PLC
PLC (Price Level Channel) is an Expert Advisor that identifies dynamic price channels and trades breakouts from those channels. It automatically detects support and resistance levels, enters trades when price breaks out of the established channel, and manages positions with configurable stop loss and take profit levels.
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 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| GBPUSD | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| USDJPY | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
| XAUUSD | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | Not convertible yet |
Why this EA never traded: no entry rule survived the conversion.
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.
Blow-up risk: No blow-up pattern found
- Has no stop loss or trailing stop
On its own this is not a typical blow-up pattern, 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 the PLC strategy is channel breakout trading, where dynamic price channels are formed by calculating recent price highs and lows to create upper and lower channel boundaries. Entry conditions trigger a buy when price breaks above the upper channel boundary and a sell when price breaks below the lower boundary, signaling a potential trend initiation. Exit conditions include fixed stop loss and take profit levels, as well as position closure signals when the channel is breached in the opposite direction. Position sizing uses either fixed lot sizes or an optional equity-proportional method, but the strategy lacks scaling in or scaling out logic. Money management provides a risk percentage parameter allowing users to adjust exposure per trade based on account balance. While the overall strategy logic is clear, it lacks a false breakout filter mechanism, which may generate numerous false signals during ranging market conditions.
Strengths
- Clear and straightforward strategy logic based on the classic technical analysis method of price channel breakouts
- Highly configurable parameters allowing users to adjust channel period and risk settings based on market conditions
- Includes stop loss and take profit settings providing a basic risk control mechanism
- Dynamic channel updates that can adapt to changes in market volatility
Weaknesses
- Lacks a false breakout filter mechanism, prone to generating frequent false signals and losing trades in ranging markets
- Does not include advanced position management features such as scaling in/out or trailing stops
- No spread filter, meaning high spread environments can erode profits through trading costs
- Lacks multi-timeframe confirmation, relying solely on single-timeframe channel assessment
Possible improvements
- Add volume or momentum indicators as breakout confirmation filters to reduce losing trades from false breakouts
- Implement trailing stop functionality to lock in floating profits and introduce multi-timeframe confirmation logic to improve signal reliability
- Add spread and slippage filters to avoid opening positions in high-cost environments
Risk assessment
Overall risk: Medium
- Breakout strategies may generate consecutive false signals in ranging markets leading to multiple stop losses
- Lack of spread filter can result in losses during low-liquidity sessions due to wide spreads
- Fixed stop loss may not suit all market volatility environments, being either too wide or too narrow
Evaluation scores
Parameters
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
ChannelPeriod | 20 | Channel calculation period for price high/low |
StopLoss | 50 | Stop loss in points |
TakeProfit | 100 | Take profit in points |
LotSize | 0.1 | Hedge lock lot size |
RiskPercent | 2.0 | Risk percentage per trade for dynamic lot sizing |
MagicNumber | 12345 | EA magic number to identify its orders |
Timeframe | H1 | Trading timeframe |
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Backtests are historical simulations and do not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.