Strategy Quant Building Block Settings

πŸ•’ What is Bar and Time in StrategyQuant X?

The Bar and Time category helps your strategy understand when things are happening. These settings refer to the specific time and date details of each price barβ€”like the hour of the day, day of the week, or month. By using these, you can build strategies that only trade during certain sessions, avoid low-liquidity times, or target high-probability days and hours. Whether you’re optimizing for the London open or avoiding weekend volatility, Bar and Time lets you fine-tune your strategy’s timing with precision.

πŸ”§ Explanation of Each Setting

SettingWhat it MeasuresExample
Bar Day Of MonthThe day (1–31) the bar was formedBar formed on the 15th of the month
Bar Day Of WeekDay of the week (0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday, etc.)Bar formed on Wednesday
Bar HourHour the bar opened (0–23)Bar at 9am
Bar MinuteMinute the bar opened (0–59)Bar at 9:30am
Bar MonthMonth the bar was formed (1 = Jan, 12 = Dec)Bar in October
Current Day Of WeekDay of the week when evaluating the current momentSame as Bar Day Of Week but reflects real-time
Current HourCurrent hour of evaluationReal-time evaluation vs. bar’s
Current MinuteCurrent minute of evaluation
Current MonthCurrent calendar month during strategy run

🧠 How They Work

These indicators are filtersβ€”they don’t give buy/sell signals directly but allow you to limit or time your strategy’s actions.

For example:

  • Bar Hour could mean only trade during London session.
  • Bar Day Of Week could mean only trade on Mondays.

πŸ“Š Use Cases by Strategy Type

⏰ Time-Frame Dependent Strategies

TimeframeUseful Time-Based Filters
1H or 4HBar Hour, Bar Day Of Week, Current Hour
DailyBar Day Of Month, Bar Month, Bar Day Of Week
Intraday (15m, 5m)Bar Minute, Current Minute, Bar Hour

βš™οΈ Strategy Type Categorization

Strategy TypeUse These FiltersWhy
BreakoutBar Hour, Bar Day Of WeekOnly take trades during high-volatility periods (e.g., London/NY overlap)
Trend FollowingBar Day Of Week, Bar MonthAvoid low-trend times like Friday afternoons or August
Mean ReversionBar Hour, Bar MinuteFavor quieter times like late US session or Asian session
News AvoidanceBar Day Of Week, Bar HourAvoid trading around NFPs, central bank announcements, etc.
Session-Based StrategiesBar Hour, Bar Minute, Bar Day Of WeekExecute trades only during specific sessions like Tokyo or NY

πŸ” Examples

πŸ”Έ Breakout Strategy (1H)

  • Only trade between 9:00 and 14:00 – Bar Hour

πŸ”Έ Daily Trend Strategy

  • Don’t open trades on Fridays (avoid weekend gap risk) – Bar Day Of Week !

πŸ”Έ Intraday Mean Reversion (15m)

  • Avoid first 30 minutes after market open – Bar Hour OR Bar Minute

πŸ”Έ Monthly Seasonality Strategy

  • Only trade in high-trend months like October – Bar Month

🧾 What Each Price Term Means

πŸ”Ή Basic Price Data

SymbolMeaning
(O)Bar Open
(H)Bar High
(L)Bar Low
(C)Bar Close
(ASK)Ask price (usually for long entries/exits)
(BID)Bid price (usually for short entries/exits)

πŸ” These are used across all timeframes: 1H, 4H, Daily, etc.


πŸ”Ή Heiken Ashi Candles

SymbolMeaning
(HA_O)Heiken Ashi Open
(HA_H)Heiken Ashi High
(HA_L)Heiken Ashi Low
(HA_C)Heiken Ashi Close

πŸ’‘ Used in trend-following and noise-filtered strategies.


πŸ”Ή Session Prices

SymbolMeaning
(SO)Session Open
(SH)Session High
(SL)Session Low
(SC)Session Close

πŸ• Useful for intraday breakout or session-based mean reversion.


πŸ”Ή Daily Prices

SymbolMeaning
(DO)Daily Open
(DH)Daily High
(DL)Daily Low
(DC)Daily Close

🧭 Great for overnight gap, daily breakout, or trend setups.


πŸ”Ή Weekly Prices

SymbolMeaning
(WO)Weekly Open
(WH)Weekly High
(WL)Weekly Low
(WC)Weekly Close

πŸ“† Used in swing trades or weekly breakout/trend systems.


πŸ”Ή Monthly Prices

SymbolMeaning
(MO)Monthly Open
(MH)Monthly High
(ML)Monthly Low
(MC)Monthly Close

🏁 Powerful for long-term trend, seasonality, or macro filters.


