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Test an idea in plain English

Describe a setup or ask a data question. The assistant turns it into exact rules, writes the backtest, runs it on every NIFTY 50 stock and reports what happened after costs, with the code it ran.

Universe: NIFTY 50 constituents
Period: Jan 2016 – Aug 2026
Resolution: 1-minute bars
Costs: Brokerage, taxes, slippage

Example prompts

How it works

01
Exact rules
Your idea is turned into precise entry, exit and sizing rules, with every assumption stated.
02
Code written
The assistant writes a backtest against the open dpx_bt engine.
03
Run in a sandbox
It runs on the full minute history, with variants and a random-pick benchmark.
04
Report after costs
A plain verdict, the numbers by period, warnings and the code it ran.

Example answer

What you get back

A real run, start to finish. Ask returns a plain-English verdict, a full report, insights, every trade and the code.

Question

Does trading the 15-minute opening range breakout on NIFTY 50 stocks with a 1% stop and a 2% target make money?

1,20,643 trades 2016 – Aug 2026

Verdict: no. Over 120,643 trades from January 2016 to August 2026 this setup lost ₹2.49 crore after costs at ₹5 lakh per trade, and it lost money in all three periods (2016–20, 2021–23 and 2024–26).

Before costs the average trade made only +2.4 bps; a round trip costs about 6.5 bps.
Win rate 43.6%, profit factor 0.91. 11,833 trades hit the 2% target, 38,681 hit the 1% stop and 70,129 were closed at 15:15.
With 3 extra bps of slippage per fill the loss grows to ₹6.10 crore.
Random benchmark: random NIFTY 50 stocks traded at the same minutes in the same direction averaged 2.84 bps before costs; this strategy beat 3.5% of 200 random runs.
The least bad entry hour was 12:00 (-0.9 bps per trade after costs), still negative.

Assumptions: 5-minute bars; range = 09:15–09:30; entry at the next bar's open after the first 5-minute close beyond the range; one trade per stock per day; entries 09:30–14:30; everything closed at 15:15; stop and target measured from the fill price. Variants run: 1.

Edge smaller than costs: 2.37 bps gross vs ~6.5 bps of costs per trade.

1,20,643

trades

Jan 2016 – Aug 2026

43.6%

win rate

profit factor 0.91

2.4 bps

gross edge / trade

costs ~6.5 bps

−₹2.49 Cr

net after costs

−₹6.10 Cr with +3 bps

Cumulative P&L (₹5 lakh per trade)Net of costsWith +3 bps slippage

Period	Trades	Gross / trade	Win %	Net	+3 bps	Max drawdown
2016-20	56,508	3.2 bps	43.0%	−₹93.9 L	−₹2.63 Cr	−₹1.02 Cr
2021-23	33,811	1.9 bps	44.2%	−₹78.0 L	−₹1.79 Cr	−₹79.3 L
2024-26	30,324	1.4 bps	44.1%	−₹76.6 L	−₹1.67 Cr	−₹80.2 L

Month by month Net P&L in ₹ lakh. Blue = profit, red = loss.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

20164.21.3-0.62.1-3.2-2.6-2.8-2.2-1.4-0.73.6-1.7

20171.5-4.3-3.3-2.50.8-3.3-4.3-2.8-0.3-0.8-4.7-0.2

2018-2.2-0.1-1.8-0.3-3.4-0.6-3.4-4.1-1.6-2.3-1.1-0.5

2019-1.1-4.1-1.0-1.7-2.11.03.2-6.10.7-1.3-1.1-0.5

2020-1.2-3.80.01.50.3-2.2-1.9-2.1-2.8-4.5-6.7-6.9

20211.2-4.40.6-1.2-3.1-5.7-4.9-2.8-7.1-1.64.00.8

2022-0.1-5.2-0.8-0.31.5-0.9-1.7-0.62.7-3.0-4.30.2

2023-1.1-7.5-3.9-1.7-4.0-3.1-4.0-6.9-1.3-3.2-2.0-2.6

20241.7-1.12.5-3.6-1.6-0.4-0.3-3.7-4.5-1.81.1-9.7

2025-0.4-3.7-2.8-1.7-3.7-4.2-6.3-3.0-0.6-3.6-2.1-2.5

2026-2.2-0.8-2.6-0.5-3.7-3.0-4.1-3.8

Capital needed ~₹3.04 Cr (20% intraday margin on the busiest day's positions plus the worst drawdown): −7.7% a year, −18.8% with +3 bps.

