Hello SFF, jcl,

and many thanks for the script jcl. You are right, I did not use the limit condition in the EasyLanguage listing as it is not discussed in the text as far as I could see, and as it actually worsens results for the specific GBP/USD data set. Modulo the setting of TICKS, which is probably a good default idea, and the nulling of swap costs, the scripts are then the same and results with the (supposedly applicable) 10 fast MA period are similar, resembling my second post picture and a lot worse than the curve presented in the book. This is an interesting exercise as I would not have expected 30 minute TF results, on a system based on averaged (thus smoothed) quantities, to oscillate this wildly (that it will happen with "scalping EAs" is probably common sense) and I guess it is a good idea to target the 240M or above TFs.

Re the book debate, thanks for this new author SFF, I like the sober and meticulous tone of his website as well as the free articles offered. He does suggest in one of them that he won't discuss applicable statistical tests as the generated confidence intervals are typically humungous and in particular extend to negative average returns so maybe the conclusion is that algorithm design is in the end an art more than a science. Forgive me if this question seems a bit naive to you jcl, but have you then found that the material in books like J+T, Robert Pardo etc. is all you ever need for evaluating your system ideas (which clearly need to come from elsewhere) and for deciding whether you are happy with moving from design to live trading? It may well be.

Anyway, thanks for helping me with this basic scripting exercise, which has already taught me something about timeframes that I cannot remember reading in any of the books mentioned - admittedly this may just be because of my poor memory!