SabrTrader Documentation

ATM Strategies: ATR Stops, Brackets & Auto Trailing

An ATM strategy (Advanced Trade Management strategy) in SabrTrader is a saved template that automatically attaches a protective stop-loss and a profit target to an entry the moment it fills, then manages those exits by rule: breaking even, trailing, scaling out across multiple brackets and flattening at a set clock time. SabrTrader's ATM editor is opened from Settings > ATM Strategy and differs from conventional bracket tools in two ways: stop and target distances can be expressed in ticks, ATR, percent, dollar amount or absolute price, and every ATR-derived stop is constrained by a maximum stop cap fail-safe (50 ticks by default). This page documents every field in the editor, the trading logic behind each setting, two complete build walkthroughs, and the mistakes that silently change how your orders behave.

Overview: What an ATM Strategy Does in SabrTrader

An ATM strategy is an Advanced Trade Management template. It is a named, saved set of rules that SabrTrader applies automatically when an entry order fills. Instead of manually placing a stop and a target after every fill, you select the template once and the platform issues and manages the exit orders for you.

A filled entry under an ATM strategy produces a bracket order: a protective stop-loss on one side of the position and a profit target on the other. Whichever side fills first, the other is cancelled, so the position can only close in one of two controlled ways (or a third, if a time-based flatten is configured).

What the ATM engine controls

• Exit placement — where the initial stop and target are placed, in ticks, ATR multiples, percent, dollars or absolute price.
• Position partitioning — how a multi-contract entry is split into independent brackets, each with its own quantity, stop and target.
• Exit order type — whether the protective exit rests as a stop market, stop limit or limit order, and the limit offset used.
• Stop progression — automatic break-even moves and single- or multi-tier trailing stops.
• Time exits — a scheduled auto-flatten, for example at the Regular Trading Hours (RTH) close.

Where ATM strategies are used

Once saved, an ATM strategy appears in the ATM selector in Settings and in SabrTrader's order-entry surfaces: the SuperDOM price ladder, Chart Trader on a chart, and standard order entry. You choose the template before sending the entry; the ATM attaches on fill, not retroactively.

Why templates beat manual order placement

• Speed — exits exist within milliseconds of the fill rather than after you have typed them in.
• Consistency — the same risk geometry is applied to every trade of that type, which makes performance statistics interpretable in the Trade Performance analytics.
• Protection against hesitation — the stop is live even if your attention moves elsewhere or the platform window loses focus.
• Rule-based management — break-even and trailing moves execute mechanically rather than emotionally.

What is distinctive in SabrTrader

Two features set the SabrTrader ATM editor apart from conventional tick-only bracket tools:

1. ATR-based stop and target units. You can express a stop as, for example, 2x the 14-period Average True Range instead of a fixed tick count. The exit distance then scales with the market's current volatility.
2. Maximum stop cap fail-safe. A hard tick ceiling (default 50 ticks) that overrides a volatility-derived stop when ATR expands beyond the risk you are prepared to accept.

Opening and Navigating the ATM Strategy Editor

The ATM editor is reached from Settings > ATM Strategy. It sits alongside Settings > Preferences, the panel that holds platform-wide options such as chart rendering, data handling and AI provider configuration. Preferences controls how the platform behaves; ATM Strategy controls how your orders behave.

What the editor contains

• Saved strategy list — every template you have created, listed by name. Selecting one loads its fields for editing.
• Create / edit / duplicate / delete — standard template management. Duplicating an existing template is the fastest way to build a variant (for example an ES version and an NQ version of the same geometry).
• Inline help text — short explanatory content displayed at the top of the editor and next to individual fields, describing what each setting does. Read it when a field's unit or behaviour is ambiguous.
• Save / Cancel — nothing is committed until Save is pressed. Cancel discards edits and leaves the previously saved version intact.

Naming conventions

Strategy names are free text, but because the name is the only thing you see in the order-entry dropdown, it should encode the instrument, the geometry and the size. Useful patterns:

• ES-1lot-10t-20t — one contract, 10-tick stop, 20-tick target.
• ES-2lot-2ATR-3ATR-4ATR — two contracts, 2x ATR stop, scaled targets at 3x and 4x ATR.
• NQ-scalp-BE8 — scalping template with break-even at 8 ticks.

Avoid names like Test or Strategy 2. In live trading the dropdown is read under time pressure, and selecting the wrong template is a sizing and risk error, not a cosmetic one.

Core Strategy Fields and the Unit Selector

Every ATM strategy is built from four core fields plus their unit selectors. The simplest possible strategy uses one bracket.

Field reference

Field	What it is	Notes
Strategy name	The label used in the saved list and the order-entry ATM dropdown.	Must be unique and descriptive.
Quantity (contracts)	The number of contracts this bracket manages.	With multiple brackets, the sum of bracket quantities should equal your intended entry size.
Stop loss value	The distance (or level) at which the protective exit is placed.	Interpreted according to the stop unit selector.
Stop loss unit	Ticks, ATR, percent, dollar or price.	Set this deliberately; it is the most common source of unexpected order placement.
Profit target value	The distance (or level) at which the profit-taking exit is placed.	Interpreted according to the target unit selector.
Profit target unit	Ticks, ATR, percent, dollar or price.	Set independently of the stop unit. It does not inherit the stop's unit.

The unit selector in detail

Both the stop and the target have their own unit dropdown. The five options behave as follows.

Unit	Definition	Best used for	Caveat
Ticks	A fixed number of minimum price increments from the fill price. One ES tick is 0.25 index points.	Futures scalping and any workflow where risk per trade must be identical on every trade.	A fixed tick stop is too tight in high volatility and unnecessarily wide in quiet conditions.
ATR	A multiple of the Average True Range of the chart's bars over the configured period. 2x ATR means twice the current average bar range.	Volatility-adaptive stop placement across sessions and regimes.	Stop size varies trade to trade, so dollar risk varies unless you also size position by ATR.
Percent	A percentage of the instrument's price, measured from the fill.	Equities and crypto, where a $300 stock and a $15 stock cannot share a tick-based stop.	On high-priced instruments a small percentage is a large absolute distance.
Dollar	An account-currency amount of risk or profit per bracket, converted to a price distance using the contract's tick value.	Traders who think in fixed dollar risk per trade.	The resulting distance may not land on a sensible structural level.
Price	An absolute price level rather than a distance from the fill.	Structural exits: below a swing low, beyond a volume-profile node, outside a value area.	Only valid for the price region you are trading; must be updated per trade or the stop may be placed on the wrong side of the market.