The stops decide it

38,681 trades (32%) hit the 1% stop, losing −₹20.66 Cr in total. Only 11,833 reached the 2% target. Trades still open at 15:15 actually averaged 19.2 bps after costs.

Time of day matters, but not enough

Entries at 12:00 did best (−0.9 bps per trade) and 09:00 worst (−5.7 bps). No hour is profitable after costs.

Neither side works on its own

Longs averaged −7.2 bps and shorts −1.4 bps per trade after costs. Shorts lose less, but neither is profitable, so dropping one side doesn't rescue it.

Stock selection is not the edge

Random NIFTY 50 stocks at the same minutes made 2.8 bps before costs, more than the strategy's 2.4 bps: it beat only 3.5% of 200 random runs.

Net per trade by exit (bps, after costs)

Target (11,833)194.1 bps

Stop (38,681)−107.0 bps

Closed at 15:15 (70,129)19.2 bps

Net per trade by entry hour (bps)

09:00−5.7 bps

10:00−2.3 bps

11:00−2.3 bps

12:00−0.9 bps

13:00−1.7 bps

14:00−3.5 bps

Net per trade by weekday (bps)

Mon−3.1 bps

Tue−4.0 bps

Wed−4.4 bps

Thu−6.0 bps

Fri−3.0 bps

Net per trade by holding time (bps)

≤30 min−57.6 bps

30–60 min−49.1 bps

1–2 h−35.9 bps

2–4 h−12.1 bps

4 h+18.6 bps

Worst stocks	Trades	Net	Per trade
CIPLA	2,439	−₹12.4 L	−10.2 bps
HCLTECH	2,380	−₹12.4 L	−10.4 bps
GRASIM	2,315	−₹11.1 L	−9.6 bps
ASIANPAINT	2,419	−₹11.0 L	−9.1 bps
BAJAJ-AUTO	2,413	−₹10.9 L	−9.1 bps

Best stocks	Trades	Net	Per trade
TMPV	2,448	₹3.1 L	2.6 bps
MARUTI	2,451	₹3.1 L	2.6 bps
YESBANK	974	₹2.9 L	6.0 bps
IDEA	280	₹2.8 L	20.3 bps
AUROPHARMA	460	₹2.3 L	10.2 bps

Best and worst stocks are shown for context only. Picking them after the fact is exactly the kind of hindsight a backtest should not reward.

