【ELDRA Strategy Guide 第6回】Complete Filter攻略｜Reduce losses with time, sudden changes, volatility, and spreads
Hello, I am Hoso no P, the author of ELDRA.
When I look back at losses in EA, I notice that a lot of trades happened because “I shouldn’t have entered at that time in the first place.” Early morning spread opening times, moments of a sharp move after an economic release, and periods with almost no movement…
ELDRA includes several filters to prevent entering in suchunfavorable situationsThis is the sixth installment, and I will explain time filters (including daylight saving time handling), stop on sharp moves, Volatility/ADX filters, maximum spread, and the time filter and interval for averaging down (martingale).
Filters are not about “increasing winning trades,” but about “reducing losing situations.” If you enable too many, trading itself decreases, so we will also look at the balance.
List of filters
| Function | Setting number | What it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Time filter | 19-1 to 19-7 | New entries during specified time period |
| Stop on sharp moves | 17-1 to 17-5 | Entries when price range suddenly expands |
| Volatility-present filter | 18-1 to 18-5 | Entries when price movement is too small |
| ADX filter | 18-6 to 18-9 | Entries when trend/range does not match the strategy |
| Maximum allowable spread | 33-2 | Entries when spread is wide |
| Martingale time filter | 13-1 | Whether to apply time filter to martingale entries |
| Martingale interval | 14-1 to 14-2 | Consecutive martingale entries are spaced by interval |
1. Time filter (19) and daylight saving time
How time is entered
All ELDRA times areJapan time (HHMM-HHMM).
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 19-4. Entry not allowed time ON/OFF | OFF | Do not enter during the specified time |
| 19-5. └ Time range | 0500-0900 | Example: avoid the early morning spread |
| 19-6. EA operation time ON/OFF | OFF | Only enter during the specified time range |
| 19-7. └ Time range | 0900-1700 | Example: if 0400-0700, only enter during 4–7 a.m. |
“Do not enter” times are 19-4, and “enterable” times are 19-6. If you know your strong time bands, use 19-6; if you want to avoid only troublesome times, use 19-4.
Time acquisition method (19-1) and DST
MT4/MT5 chart times are server times, and many brokers shift by 1 hour between DST and standard time. ELDRA converts these to Japan time before judging the time filter. That correction method is 19-1.
| 19-1 options | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Auto (default) | Real trading uses PC clock to compute Japan time; backtesting converts server time to Japan time including DST |
| Windows PC time | Use PC clock as is (assuming PC is set to Japan time) |
| EA calculation (manual offset) | 19-2 (DST GMT offset, default 3) and 19-3 (DST, default 2) |
| GMT0 fixed | For brokers whose server time is GMT+0 |
In general,“Auto” is fine. Backtests also apply the specified time range in Japan time, so you are less likely to see “it’s morning in backtest but one hour off in live trading.”
However,the actual market-moving times shift by one hour between summer and winter in Japan(U.S. market opens at 22:30 Japan time in summer, 23:30 in winter). If you align time ranges with New York time, it’s safer to test backtests separately for summer and winter.
In live trading, “Auto” uses the PC clock, so please ensureyour VPS/PC clock is accurate.
2. Stop on sharp moves (17)
If the most recent candlestick’s range (high−low) becomes several times larger than usual price movement (ATR), we stop entering. This prevents chasing with contrarian or martingale right after a rapid move caused by an economic release or a keynote speech. The panel’s“Stop on sharp moves”button can toggle this as well.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 17-1. Stop on sharp moves ON/OFF | OFF | |
| 17-1b. └ Apply mode | Always apply | Can also be set to “only when position is held” |
| 17-2. └ Include current bar | ON | Includes the currently forming bar in judgment |
| 17-3. └ Number of past candles | 3 | How many bars back to look |
| 17-4. └ ATR period | 14 | |
| 17-5. └ Allowable price movement multiplier | 2.7 | If price movement exceeds this multiple of ATR, it is considered a sharp move |
When set to “Only when holding a position,” the first bar enters normally when no position is held, andonly when you have a position (i.e., during martingale) do you look for sharp moves. This is suitable when you want to enter the first bar but avoid martingale during a sharp move.
