Understanding Your Dashboard
After importing a strategy, the Strategy Analyzer dashboard gives you a complete picture of its performance. Here's what each section means.
The 5-Score Summary
At the top of every strategy report, you'll see five scores, each rated 0–100:
| Score | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Profitability | How well the strategy generates returns |
| Risk | How well it protects your capital |
| Confidence | How statistically reliable the results are |
| CSI | Composite of the three above (the "bottom line") |
| Health | Whether the strategy is degrading over time |
Each score is color-coded by tier:
- Excellent (80+) — Strong performance
- Good (60–79) — Solid with room to improve
- Caution (40–59) — Needs attention
- Failed (<40) — Do not trade
Learn more: Scoring System Overview
Report Sections
Equity Curve & Drawdown
The equity curve shows your account balance over time. Below it, the drawdown chart shows how deep the declines were from each peak. Look for:
- Smooth, upward-sloping curves — consistent strategy
- Deep drawdowns — potential risk issues
- Long flat periods — stagnation (time underwater)
Key Metrics Panel
A grid of the most important metrics at a glance:
- Net Profit — Total P&L after costs
- CAGR — Compound annual growth rate
- Max Drawdown — Worst peak-to-trough decline
- Sharpe Ratio — Risk-adjusted return (higher is better)
- Profit Factor — Gross profit / gross loss (above 1.0 = profitable)
- Win Rate — Percentage of winning trades
- R-Expectancy — Average reward per unit of risk
Distribution Analysis
Shows the statistical shape of your trade returns:
- Skewness — Are returns tilted toward wins or losses?
- Kurtosis — How extreme are the outliers?
AlgoChef classifies your strategy into one of 16 distribution profiles (e.g., "Predictable Grinder" or "Jackpot Hunter").
Calendar Returns
A heatmap showing monthly and yearly returns. Green months are profitable, red months are losses. Useful for spotting seasonal patterns or specific bad periods.
Trade Statistics
Detailed breakdown of wins vs. losses:
- Average win/loss amounts
- Largest single win and loss
- Consecutive win/loss streaks
- Win/loss count ratio
Trade Records
A scrollable table of every individual trade with entry/exit dates, prices, P&L, and duration.
What to Look For
Info
A strategy doesn't need perfect scores everywhere. Focus on the CSI score first — it balances profitability, risk, and reliability into a single number. Then check the Health Score to make sure the strategy isn't degrading.
Green Flags
- CSI score above 60 (Good or Excellent)
- Health Score stable or improving
- Smooth equity curve with shallow drawdowns
- Profit Factor above 1.5
- At least 100 trades for statistical reliability
Red Flags
- CSI below 40 (Failed) or circuit breaker triggered
- Health Score declining (degradation)
- Max drawdown above 40%
- Fewer than 50 trades
- One large trade dominating net profit (concentration risk)
- Health Score below 40 with a declining trend over the last 20+ trades
For a deeper explanation of why these red flags matter in live trading, see Why Strategies Fail in Live Trading.
Next Steps
Tip
Want to go deeper? Run a Monte Carlo simulation on your strategy to stress-test it under thousands of randomized scenarios.
Tip
Ready to analyze your own strategy? Start your free trial — no credit card required.