Side Exit Result

Date	Stock	Side	In → out	Exit	Net
2026-08-31	NTPC	Short	14:10→15:05	Stop	−₹5,325
2026-08-31	JIOFIN	Long	13:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,792
2026-08-31	MAXHEALTH	Long	13:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,406
2026-08-31	ADANIPORTS	Short	13:00→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹6,238
2026-08-31	BEL	Long	12:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,131
2026-08-31	M&M	Long	12:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,822
2026-08-31	HDFCBANK	Short	12:00→14:20	Target	₹9,664
2026-08-31	AXISBANK	Long	11:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹269
2026-08-31	TRENT	Short	11:45→12:15	Stop	−₹5,315
2026-08-31	GRASIM	Long	11:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,115
2026-08-31	SUNPHARMA	Short	11:30→12:40	Stop	−₹5,321
2026-08-31	RELIANCE	Long	11:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹6,147
2026-08-31	TECHM	Short	11:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,600
2026-08-31	ONGC	Short	11:00→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹324
2026-08-31	LT	Short	10:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹4,700
2026-08-31	ULTRACEMCO	Short	10:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,470
2026-08-31	CIPLA	Long	10:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,500
2026-08-31	NESTLEIND	Long	10:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,194
2026-08-31	MARUTI	Short	10:25→12:50	Stop	−₹5,248
2026-08-31	BAJFINANCE	Short	10:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,299
2026-08-31	SBIN	Short	10:15→14:45	Stop	−₹5,319
2026-08-31	APOLLOHOSP	Long	10:10→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,498
2026-08-31	ITC	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,698
2026-08-31	BAJAJFINSV	Short	09:50→14:45	Stop	−₹5,316
2026-08-31	ICICIBANK	Short	09:50→12:50	Stop	−₹5,317
2026-08-31	BHARTIARTL	Long	09:50→15:00	Stop	−₹5,309
2026-08-31	HINDUNILVR	Short	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹4,517
2026-08-31	TATACONSUM	Short	09:45→13:10	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-31	TMPV	Short	09:45→12:30	Stop	−₹5,323
2026-08-31	ADANIENT	Short	09:45→12:55	Target	₹9,669
2026-08-31	EICHERMOT	Short	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹42
2026-08-31	TATASTEEL	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹88
2026-08-31	ETERNAL	Short	09:40→11:50	Stop	−₹5,322
2026-08-31	INFY	Short	09:35→14:40	Stop	−₹5,314
2026-08-31	SHRIRAMFIN	Short	09:35→11:55	Stop	−₹5,315
2026-08-31	TCS	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,695
2026-08-31	TITAN	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹4,451
2026-08-31	COALINDIA	Long	09:35→12:20	Stop	−₹5,322
2026-08-31	WIPRO	Short	09:35→15:00	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-28	SUNPHARMA	Long	13:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹479
2026-08-28	DRREDDY	Long	13:15→14:00	Stop	−₹5,313
2026-08-28	INDIGO	Short	12:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,622
2026-08-28	ADANIPORTS	Short	12:00→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹529
2026-08-28	TITAN	Short	11:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹780
2026-08-28	MARUTI	Short	11:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹418
2026-08-28	TATACONSUM	Short	11:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,144
2026-08-28	ITC	Short	11:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,512
2026-08-28	SBILIFE	Short	11:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,267
2026-08-28	ICICIBANK	Short	11:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹901
2026-08-28	RELIANCE	Short	11:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹998
2026-08-28	EICHERMOT	Short	11:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,040
2026-08-28	SHRIRAMFIN	Short	11:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,966
2026-08-28	TMPV	Short	11:25→13:45	Stop	−₹5,323
2026-08-28	HDFCLIFE	Long	11:15→12:50	Stop	−₹5,320
2026-08-28	BHARTIARTL	Short	11:10→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹643
2026-08-28	HINDALCO	Long	11:10→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹591
2026-08-28	TECHM	Long	11:05→11:45	Stop	−₹5,311
2026-08-28	JIOFIN	Long	10:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,102
2026-08-28	LT	Short	10:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹489
2026-08-28	HDFCBANK	Long	10:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,013
2026-08-28	NESTLEIND	Short	10:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹186
2026-08-28	APOLLOHOSP	Long	10:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹69
2026-08-28	TATASTEEL	Short	10:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,189
2026-08-28	ASIANPAINT	Short	10:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹5,187
2026-08-28	NTPC	Long	10:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹173
2026-08-28	SBIN	Long	10:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹990
2026-08-28	CIPLA	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,937
2026-08-28	AXISBANK	Long	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,898
2026-08-28	JSWSTEEL	Short	09:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,405
2026-08-28	TRENT	Long	09:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,052
2026-08-28	MAXHEALTH	Short	09:50→10:50	Stop	−₹5,321
2026-08-28	M&M	Long	09:45→11:35	Stop	−₹5,309
2026-08-28	BAJAJ-AUTO	Long	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹767
2026-08-28	BAJFINANCE	Long	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,222
2026-08-28	COALINDIA	Short	09:40→10:10	Stop	−₹5,322
2026-08-28	ULTRACEMCO	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹323
2026-08-28	WIPRO	Long	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,226
2026-08-28	INFY	Long	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,591
2026-08-28	ONGC	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹346
2026-08-28	GRASIM	Short	09:35→13:15	Stop	−₹5,292
2026-08-28	TCS	Long	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,051
2026-08-28	HCLTECH	Long	09:35→14:20	Stop	−₹5,321
2026-08-27	JSWSTEEL	Short	14:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹773
