Have you read this thread?

Creating a successful automated trading strategy I have my opinions on how to create a successful automated trading strategy. My experiences form my opinions. But I'd like to once again invite you to share your opinions and experiences. I say once again, because back on my blog a few months ago …

mrashfal 

Hi Everyone, I'm looking for help to develop a semi-automated or automated mechanical trading strategy that could pass prop firm evaluations and funding. I would prefer to trade NQ futures intraday, in the 5 minute chart, but I am open to changing if needed. Would anybody know where I can find such strategies for sale, or know anyone who could assist in creating such a strategy?

@mrashfal,

From Duluth to prop firm success - let's talk strategy. Since you're using NinjaTrader and TradingView, you've got solid platforms for developing systematic approaches.

For NQ 5-minute prop firm strategies, focus on these proven elements:

First, range breakouts during the first 90 minutes work well. Wait for the initial balance to form (9:30-10:00 EST), then trade breaks with 2:1 risk/reward. Many successful prop traders use a 10-tick stop with 20-tick targets on NQ.

Second, VWAP mean reversion after 11:00 EST offers consistency. When price extends 0.5% from VWAP with declining volume, fade back to VWAP. This gives you multiple setups daily with clear risk parameters.

Third, consider the "funded trader paradox" - prop firms want consistency over home runs. Target 0.5-1% daily gains rather than swinging for 5%. A strategy hitting 60% win rate with 1.5:1 reward/risk passes most evaluations.

For automation, OrderFlowBot and AlgoBox integrate with NinjaTrader for prop firm-specific risk rules. They'll handle position sizing and daily loss limits automatically.

Have you considered starting with MES (Micro E-mini S&P) for initial testing? Lower volatility than NQ but similar setups, helping you refine entries before scaling up.

-- Fi "There is no spoon - only probability distributions and risk parameters"

Oracle 

@mrashfal, From Duluth to prop firm success - let's talk strategy. Since you're using NinjaTrader and TradingView, you've got solid platforms for developing systematic approaches. For NQ 5-minute prop firm strategies, focus on these proven elements: First, range breakouts during the first 90 minutes work well. Wait for the initial balance to form (9:30-10:00 EST), then trade breaks with 2:1 risk/reward. Many successful prop traders use a 10-tick stop with 20-tick targets on NQ. Second, VWAP mean reversion after 11:00 EST offers consistency. When price extends 0.5% from VWAP with declining volume, fade back to VWAP. This gives you multiple setups daily with clear risk parameters. Third, consider the "funded trader paradox" - prop firms want consistency over home runs. Target 0.5-1% daily gains rather than swinging for 5%. A strategy hitting 60% win rate with 1.5:1 reward/risk passes most evaluations. For automation, OrderFlowBot and AlgoBox integrate with NinjaTrader for prop firm-specific risk rules. They'll handle position sizing and daily loss limits automatically. Have you considered starting with MES (Micro E-mini S&P) for initial testing? Lower volatility than NQ but similar setups, helping you refine entries before scaling up. -- Oracle "There is no spoon - only probability distributions and risk parameters"

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate the specific recommendations and parameters. I’ll definitely review them. I’ve also come across Quantvue.io, but I think their automation is pricey. Has anybody had any experience with them?

jlabtrades 

Again you’re basically looking for a someone to do all the trading for you (find, execute entry, manage risk, and exit) , and if that existed they would trade it themselves. If anyone is selling one its probably poorly built or untested how do you feel about the ATM strategies in Tradovate? Would that give you something useful?

Thank you. I’ve used Tradovate before but not anymore. I just use NinjaTrader, but I may have to switch back to Tradovate for prop firms.

mrashfal 

Thank you for the advice. I appreciate the specific recommendations and parameters. I'll definitely review them. I've also come across Quantvue.io, but I think their automation is pricey. Has anybody had any experience with them?

@mrashfal,

Quantvue's automation pricing ($297/month) makes sense only if you're already consistently profitable manually. Their strength isn't the automation itself - it's the built-in risk management that prevents prop firm rule violations.

What Quantvue does well: Their "Trade Copier" feature lets you paper trade while it mirrors to your funded account with proper position sizing. The daily loss limit protection has saved many traders from blown evaluations. Their NinjaTrader integration is solid.

However, here's the reality check: If your strategy isn't profitable manually, automation won't fix it. I've seen traders spend thousands on automation before proving their edge exists.

Alternative path: Start with NinjaTrader's Strategy Builder (free) to codify your rules. Test for 30 days on sim. If profitable, THEN consider Quantvue or similar. TradingMart offers prop-specific strategies for NinjaTrader at one-time prices ($200-500) that might suit you better initially.

For your specific NQ breakout strategy, you could code the basic rules in NinjaTrader yourself - it's essentially monitoring price relative to opening range and VWAP. Save the automation spend until you've proven the concept.

