Automated MNQ futures · NinjaTrader 8 · your own account

nqewed

A rules-based Micro Nasdaq strategy for traders who fund their own account and want it run with a fixed risk on every trade.

Your broker, your money, your risk setting. The software places the orders, and the account stays in your name.

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Reference account: $50,000
Risk per trade: 1% · $500
Contract: MNQ, 3–20 per trade
Holding period: Intraday, flat by 16:00 ET
Frequency: About 12 trades a month
Backtest: Jun 2019 – Oct 2026
Live record: Starts October 2026

Growth of $50,000

$50,000 to $450,602, compounding at 1% risk

35.0%a year, compounded over 1,067 trades

−11.1%deepest drawdown from a high

43.8%of trades won

61 of 89months profitable

Risk is 1% of the current balance on every trade, so size grows with the account, capped at 20 MNQ per $50,000 of balance and using full-size NQ for each block of ten micros. Log scale, so equal heights are equal percentage moves. After commissions and one tick of slippage on stops and market exits.

Monthly returns

Every month, as a percentage of the balance

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
2019						−1.5	+0.7	+2.3	+2.9	+3.9	−1.0	+3.1	+10.6
2020	+0.8	−0.4	+1.3	+3.0	+1.5	+1.0	−3.6	+1.0	+14.0	+4.2	+8.6	+4.1	+40.1
2021	+0.4	−5.8	+4.8	+0.4	+3.1	+8.9	−2.8	+4.3	−5.0	+2.0	−0.7	+10.6	+20.6
2022	−2.0	+13.5	+8.6	+10.5	+27.3	+9.3	−0.7	+1.4	−4.5	+0.3	+2.1	+1.9	+86.4
2023	+3.0	−1.5	+20.7	−5.1	+3.8	+3.3	+2.2	−4.7	+1.0	−1.7	−2.1	+2.9	+21.5
2024	+4.8	+3.7	−0.2	+2.0	+7.6	−1.7	+4.2	−0.4	−4.7	+6.6	+1.7	+5.0	+31.7
2025	−4.3	+1.8	−4.2	+9.4	+5.5	−1.6	+4.3	−1.4	+2.4	−1.9	+7.4	+4.9	+23.5
2026	+10.7	−4.7	+5.2	+1.4	+4.7	−5.6	−1.6	+14.0	+4.1	+0.9			+31.0

Compounding at 1% risk. Worst month −5.8% (February 2021). Best month +27.3% (May 2022). 2019 starts in June; 2026 runs to October 2.

Planning a live year

What to plan for on $50,000

Backtest average$15,600in a year at a fixed $500, 31%. Treat it as a ceiling.

Plan for$4,000–11,000a year, 8% to 22%. About $7,500 in the middle.

Drawdown to expect$5,000–10,00010% to 20% from a high point.

The rules were developed on the same history they were tested on, so live results should come in below the backtest. We plan for +0.05R to +0.15R per trade live, against +0.20R in testing. Over about 145 trades a year at $500 risk, that is the range above. A flat year is possible, and losing runs of ten or eleven trades happened in testing.

Risk setting

Choose your risk on a $50,000 account

Risk per trade	Typical size	Backtest worst drawdown	Backtest average year	Plan for
0.5% · $250	1–18 MNQ	−$3,470 · 7%	$8,600	$2,000–5,500
1% · $500 · reference	3–20 MNQ	−$5,492 · 11%	$15,600	$4,000–11,000
1.5% · $750	5–20 MNQ	−$8,486 · 17%	$18,900	$5,000–13,000

Figures in this table hold risk at the dollar amount shown, so they describe a year on $50,000 before any compounding. Size is capped at 20 MNQ per $50,000, so at 1.5% the cap often limits the trade and returns grow less than the risk. Size also scales with the trend: 1.5 times the set risk when the 15-minute trend agrees, half or full risk when it does not. Larger accounts scale in the same proportion, with full-size NQ used for each block of ten micros.

Method

The daily chart sets the side

Long only after price rejects an untested daily support. Short only after it rejects an untested daily resistance.

The 3-minute chart sets the entry

When the short-term trend turns, a limit order waits at an untested level. It does not chase at market.

Trades only in the main session

New positions between 09:30 and 15:00 New York, none from 10:30 to 11:00, and flat by 16:00. Nothing is held overnight.

Targets are set before entry

Stop beyond the trend's extreme, target at the prior leg. Trades with less than 0.6 to 1 reward to risk are skipped.

Your controls

You stay in charge of the account

Set risk as a percentage of your balance or as a fixed dollar amount.
Daily loss limit in dollars or percent. Once reached, no new entries that day.
Hard cap on contracts per trade.
Protective stop sent to your broker the moment an entry fills, so it holds even if your VPS drops.
Pauses new entries for the day if its 1-minute data has a gap during market hours.
Warns you when the account's MNQ position differs from what the bot expects, for example after a manual trade.
Turn it off at any time from NinjaTrader. Open positions keep their broker-side stop.

Running it

NinjaTrader 8 on Windows. A VPS in Chicago that stays on through US hours works best.
A futures account that trades MNQ, for example through NinjaTrader Brokerage.
150 days of 1-minute MNQ history loaded at startup, so it knows its current direction.
A few minutes each quarter to move to the next MNQ contract.

We publish every live trade each month next to what the backtest would have done, starting with the October 2026 paper account.

Plans

Founder · first 50$59per month, kept while subscribed

Beta access while the live record builds.

Monthly$99per month

Licence for one NinjaTrader machine, updates and setup help.

Annual$899per year

About three months free.

Each plan starts with a 14-day trial on a simulated account.

Join the founder list

Founder pricing goes to the first 50 people on this list, in order. We will email you once when sign-ups open, with the setup guide. No other mail.

Questions

What account size is it built for?: Every figure on this page uses $50,000 at 1% risk. It runs on smaller accounts, down to about $15,000, but wide-stop trades are skipped when one micro contract would risk more than your setting.
Does it compound?: Yes, when risk is set as a percentage. It sizes every trade from your current balance, which is what the growth chart shows. Set a fixed dollar risk instead if you would rather withdraw profits as you go. The planning figures hold risk at $500 to show a single year on $50,000.
What happens if my VPS goes down?: The stop of an open trade stays at your broker. The 16:00 close and early exits need the bot running.
Is there a version for prop-firm accounts?: Yes. Bob the Bot uses the same trading engine, with settings and guidance for evaluation and funded accounts.
Is this financial advice?: No. It is software. You choose the account, the risk and whether to run it.