STOCKS · STRATEGY TEST

Does the 200-day moving average work on JPM?

Hold the asset while it trades above its 200-day average; sit in cash while it trades below. The most widely repeated timing rule in markets.

No. Over the last 10 years, the 200-day moving average lost to simply buying and holding JPMorgan by 6.99 percentage points a year (14.53% versus 21.52%). It did, however, hold the worst drawdown to -27.2% versus -43.6% for holding — so it bought a smoother ride with some of the return.

Every rule on JPM, ranked

StrategyCAGRTotalWorst DDIn market
Buy and hold — benchmark21.52%589%-43.6%100%
Golden cross (50/200)16.21%298%-43.6%77%
200-day moving average timing ← this page14.53%248%-27.2%76%
Sell in May (hold Nov–Apr)8.83%131%-43.6%50%
Buy the dip (RSI < 30, hold 20d)6.32%83%-38.3%29%

10 years · 2,512 trading days · $49.188 → $357.31

How to read this

One asset over one window is a single data point, not a law. A rule that wins on JPM may lose on the next ticker you try — which is exactly why the free tester exists: change the asset and see whether the edge survives. When it evaporates on a different market, it was fitted to this one.

Note the drawdown column as much as the return. Most timing rules earn less than holding but lose less in a crash, and whether that trade is worth it depends entirely on whether you would actually have held through the worst of it.

Method

Signals are read from the previous close and the next day's return is applied — no lookahead. Prices are dividend-adjusted so buy-and-hold is not handicapped. 0.05% cost per switch. No leverage, no shorting.

Test the same rule on something else

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the golden cross on JPMbuying the dip on JPM“sell in May and go away” on JPM
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Vorrik Research publishes tests of publicly discussed trading strategies using public market data and our own capital. It is factual reporting of what happened in historical and live tests — not investment advice, and not a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Past results never predict future results.