The best indicator for McDonald's (MCD)
We backtested 382 indicators across daily, weekly and hourly charts on real McDonald's (MCD) history. Here's what actually worked — risk-adjusted over the full backtest, with costs, and checked out-of-sample.
Where McDonald's (MCD) stands
Computed from our own daily OHLCV history, not quoted from a third party. Moving averages use closing prices; "52-week" is the last 252 trading sessions.
PMax
On the weekly chart, this is the strongest risk-adjusted edge we found for McDonald's (MCD) over ~60.5 years — trailing buy-and-hold by 1.3% CAGR.
McDonald's (MCD) on the weekly chart
The timeframe our backtest found best for this asset. The chart is live market data; the results above are hypothetical and historical.
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Best multi-indicator combo
Going long only when all 2 agree was the strongest confluence setup we found for McDonald's (MCD) — trailing buy-and-hold by 7.1% CAGR, out-of-sample. Fewer, higher-conviction trades than any single indicator.
The winner on each chart
Every indicator, ranked
Ranked by Sharpe (risk-adjusted return). Hypothetical, fees included.
| # | Indicator | TF | CAGR | Sharpe | Max DD | Win | Trades | vs B&H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PMax ✓ | Weekly | 12.1% | 0.64 | -50.6% | 53.3% | 15 | -1.3% |
| 2 | G-Channel ✓ | Weekly | 11.7% | 0.63 | -59.6% | 56.5% | 62 | -1.7% |
| 3 | ALMA 200 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 10.4% | 0.63 | -55.2% | 42.6% | 47 | -3.0% |
| 4 | SMA 200 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 10.9% | 0.62 | -58.7% | 44.8% | 29 | -2.5% |
| 5 | Trend Regularity Adaptive MA ✓ | Weekly | 9.7% | 0.6 | -46.8% | 43.8% | 89 | -3.8% |
| 6 | EMA 200 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 10.7% | 0.6 | -64.3% | 38.2% | 34 | -2.8% |
| 7 | ROC (60) ✓ | Weekly | 10.8% | 0.6 | -60.4% | 54.1% | 61 | -2.7% |
| 8 | Trend Intensity Index ✓ | Weekly | 10.2% | 0.58 | -54.4% | 62.5% | 16 | -3.2% |
| 9 | T3 100 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 8.4% | 0.58 | -32.8% | 50.0% | 34 | -5.1% |
| 10 | CCI (200) ✓ | Weekly | 10.4% | 0.58 | -72.8% | 33.3% | 30 | -3.1% |
| 11 | Vegas Tunnel ✓ | Weekly | 9.7% | 0.57 | -59.6% | 43.3% | 30 | -3.8% |
| 12 | SMA 20/80 Cross ✓ | Weekly | 10.0% | 0.57 | -54.4% | 65.0% | 20 | -3.4% |
| 13 | Money Flow Index ✓ | Daily | 8.1% | 0.56 | -58.1% | 82.5% | 63 | -5.5% |
| 14 | Chande Kroll Stop ✓ | Daily | 11.2% | 0.56 | -69.4% | 38.6% | 829 | -2.4% |
✓ = held up out-of-sample. Hypothetical, costs included. See methodology.
What it would take to beat buy & hold on McDonald's (MCD)
0 of 720 tested setups beat buy-and-hold on McDonald's (MCD) outright. Another 320 could get there with leverage they would survive — but 249 would be liquidated by their own drawdown before they caught it.
| Indicator | Beats B&H unlevered | Leverage needed | Leverage survived |
|---|---|---|---|
| QQE | — | 1.29× | 2.75× |
| Zero-Lag MACD | — | 1.58× | 4.18× |
| Chande Kroll Stop | — | 1.64× | 3.91× |
| SMC: Change of Character | — | 1.65× | 2.94× |
| SMA 20/50 Cross | — | 1.72× | 3.72× |
| Demand Index | — | 1.81× | 3.22× |
Out-of-sample, costs included. A setup is only listed if the leverage it needs is less than the leverage its own worst drawdown survives — when it isn't, no amount of leverage gets there. Volatility drag isn't modelled, so these are the optimistic case. Every indicator, ranked this way
For McDonald's (MCD), PMax on the weekly timeframe gave the best balance of return and risk in our test. It still trailed buy-and-hold on raw return — but remember: this is a hypothetical backtest of a standard rule, not a recommendation. Markets change. See the methodology and disclaimer.
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