Three traders rank popular trading strategies from S to C tier based on what actually works. They cover everything from ICT Unicorn and order-flow analysis to latency arbitrage and VIX mean-reversion, explaining which edges hold up and which have decayed.
ICT Unicorn Strategy.
C tier. Losing strategy doesn't outperform S&P.
Support and resistance.
That's not a strategy, you stupid AI voice.
Silver Bullet Strategy.
C tier. Not so profitable across years of data.
Order Flow Trading.
Again, that's not a strategy. That's just data.
News Breakout.
C tier if you don't have a super, super fast broker and the liquidity risk is huge.
News Fading.
B tier. There's a higher chance you're going to have a fading after a news than a continuation.
Earnings Volatility Crash.
S tier. Can be a killer strategy if done in the right stocks and with a calendar spread.
Harmonic Pattern Strategies.
C tier. It depends on the strategy, but they don't have an edge.
Broker prop firm hedging.
Can be A tier, but they'll likely ban you instantly.
Latency arbitrage.
A tier. It depends on which market you do it on, though.
Stop runs reversals.
B tier. They used to work in 2022, but the edge has decayed.
15-minute opening range breakout.
A tier. Great strategy. Has been performing the last 20 years.
8:30 opening range breakout.
C tier. It performs only at some periods, but throughout decades of data, it's not better than buying and holding S&P.
Initial volume breakout.
Absolutely S tier. It takes the orb and puts sit on steroids, outperforming every retail strategy out there.
VIX mean reversion.
C tier if you're using the VIX, B tier to A tier if you're using the futures of the VIX.
Systematic option premium harvesting.
Absolute S tier, especially during bull markets. Be careful of tail risk because bear market could kill all your profits.
