Gold Ignition is a long-only momentum cBot for XAUUSD on the M15 chart. It enters after a bullish candle closes strongly during the US session while price is above the trend EMA, then manages the position with ATR-based targets and a 24-hour time exit.

Entry conditions

A signal requires all of the following on one completed candle:

• The candle body is at least 1.0 times the current ATR
• It closes in the upper half of its own range
• It closes above the previous candle's high
• Price is above the 198-period EMA
• The candle opens between 10:00 and 20:00 UTC
• Current ATR is at least 0.10% of price
• It is not a Friday

When all conditions are met the cBot buys at the next bar open. One position at a time. No grid, no martingale, no averaging down.

Exits

• Take profit at 3.9 × ATR
• Stop loss at 3.7 × ATR
• Time-based exit after 96 bars, which is 24 hours on M15

Both levels are set at entry and are not moved afterwards. There is no trailing stop and no partial close. Break-even and partial exits were tested during development and both reduced overall results.

Why these filters exist

Each condition was measured against a control rather than assumed. Entering every bullish candle above the EMA in the same window, with the same exits, performs close to breakeven — the candle strength requirement is where the difference comes from. The session window matters as well: the same rules applied around the clock perform materially worse. Friday entries are excluded because the 24-hour time exit would otherwise carry a position over the weekend and into Monday's opening gap. The volatility floor exists because on quiet candles the spread and commission consume a large share of a narrow stop.

Risk management

• Position size from a percentage of balance, or a fixed volume
• Stop distance scales with ATR, so size adapts to current volatility
• Maximum spread filter, adjustable and set wide by default
• One position at a time, with no exposure stacking

Backtest, XAUUSD M15, August 2023 to August 2026

• 431 trades, roughly three per week
• Win rate 55.9%
• Profit factor 1.27
• Return 24.16%
• Maximum balance drawdown 4.51%
• Longest run of losses: 6

Winners and losers are close to the same average size, so results depend on win rate rather than on a few large moves. The largest single winner accounts for about 6% of total profit.

Costs matter on this strategy

Commission and swap together came to roughly 28% of gross profit in testing, with swap the larger share, because positions can be held overnight. Results on a broker with higher gold financing charges will be lower. Test on your own account before committing capital.

Suitable for

• Accounts of $10,000 or larger at the default 0.5% risk setting
• Traders who want steady activity rather than rare signals
• Anyone prioritising a low drawdown profile over maximum return

Limitations

• Long only. There is no short side, and the cBot remains flat in sustained downtrends.
• Validated on XAUUSD M15 only. Testing on other timeframes found weaker results, and M15 performed best. A warning appears in the log if it is started elsewhere.
• There is no daily loss limit. If your account has a daily drawdown rule, monitor it yourself.

Trading involves risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results.