The simple worked example

A minimal ES template: name ES-1lot-10t-20t, quantity 1, stop loss 10 with unit ticks, profit target 20 with unit ticks. On an E-mini S&P 500 (ES) contract where one tick is 0.25 points and worth $12.50, this is $125 of risk and $250 of target per contract, a 1:2 risk-to-reward ratio before commissions.

Multi-Bracket Configuration and Scaling Out

Multi-bracket configuration splits a multi-contract position into two or more independent brackets. Each bracket carries its own quantity, its own stop and its own target, and each runs independently of the others.

How to add a bracket

1. Press the Add bracket control in the ATM editor.
2. Set the quantity for the new bracket.
3. Set its stop value and unit.
4. Set its target value and unit.
5. Repeat for further brackets if you want three or more scale-out tranches.

The two-bracket example from the demonstration

Bracket	Quantity	Stop	Target	Role
1	1 contract	10 ticks	20 ticks	Fast tranche — books a quick profit and reduces exposure.
2	1 contract	24 ticks	35 ticks	Runner tranche — wider stop tolerates noise, larger target captures extension.

The ATR variant of the same idea: a two-lot entry with a 2x ATR stop on both brackets, a 3x ATR target on bracket 1 and a 4x ATR target on bracket 2.

What scaling out actually does

Scaling out is closing part of a position at one price and leaving the rest working. Its effects:

• Increases the proportion of trades that book some profit, raising the psychological win rate.
• Reduces average win size relative to holding the full position to the furthest target.
• Reduces variance: realised results cluster more tightly around the mean.

It does not improve expectancy on its own. If your furthest target is reached reliably, scaling out costs money; if it is reached rarely, scaling out protects results.

What happens when one bracket fills

• The filled bracket's opposite order (its stop, if the target filled) is cancelled for that quantity only.
• Remaining brackets continue working unchanged, with their own stops and targets still attached to the residual position.
• Break-even and trailing rules apply to the brackets that are still live according to their own trigger conditions.
• If a stop fills on one bracket while another remains open, you are left with a smaller position that still carries its original exit structure.

Quantity arithmetic

The sum of the bracket quantities defines the position size the ATM expects. If you configure 1 + 1 = 2 contracts but send a 3-contract entry, the third contract may be left unmanaged. If you send 1 contract against a 2-contract template, only the first bracket has something to manage. Always make entry size and template size match.

ATR-Based Stops and Targets

ATR (Average True Range) is a volatility measure: the average of the true range of the last N bars, where true range is the greatest of (high − low), |high − previous close| and |low − previous close|. It answers the question "how far does this market typically move in one bar right now?" in price units.

The ATR fields

Field	Default	Meaning
ATR period	14	The number of bars averaged. Shorter periods react faster to volatility changes; longer periods are smoother and more stable.
ATR multiplier (stop)	User-set, e.g. 2	The stop distance equals multiplier × ATR value in price terms.
ATR multiplier (target)	User-set, e.g. 3 or 4	The target distance equals multiplier × ATR value in price terms.

How the ATR value is sampled

The ATR used by the ATM is the value computed from the chart's data series at the moment the entry fills. That has three consequences:

• Bar interval matters. A 14-period ATR on 1-minute bars is a far smaller number than a 14-period ATR on 15-minute bars. The same 2x multiplier therefore produces a very different stop distance depending on your chart interval.
• Stop distance varies between trades. Two identical setups taken an hour apart can produce stops of different sizes, because volatility changed in between.
• It is a snapshot. The initial stop does not re-expand later if ATR rises after entry; subsequent movement is handled by break-even and trailing rules, not by re-reading ATR.

Critical warning: the unit must be set on both sides

If you set the stop unit to ATR, you must also set the target unit to ATR. The target unit does not inherit from the stop. Leaving the target unit at its default means a value of 3 intended as "3x ATR" is placed as 3 ticks. On ES that is a 0.75-point target: it will fill almost immediately for a trivial profit against a full-size stop, destroying the strategy's risk-to-reward ratio.

Verification routine before saving

1. Read the stop row left to right: value, then unit. Confirm it says ATR.
2. Read the target row left to right: value, then unit. Confirm it says ATR.
3. Repeat for every additional bracket — each bracket has its own pair of unit selectors.
4. Confirm the ATR period field reads the intended number (14 unless changed).
5. Confirm the maximum stop cap is set.
6. Only then press Save, reopen the template and re-read all unit selectors.

Worked example

ES on 5-minute bars, 14-period ATR currently 2.00 index points (8 ticks).

• 2x ATR stop = 4.00 points = 16 ticks = $200 per contract.
• 3x ATR target = 6.00 points = 24 ticks = $300 per contract (1:1.5 risk-to-reward).
• 4x ATR target on the second bracket = 8.00 points = 32 ticks = $400 per contract (1:2).

If volatility doubles and ATR reaches 4.00 points, the same template produces a 32-tick stop automatically — which is exactly why the maximum stop cap exists.

Maximum Stop Cap (Fail-Safe Tick Limit)

The maximum stop cap is a hard ceiling, expressed in ticks, on how far the ATM will place a protective stop. The default is 50 ticks. When a volatility-derived stop (ATR, percent or dollar based) computes to a distance larger than the cap, the cap value is used instead.

Why it exists

Volatility-adaptive stops have no natural upper bound. During a news spike, a flash move or a thin overnight session, a 14-period ATR can expand several times over. A 2x ATR stop that is normally 16 ticks can become 60 or 100 ticks. Without a cap, the same template silently takes three to six times the intended dollar risk on exactly the trades most likely to be stopped out.

Behaviour

Scenario	Computed stop	Cap	Stop actually placed
Normal volatility	16 ticks	50 ticks	16 ticks (ATR governs)
Elevated volatility	44 ticks	50 ticks	44 ticks (ATR governs)
Volatility spike	78 ticks	50 ticks	50 ticks (cap governs)

How to choose the cap value

1. Decide your maximum acceptable loss per contract in account currency, for example $600.
2. Divide by the instrument's tick value. ES tick value is $12.50, so $600 ÷ $12.50 = 48 ticks.
3. Set the cap at or just below that figure (48 or 50).
4. Repeat per instrument: tick values differ, so one cap value is not universally correct. A 50-tick cap on a micro contract represents a tenth of the dollar risk of the same cap on the E-mini.

