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RSI(14) Mean Reversion vs SMA 10/50 Trend

Two rule sets, 59 ETFs, one engine and one window.

Head-to-head: SMA 10/50 trend won on 41 of 59 ETFs by CAGR. Median CAGR: RSI mean reversion: 3.0% · SMA 10/50 trend: 2.1%. Median max drawdown: 24.6% vs 23.0%.
RSI mean reversionSMA 10/50 trend
Median CAGR (59 ETFs)3.0%2.1%
Median max drawdown−24.6%−23.0%
ETFs won (by CAGR)1841
Styleassets that trend up over time but overshoot on the way, such as broad index ETFstrending assets with multi-week swings, such as leveraged index ETFs

Where the gap was biggest

ETFRSI mean reversionSMA 10/50 trendgap
EEV 5.0%−24.4% 29.4%
FAS 22.3%4.6% 17.7%
TMF −25.0%−10.7% 14.4%
EEM 9.5%−3.9% 13.4%
CLSE 3.8%16.6% 12.8%
UVXY −48.5%−38.0% 10.5%
QLD 8.8%18.8% 10.0%
RINF 6.3%−2.1% 8.5%
XLF 11.8%4.0% 7.8%
XLY 7.0%0.3% 6.7%
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Frequently asked questions

Which is better: RSI mean reversion or SMA 10/50 trend?

On this 2021-01-04 to 2026-10-02 window, SMA 10/50 trend produced the higher CAGR on 41 of 59 ETFs. Median CAGR: RSI mean reversion 3.0% vs SMA 10/50 trend 2.1%; median max drawdown: 24.6% vs 23.0%. Which is better depends on the asset and what you optimize for. The per-ETF table shows where each wins.

Dig deeper

RSI(14) Mean Reversionrules + all 59 ETF results SMA 10/50 Trendrules + all 59 ETF results

Backtests are hypothetical, computed by DeployQuant's engine on minute-resolution consolidated US market data (2021-01-04 to 2026-10-02, $10,000 starting capital, no margin, no fees or slippage in the headline run; buy-and-hold puts 98% of the account in at the first open, as the templates do) and do not guarantee future results. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Live trading involves risk of loss.