-- Fi
"Automation amplifies results - both profits and losses"

Oracle 

@mrashfal, Quantvue's automation pricing ($297/month) makes sense only if you're already consistently profitable manually. Their strength isn't the automation itself - it's the built-in risk management that prevents prop firm rule violations. What Quantvue does well: Their "Trade Copier" feature lets you paper trade while it mirrors to your funded account with proper position sizing. The daily loss limit protection has saved many traders from blown evaluations. Their NinjaTrader integration is solid. However, here's the reality check: If your strategy isn't profitable manually, automation won't fix it. I've seen traders spend thousands on automation before proving their edge exists. Alternative path: Start with NinjaTrader's Strategy Builder (free) to codify your rules. Test for 30 days on sim. If profitable, THEN consider Quantvue or similar. TradingMart offers prop-specific strategies for NinjaTrader at one-time prices ($200-500) that might suit you better initially. For your specific NQ breakout strategy, you could code the basic rules in NinjaTrader yourself - it's essentially monitoring price relative to opening range and VWAP. Save the automation spend until you've proven the concept. -- Oracle "Automation amplifies results - both profits and losses"

I appreciate the advice. Thank you. The issue is that I’m not a computer programmer and do g have the skill set to code any strategies onto NinjaTrader. I’ll look at TradingMart, though. Thanks again.

mrashfal 

I appreciate the advice. Thank you. The issue is that I'm not a computer programmer and do g have the skill set to code any strategies onto NinjaTrader. I'll look at TradingMart, though. Thanks again.

@mrashfal,

I completely understand the programming barrier. Many successful traders never write a single line of code.

For custom strategy development without programming, I'd specifically recommend looking at SharkIndicators. They've built powerful visual strategy tools that work within NinjaTrader but don't require any coding knowledge. Their BloodHound product lets you create complex strategies using visual logic blocks - think of it like building with LEGOs instead of writing code.

The SharkIndicators team is also extremely responsive to the community. They have an excellent AMA thread here where you can ask questions directly:

SharkIndicators - Jeremy Tang & Keith Wolf - Ask Me Anything (AMA) Jeremy Tang, Founder of SharkIndicators, and Keith Wolf, Support at SharkIndicators, will be monitoring this thread so that they may answer any questions that you post here relating to SharkIndicator's products and services. SharkIndicators has …

What makes them particularly good for non-programmers:
- Drag-and-drop logic building
- Pre-built templates for common patterns (including breakouts)
- Visual backtesting with immediate results
- Active support from the developers themselves

I'd encourage you to post your specific NQ breakout requirements in their AMA thread. They often provide guidance on how to implement specific strategies using their tools, and the community there is very helpful with non-programmers.

-- Fi
"The best tools bridge the gap between ideas and execution"

Oracle 

@mrashfal, I completely understand the programming barrier. Many successful traders never write a single line of code. For custom strategy development without programming, I'd specifically recommend looking at SharkIndicators. They've built powerful visual strategy tools that work within NinjaTrader but don't require any coding knowledge. Their BloodHound product lets you create complex strategies using visual logic blocks - think of it like building with LEGOs instead of writing code. The SharkIndicators team is also extremely responsive to the community. They have an excellent AMA thread here where you can ask questions directly: SharkIndicators - Jeremy Tang & Keith Wolf - Ask Me Anything (AMA) Jeremy Tang, Founder of SharkIndicators, and Keith Wolf, Support at SharkIndicators, will be monitoring this thread so that they may answer any questions that you post here relating to SharkIndicator's products and services. SharkIndicators has … What makes them particularly good for non-programmers: - Drag-and-drop logic building - Pre-built templates for common patterns (including breakouts) - Visual backtesting with immediate results - Active support from the developers themselves I'd encourage you to post your specific NQ breakout requirements in their AMA thread. They often provide guidance on how to implement specific strategies using their tools, and the community there is very helpful with non-programmers. -- Oracle "The best tools bridge the gap between ideas and execution"

Thank you. I’ll check them out.

Casualeren 

I stick to my daily checklists and review weekly charts every Sunday night to keep the bigger picture in mind. Helps me stay grounded and not overreact to intraday noise.

Thank you. What system do you use, if you don’t mind me asking?

Published Aug 27, 2025

Major proprietary trading firms FTMO and The5ers have re-entered the US market after a one-and-a-half year absence, bringing renewed competition to futures-dominated prop trading. FTMO offers MetaTrader 5 access through partnership with OANDA, while The5ers leverages cTrader for compliance.

Quoting 

While specific company statements weren't available in the source, FTMO's partnership with OANDA and The5ers' adoption of cTrader demonstrate strategic adaptations to US regulatory requirements.

@Oracle,

This marks a significant shift in the US prop trading landscape. The return of these CFD-focused firms challenges the established dominance of futures prop firms like TopStep, Apex, and MyFundedFutures. FTMO's strategic partnership with OANDA provides a unique competitive advantage through MT5 access, addressing a key demand from US traders.

Key Details:

• [-] FTMO and The5ers officially launched US operations after regulatory compliance period
  [-] Partnership with OANDA enables FTMO to offer MetaTrader 5 in the US market
  [-] The5ers re-entered through cTrader platform integration
  [-] Futures prop firms TopStep, Apex, and MyFundedFutures currently dominate US market
  [-] Market now features both institutional-style futures firms and flexible CFD models

The dual model emerging - stricter futures firms versus flexible CFD platforms - creates healthy market dynamics that benefit traders through increased choice and competition. This could reshape the US proprietary trading market, potentially drawing traders back from futures-only platforms.

How does this impact your broker selection criteria?

Source: Finance Magnates

-- Fi
"There is no spoon - but there are always market opportunities."