Implications

• The cap makes worst-case risk per trade knowable even though stop distance varies.
• When the cap binds, your effective risk-to-reward ratio changes: the stop is truncated but an ATR-based target is not, so reward relative to risk actually improves — at the cost of a higher probability of being stopped by noise.
• If the cap binds frequently, either the ATR multiplier is too large for the instrument or you are trading a regime your template was not designed for.

Exit Order Type and Limit Offset

The ATM lets you choose which order type the protective exit uses. The choice is a trade-off between guaranteed fill and guaranteed price.

The three options

Order type	Definition	Guarantees	Risk
Stop market	A resting instruction that becomes a market order when price trades through the trigger.	Fill is essentially guaranteed while the market is trading.	Slippage — the fill can be materially worse than the trigger in fast or thin markets.
Stop limit	A stop that becomes a limit order at a price offset from the trigger when it fires.	Price control: you will not fill worse than the limit.	No-fill risk — if price gaps past the limit, the stop does not execute and the position stays open with no protection.
Limit	A resting limit order at the configured level.	Price control and potential price improvement.	Only executes if price reaches the level with available liquidity.

Limit offset

The limit offset is the number of ticks between the stop trigger price and the limit price created when the stop fires. For a long position with a stop trigger at 5000.00 and an offset of 4 ticks, the limit is placed at 4999.00: the order will fill anywhere between the trigger and one point below, but not worse.

• Offset 0 — limit equals trigger. Maximum price control, highest no-fill risk.
• Small offset (1–4 ticks) — typical for liquid instruments; absorbs normal spread widening.
• Large offset (8+ ticks) — behaves close to a stop market while still bounding the worst fill.

Choosing between them

• Use stop market when being out of the position matters more than the exit price: index futures during RTH, any position you cannot monitor, and anything held into news.
• Use stop limit in deep, continuously quoted books where you accept the residual no-fill risk in exchange for avoiding slippage on routine exits.
• Never use a tight stop limit around scheduled news (CPI, FOMC, NFP). Price can traverse dozens of ticks between quotes and leave the limit unfilled with the position running against you.
• Slippage is the difference between the expected exit price and the actual fill. Reading resting liquidity on the liquidity heatmap and SuperDOM before entry tells you how much slippage a stop market exit is likely to suffer at your stop level.

Auto Break-Even

A break-even stop is a protective stop moved to the entry price so the trade can no longer lose money. The auto break-even trigger is the amount of open profit, in ticks, that causes the ATM to perform that move automatically.

The two fields

Field	Meaning	Example
Break-even trigger	Open profit, in ticks, required before the stop is moved.	8 ticks
Plus-tick offset	How far beyond the entry price the stop is placed, so the trade closes marginally positive rather than exactly flat.	+1 tick

The demonstrated configuration is "8 ticks in profit → break-even plus 1 tick". On ES that converts a potential $125 loss into a $12.50 gain minus commissions once price has moved 2 points in your favour.

Why the plus-tick offset matters

An exact break-even stop still loses money because round-turn commissions and exchange fees are charged regardless of the price outcome. The plus-tick offset covers part or all of that cost. On ES, one tick ($12.50) typically exceeds a retail round-turn commission, making a break-even+1 exit a genuine scratch or small gain.

Interaction with other rules

• With trailing stops — break-even usually triggers first, at a smaller profit, and the trailing logic takes over once its own (larger) trigger is reached. The stop only ever moves in the favourable direction, so trailing cannot pull a stop back below break-even.
• With ATR-derived stops — the initial stop distance comes from ATR, but the break-even trigger is expressed in ticks. On a volatile day where the ATR stop is 30 ticks, an 8-tick break-even trigger fires after only a quarter of the stop distance has been recovered, which is usually too early. Scale the break-even trigger to the typical ATR stop, not to a fixed habit.
• With multiple brackets — each bracket evaluates the trigger against its own position.

Choosing the trigger

Set the break-even trigger beyond normal retracement noise. A practical floor is roughly 0.5x to 1x ATR of your chart interval, or at least the typical pullback depth you observe after entry. A trigger tighter than routine noise converts winning trades into scratches: price touches the trigger, pulls back one tick further than usual, and the position is closed before the move develops.

Trailing Stops, Step Frequency and Tiered Trailing

A trailing stop is a protective stop that follows price in the profitable direction at a defined distance, locking in gains as the trade runs. It never moves against the position.

The three parameters

Parameter	Definition	Effect of a smaller value
Profit trigger (trail trigger)	Open profit, in ticks, required before trailing logic activates at all.	Trailing starts earlier, so more trades are managed by the trail — and more are stopped before extension.
Trail distance	How far behind the current market the stop is maintained once trailing is active.	Tighter protection, more premature exits on normal pullbacks.
Step frequency	How many ticks of further favourable movement are required before the stop is advanced again.	Smoother, more frequent stop advances; too small and the stop ratchets into every micro-pullback.

Worked example from the demonstration

"At 16 ticks of profit the stop moves to an 8-tick stop from the current market, stepping every 5 ticks." Reading it as a sequence on a long ES position filled at 5000.00 (1 tick = 0.25):

1. Price reaches 5004.00 (16 ticks profit) — trailing activates; stop is set 8 ticks behind the market, at 5002.00.
2. Price advances 5 further ticks to 5005.25 — the stop steps up to 5003.25 (still 8 ticks behind).
3. Price advances another 5 ticks to 5006.50 — the stop steps to 5004.50.
4. Price retraces — the stop does not move down. It stays at its highest achieved level.

Tiered (stepped) trailing

Stepped or tiered trailing uses multiple trailing rules that take over at successively higher profit levels, tightening or loosening the trail as the trade matures. The demonstrated three-tier ladder:

Tier	Profit trigger	Trail distance	Step frequency	Intent
0 (break-even)	20 ticks	Stop to entry +1 tick	—	Remove downside risk.
1	28 ticks	8 ticks	Every 4 ticks	Begin locking profit while still giving the move room.
2	38 ticks	10 ticks	Every 2 ticks	Track an extended move closely with frequent advances.

Tiers are evaluated by current open profit: the highest tier whose trigger has been satisfied governs the trail. Because the stop only moves favourably, moving from a tighter tier to a wider one can never widen risk on an already-locked level.

Effect on expectancy

Trailing raises the proportion of trades that close positive and lowers the average size of the largest wins, because a trailing exit almost always occurs below the swing extreme. If your edge comes from a small number of large trend trades, aggressive trailing can turn a positive expectancy into a negative one. If your edge comes from frequent moderate moves that often give back profit, trailing improves results. Measure it in the Trade Performance window rather than assuming.

