Validate trading strategies against historical data before risking real capital. This skill provides a complete backtesting framework with 8 built-in strategies, comprehensive performance metrics, and parameter optimization.
Key Features:
Install required dependencies:
set -euo pipefail
pip install pandas numpy yfinance matplotlib
Optional for advanced features:
set -euo pipefail
pip install ta-lib scipy scikit-learn
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/data/ for reuse):
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/fetch_data.py --symbol BTC-USD --period 2y --interval 1d
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/backtest.py --strategy sma_crossover --symbol BTC-USD --period 1y
python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/backtest.py \
--strategy rsi_reversal \
--symbol ETH-USD \
--period 1y \
--capital 10000 \ # 10000: 10 seconds in ms
--params '{"period": 14, "overbought": 70, "oversold": 30}'
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/reports/ -- includes *_summary.txt (performance metrics), *_trades.csv (trade log), *_equity.csv (equity curve data), and *_chart.png (visual equity curve).python ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/optimize.py \
--strategy sma_crossover \
--symbol BTC-USD \
--period 1y \
--param-grid '{"fast_period": [10, 20, 30], "slow_period": [50, 100, 200]}' # HTTP 200 OK
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Return | Overall percentage gain/loss |
| CAGR | Compound annual growth rate |
| Sharpe Ratio | Risk-adjusted return (target: >1.5) |
| Sortino Ratio | Downside risk-adjusted return |
| Calmar Ratio | Return divided by max drawdown |
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Max Drawdown | Largest peak-to-trough decline |
| VaR (95%) | Value at Risk at 95% confidence |
| CVaR (95%) | Expected loss beyond VaR |
| Volatility | Annualized standard deviation |
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Trades | Number of round-trip trades |
| Win Rate | Percentage of profitable trades |
| Profit Factor | Gross profit divided by gross loss |
| Expectancy | Expected value per trade |
================================================================================
BACKTEST RESULTS: SMA CROSSOVER
BTC-USD | [start_date] to [end_date]
================================================================================
PERFORMANCE | RISK
Total Return: +47.32% | Max Drawdown: -18.45%
CAGR: +47.32% | VaR (95%): -2.34%
Sharpe Ratio: 1.87 | Volatility: 42.1%
Sortino Ratio: 2.41 | Ulcer Index: 8.2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRADE STATISTICS
Total Trades: 24 | Profit Factor: 2.34
Win Rate: 58.3% | Expectancy: $197.17
Avg Win: $892.45 | Max Consec. Losses: 3
================================================================================
| Strategy | Description | Key Parameters |
|---|---|---|
sma_crossover |
Simple moving average crossover | fast_period, slow_period |
ema_crossover |
Exponential MA crossover | fast_period, slow_period |
rsi_reversal |
RSI overbought/oversold | period, overbought, oversold |
macd |
MACD signal line crossover | fast, slow, signal |
bollinger_bands |
Mean reversion on bands | period, std_dev |
breakout |
Price breakout from range | lookback, threshold |
mean_reversion |
Return to moving average | period, z_threshold |
momentum |
Rate of change momentum | period, threshold |
Create ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/config/settings.yaml:
data:
provider: yfinance
cache_dir: ./data
backtest:
default_capital: 10000 # 10000: 10 seconds in ms
commission: 0.001 # 0.1% per trade
slippage: 0.0005 # 0.05% slippage
risk:
max_position_size: 0.95
stop_loss: null # Optional fixed stop loss
take_profit: null # Optional fixed take profit
See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/errors.md for common issues and solutions.
See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/examples.md for detailed usage examples including:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
scripts/backtest.py |
Main backtesting engine |
scripts/fetch_data.py |
Historical data fetcher |
scripts/strategies.py |
Strategy definitions |
scripts/metrics.py |
Performance calculations |
scripts/optimize.py |
Parameter optimization |