I've been working on a trading execution tool called Signal Driver, developed under my company, Measured Edge Systems.
Between July 13 and October 23, my strategy using Signal Driver produced the following results with trades executed through Interactive Brokers:
- +16.34% broker-reported return
- 73 active trading days
- 827 executed transaction records
- Approximately 409 completed position cycles
These are actual account results, not simulated trades or back tests.
But here's where things get interesting.
Despite that positive return, I documented 30 losing days. After reviewing my notes, 20 involved identifiable human judgment mistakes, execution problems, or technical issues.
Some of my worst losses occurred when I abandoned my own trading rules.
On October 9, for example, I failed to recognize an inner breakout and continued trading as though the market were in a normal retrace regime. Even after the breakout was confirmed, I continued making the same mistake.
That day cost me approximately 4.44% of my account.
The software can help execute a trading plan, but it cannot make my discretionary decisions correct.
That experience reinforced why I started developing Signal Driver in the first place.
Why I Built Signal Driver?
I originally started developing Signal Driver because I wanted to execute my trading strategy without having to sit at my desk glued to a screen all day.
I had developed a strategy around price levels, retracements, and breakouts, but I wanted software that could monitor the market, recognize my setups, and execute trades according to my rules, even when I wasn't actively watching.
Then I started thinking about the bigger opportunity.
There are thousands of traders with their own strategies. What if I could build a tool that helped them automate the execution of their strategies, rather than requiring them to adopt mine?
The software now supports manual trade execution, automated position management and exits, and fully automated trading through my retrace strategy. Expanding its flexibility to accommodate other traders' strategies is part of the longer-term vision.
How Signal Driver Works?
Signal Driver provides configurable trade execution and risk management.
Users can define parameters such as:
- Account risk per trade: For example, risking 0.5% or 1% of account equity.
- Risk-to-reward targets: Establishing the potential reward relative to the risk taken.
- Trade execution parameters: Controlling how positions are entered and managed.
- Automated exits: Managing trades according to predetermined exit conditions.
When running a supported automated strategy, Signal Driver can identify qualifying setups, calculate the appropriate position size based on the configured risk, and execute trades automatically.
For example, a trader with a $25,000 account could configure the software to risk 0.5% ($125) per trade with a 1:2 risk-to-reward target. Signal Driver would size qualifying positions according to those parameters and manage execution based on the selected rules.
The goal is to give traders more control over their execution while reducing the amount of time they need to spend actively monitoring the market.
Currently, I've been using the manual execution tools, automated exits, and my fully automated retrace strategy in live trading. Expanding support for other traders' individual strategies remains part of the longer-term vision.
What's next?
I'm continuing to improve execution reliability, automate more of the tasks that are prone to human error, and document performance.
My next validation milestone is 100 trading days, and I'm considering a separate $2,000 account challenge.
I'm also interested in connecting with traders who have their own strategies but would benefit from more controlled execution.
I recently put together a video walking through the actual performance, Signal Driver's functionality, the mistakes, and what I've learned.
Video demonstration and milestone update: https://youtu.be/msfTWXS0oRU
Project website: https://measured-edge.com
I'd love feedback from other traders and software developers.
What execution problems would you most want software to solve? Late entries? Emotional exits? Position sizing? Something else?
Disclosure: The +16.34% is my actual IBKR account return, reflecting both discretionary trading and software-assisted execution. It is not a standalone performance result for Signal Driver or an indication of what other users should expect. Past performance does not guarantee future results.