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Does buying the 20-EMA pullback actually work?

A computed answer — not an opinion. Here's what nearly two decades of honest data say.

80OUT OF 100
PLAUSIBLE BUT FRAGILE

There may be something here, but it isn't robust. Don't size into it yet.

The honest verdict

We ran the 20-EMA pullback through an honest backtest — nearly two decades of survivorship-free NIFTY & BANKNIFTY data, out-of-sample, with real costs. The verdict: 79.9/100 — plausible but fragile. There may be something here, but it isn't robust. Don't size into it yet.

Why it scored 80

Here's where it breaks:

How we tested it

Five statistical tests, no mercy: out-of-sample decay (is the edge curve-fit?), Monte-Carlo robustness (is it just luck?), real cost & slippage survival, survivorship-bias exposure, and sample-size adequacy. Run on NIFTY 50 and BANKNIFTY — survivorship-free by construction, the most honest data available — across roughly two decades. Rules are read at each day's close and filled the next open, so the strategy can never peek at the bar it trades on.

79.9/100
Honesty score
150
Trades tested
53%
Win rate
NIFTY/BANKNIFTY · ~2 decades
Data

See the full breakdown — free

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Frequently asked

Is the 20-EMA pullback profitable?

On a true, survivorship-free test (79.9/100, plausible but fragile), the 20-EMA pullback is fragile. A backtest looking profitable is not the same as a strategy being real — most aren't. Test your own version free at The Honest Quant.

Does the 20-EMA pullback work on the NIFTY?

This verdict was computed on NIFTY 50 and BANKNIFTY index data (survivorship-free) over nearly two decades. It scored 79.9/100 — plausible but fragile.

Is the 20-EMA pullback overfit?

Our overfitting test checks how much of the edge survives out-of-sample. See the full breakdown — and run your own parameters — in the lab.

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Educational, not financial advice. An honest backtest score measures whether a result survives statistical scrutiny — it does not predict future profit, and is not a buy or sell signal. · About · FAQ · All strategies