2026-08-27	EICHERMOT	Long	14:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,722
2026-08-27	BAJAJFINSV	Short	14:00→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,142
2026-08-27	ICICIBANK	Long	12:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹262
2026-08-27	ADANIENT	Long	12:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹71
2026-08-27	GRASIM	Short	12:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹908
2026-08-27	ADANIPORTS	Long	12:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹62
2026-08-27	HDFCBANK	Short	11:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,035
2026-08-27	HDFCLIFE	Short	10:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,276
2026-08-27	BAJFINANCE	Short	10:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,783
2026-08-27	MAXHEALTH	Short	10:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,018
2026-08-27	INFY	Short	10:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,831
2026-08-27	AXISBANK	Long	10:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,224
2026-08-27	ITC	Short	10:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,809
2026-08-27	ONGC	Short	10:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹88
2026-08-27	M&M	Short	10:10→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹5,123
2026-08-27	TATACONSUM	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹758
2026-08-27	ULTRACEMCO	Long	10:05→12:20	Stop	−₹5,275
2026-08-27	SUNPHARMA	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,233
2026-08-27	HINDALCO	Short	09:55→13:40	Target	₹9,670
2026-08-27	TITAN	Short	09:55→11:40	Stop	−₹5,303
2026-08-27	TCS	Short	09:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹876
2026-08-27	POWERGRID	Short	09:55→14:50	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-27	DRREDDY	Short	09:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹142
2026-08-27	ETERNAL	Short	09:50→14:50	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-27	ASIANPAINT	Short	09:50→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,495
2026-08-27	APOLLOHOSP	Short	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,700
2026-08-27	HINDUNILVR	Short	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹911
2026-08-27	NESTLEIND	Short	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹117
2026-08-27	KOTAKBANK	Long	09:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,030
2026-08-27	CIPLA	Short	09:40→14:45	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-27	BAJAJ-AUTO	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,797
2026-08-27	JIOFIN	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,235
2026-08-27	TRENT	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,141
2026-08-27	TMPV	Short	09:40→11:40	Stop	−₹5,324
2026-08-27	COALINDIA	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,154
2026-08-27	SBIN	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹277
2026-08-27	WIPRO	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,509
2026-08-27	INDIGO	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,291
2026-08-27	MARUTI	Short	09:40→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹545
2026-08-27	TATASTEEL	Long	09:35→10:40	Stop	−₹5,321
2026-08-27	RELIANCE	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,630
2026-08-27	HCLTECH	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹142
2026-08-27	SHRIRAMFIN	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹596
2026-08-27	BHARTIARTL	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,649
2026-08-27	SBILIFE	Long	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹156
2026-08-27	BEL	Long	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹3,111
2026-08-27	NTPC	Short	09:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹5,230
2026-08-26	JSWSTEEL	Long	14:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,262
2026-08-26	COALINDIA	Long	13:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,358
2026-08-26	CIPLA	Short	13:40→14:10	Stop	−₹5,316
2026-08-26	M&M	Short	11:55→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,345
2026-08-26	JIOFIN	Short	11:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹2,245
2026-08-26	AXISBANK	Long	11:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹992
2026-08-26	EICHERMOT	Long	11:00→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,181
2026-08-26	MAXHEALTH	Long	10:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,696
2026-08-26	WIPRO	Short	10:45→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹5,938
2026-08-26	HCLTECH	Short	10:35→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,944
2026-08-26	POWERGRID	Short	10:30→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,600
2026-08-26	INDIGO	Short	10:25→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,461
2026-08-26	TATACONSUM	Short	10:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,671
2026-08-26	MARUTI	Short	10:20→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,749
2026-08-26	HDFCBANK	Short	10:15→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹1,769
2026-08-26	BAJAJ-AUTO	Long	10:15→11:50	Stop	−₹5,205
2026-08-26	TCS	Short	10:10→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹4,254
2026-08-26	NESTLEIND	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹3,120
2026-08-26	ADANIPORTS	Short	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	₹1,639
2026-08-26	BAJAJFINSV	Long	10:05→15:10	Closed at 15:15	−₹2,003

The latest 150 trades (to August 2026) of 1,20,643. Intraday charts are included for the latest 60.

The exact code Ask wrote and ran for this question, against dpx_bt:

import dpx_bt as bt

def strategy(p):
    orh, orl = p.opening_range(15)              # 09:15-09:30 high / low
    long, short = p.close > orh, p.close < orl  # a 5-minute close beyond the range
    first = p.once_per_day(long | short)        # one trade per stock per day
    return bt.Signals(long=long & first, short=short & first, stop=0.01, target=0.02)

Answers are generated by an AI model from backtests on historical data. They can contain mistakes: check the assumptions and the code shown with each run. Research and education only, not investment advice. Disclaimer.