Time-Based Auto Flatten

Flatten means closing all open positions and cancelling all working orders for an instrument or account. Time-based auto flatten is a scheduled rule inside the ATM strategy that performs that action at a specified clock time.

Configuration

• Enable the time-based exit and enter the clock time at which positions should be closed.
• The most common value is the RTH close — the end of Regular Trading Hours, the primary cash-session hours of the market (16:00 US Eastern for US index futures, versus the overnight/ETH session that continues afterwards).
• At the configured time the ATM closes the remaining position and cancels any resting bracket orders belonging to that position.

Why use it

• Day-trading discipline. It enforces the rule "no positions held overnight" mechanically, which matters for prop-firm and funded-account programmes that penalise or prohibit overnight exposure.
• Liquidity decay. Resting liquidity thins substantially after the cash close; a stop market exit at 02:00 can slip much further than the same exit at 11:00.
• Gap risk. Overnight news can move price well beyond a stop level before the stop can be executed at a reasonable price.
• Settlement and rollover. Avoids being carried into contract expiration or a rollover window.

Time-zone and session considerations

• Confirm whether the time field is interpreted in platform local time or exchange time, and check it against your machine's clock. A one-hour error around daylight-saving transitions will either flatten you an hour early or leave you exposed an hour longer.
• Set the flatten time a few minutes before the exact session close so the exit executes while the book is still deep, not into the closing auction.
• Instruments with different session schedules need different templates; a single flatten time cannot serve both an index future and a European-session instrument.

Interaction with other controls

The ATM auto-flatten is a per-strategy rule. It is not a substitute for account-level protection. Session-wide loss limits, daily profit locks and hard locks are configured separately in Risk Master, which operates on the account regardless of which ATM template is active.

Saving, Selecting and Applying a Strategy

An ATM strategy has no effect until it is saved and then selected on the order-entry surface you are trading from.

Saving

1. Complete every field, including the unit selectors for every bracket.
2. Press Save. The strategy appears in the saved list under its name.
3. Reopen it once and re-read the unit selectors. This single habit prevents the most expensive configuration error in the editor.

Selecting before entry

• Saved strategies appear in the ATM dropdown in Settings > ATM Strategy and in the ATM selector on order-entry surfaces: the SuperDOM (the dropdown at the bottom of the ladder), Chart Trader on a chart, and the standard order ticket.
• The selection must be made before the entry order is sent. The ATM attaches on fill; selecting a template after you are filled does not retroactively bracket the position.
• Verify the selected template name matches the instrument you are about to trade. A template built with ES tick values applied to a different contract produces the wrong dollar risk.

What happens if no ATM is selected

The entry fills as a bare position with no stop and no target. Nothing in the platform will close it for you. You must then place exits manually, which is exactly the delay the ATM exists to eliminate. Treat "no ATM selected" as an error state, not a neutral default.

Rehearsing a template

Before running a new template on live capital, run it in a simulated account or in Market Replay. Replay delivers recorded tick data in original sequence, so you can watch exactly where the ATM places the initial stop, when break-even fires, how the trail steps and whether the maximum stop cap binds — without risking money and without waiting for live conditions to repeat.

ATM strategies and multi-account trading

When orders are mirrored to additional accounts by the Trade Copier, the ATM template governs the master account's bracket construction. Verify on the copier's monitoring tabs that copy accounts receive correctly sized protective orders, especially when per-account quantity rules change the contract count away from the 1:1 copy ratio.

Managing an Active ATM Position

An ATM strategy automates placement and movement, but it does not lock the orders. Once a position is live you retain full manual control.

Manual adjustment

• Drag or edit the stop or target on the chart or the SuperDOM ladder to move it to a different price. Typical reasons: the ATR-derived stop sits exactly on a swing level that will be probed, or the target sits just beyond a large resting block of liquidity visible on the depth ladder that is unlikely to be traded through.
• Manual edits override template behaviour for that order. After you move a stop by hand, the automated rules act on the current state of the position — they do not restore the template's original level.
• Manual edits do not change the saved template. The next trade still uses the saved configuration.

Cancelling versus flattening

Action	Effect on working orders	Effect on the position
Cancel order	Removes the selected resting order.	Position remains open — and may now be unprotected.
Cancel all	Removes every working order for the instrument.	Position remains open and fully unprotected.
Flatten / close position	Cancels working orders.	Closes all open quantity at market.

Cancelling a stop is not an exit. If you cancel brackets intending to exit, use Flatten instead; otherwise you are left holding a naked position.

After a partial fill

• If only part of a multi-bracket entry fills, only the corresponding bracket quantity is managed. Check the working orders list and confirm the protected quantity equals the filled quantity.
• If a target fills on one bracket, the remaining brackets keep their own stops and targets working against the residual position.
• Changing position size by adding contracts manually causes brackets to be re-issued against the new aggregate size; confirm the resulting stop quantity before walking away.

Editing a template while in a live position

Do not edit a template that is currently managing an open trade. The live orders were created from the configuration that existed at fill time; editing mid-trade produces ambiguity about which rule set applies and can leave you unsure of your actual risk. Finish the trade, then edit.

Trading Concepts Behind the Settings

Why volatility-normalised stops beat fixed ticks

A fixed tick stop assumes the market's noise level is constant. It is not. The same 10-tick ES stop that sits comfortably outside normal fluctuation at 11:30 on a quiet summer day is inside the first pullback on an FOMC afternoon. Volatility-adaptive stop placement sets the exit distance from measured market movement, so the probability of being stopped by noise stays roughly constant across regimes instead of varying with conditions.

Tick, tick value and real risk

A tick is the minimum price increment of a contract. The tick value (a function of the contract multiplier) is what one tick is worth in account currency. Risk in ticks is only meaningful once converted:

Risk per trade = stop distance in ticks × tick value × contracts

For ES at $12.50 per tick: a 16-tick stop on 2 contracts is 16 × 12.50 × 2 = $400. The same 16-tick stop on 2 micro contracts (MES, $1.25 per tick) is $40. This is why the maximum stop cap must be set per instrument.

Risk-to-reward ratio and R-multiples

The risk-to-reward ratio compares stop distance to target distance. A 2x ATR stop with a 3x ATR target is 1:1.5; with a 4x ATR target it is 1:2. Expressing outcomes in R-multiples — multiples of the initial risk — makes trades comparable even when the absolute stop size varies. A trade that risked 16 ticks and made 32 is +2R, exactly like a trade that risked 40 ticks and made 80. This is the main practical benefit of ATR-based geometry: statistics remain comparable across volatility regimes.

