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What is included
- What it is, in plain words
- The formula or mechanism, with exact arithmetic
- How it hits grid, martingale and DCA bots
- A check you can run before you switch a bot on
Who it is for
- People who run or plan to run a trading bot
- Anyone reading a backtest or a bot sales page
- Readers who want the numbers, not the pitch
- Not advice, and not a signal service
Key facts
- MultiCharts is a platform where a bot or strategy is written, tested and run. This page explains the general method, not the product's current features.
- A bot is only as trustworthy as its test. Before relying on any result here, check costs, fills, data and timing, and keep a stretch of data the rule never saw.
- The worked example on this page uses made-up numbers, checked in node on 31 Oct 2026. It shows the arithmetic, not how any product performs.
- Prices, fees, markets, versions, limits and supported languages change and belong to the vendor. We state none of them. Check the vendor's current pages.
- Start on a simulated account, keep stops where they still work if the bot stops, and move to real money only in very small steps, if at all.
What it is
MultiCharts is a charting and strategy-testing platform. What defines products of this type is that the testing side is built around portfolios: you run a strategy, or several different strategies, across a list of markets at once and look at the combined equity curve. The scripting language is typically close in style to the older charting-platform languages, with an option to write in a general purpose .NET language on some products of the type.
It is a platform, not a data company and not a broker. It connects to separate data sources and, for live trading, to brokers through links the vendor or third parties provide. Which data and broker links exist, and at what price, is for the vendors to say. Check the current pages. This page explains how it works in general terms. We have not tested it for this page. Check the vendor's current terms.
How a bot connects here
The connection style is built-in scripting with an adapter to a data feed and broker. The strategy runs in the platform; the adapter carries data in and orders out.
- Portfolio mode. The same rule can be run over many markets and combined. The combined result can look smoother than any single one.
- Per-market settings. Contract size and tick value differ between markets. A rule tested with one setting across all of them is not testing what you will trade.
- Optimization. Platforms of this kind include an optimizer. See overfitting for the risk.
- Adapter risk. Live behaviour depends on the link to the broker, which is a separate thing to check.
Worked example: combining two systems
Take two made-up systems with twelve monthly results each. We add the months together and compare the worst fall from a peak, measured as the largest drop from the highest running total. Every number is made up and checked in node.
| Series | Total after 12 months | Worst fall from a peak |
|---|---|---|
| System A | $450 | $350 |
| System B | $700 | $250 |
| Both together | $1,150 | $150 |
System A ends at $450 with a worst fall of $350. System B ends at $700 with $250. Together they end at $1,150 with a worst fall of $150, smaller than either alone, because their bad months did not line up. That is the case for combining systems. The caution is that in this example the bad months did not line up by construction. In a real market stress, systems that looked independent often lose together. A combined backtest shows how they behaved in the past, not how they will fall in a crisis. See drawdown and the equity curve.
What to verify before trusting a backtest here
These checks apply to any platform of this kind. The answers come from the vendor's current documentation and from your own tests, not from this page.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Per-market contract values | Tick size, tick value and margin for each market. |
| Costs per market | Commission and slippage differ by market. One number for all is wrong. |
| Correlation of the systems | Compare their results in the worst months, not just on average. |
| Data quality across markets | Gaps, roll methods and time zones differ. |
| Optimization count | Count every setting tried across every market. |
| Adapter live behaviour | Test the broker link on a simulated account first. |
How bots break on this kind of platform
- Correlated losses. Systems that fail together in the same week.
- Overfitting across markets. The same settings tuned to a list of past winners.
- Adapter failures. Data or order link drops.
- Margin. Several systems open at once may need more margin than the account holds.
- Survivorship. A test on markets chosen with hindsight. See survivorship bias.
A safe order of work
Backtest with honest costs, forward test on new data, run on a simulated account for weeks, then trade a very small size and compare each step with the one before. See forward testing and paper trading.
What this page does not tell you
It does not tell you whether the product is suitable, what it costs, or how it behaves today. Those change and belong to the vendor. It does not give a strategy to trade. This page explains how it works in general terms. We have not tested it for this page. Check the vendor's current terms.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does portfolio testing mean?
Running one or several strategies over several markets together and judging the combined result, rather than each in isolation.
Does combining systems remove risk?
It can reduce the worst fall when losses do not overlap, but losses often overlap in a crisis. It does not remove risk.
Does a good MultiCharts backtest mean a bot will make money?
No. A backtest shows how a rule behaved on past data under its assumptions. Costs, fills, data and luck can all make live results different.
Should I test on a simulated account before real money?
Yes, as a general practice. A simulated account tests your code and your plumbing. Its fills are usually kinder than real ones, so it does not prove a rule works.
Have you tested MultiCharts?
No. This page explains how it works in general terms and we have not tested it for this page. Check the vendor's current terms.
Are the numbers on this page real?
Example numbers are made up to show how the maths works, and the page says so. A figure only counts as exact when the page says it was calculated on a stated date. Nothing you enter in a calculator leaves your browser.
Can I use this to decide whether to run a bot?
It can show whether a bot's numbers hold together and how much an account can lose. It cannot say what the market will do, and it is not advice. Use it to ask better questions, then read the terms of your own broker or exchange.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is general education. The numbers are made up and it does not consider your situation.
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