Lab

Every strategy we test gets a pre-registered gate before it runs. If it passes, it moves toward the next gate. If it fails, the postmortem stays public — and the gate is frozen, so we cannot quietly rewrite the rules.

This page is the full record: every failure, every survivor, every contributor.

S038 · S039ONGOING · FORWARD PAPERReversion + momentum + bond/gold — combined market-neutral book + its bond/gold-diversified variant, holdout-confirmed, now forward paper. Not live. → D006ONGOING · FORWARD PAPERMarket-neutral residual momentum — forward paper, net of borrow, tracking only. Not a live signal, not on the grid. → D005/06ONGOING · EXPLORATIONStock cross-sectional momentum — the discovery sandbox — heatmaps & long/short visuals. Free research, not a frozen test. →
All52Ideas13Failed23Walk-forward4Trade sim12Live0
S054PRE-REGISTERED
Hypothesis spec — Gap-surge day-one fade (exploration-first)
ResearchShortUS equities
IdeaExploreForwardLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen —
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S053PRE-REGISTERED
Liquid, position-capped market-neutral reversion book
Stat-arbMarket neutralUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardForward paperLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen —
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S052PRE-REGISTERED
Market-neutral residual reversion on 9 sector ETFs
EquitiesMarket neutralUS ETFs
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
Equity
P/L distgate
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
21y
Ann return
−1.7%
S051PRE-REGISTERED
Delta-30 short put + wheel on GDX (real option marks)
OptionsShortGDX
IdeaDesign & priorsForward paperLive
Equity
P/L distgate
Sharpe · ann
0.2
Max DD
−4%
Horizon
1.9y
Ann return
+1%
S050PRE-REGISTERED
GDX up/down streaks as a mean-reversion proxy
EquitiesMarket neutralGDX
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen —
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S042PRE-REGISTERED
SPX 0DTE condor gated to high-volatility days
OptionsMarket neutralSPX 0DTE
IdeaDesign & priorsForward paperLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen —
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S040PRE-REGISTERED
Factor-balanced market-neutral book, low turnover
Stat-arbMarket neutralUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardForward paperLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen 2026-07-08
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S039PRE-REGISTERED
Market-neutral stock book with a bond + gold overlay
Stat-arbMarket neutralUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardForward paperLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen 2026-07-06 (frozen)
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S022PRE-REGISTERED
Short-squeeze pressure in heavily-shorted stocks
EventsShortUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen 2026-06-08
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S021PRE-REGISTERED
Fading stocks after social-attention spikes
EquitiesShortUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
No test has run yet — gates frozen 2026-06-08
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return
S019PRE-REGISTERED
Following clusters of insider buying
EventsLongUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
Equity
P/L distgate
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
5y
Ann return
−0%
Frozen & published 2026-07-20. Insider open-market cluster buys (≥2 distinct insiders/30d, Form-4 code P), 4,787 events 2020–2024, held 40 sessions, excess vs Russell 2000 (IWM). Result = NULL: mean excess -0.2%, hit 45%, t=-0.5; ~0 at every cluster def and 20–180d horizon. The documented anomaly does not replicate at the spec's short horizon on recent data (in-sample, benchmark-relative). Logged in the open.
S018PRE-REGISTERED
Buying beaten-down microcaps into the January rebound
EventsLongUS equities
IdeaQuick-screenWalk-forwardTrade simLive
Equity
P/L distgate
Sharpe · ann
0.1
Max DD
−12%
Horizon
20y
Ann return
+1%
Frozen & published 2026-07-20. Tax-loss rebound, worst-YTD-decile microcap basket (ADV $50k–5M, px≥$2, survivorship-free) vs equal-weight baseline, 20 Decembers 2005–2024, 100 bps friction. WEAK: mean alpha +0.7%/yr, hit 45%, t=0.5 — faint + friction-fragile (~breakeven at realistic microcap cost); strongest in the deepest/lowest-priced losers and in a short turn-of-year (Dec→early-Jan) hold. In-sample exploration result (no sealed holdout). Logged in the open.
S016RETIRED · EXPLORATION
Trading price 'pinning' to strikes into expiration
OptionsLongUS equities
IdeaDesign & priorsForward paperLive
Dropped at the idea stage — the pinning magnet is the heavy open-interest strike, and historical option OI-by-strike isn't available to backtest it (a price-only round-strike proxy shows no effect)
Sharpe · ann
Max DD
Horizon
Ann return

Mechaniq provides information, not investment advice. We do not execute trades. Past results are no guarantee for future performance. You are solely responsible for your trading decisions.

Lab · Methodology · Greeks Lab · About · FAQ · Glossary · Privacy · Terms · mechaniq.trade © 2026

21 Aug 2026, 09:14