How ATR period and chart interval change stop size

Chart interval	Typical 14-period ATR (ES, illustrative)	2x ATR stop	Risk per contract
1 minute	0.75 pts (3 ticks)	6 ticks	$75
5 minutes	2.00 pts (8 ticks)	16 ticks	$200
15 minutes	4.00 pts (16 ticks)	32 ticks	$400
60 minutes	9.00 pts (36 ticks)	72 ticks	Capped at 50 ticks = $625

The multiplier is not the only variable. Changing your chart interval changes every ATR-based stop in the template without touching the template.

Position sizing from the stop

Correct sequence: decide the acceptable dollar risk per trade, derive the stop distance from volatility, then solve for contracts.

Contracts = acceptable dollar risk ÷ (stop ticks × tick value)

With $300 of acceptable risk and a 16-tick ES stop: 300 ÷ (16 × 12.50) = 1.5, so 1 contract. Because an ATM template holds a fixed quantity, traders using ATR stops either accept variable dollar risk per trade or maintain several templates with different quantities and select according to current ATR.

How trailing changes expectancy

Expectancy is (win rate × average win) − (loss rate × average loss). Trailing typically raises win rate and lowers average win simultaneously. The net effect depends entirely on the distribution of your trades: strategies whose profits come from a long right tail of large winners are damaged by tight trailing; strategies whose winners regularly round-trip benefit from it. Both versions should be measured on the same sample before one is adopted.

Tutorial: Build a Tick ATM and an ATR ATM

Walkthrough 1 — Simple tick-based ES template

Goal: 1 contract, 10-tick stop, 20-tick target, stop market exit, automatic break-even at 8 ticks.

1. Open Settings > ATM Strategy.
2. Create a new strategy and name it ES-1lot-10t-20t-BE8.
3. Set Quantity to 1.
4. Set Stop loss value to 10 and the stop unit selector to Ticks.
5. Set Profit target value to 20 and the target unit selector to Ticks.
6. Set the stop order type to Stop market so the exit is guaranteed to execute. Leave the limit offset unused.
7. Enable Auto break-even. Set the trigger to 8 ticks and the offset to +1 tick.
8. Leave trailing disabled for this template.
9. Optionally enable time-based auto flatten a few minutes before the RTH close.
10. Press Save, then reopen the template and confirm both unit selectors read Ticks.

Resulting risk on ES: 10 ticks × $12.50 = $125 risk, $250 target, 1:2 risk-to-reward, converting to a break-even+1 trade once price moves 2 points in favour.

Walkthrough 2 — Two-lot ATR template with scale-out and tiered trailing

Goal: 2 contracts, 14-period ATR, 2x ATR stop on both brackets, 3x ATR target on bracket 1 and 4x ATR on bracket 2, 50-tick maximum stop cap, break-even at 20+1, three-tier trail.

1. Create a new strategy named ES-2lot-2ATR-3-4ATR.
2. Bracket 1: quantity 1; stop value 2 with unit ATR; target value 3 with unit ATR.
3. Press Add bracket.
4. Bracket 2: quantity 1; stop value 2 with unit ATR; target value 4 with unit ATR.
5. Set the ATR period to 14 (the default).
6. Set the maximum stop cap to 50 ticks — or to your own ceiling derived from acceptable dollar risk ÷ tick value.
7. Set the stop order type to Stop market.
8. Enable Auto break-even: trigger 20 ticks, offset +1 tick.
9. Configure the trailing tiers:
   • Tier 1 — profit trigger 28 ticks, trail distance 8 ticks, step frequency every 4 ticks.
   • Tier 2 — profit trigger 38 ticks, trail distance 10 ticks, step frequency every 2 ticks.
10. Optionally set the time-based auto flatten for the session close.
11. Press Save.

Verification checklist before trading a template

Check	Why
Every stop unit selector reads the intended unit	A mis-set unit changes risk by an order of magnitude.
Every target unit selector reads the intended unit	Targets do not inherit the stop's unit; an ATR target left on Ticks fills instantly.
Sum of bracket quantities equals intended entry size	Unmatched quantity leaves contracts unmanaged.
ATR period matches intention and chart interval is correct	Interval, not just multiplier, determines stop size.
Maximum stop cap is set and converted to dollars	Defines worst-case risk per contract.
Break-even trigger is wider than normal noise	Prevents routine scratching of good trades.
Order type is appropriate for the session	Stop limit around news can fail to fill.
Auto-flatten time is in the expected time zone	Prevents accidental overnight exposure.
Template name identifies instrument and geometry	Prevents selecting the wrong template under pressure.
Template rehearsed in sim or Market Replay	Confirms real behaviour before capital is at risk.

