Should I Build Bots for Bitcoin Market

[goodoboy]

Hello,

Recently a friend introduced me to cryptocurrency market, specifically Bitcoin (BTCUSD) day trading. I currently develop strategies and back test strategies with NinjaTrader for crude oil and other CME Exchange futures.

I gave up manually trading a year ago. but thinking I should manually trades these markets for awhile.

The price swings in BTCUSD are very intriguing as us traders love a moving market to make money.

So I started reviewing the chart and looking into using MT4 to program a few strategies to back test for the BTCUSD market only.

Questions or Your opinion

1. I do not believe its good idea to program strategy for Bitcoin market cause not alot historical data. Look at weekly the chart. There is only about 8 months of good data and its all been in a up trend. My idea was to build an intra-day strategy.
What do you think on this please?

3. Also, not good idea to program strategy because of the high spread/slippage. I take trade manually and already down 25 pts.

2. I plan to build intra-day strategy. Does MT4 have intrabar granularity back testing simulation?

From just an overview of the cryptomarket, maybe best to just manually trade these market for a year before programming and back testing.

Maybe some thoughts.


Thank you for help and advice.

[kingofcommerce]

Hi 

My personal opinion is that it's too soon. I personally feel the crypto market is un-settled so developing an EA for crypto markets could 1. Be too soon and 2. Could end up failing once the market settles more which would have wasted your time and money.

Another reason why it's not possibly the right time is something you already mentioned, the spreads. They're just way too big for EA's unless your strategies are so good that your entries are perfect....

So in summary If it was me, I would wait. Stick to manual trading crypto, especially if you're making good profit in futures etc so rush.

Hope this helps 

[goodoboy]

Hi 

My personal opinion is that it's too soon. I personally feel the crypto market is un-settled so developing an EA for crypto markets could 1. Be too soon and 2. Could end up failing once the market settles more which would have wasted your time and money.

Another reason why it's not possibly the right time is something you already mentioned, the spreads. They're just way too big for EA's unless your strategies are so good that your entries are perfect....

So in summary If it was me, I would wait. Stick to manual trading crypto, especially if you're making good profit in futures etc so rush.

Hope this helps 

Thank you kingofcommerce for responding to my post.

I agree with you very much. Another reason for me its not good idea for me to build bot, is because my programming experience is with NinjaTrader which does not support crypto market yet. CME Futures will add the crypto trading soon, but even then just not really enough historical data worth risking time and effort building a bot for.

So, yes, I agree with you for me its just not time to build a EA for crypto. Agree manual swing trading crypto have been very nice and less noise like in the futures markets.

Regarding the spread, and for anyone else reading, when building the bot, we can adjust for 20 point spread by updating the slippage parameter per trade during the back test. But yes, i agree with you. with a 20pt spread, there is loss soon as enter the trade.
Thanks.