Strategy library · Momentum oscillators
RSI 2 (Connors) backtest on NQ and ES futures
RSI 2 (Connors)
Also called: Connors RSI 2, RSI 2 strategy, Larry Connors RSI 2, buy when price is above the 200 SMA and RSI 2 is below 10, short when price is below the 200 SMA and RSI 2 is above 90
What happens if you buy NQ every time price is above the 200 SMA and RSI 2 is below 10?
What it is
The 2-period RSI is a very short-term version of the relative strength index popularized by Larry Connors. This strategy goes long when price is above the SMA 200 and RSI(2) is below 10 (short when below the SMA 200 and RSI(2) is above 90), and exits on a close back above the SMA 5 (long) or below it (short).
What it did
On NQ futures from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 494 trades on the 15-minute chart, won 61.3% of them and finished -891.25 points (-$17,825 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage. From 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 on NQ, the 297 long trades on the 15-minute chart won 65.3% and made -712.50 points (-$14,250 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage. On ES futures from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 487 trades on the 15-minute chart, won 60.4% of them and finished 71.25 points ($3,563 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage. The 5-minute, 1-hour and daily results for both markets are in the table on this page.
How it was tested
CE Market Solutions tested the RSI 2 (Connors) 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; the NQ trades are listed on this page and the ES trades under the ES tab.
See it tested with one change · $19
Tested by CE Market Solutions on 2026-10-26. The trades are listed below, one market at a time. Gross, no commission or slippage. Last 2 years.
Results
Rule as tested: Long when price is above SMA 200 and RSI(2) is below 10; short when below SMA 200 and RSI(2) above 90. Exit: Close back above SMA 5 (long) / below SMA 5 (short).
| 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 | |
| 5 minute | 1528 | 63.2% | −0.25 | 0.985 | −380.75 | −$7,615 | 3,751.75 | 1491 | 62.8% | 0.15 | 1.046 | 224.75 | $11,238 | 375.50 |
| 5 minute · longs only | 800 | 64.6% | — | — | −1,651.00 | −$33,020 | 2,887.50 | 820 | 65.0% | — | — | 115.75 | $5,788 | 337.00 |
| 5 minute · shorts only | 728 | 61.7% | — | — | 1,270.25 | $25,405 | 1,108.50 | 671 | 60.1% | — | — | 109.00 | $5,450 | 141.75 |
| 15 minute | 494 | 61.3% | −1.80 | 0.934 | −891.25 | −$17,825 | 1,472.75 | 487 | 60.4% | 0.15 | 1.026 | 71.25 | $3,563 | 398.00 |
| 15 minute · longs only | 297 | 65.3% | — | — | −712.50 | −$14,250 | 1,364.25 | 283 | 61.5% | — | — | 43.50 | $2,175 | 285.50 |
| 15 minute · shorts only | 197 | 55.3% | — | — | −178.75 | −$3,575 | 847.75 | 204 | 58.8% | — | — | 27.75 | $1,388 | 214.50 |
| 1 hour | 165 | 60.0% | 3.88 | 1.085 | 640.25 | $12,805 | 1,700.00 | 169 | 62.1% | 3.17 | 1.374 | 535.50 | $26,775 | 209.75 |
| 1 hour · longs only | 97 | 63.9% | — | — | 529.25 | $10,585 | 1,444.50 | 108 | 67.6% | — | — | 469.00 | $23,450 | 106.25 |
| 1 hour · shorts only | 68 | 54.4% | — | — | 111.00 | $2,220 | 1,173.50 | 61 | 52.5% | — | — | 66.50 | $3,325 | 232.00 |
| Daily | 23 | 73.9% | 12.33 | 1.050 | 283.50 | $5,670 | 2,683.25 | 27 | 85.2% | 22.63 | 1.620 | 611.00 | $30,550 | 492.50 |
| Daily · longs only | 20 | 80.0% | — | — | 3,063.75 | $61,275 | 2,032.50 | 23 | 91.3% | — | — | 1,082.25 | $54,113 | 414.00 |
| Daily · shorts only | 3 | 33.3% | — | — | −2,780.25 | −$55,605 | 3,087.25 | 4 | 50.0% | — | — | −471.25 | −$23,562 | 547.00 |
Free to use with credit to CE Market Solutions (CC BY 4.0).
