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QAI trading strategies, backtested

NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF — replicates a basket of hedge-fund strategies. Every DeployQuant template run on QAI over 5.5 years of minute data, same engine, same window, sorted by return.

Quick answer: the best-performing template on QAI (2021-01-04 → 2026-07-17) was golden cross at 4.3% CAGR vs 3.9% for buy-and-hold. 3 of 12 templates beat holding; 9 cut the max drawdown.
StrategyCAGRmax DDSharpetradeswin ratefinal value
Golden Cross (SMA 50/200) 4.3% −7.6% 0.901 100% $12,637
200-Day SMA Regime Filter 4.3% −6.0% 0.967 29% $12,622
Weekly Entry + 7% Target 4.3% −15.6% 0.7117 35% $12,600
RSI(2) Dip Snapback 3.4% −6.8% 0.76146 66% $12,019
First-to-Last Day of Month 3.1% −16.1% 0.4967 52% $11,855
EMA 12/26 Trend 3.0% −7.3% 0.6819 47% $11,757
SMA-200 Trend + 15% Trailing Stop 2.6% −15.9% 0.451 0% $11,520
SMA 10/50 Trend 2.4% −8.1% 0.5717 41% $11,371
RSI(14) Mean Reversion 2.2% −7.6% 0.5215 73% $11,302
3-Month Momentum Switch 2.0% −5.0% 0.583 33% $11,142
Drawdown Dip Buyer + 8% Target 0.0% −0.0% 0.000 $10,000
20-Day Momentum + Trailing Stop 0.0% −0.0% 0.000 $10,000
Buy & hold QAI 3.9%−14.7% 0.64 $12,369
Run a QAI strategy yourself — free →

Build it from blocks (or type it in English), backtest it on 5.5 years of minute data in seconds, tweak any parameter, then paper trade it on live data. No card, no broker needed to start.

Frequently asked questions

What was the best strategy for QAI?

Of the 12 templates tested on QAI over 2021-01-04–2026-07-17, the strongest by CAGR was golden cross at 4.3% (max drawdown 7.6%), versus 3.9% for buy-and-hold. Best-in-hindsight is not a forecast — check drawdowns and trade counts before drawing conclusions.

Did any strategy beat buying and holding QAI?

3 of 12 templates beat QAI buy-and-hold (3.9% CAGR) on this window; 9 of 12 had a shallower maximum drawdown than holding (14.7%).

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Backtests are hypothetical, computed by DeployQuant's engine on minute-resolution consolidated US market data (2021-01-04 to 2026-07-17, $10,000 starting capital, no margin, fees and slippage not modeled) and do not guarantee future results. Nothing on this page is investment advice. Live trading involves risk of loss.