Best Practices

• One template per instrument and session. Tick values, typical ATR and liquidity differ. An ES template applied to NQ or to a micro contract produces the wrong dollar risk even though the tick numbers look identical.
• Keep stop and target units consistent within a bracket. Mixing an ATR stop with a tick target is the single most common configuration error. Either both are ATR or both are ticks.
• Derive the maximum stop cap from money, not habit. Acceptable dollar risk ÷ tick value = cap in ticks. Recompute it for every instrument.
• Name templates descriptively. ES-2ATR-3ATR tells you what will happen; ATM 3 does not.
• Rehearse in simulation or Market Replay. Watch at least twenty trades through the template, including one high-volatility session, before using it live.
• Match the ATR period to the chart interval. A 14-period ATR on 1-minute bars measures fifteen minutes of market history; on 15-minute bars it measures three and a half hours. Decide which horizon your stop should reflect.
• Do not stack an aggressive break-even with an aggressive trail on scalps. Short-horizon trades have little room; two tightening mechanisms converge and exit the trade before the thesis plays out.
• Review whether the cap is binding. If a volatility-derived stop is frequently truncated to the cap, lower the multiplier, trade a smaller contract, or stand aside in that regime.
• Pair ATM templates with account-level protection. ATM rules govern a trade; Risk Master governs the day. Use both.
• Re-examine templates after a volatility regime change. A template calibrated in a quiet month is miscalibrated when ranges double.
• Keep a small template library. Three or four well-understood templates used correctly beat fifteen variants selected at random.
• Audit results by template. Tag and compare outcomes in the Trade Performance window so that trailing and scale-out choices are validated by data rather than preference.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	What actually happens	Fix
Setting an ATR stop but leaving the target on Ticks	"3x ATR" is placed as a 3-tick target. The target fills immediately for a trivial profit while the stop remains full size, inverting the risk-to-reward ratio.	Set both unit selectors explicitly on every bracket, then reopen the saved template and re-read them.
Leaving the maximum stop cap unset or absurdly high	On a volatility spike a 2x ATR stop can become three times its normal distance, taking a multiple of intended risk on the trades most likely to lose.	Set the cap from acceptable dollar risk ÷ tick value, per instrument.
Break-even trigger tighter than normal noise	Good trades are scratched at break-even on routine pullbacks, leaving only losers at full size.	Set the trigger at roughly 0.5–1x ATR, or beyond the typical post-entry retracement you observe.
Trail step frequency set too small	The stop ratchets into every micro-pullback and exits before the move completes.	Widen the step and the trail distance; measure typical pullback depth first.
Bracket quantities do not match entry size	Extra contracts are left unmanaged with no stop, or a bracket has nothing to manage.	Verify that the sum of bracket quantities equals the entry size for every template.
No time-based flatten on an instrument with overnight risk	A position is carried into a thin session and gaps through the stop level.	Enable the auto-flatten a few minutes before the RTH close and confirm the time zone.
Editing a template while a position is live	Live orders reflect the configuration at fill time; the edit creates uncertainty about actual current risk.	Finish the trade, then edit. Never modify a template mid-position.
Using a tight stop limit into scheduled news	Price gaps through the limit and the stop never fills, leaving an unprotected position in a fast market.	Use stop market for news exposure, or widen the limit offset substantially.
Reusing a template across instruments	Identical tick counts represent entirely different dollar risk across contracts of different tick value.	Duplicate and re-calibrate per instrument.
Forgetting to select an ATM before entry	The entry fills naked with no stop and no target.	Make selecting the template part of the pre-entry routine; verify the name on the SuperDOM or Chart Trader before sending.
Changing chart interval without re-checking the template	Every ATR-based distance changes, sometimes by a factor of four, without any edit to the template.	Treat the chart interval as part of the template's definition and record it in the template name if you trade multiple intervals.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an ATM strategy in SabrTrader?

An ATM (Advanced Trade Management) strategy is a saved template that automatically attaches a stop-loss and a profit target to an entry order the moment it fills, then manages those exits by rule. It controls the exit distances and their units (ticks, ATR, percent, dollar, price), how a multi-contract entry is split into independent brackets, the exit order type, automatic break-even and trailing-stop progression, and an optional scheduled auto-flatten. ATM strategies are created in Settings > ATM Strategy and selected from the ATM dropdown on the SuperDOM, Chart Trader or the order ticket before an entry is sent.

How do I set a stop loss based on ATR instead of ticks?

Open Settings > ATM Strategy, select or create a strategy, enter the multiplier in the stop loss value field (for example 2 for a 2x ATR stop), and change the stop unit selector from Ticks to ATR. Set the ATR period field (default 14). Then do the same on the profit target: enter the target multiplier and set the target unit selector to ATR as well. Finally set the maximum stop cap so a volatility spike cannot produce an oversized stop, and save.

Why did my profit target default to ticks when I selected an ATR stop?

Because the stop and the target have independent unit selectors. Changing the stop to ATR does not change the target. If you type 3 intending 3x ATR but leave the target unit on Ticks, a 3-tick target is placed — on ES that is 0.75 index points, which typically fills within seconds for a few dollars while your full-size stop remains in place. Always set both unit selectors explicitly on every bracket, save, then reopen the template and re-read them.

What does the 50-tick maximum stop setting do?

It is a fail-safe ceiling on stop distance. When a volatility-derived stop (ATR, percent or dollar based) computes to more ticks than the cap, the cap value is used instead. With a 50-tick cap, a 2x ATR stop that would otherwise be 78 ticks is placed at 50. Its purpose is to make worst-case risk per contract knowable even though ATR varies. 50 ticks is only a default; set it to your own acceptable dollar risk divided by the instrument's tick value, and recalculate it for each instrument because tick values differ.

Which ATR period does the ATM use and can I change it?

The default is a 14-period ATR, and the period is editable in the ATM editor. The ATR is computed from the chart's data series, so the bar interval matters as much as the period: a 14-period ATR on 1-minute bars measures roughly fifteen minutes of market history, while the same period on 15-minute bars measures several hours. Shorter periods react faster to volatility changes; longer periods produce more stable stop sizes.

How do multiple brackets work with a multi-contract entry?

Each bracket manages its own slice of the position with its own quantity, stop and target, and the brackets run independently. For a two-lot entry you might configure bracket 1 with a 10-tick stop and 20-tick target and bracket 2 with a 24-tick stop and 35-tick target, or with ATR units, a 2x ATR stop on both brackets with 3x and 4x ATR targets. When one bracket's target fills, that contract is closed and its stop cancelled; the remaining brackets continue working against the residual position with their own exits. The sum of all bracket quantities should equal your intended entry size, otherwise some contracts are left unmanaged.

What is the difference between stop market, stop limit and limit for ATM exits?

A stop market becomes a market order when price trades through the trigger: the fill is essentially guaranteed but the price is not, so you can suffer slippage in fast markets. A stop limit becomes a limit order at a configured offset from the trigger: you control the worst fill price but the order may not fill at all if price gaps past the limit, leaving the position unprotected. A plain limit rests at a price and executes only if the market reaches it with available liquidity. Use stop market for any exit that must happen, especially around news and in thin sessions; use stop limit in deep books when avoiding slippage matters more than certainty of exit.

How do I configure auto break-even plus one tick?

Enable auto break-even in the ATM editor, set the trigger to the amount of open profit in ticks that should activate the move (for example 8 ticks), and set the offset to +1 tick. When open profit reaches the trigger, the protective stop is moved to the entry price plus one tick for a long (or minus one tick for a short). The plus-tick offset exists so the resulting exit covers commissions rather than closing exactly flat. Set the trigger wider than typical post-entry noise, otherwise good trades are repeatedly scratched.

How do the trailing stop trigger, distance and step frequency interact?

The profit trigger is how much open profit is required before trailing activates. The trail distance is how far behind the current market the stop is held once active. The step frequency is how many ticks of further favourable movement are required before the stop advances again. Example: trigger 16 ticks, distance 8 ticks, step 5 ticks — at 16 ticks of profit the stop jumps to 8 ticks behind the market, and every additional 5 ticks of favourable movement it advances again, always staying 8 ticks behind. The stop never moves against the position, so a retracement leaves it at its highest achieved level.