ES 5 minute: the equity line
Long and short
| Side | Trades | Net pts |
|---|---|---|
| Long | 820 | 115.75 |
| Short | 671 | 109.00 |
By month
| Month | Trades | Net pts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-08 | 9 | −33.00 |
| 2024-09 | 59 | −4.25 |
| 2024-10 | 62 | 9.00 |
| 2024-11 | 55 | −5.75 |
| 2024-12 | 62 | 72.50 |
| 2025-01 | 55 | 20.75 |
| 2025-02 | 60 | 27.75 |
| 2025-03 | 57 | 48.50 |
| 2025-04 | 65 | 32.00 |
| 2025-05 | 76 | 82.75 |
| 2025-06 | 64 | −19.75 |
| 2025-07 | 54 | −4.50 |
| 2025-08 | 56 | −20.25 |
| 2025-09 | 65 | −112.25 |
| 2025-10 | 68 | 43.50 |
| 2025-11 | 55 | −162.00 |
| 2025-12 | 69 | 64.00 |
| 2026-01 | 61 | 5.25 |
| 2026-02 | 64 | −51.75 |
| 2026-03 | 70 | 173.25 |
| 2026-04 | 63 | −53.75 |
| 2026-05 | 62 | 65.75 |
| 2026-06 | 66 | 137.75 |
| 2026-07 | 63 | −77.25 |
| 2026-08 | 51 | −13.50 |
Every trade, ES 5 minute1491 trades
Pick any of the 1491 charted trades with Previous, Next or a date, or click a row in the trades table below, to see it drawn on the real 1-minute bars. Drag the chart sideways to move through the sessions around it.
Chart unavailable. The trades are in the table below.
All trades (1491), newest first
Times are New York time; points are gross. Click a row to draw that trade in the chart above.
| Session date | Side | Entry (ET) | Entry price | Exit (ET) | Exit price | Exit reason | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | short | 12:25 | 6877.25 | 12:35 | 6871.00 | close below sma5 | 6.25 |
| 2026-02-19 | short | 10:05 | 6887.75 | 10:10 | 6876.75 | close below sma5 | 11.00 |
| 2026-02-18 | short | 15:40 | 6888.75 | 15:59 | 6895.50 | end of day 15:59 | −6.75 |
| 2026-02-18 | long | 14:20 | 6895.50 | 15:05 | 6883.25 | close above sma5 | −12.25 |
| 2026-02-18 | long | 13:25 | 6915.00 | 14:05 | 6907.00 | close above sma5 | −8.00 |
| 2026-02-18 | long | 11:55 | 6911.50 | 12:05 | 6915.50 | close above sma5 | 4.00 |
| 2026-02-17 | long | 15:00 | 6870.00 | 15:45 | 6864.00 | close above sma5 | −6.00 |
| 2026-02-17 | long | 12:45 | 6834.00 | 13:00 | 6844.25 | close above sma5 | 10.25 |
| 2026-02-17 | long | 12:15 | 6846.50 | 12:30 | 6856.25 | close above sma5 | 9.75 |
| 2026-02-17 | short | 11:00 | 6819.50 | 11:30 | 6850.25 | close below sma5 | −30.75 |
| 2026-02-16 | short | 12:35 | 6857.00 | 12:55 | 6855.75 | close below sma5 | 1.25 |
| 2026-02-16 | short | 11:15 | 6857.00 | 11:20 | 6847.00 | close below sma5 | 10.00 |
| 2026-02-16 | short | 10:05 | 6862.50 | 10:15 | 6857.50 | close below sma5 | 5.00 |
| 2026-02-13 | long | 15:00 | 6858.75 | 15:59 | 6850.00 | end of day 15:59 | −8.75 |
| 2026-02-13 | long | 14:05 | 6880.00 | 14:10 | 6885.50 | close above sma5 | 5.50 |
| 2026-02-13 | long | 13:05 | 6879.50 | 13:15 | 6887.50 | close above sma5 | 8.00 |
| 2026-02-12 | short | 13:45 | 6886.75 | 14:05 | 6882.75 | close below sma5 | 4.00 |
