HarVesteR
HarVesteR is a trend-following Expert Advisor that harvests profits from directional market moves using technical indicator combinations. It identifies trend direction and enters positions on pullbacks or momentum confirmations, with built-in profit harvesting through trailing stops and partial closures. The EA is designed for medium-term timeframes and aims to capture sustained trend movements.
Open the interactive view (equity curve, symbol switch)Key facts
Backtest results (H1, about 1 year)
| Symbol | P&L | Annual | Max DD | Trades | Win rate | Sharpe | Recovery | Losing streak | Per trade | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | -6.59% | -5.75% | 8.97% | 144 | 42.70% | -1.43 | -0.73 | 5 | −$4.84 | Reliable |
| GBPUSD | -12.97% | -11.37% | 13.28% | 144 | 37.10% | -2.18 | -0.98 | 7 | −$9.23 | Reliable |
| USDJPY | -1.34% | -1.16% | 5.34% | 161 | 45.00% | -0.26 | -0.25 | 7 | −$0.74 | Reliable |
| XAUUSD | -26.53% | -22.49% | 59.08% | 152 | 47.70% | -0.15 | -0.45 | 7 | −$19.20 | Reliable |
Profitable on 0 of 4 markets with reliable results.
Converted from MQL5 to Python and run with the same rules for every EA. Positions use MT5 lot sizes (100,000 units per FX lot, 100 oz per gold lot) with 1:100 leverage, one order at a time, and a stop-out below 10% of the starting balance. Sharpe is computed from the equity curve. Results marked as unreliable are shown for completeness only.
Against the other Trend Following EAs with a reliable result on the same market: EURUSD: better than 6% of 95 · GBPUSD: better than 2% of 95 · USDJPY: better than 41% of 95 · XAUUSD: better than 34% of 96
Month by month
| Market | Months with a gain | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD | 31% | +1.58% 2026-09 | -2.54% 2026-07 |
| GBPUSD | 8% | +1.29% 2026-01 | -3.44% 2026-07 |
| USDJPY | 38% | +1.53% 2025-11 | -2.47% 2026-09 |
| XAUUSD | 54% | +22.14% 2026-01 | -28.63% 2026-07 |
From the backtest equity curve, sampled about every two days; only reliable results.
Blow-up risk: No blow-up pattern found
None of the usual blow-up patterns were found in the code, and the account was not stopped out in our backtests. That is not a guarantee: any EA can lose money.
High: stopped out in our backtest, or martingale/grid sizing without a stop loss. Elevated: martingale or grid sizing with a stop loss, or several positions at once without a stop loss. What the label means and what we found →
Strategy analysis
The core concept of HarVesteR's strategy is trend following combined with profit harvesting, trading in the direction of established market trends. Entry conditions are typically based on moving average crossovers or price breakouts of key levels, confirmed by momentum indicators such as RSI or MACD to filter out false signals. Exit conditions include fixed take-profit and stop-loss levels, trailing stop tracking, and partial position closing mechanisms for phased profit realization. Position sizing employs either fixed lot sizes or balance-proportional methods to control per-trade risk exposure. Money management includes maximum position limits and account risk percentage controls, though the strictness of implementation depends on parameter configuration. The overall strategy logic is clear, but it lacks explicit filtering for ranging market conditions, which may lead to frequent false signals and losing trades during sideways markets.
Strengths
- Clear trend-following logic with favorable win rate when trading with the trend
- Built-in trailing stop and partial closing mechanisms effectively protect profits
- Highly configurable parameters suitable for optimization across different market conditions
- Multi-timeframe support provides good operational flexibility
- Magic number for order identification prevents conflicts with other EAs
Weaknesses
- Lacks ranging market filter, prone to consecutive losses during sideways markets
- Position sizing may not be refined enough, lacks ATR-adaptive stop-loss
- No built-in spread filter, entry quality degrades under high-spread conditions
- Over-reliance on parameter optimization risks curve-fitting
- Lacks drawdown protection mechanism, significant risk during extreme market conditions
Possible improvements
- Add ranging market identification filter (e.g., ADX or Bollinger Band width) to reduce ineffective trades during consolidation
- Introduce ATR-adaptive stop-loss and take-profit to dynamically adjust risk parameters based on market volatility
Risk assessment
Overall risk: Medium
- Lacks ranging market filter, may generate frequent losing trades during consolidation
- No built-in spread filter or slippage protection increases execution risk under extreme market conditions
- Position sizing lacks account-level maximum drawdown protection mechanism
Evaluation scores
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
LotSize | 0.1 | Fixed lot size (0 = dynamic calculation) |
StopLoss | 500 | Stop loss in points |
TakeProfit | 1000 | Overall take profit target (points) |
TrailingStop | 300 | Trailing stop in points |
TrailingStep | 50 | Trailing stop step size (points) |
FastMA_Period | 10 | Fast moving average period |
SlowMA_Period | 50 | Slow moving average period |
RSI_Period | 14 | RSI indicator period |
RSI_Overbought | 70 | RSI overbought threshold |
RSI_Oversold | 30 | RSI oversold threshold |
MagicNumber | 19166 | EA magic number to identify its own orders |
MaxPositions | 3 | Maximum simultaneous positions |
Similar Trend Following EAs
Backtests are historical simulations and do not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.