Can I run more than one trailing tier in a single ATM strategy?

Yes. Tiered or stepped trailing lets you define several trailing rules that take over at successively higher profit levels. A demonstrated ladder is: break-even plus one tick at 20 ticks of profit; then at 28 ticks an 8-tick trail stepping every 4 ticks; then at 38 ticks a 10-tick trail stepping every 2 ticks. The highest tier whose trigger has been satisfied governs the trail, and because the stop only moves favourably, switching tiers can never widen already-locked protection.

How do I automatically flatten positions at the RTH close?

Enable the time-based exit in the ATM strategy and enter the clock time at which everything should be closed, for example a few minutes before the Regular Trading Hours close. At that time the ATM closes remaining open quantity and cancels working bracket orders for the position. Verify which time zone the field uses against your machine clock, and re-check it around daylight-saving transitions. Set the time slightly before the exact session close so the exit executes while liquidity is still deep.

Can I move or adjust the stop and target after the ATM is active?

Yes. ATM-generated orders are ordinary working orders: you can drag or edit them on the chart or the SuperDOM ladder while the position is live, for example if the stop sits exactly on a level you expect to be probed or the target sits beyond a large resting block of liquidity. Manual edits override the template's placement for that order, and automated rules then operate on the current state of the position. Manual edits do not modify the saved template — the next trade uses the saved configuration again.

Does changing an ATM template affect a position that is already open?

No, and you should not attempt it. The live stop and target were created from the configuration that existed when the entry filled. Editing the template mid-trade creates ambiguity about which rules are actually governing your open risk. Close or finish the trade, then edit the template so the change applies cleanly from the next fill onward.

How should I choose ATR multipliers for different instruments?

Start from the behaviour you want, not from a universal number. A stop multiplier should sit outside the instrument's routine pullback depth on your chart interval — commonly 1.5x to 2.5x ATR for index futures intraday. The target multiplier then sets the risk-to-reward ratio: a 2x stop with a 3x target is 1:1.5 and a 2x stop with a 4x target is 1:2. Always convert the resulting typical distance into dollars using the tick value before accepting it, and set the maximum stop cap so a volatility spike cannot push the real risk beyond your limit. Validate the choice in simulation or Market Replay rather than by assumption.

Where do saved ATM strategies appear when placing an order?

Saved strategies appear in the ATM list inside Settings > ATM Strategy and in the ATM selector on each order-entry surface: the dropdown at the bottom of the SuperDOM ladder, the Chart Trader panel docked to a chart, and the standard order ticket. Select the template before sending the entry — the ATM attaches on fill and cannot be applied retroactively to a position that is already open.

What happens if I place an order without selecting an ATM strategy?

The entry fills as a bare position with no stop and no target attached. Nothing in the platform will close it automatically. You must place exits manually, which reintroduces exactly the delay and hesitation the ATM is designed to remove. Treat an empty ATM selector as an error state and confirm the template name as part of your pre-entry routine.

What is the difference between a percent-based stop and a dollar-based stop?

A percent-based stop is placed a percentage of the instrument's price away from the fill, so a 1% stop is a larger absolute distance on a $400 instrument than on a $40 one. It is useful for equities and crypto where price levels vary enormously between symbols. A dollar-based stop is defined by account-currency risk — for example $250 per bracket — and is converted into a price distance using the contract's tick value. Percent scales with price; dollar scales with your risk budget.

When should I use a price-based stop or target instead of a distance?

Use the price unit when the exit should sit at a specific structural level rather than a fixed distance from the fill: beneath a swing low, outside a value area, or beyond a high-volume node identified with the Volume Profile. Because it is an absolute level rather than a distance, a price-based exit must be updated for each trade and each price region; leaving a stale price in a template can place a stop on the wrong side of the market.

Does scaling out with multiple brackets improve my results?

Not automatically. Scaling out raises the proportion of trades that book some profit and reduces variance, but it also reduces the average size of your winners because part of the position no longer participates in the extension. If your edge depends on a small number of large trend trades, scaling out and tight trailing both reduce expectancy. Test both versions on the same trade sample in the Trade Performance window before committing.

Can I use ATM strategies when copying trades to multiple accounts?

Yes. The ATM template governs how the master account's brackets are constructed, and the Trade Copier replicates the resulting orders to enrolled copy accounts. Verify on the copier's monitoring tabs that each copy account actually received correctly sized protective orders, particularly when per-account quantity rules move an account away from the 1:1 copy ratio, because a bracket mismatch leaves part of the copied exposure unprotected.

Troubleshooting

The profit target came out in ticks instead of ATR

The target unit selector was left on Ticks. The target does not inherit the stop's unit. Open Settings > ATM Strategy, select the template, set the target unit selector to ATR on every bracket, save, then reopen the template and re-read each unit selector to confirm. If a live trade is already running with a tiny target, either cancel and replace the target manually or flatten and re-enter once the template is corrected.

The stop is much wider or much narrower than I expected

Check three things in order. First, the chart interval: a 14-period ATR on 15-minute bars is several times larger than on 1-minute bars, so the same multiplier produces a very different stop. Second, the ATR period field — a shorter period reacts more sharply to a recent volatility burst. Third, the maximum stop cap: if the stop is exactly at the cap value in ticks, the cap is binding and overriding the ATR calculation. Convert the resulting distance to dollars using the tick value to confirm whether it is acceptable.

Auto break-even never triggered

Confirm the break-even option is enabled and the trigger is expressed in ticks of open profit, then check that the trade actually reached that profit level. A common cause is a trigger set far wider than the trade's typical excursion — for example a 20-tick trigger on a strategy whose winners average 15 ticks. Also confirm you did not manually move the stop earlier in the trade, since manual edits change the order the rules act on. Rehearse the template in Market Replay to see exactly where the move fires.

The trailing stop is not moving

Trailing only activates once open profit reaches the profit trigger. Below that level the stop stays at its initial (or break-even) position by design. If profit has exceeded the trigger, check the step frequency: the stop advances only after that many additional ticks of favourable movement, so a large step value makes the stop appear static during small advances. Remember the stop never moves backwards, so during a retracement it correctly stays at its highest achieved level.

