 2025-04-22 18:00 | 5379.75 | 2025-05-01 18:00 | 5608.50 | ibs below 20 | −228.75 |
| 2025-04-14 | short | 2025-04-13 18:00 | 5452.50 | 2025-04-15 18:00 | 5403.75 | ibs below 20 | 48.75 |
| 2025-03-31 | long | 2025-03-30 18:00 | 5590.00 | 2025-04-09 18:00 | 5502.50 | ibs above 80 | −87.50 |
| 2025-03-10 | short | 2025-03-09 18:00 | 5753.00 | 2025-03-26 18:00 | 5737.25 | ibs below 20 | 67.00 |
| 2025-02-25 | long | 2025-02-24 18:00 | 6006.50 | 2025-03-02 18:00 | 5967.50 | ibs above 80 | −39.00 |
| 2025-02-11 | short | 2025-02-10 18:00 | 6085.50 | 2025-02-23 18:00 | 6040.75 | ibs below 20 | 44.75 |
| 2025-02-04 | short | 2025-02-03 18:00 | 6069.00 | 2025-02-09 18:00 | 6016.00 | ibs below 20 | 53.00 |
| 2025-01-22 | short | 2025-01-21 18:00 | 6094.00 | 2025-02-02 18:00 | 5982.25 | ibs below 20 | 111.75 |
| 2025-01-16 | short | 2025-01-15 18:00 | 5988.50 | 2025-01-16 18:00 | 5970.25 | ibs below 20 | 18.25 |
| 2025-01-13 | long | 2025-01-12 18:00 | 5864.50 | 2025-01-13 18:00 | 5887.25 | ibs above 80 | 22.75 |
| 2024-12-26 | short | 2024-12-25 18:00 | 6099.25 | 2025-01-07 18:00 | 5955.50 | ibs below 20 | 143.75 |
| 2024-12-10 | long | 2024-12-09 18:00 | 6065.25 | 2024-12-23 18:00 | 6037.75 | ibs above 80 | −101.25 |
| 2024-11-20 | short | 2024-11-19 18:00 | 5937.75 | 2024-12-05 18:00 | 6085.50 | ibs below 20 | −147.75 |
| 2024-11-07 | short | 2024-11-06 18:00 | 5963.50 | 2024-11-14 18:00 | 5972.00 | ibs below 20 | −8.50 |
| 2024-10-31 | long | 2024-10-30 18:00 | 5840.00 | 2024-11-05 18:00 | 5820.25 | ibs above 80 | −19.75 |
| 2024-10-28 | long | 2024-10-27 18:00 | 5857.00 | 2024-10-29 18:00 | 5883.00 | ibs above 80 | 26.00 |
| 2024-10-03 | short | 2024-10-02 18:00 | 5769.50 | 2024-10-15 18:00 | 5861.00 | ibs below 20 | −91.50 |
| 2024-09-25 | short | 2024-09-24 18:00 | 5792.25 | 2024-09-29 18:00 | 5784.00 | ibs below 20 | 8.25 |
| 2024-09-11 | short | 2024-09-10 18:00 | 5499.25 | 2024-09-18 18:00 | 5693.00 | ibs below 20 | −133.25 |
| 2024-09-09 | long | 2024-09-08 18:00 | 5410.00 | 2024-09-09 18:00 | 5488.25 | ibs above 80 | 78.25 |
| 2024-09-02 | short | 2024-09-01 18:00 | 5656.25 | 2024-09-03 18:00 | 5538.50 | ibs below 20 | 117.75 |
Questions and answers
What happens if you buy NQ every time the day closes in the bottom 20% of its range?
From 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 on the NQ daily chart, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 18 long trades, won 72.2% of them and made 2,781.50 points ($55,630 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage.
What happens if you short ES every time the day closes in the top 20% of its range?
From 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27 on the ES daily chart, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 47 short trades, won 61.7% of them and made 196.00 points ($9,800 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage.
Does the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy work on Nasdaq futures?
On NQ futures from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy on the daily chart took 70 trades, won 64.3% of them and finished 2,667.50 points ($53,350 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage.
What is the win rate of Internal bar strength (IBS) on ES futures?
The internal bar strength (IBS) strategy won 60.9% of its 64 trades on the ES daily chart from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, before commission and slippage.
Is it better to only buy or only sell internal bar strength (IBS) signals on NQ?
On the NQ daily chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the long trades made 2,781.50 points on 18 trades (72.2% won) and the short trades made -114.00 points on 52 trades (61.5% won), before commission and slippage.
How many trades does the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy take on NQ in two years?
The internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 70 trades on the NQ daily chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, before commission and slippage.
What is the max drawdown of the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy on NQ?
The internal bar strength (IBS) strategy had a max drawdown of 6,428.00 points ($128,560 on one NQ contract) on the NQ daily chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, before commission and slippage.
How does the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy do on ES compared with NQ?
On the ES daily chart from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 64 trades, won 60.9% of them and made 464.00 points ($23,200 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage. On the NQ daily chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the internal bar strength (IBS) strategy took 70 trades, won 64.3% of them and made 2,667.50 points ($53,350 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage.
How these were run
- Gross: no commission and no slippage.
- The last 2 years of each market, from the first to the last session of its window.
- A signal on a closed bar fills at the next bar’s open.
- A stop and a target touched in the same minute count as the stop.
- Intraday positions are flat at 15:59 ET.
- Textbook TradingView default settings for every indicator; nothing is tuned.
Want your own rules tested the same way?