🧩 How They Work

You use these values to:

  • Create conditions (e.g., if price breaks the daily high)
  • Build indicators (e.g., breakout above weekly high)
  • Set entry/exit prices (e.g., buy at ASK or sell at BID)

🧠 Strategy Use by Type and Timeframe

1️⃣ By Time Frame

Time FrameBest Price Inputs
1H / 4H(H), (L), (C), (O), (DH), (DL), (SH), (SL)
Daily(DC), (DO), (DH), (DL), (HA_C), (HA_H)
Weekly(WC), (WH), (WL), (WO)
Monthly(MC), (MH), (ML), (MO)

2️⃣ By Strategy Type

πŸ“ˆ Trend-Following

UsePrice Data
Confirm trend directionHeiken Ashi (HA_C > HA_O), Weekly Close > Weekly Open
Filter whipsawsMonthly trend filter: MC > MO
Entry timingBuy if C > H[1] (break previous high)

πŸ’£ Breakout

UsePrice Data
Entry logicC > DH or C > SH (break above highs)
ConfirmationVolume + Price above key level
Exit logicClose < DO (failed breakout)

πŸ”„ Mean Reversion

UsePrice Data
Identify stretchC < DL - x pips (oversold)
Reversion targetsC β†’ DO or C β†’ Daily Midpoint
Entry zoneL < DL (fake break)

πŸ•“ Session-Based (Intraday)

UsePrice Data
Session entryC > SH or C < SL
Fade session extremesC touches SH β†’ short
Opening range breakoutC > SO + x pips


βœ… Final Tips

  • Combine price levels with indicators (e.g., RSI, ATR) to reduce false signals.
  • Use higher timeframe price data (like Weekly High/Low) for context, especially in trend-following.
  • Heiken Ashi prices work best in filtered trend systems, not raw breakout strategies.

The Operators in the building blocks column of StrategyQuant X are logic-based tools used to compare values, detect crossovers, trends, or conditions over time.

They’re the glue that connects data like price, indicators, or volume into usable entry/exit/filter rules.


🧠 What Operators Do

Operators answer questions like:

  • Is today’s close higher than yesterday’s?
  • Did RSI cross above 30?
  • Has the price been lower for 3 bars in a row?
  • Is the moving average rising?

These comparisons can:

βœ… Trigger trade entries
βœ… Filter trade setups
βœ… Confirm market conditions
βœ… Set exits


🧾 Operator Breakdown & Use Cases

πŸ”Ή Basic Comparison Operators

OperatorMeaningCommon Strategy Types
(>)A is greater than BBreakout, Trend
(<)A is less than BMean Reversion, Trend
(>=)A is greater or equal to BTrend, Breakout
(<=)A is less or equal to BMean Reversion
(<>)A is NOT equal to BRare, used in filters

πŸ• Use on any timeframe (1H, 4H, Daily) for direct value comparisons


πŸ”Ή Directional Movement Operators

OperatorMeaningStrategy Type
Is risingValue is increasingTrend-Following
Is fallingValue is decreasingTrend-Following
NotOpposite of a conditionReversals, Edge Filters

πŸ“Œ Use with indicators like RSI, Moving Average, or Volume:


πŸ”Ή Crossovers

OperatorMeaningUse Case
Crosses AboveA crosses above BMomentum entries
Crosses BelowA crosses below BExit or reversal
(! MA)Indicator Crosses Above MATrend start
(!+ MA)Indicator Above MAConfirmation
(!- MA)Indicator Below MAFilter or Exit

πŸ”₯ Perfect for breakout & trend strategies:


πŸ”Ή Specialized Operators

OperatorMeaningUse
(> %) Rank is Greater or Equal Percent RankIs this value in top %?Momentum
(< %) Rank is Lower or Equal Percent RankIs value in bottom %?Oversold detection
(> %) Is Greater for X BarsValue consistently higherTrend confirmation
(< %) Is Lower for X BarsValue consistently lowerTrend or pullback filter
(+-) Above MAPrice/indicator above MAFilter for trend direction

πŸ“Š Great for mean reversion, pullbacks, and trend entries:


⏳ By Time Frame

Time FrameBest Operator Types
1H / 4HCrosses, Above/Below MA, % Rank for short-term setups
DailyIs Rising/Falling, Crosses, > for X bars
WeeklyLong-term % Rank, Above/Below MA, Trend filters

πŸ“Š By Strategy Type

πŸ“ˆ Trend-Following

  • Indicator is rising
  • Price > Moving Average
  • RSI Crosses Above 50
  • Close > High[1]

πŸ”„ Mean Reversion

  • Close < MA
  • RSI is lower for 3 bars
  • % Rank is lower
  • Crosses above oversold level

πŸ’₯ Breakout

  • Price Crosses Above Resistance
  • Close > High[1]
  • Volume is rising
  • Indicator Crosses Above MA

βœ… Summary Table

OperatorTypeUse Case
> / < / >= / <=Basic comparisonEntry logic & filters
Crosses Above/BelowCrossover logicEntry signals
Is rising / Is fallingTrend directionFilters & trend systems
% RankPercentile logicMomentum / oversold
> for X barsTime confirmationStrong trends or pullbacks
Above/Below MATrend directionFilters, entries, exits

βœ… Final Summary

In StrategyQuant X, understanding the roles of Bar & Time, Price, and Operators is essential for building intelligent and profitable trading strategies. Time-based elements like “Bar Day of Week” or “Bar Hour” help tailor strategies to specific sessions or patterns. Price elements like “Close,” “High,” or “Heiken Ashi” allow precise value tracking. Operators, the logic tools, combine all these elements to define when conditions are metβ€”be it a crossover, trend direction, or mean reversion trigger. Whether you’re working on 1H breakouts, daily trend-following, or 4H mean reversion strategies, mastering these building blocks is key to strategy development.