No stop or target appeared after my entry filled

Most often no ATM strategy was selected in the ATM dropdown before the entry was sent — the ATM attaches on fill and cannot be applied retroactively. Other causes: the entry quantity does not match the sum of bracket quantities, so some or all contracts are unmanaged; the order was placed from a surface where a different (or blank) ATM selection is active; or the connection to the broker dropped between the fill and the bracket submission. Place a manual stop immediately, then check the working orders list and the connection status in the Control Center.

The stop limit exit did not fill and the position kept losing

This is the inherent risk of a stop limit: once triggered it becomes a limit order, and if price moves through the limit price without trading back, there is no fill. Increase the limit offset so the order has room to execute, or switch the exit order type to stop market for sessions and events where certainty of exit matters more than price. Never run a tight stop limit into scheduled economic releases.

The auto-flatten did not fire at the expected time

Verify the time zone the field uses against your machine clock, and check for a daylight-saving shift that moved the session close relative to local time. Confirm the platform was running and connected at the scheduled moment — a scheduled flatten cannot execute if the application was closed or the broker connection was down. Also confirm the time-based exit is enabled on the template that was actually attached to the position, not on a different template in the list.

Risk per trade varies wildly between trades using the same template

This is expected behaviour with ATR-based stops: the distance scales with current volatility, so dollar risk changes trade to trade while contract count stays fixed. To stabilise dollar risk, either maintain several templates with different quantities and select according to current ATR, lower the maximum stop cap so the upper bound is tighter, or switch to tick-based stops and accept fixed distances. Convert the cap to dollars (cap ticks × tick value × contracts) so you always know the worst case.

My brackets were cancelled and re-issued after I added contracts

When position size changes, existing brackets are cancelled and re-issued against the new aggregate size. Immediately check the working orders list and confirm the protected quantity equals the open quantity and that the stop and target prices are where you expect. Adding to a position while an ATM is managing it is an advanced operation; prefer configuring the intended full size as multiple brackets in the template instead.

The wrong template was applied to a trade

Templates are selected per order-entry surface, and an unclear name makes misselection easy under time pressure. Flatten or manually correct the exits on the current trade, then rename your templates to encode instrument, size and geometry (for example ES-2lot-2ATR-3-4ATR) and delete unused variants. Add a verification of the selected template name to your pre-entry routine.

Glossary

ATM strategy

An Advanced Trade Management template that automatically attaches a stop-loss and profit target when an entry order fills and manages those exits by rule, including break-even moves, trailing and scheduled flattening.

ATR (Average True Range)

A volatility measure that averages the true range of the last N bars, commonly 14, where true range is the greatest of high minus low, the absolute difference between high and previous close, and the absolute difference between low and previous close.

ATR multiplier

A factor applied to the current ATR value to translate measured volatility into a stop or target distance, for example 2x ATR for a stop and 3x ATR for a target.

Auto break-even trigger

The amount of open profit, measured in ticks, at which the ATM automatically moves the protective stop to break-even plus the configured offset.

Bracket order

A paired profit target and protective stop placed around an open position so the trade exits on one side or the other; filling one cancels the other.

Break-even stop

A protective stop moved to the entry price, optionally plus one tick, so the trade can no longer produce a loss.

Contract multiplier / tick value

The account-currency value of one tick for a contract, which converts tick-based stops and targets into real money risk and reward. ES is $12.50 per tick; MES is $1.25.

Dollar-based stop or target

An exit distance defined by account-currency risk or profit rather than ticks, converted to a price distance using the contract's tick value.

ES (E-mini S&P 500)

The CME E-mini S&P 500 futures contract, a widely traded equity index future with a 0.25-point tick worth $12.50, used in this page's example settings.

Expectancy

The average expected profit or loss per trade, computed as (win rate x average win) minus (loss rate x average loss). A high win rate with small wins and large losses can still be negative.

Flatten

Closing all open positions and cancelling all working orders for an instrument or account.

Limit offset

The number of ticks between the stop trigger price and the limit price placed when the stop fires, bounding the worst acceptable exit fill.

Maximum stop cap

A hard tick ceiling that overrides a volatility-derived stop when the computed distance exceeds it, bounding worst-case risk per contract. The SabrTrader default is 50 ticks.

Multi-bracket / scaling out

Splitting position size into several independent brackets so each portion has its own quantity, stop and target, allowing part of the position to be closed at a nearer target while the remainder runs.

Percent-based stop

A stop placed a percentage of the instrument's price away from the entry, useful for instruments whose absolute price levels vary widely, such as equities and crypto.

Position sizing

Choosing the number of contracts so that the stop distance equates to an acceptable monetary risk, computed as acceptable dollar risk divided by stop ticks times tick value.

Price-based stop or target

An exit placed at an absolute price level rather than a distance from the fill, typically used for structural levels such as a swing low or the edge of a value area.

R-multiple

A trade's result expressed as a multiple of its initial risk, which makes outcomes comparable even when absolute stop sizes vary between trades.

Risk-to-reward ratio

The relationship between stop distance and target distance on a trade. A 2x ATR stop with a 3x ATR target is 1:1.5; the same stop with a 4x ATR target is 1:2.

RTH (Regular Trading Hours)

The primary cash-session hours of a market, as opposed to the overnight or extended electronic session, which is typically thinner and more prone to slippage.

Slippage

The difference between the expected exit price and the actual fill price, most relevant for stop market orders in fast or thin markets.

Stepped / tiered trailing

Multiple trailing rules that take over at successively higher profit levels, tightening or loosening the trail as the trade matures.

Stop limit order

A stop that becomes a limit order at a defined offset from the trigger when it fires, giving price control at the cost of no-fill risk if price moves through the limit without trading back.

Stop market order

A resting order that becomes a market order when price trades through the trigger price, guaranteeing execution while the market trades but not guaranteeing the fill price.

Tick

The minimum price increment of a futures contract, used as the base unit for stops and targets. One ES tick is 0.25 index points.

Time-based exit / auto flatten

A scheduled rule that closes open positions and cancels working orders at a set clock time, such as the Regular Trading Hours close.

Trade management

The rules governing a position after entry, including stop movement, scaling out, trailing and time-based exits.

Trail step frequency

How many ticks of further favourable price movement are required before the trailing stop is advanced to its next level.

Trail trigger (profit trigger)

The amount of open profit required before trailing logic begins to manage the stop.

Trailing stop

A stop that follows price in the profitable direction at a fixed distance, locking in gains as the trade runs and never moving against the position.

Volatility-adaptive stop placement

Setting exit distances from measured market volatility rather than a fixed arbitrary tick count, so the probability of being stopped by noise stays roughly constant across market regimes.

Related Documentation