Frequently Asked Questions

How do I sign up?

Create a free account to start with Starter access. Invitation and access codes are optional and only grant special trials or elevated access.

Is OpenWaters Trading free?

Starter access includes 10 quick backtests per day and 3 limited full-builder runs every 30 days. Backtest Pass is $6.99 per month for expanded backtesting, saved presets, saved results, exports, public report sharing, and comparison views. Researcher is $14.99 per month for Research Lab scans, optimization, robustness scoring, walk-forward analysis, multi-symbol testing, and deeper research workflows.

Do I need coding experience?

No. OpenWaters Trading provides 13 pre-built strategies that you can use immediately. Simply select a strategy, adjust the parameters, choose your date range, and run the backtest.

What strategies are available?

We offer 13 professional strategies including:

• SMA Crossover
• RSI Mean Reversion
• MACD Trend Following
• Bollinger Bands
• Momentum
• Pairs Trading
• Sector Rotation
• Market Neutral
• And 5 more advanced strategies

How much historical data do you have?

We maintain millions of bars of historical data across 50+ symbols, covering stocks, ETFs, indices, and commodities. Data goes back 5+ years for most symbols.

How fast are backtests?

OpenWaters uses a Rust-powered research engine for historical testing and optimization. Runtime depends on symbol count, timeframe, date range, strategy complexity, and optimization grid size.

What metrics do you provide?

Every backtest includes comprehensive metrics:

• Total Return & Annualized Return
• Sharpe Ratio & Sortino Ratio
• Max Drawdown & Recovery Time
• Win Rate & Profit Factor
• Monthly Returns Breakdown
• Equity Curve & Drawdown Chart
• Trade-by-trade history

Can I connect my brokerage account?

Paper Trading Beta is request-only. Live-capital access remains owner-only during the pilot and is not included in Starter, Backtest Pass, or Researcher at launch.

Can I deploy strategies to run automatically?

Automated strategy deployment is currently in development. Once the workflow is ready, it will be packaged separately from the initial research tiers so backtesting access can launch without promising live trading access.

Is my brokerage account safe?

Broker credentials are encrypted with AES-256-GCM when stored. You can revoke broker API access at any time, and no paid research tier requires broker access.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your backtests, strategies, and API keys are completely private. We never share your data with third parties. The leaderboard is opt-in only and uses display names.

How do you encrypt sensitive data?

All API keys and sensitive credentials are encrypted using AES-256-GCM encryption. Encryption keys are managed through AWS Secrets Manager and never stored in the database.

Can I export my backtest results?

Yes! Every backtest can be exported as JSON or CSV. This includes all trades, metrics, and chart data for analysis in external tools.

How does the leaderboard work?

The leaderboard ranks submitted backtests by Sharpe ratio, total return, win rate, and other metrics. You can filter by strategy type and time period. It's completely opt-in.

Is my identity revealed on the leaderboard?

No. You can set a display name in Settings. Your email and real name are never shown. You can opt-out at any time to remove all your submissions.

Can others see my strategy parameters?

No. Only the strategy name and performance metrics are shown. Your exact parameters, symbols, and date ranges remain private.

What technology powers OpenWaters Trading?

OpenWaters Trading is built with modern, performance-focused technology:

• Rust backend for historical testing, optimization, and trading infrastructure
• Next.js 14 with React Server Components
• SQLite for efficient data storage
• AWS infrastructure for reliability and scale
• Clerk for authentication

Can I use OpenWaters Trading on mobile?

The web interface is fully responsive and works on tablets and phones, though the desktop experience is recommended for detailed analysis and parameter optimization.

Do you have an API?

Public API access is planned for the future. Currently, all features are accessible through the web dashboard.

How do I get help?

Visit the Help page in your dashboard for comprehensive guides on each strategy, metrics explanations, and best practices. For additional support, contact us through the platform.

Can I request new features?

Absolutely. We're actively developing OpenWaters Trading based on user feedback. During the Starter beta, we're especially interested in hearing what features would be most valuable to you.

How do I report a bug?

Please report any issues through the platform. Include as much detail as possible: what you were doing, what you expected to happen, and what actually happened.