| 2026-02-11 | short | 12:25 | 6971.00 | 13:00 | 6967.25 | close below sma5 | 3.75 |
| 2026-02-11 | short | 11:25 | 6972.50 | 11:30 | 6957.75 | close below sma5 | 14.75 |
| 2026-02-11 | long | 09:40 | 6993.00 | 10:35 | 6946.50 | close above sma5 | −46.50 |
| 2026-02-10 | long | 13:10 | 6988.75 | 14:00 | 6977.00 | close above sma5 | −11.75 |
| 2026-02-10 | long | 11:10 | 6986.75 | 11:30 | 6988.25 | close above sma5 | 1.50 |
| 2026-02-09 | long | 15:00 | 6995.75 | 15:45 | 6987.50 | close above sma5 | −8.25 |
| 2026-02-09 | long | 13:30 | 6983.75 | 13:35 | 6988.00 | close above sma5 | 4.25 |
| 2026-02-09 | long | 12:40 | 6992.25 | 13:10 | 6990.25 | close above sma5 | −2.00 |
| 2026-02-09 | short | 09:40 | 6952.75 | 09:55 | 6946.00 | close below sma5 | 6.75 |
| 2026-02-06 | long | 10:55 | 6887.00 | 11:00 | 6899.75 | close above sma5 | 12.75 |
| 2026-02-06 | long | 10:10 | 6881.50 | 10:20 | 6890.00 | close above sma5 | 8.50 |
| 2026-02-05 | short | 15:05 | 6838.25 | 15:20 | 6831.00 | close below sma5 | 7.25 |
| 2026-02-05 | short | 14:10 | 6839.75 | 14:30 | 6846.50 | close below sma5 | −6.75 |
| 2026-02-05 | short | 12:30 | 6859.25 | 12:50 | 6854.75 | close below sma5 | 4.50 |
| 2026-02-05 | short | 11:25 | 6835.00 | 12:05 | 6843.25 | close below sma5 | −8.25 |
| 2026-02-05 | short | 09:40 | 6869.25 | 09:55 | 6862.50 | close below sma5 | 6.75 |
| 2026-02-04 | short | 14:30 | 6898.75 | 15:15 | 6920.50 | close below sma5 | −21.75 |
| 2026-02-04 | short | 13:30 | 6893.25 | 13:50 | 6883.25 | close below sma5 | 10.00 |
| 2026-02-03 | short | 15:25 | 6921.00 | 15:59 | 6940.50 | end of day 15:59 | −19.50 |
| 2026-02-02 | long | 15:45 | 7000.50 | 15:59 | 7003.00 | end of day 15:59 | 2.50 |
| 2026-02-02 | long | 14:40 | 7010.50 | 15:10 | 7010.75 | close above sma5 | 0.25 |
| 2026-02-02 | long | 11:50 | 6996.75 | 11:55 | 7000.50 | close above sma5 | 3.75 |
| 2026-01-30 | long | 14:50 | 6956.25 | 14:55 | 6967.75 | close above sma5 | 11.50 |
| 2026-01-30 | long | 11:10 | 6967.25 | 11:40 | 6960.50 | close above sma5 | −6.75 |
| 2026-01-30 | long | 10:30 | 6962.00 | 10:40 | 6978.75 | close above sma5 | 16.75 |
| 2026-01-30 | long | 10:00 | 6965.00 | 10:10 | 6982.00 | close above sma5 | 17.00 |
| 2026-01-29 | short | 15:40 | 6977.25 | 15:59 | 6989.75 | end of day 15:59 | −12.50 |
| 2026-01-29 | short | 14:20 | 6969.25 | 14:35 | 6964.25 | close below sma5 | 5.00 |
| 2026-01-29 | short | 13:15 | 6959.25 | 13:35 | 6957.50 | close below sma5 | 1.75 |
| 2026-01-29 | short | 11:20 | 6930.50 | 12:45 | 6957.75 | close below sma5 | −27.25 |
| 2026-01-28 | short | 12:55 | 7006.25 | 13:00 | 7000.50 | close below sma5 | 5.75 |
| 2026-01-28 | short | 12:15 | 7006.75 | 12:25 | 7000.50 | close below sma5 | 6.25 |
| 2026-01-28 | short | 09:35 | 7026.00 | 09:50 | 7024.00 | close below sma5 | 2.00 |
Questions and answers
What happens if you buy NQ every time price is above the 200 SMA and RSI 2 is below 10?
