No discussion of trading system evaluation would be complete without a discussion of drawdown. We must always look at the maximum drawdown of any trading system as it is very, very important.
The maximum drawdown of trading system is defined as the greatest peak-to-valley drawdown in a trading system’s equity. Let’s say for example that we have a trading system that reaches a particular equity peak of $100,000. Let’s further say that two weeks later, the trading system equity is at $80,000. In this example, let’s say that the $80,000 equity happens to be an equity valley. In that case, the peak-to-valley drawdown would be $100,000-$80,000 equals $20,000. This means that the maximum drawdown is $20,000.
The maximum drawdown of trading system is defined as the greatest peak-to-valley drawdown in a trading system’s equity. Let’s say for example that we have a trading system that reaches a particular equity peak of $100,000. Let’s further say that two weeks later, the trading system equity is at $80,000. In this example, let’s say that the $80,000 equity happens to be an equity valley. In that case, the peak-to-valley drawdown would be $100,000-$80,000 equals $20,000. This means that the maximum drawdown is $20,000.
