The best indicator for Energy (VDE)
We backtested 382 indicators across daily, weekly and hourly charts on real Energy (VDE) history. Here's what actually worked — risk-adjusted over the full backtest, with costs, and checked out-of-sample.
Where Energy (VDE) 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.
Standard Error Bands
On the daily chart, this is the strongest risk-adjusted edge we found for Energy (VDE) over ~22.0 years — trailing buy-and-hold by 5.6% CAGR.
Energy (VDE) on the daily 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 Energy (VDE) — trailing buy-and-hold by 3.6% 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 | Standard Error Bands ✓ | Daily | 2.8% | 0.57 | -9.4% | 61.8% | 34 | -5.6% |
| 2 | McGinley 100 Trend ✓ | Daily | 10.0% | 0.54 | -39.6% | 35.4% | 65 | 1.7% |
| 3 | Stochastic RSI ✓ | Weekly | 7.4% | 0.53 | -31.7% | 76.5% | 34 | -0.8% |
| 4 | MAMA / FAMA ✓ | Weekly | 8.5% | 0.52 | -34.4% | 55.0% | 20 | 0.3% |
| 5 | Williams %R ✓ | Weekly | 7.3% | 0.49 | -49.9% | 84.4% | 32 | -0.9% |
| 6 | McGinley 30 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 8.9% | 0.49 | -42.5% | 55.2% | 29 | 0.7% |
| 7 | McGinley 200 Trend ✓ | Daily | 8.4% | 0.47 | -48.4% | 41.3% | 46 | -0.0% |
| 8 | RSI Trend (>50) ✓ | Daily | 6.9% | 0.46 | -39.6% | 37.7% | 300 | -1.4% |
| 9 | KAMA 30 Trend ✓ | Weekly | 7.4% | 0.46 | -44.4% | 50.0% | 38 | -0.8% |
| 10 | SMA 10/40 Cross ✓ | Weekly | 7.3% | 0.46 | -37.6% | 56.2% | 16 | -0.9% |
| 11 | Negative Volume Index ✓ | Daily | 8.5% | 0.45 | -60.0% | 36.0% | 25 | 0.1% |
| 12 | Ehlers TrendFlex ✓ | Daily | 6.9% | 0.45 | -46.2% | 47.5% | 120 | -1.5% |
| 13 | Guppy Multiple MA ✓ | Weekly | 7.0% | 0.45 | -39.8% | 73.3% | 15 | -1.2% |
| 14 | Relative Volatility Index ✓ | Weekly | 7.7% | 0.45 | -47.2% | 41.5% | 53 | -0.5% |
✓ = held up out-of-sample. Hypothetical, costs included. See methodology.
What it would take to beat buy & hold on Energy (VDE)
16 of 642 tested setups beat buy-and-hold on Energy (VDE) outright. Another 324 could get there with leverage they would survive — but 232 would be liquidated by their own drawdown before they caught it.
| Indicator | Beats B&H unlevered | Leverage needed | Leverage survived |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chande Kroll Stop | 2 | none needed | 3.22× |
| Chande-Kroll Stop (fast) | 1 | 1.26× | 2.37× |
| Relative Volatility Index | 1 | 1.41× | 2.99× |
| KDJ | 1 | 1.46× | 2.9× |
| Fisher Transform | 1 | 1.62× | 2.87× |
| QQE | 1 | 1.64× | 1.82× |
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 Energy (VDE), Standard Error Bands on the daily 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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