From 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 on the NQ 15-minute chart, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 297 long trades, won 65.3% of them and made -712.50 points (-$14,250 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage. From 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 on NQ, its long trades also made -1,651.00 points on 800 trades on the 5-minute chart, 529.25 points on 97 trades on the 1-hour chart and 3,063.75 points on 20 trades on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
What happens if you short ES every time price is below the 200 SMA and RSI 2 is above 90?
From 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27 on the ES 15-minute chart, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 204 short trades, won 58.8% of them and made 27.75 points ($1,388 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage. From 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27 on ES, its short trades also made 109.00 points on 671 trades on the 5-minute chart, 66.50 points on 61 trades on the 1-hour chart and -471.25 points on 4 trades on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
Does the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy work on Nasdaq futures?
On NQ futures from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy on the 15-minute chart took 494 trades, won 61.3% of them and finished -891.25 points (-$17,825 on one NQ contract), before commission and slippage.
What is the win rate of RSI 2 (Connors) on ES futures?
The RSI 2 (Connors) strategy won 60.4% of its 487 trades on the ES 15-minute chart from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, before commission and slippage. On ES from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27 it also won 62.8% of 1,491 trades on the 5-minute chart, 62.1% of 169 trades on the 1-hour chart and 85.2% of 27 trades on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
Is the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy better on the 5-minute, 15-minute, 1-hour or daily chart for NQ?
On NQ from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy made -380.75 points on 1,528 trades on the 5-minute chart, -891.25 points on 494 trades on the 15-minute chart, 640.25 points on 165 trades on the 1-hour chart and 283.50 points on 23 trades on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
Is it better to only buy or only sell RSI 2 (Connors) signals on NQ?
On the NQ 15-minute chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the long trades made -712.50 points on 297 trades (65.3% won) and the short trades made -178.75 points on 197 trades (55.3% won), before commission and slippage.
How many trades does the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy take on NQ in two years?
The RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 494 trades on the NQ 15-minute chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, before commission and slippage. On NQ from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 it also took 1,528 on the 5-minute chart, 165 on the 1-hour chart and 23 on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
What is the max drawdown of the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy on NQ?
The RSI 2 (Connors) strategy had a max drawdown of 1,472.75 points ($29,455 on one NQ contract) on the NQ 15-minute chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, before commission and slippage. On NQ from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07 its max drawdown was also 3,751.75 points on the 5-minute chart, 1,700.00 points on the 1-hour chart and 2,683.25 points on the daily chart, before commission and slippage.
How does the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy do on ES compared with NQ?
On the ES 15-minute chart from 2024-08-28 to 2026-08-27, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 487 trades, won 60.4% of them and made 71.25 points ($3,563 on one ES contract), before commission and slippage. On the NQ 15-minute chart from 2024-10-08 to 2026-10-07, the RSI 2 (Connors) strategy took 494 trades, won 61.3% of them and made -891.25 points (-$17,825 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.
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