3. Volatility filter / ADX filter (18)
Volatility filter
Entering during times of very small movement makes it easy for spreads to erode profits. The volatility filter allows entries only when price movement (ATR) > Spread × multiplier.“Volatility present”The panel’s“Volatility”button can toggle this as well.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 18-1. Volatility filter ON/OFF | OFF | |
| 18-2. └ ATR timeframe | M5 | Uses shorter time frame to gauge recent momentum |
| 18-3. └ ATR period | 3 | The smaller, the more sensitive to recent movement |
| 18-4. └ Spread multiplier | 20.0 | The larger, the more only when price is moving |
| 18-5. └ Apply to martingale | All entries | You can also choose “only first entry” |
This is well suited for strategies like straddles (momentum OCO) to reduce wasted entries when the price moves.
ADX filter
ADX is a measure of trend strength. You can tailor it so that you enter only during ranges or only during trends, depending on your strategy.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 18-6. ADX filter | OFF | Range only (contrarian, wick capturing) / Trend only (follow-through, breakout) |
| 18-7. └ ADX timeframe | M15 | |
| 18-8. └ ADX period | 14 | |
| 18-9. └ ADX threshold | 25.0 | Range: allow below this; Trend: allow above this |
The highs/lows breakout (25) introduced in Part 3 is “trend only,” and the wick capture (24) is “range only.” The effectiveness varies by instrument, so be sure to backtest and compare.
4. Maximum allowable spread (33-2)
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| 33-2. Maximum allowable spread (pt) | 5000 |
As long as the spread exceeds this value, automatic entries are not made. The default 5000pt is quite loose (almost never stops), soit is recommended to adjust it to several times the usual spread for each instrument.
The spread size varies by instrument. For example, USD/JPY is 10 points = 1 pip, and gold is 100 points = 1 dollar. It’s helpful to check on a chart how wide spreads can get during early morning or rollover times to make a decision.
In the time anomaly (26), if the entry spread exceeds the cap, entry is skipped, and settlement is done after spreads settle.
5. Martingale time filter (13) and interval (14)
Martingale time filter (13-1)
Decide whether to apply the time filter of 19 to martingale as well.Apply to martingale.
- Normal (default)Do not martingale during entry-not-allowed times or outside hours
- Time filter disabledFirst entry follows the time filter, but martingale entries occur regardless of the time
If you want to avoid new entries in early morning but continue marting in existing positions, disable this; if you want to avoid anything in early morning, keep normal. Which is better depends on your method, so compare backtests for both approaches.
Martingale interval (14)
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 14-1. Interval ON/OFF | OFF | |
| 14-2. └ Interval (minutes) | 60 | Do not martingale again within this interval after the previous martingale |
When price moves strongly in one direction, martingale entries can pile up one after another, quickly reaching the maximum number of positions. By introducing an interval,the next entry will not occur until the same price move has waited for the interval, preventing you from exhausting martingale during a sharp decline or surge.
Common mistakes
- Turning all filters ONTrading becomes almost non-existent, and the remaining trades are too few to make verification meaningful. Add filters one by one to confirm their effects.
- Keeping 33-2 at the default 5000Not effective
- Testing summer/winter in only one periodIf using time filters, run backtests for both DST and standard time
- VPS clock driftIn Auto mode live trading uses the PC clock
- Entries after weekend closeAs discussed in Part 4, stopping new entries during the late night hours by enabling 19-6 can reduce weekend-bridging positions
Summary
- Enter times inJapan time, and set 19-1 to “Auto”as a base
- In response to sudden changes from indicators, use17. Stop on sharp moves(if you only want to stop martingale, choose “Only when position is held”)
- During periods with no movement, useVolatility filter, and if the market and strategy don’t align, useADX filter
- 33-2. Maximum allowable spreadshould be recalculated for each instrument
- To prevent exhausting martingale, use14. Interval
Filters are tools to reduce losing scenarios, not guarantees of winning. Set them after verification and at your own risk.
Try ELDRA
The effect of filters becomes clear when you compare backtests with the same settings while turning filters ON/OFF. First, try thetrial version (MT5, 14 days free)to test it.
- Trial version (MT5, 14 days free):https://www.gogojungle.co.jp/tools/indicators/87634
- Product MT5 version:https://www.gogojungle.co.jp/tools/indicators/53197
- Product MT4 version:https://www.gogojungle.co.jp/tools/indicators/53092