XAGUSD EA: a parameter freeze policy after go-live
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2026 9:06 pm
After an EA goes live, the temptation to tweak parameters is strong. A few losing days, and you want to adjust the stop or the filter. On silver, where volatility shifts often, the temptation is even stronger.
A parameter freeze policy:
- After going live, no parameter changes for a fixed period: e.g. 100 trades or 3 months.
- Exceptions only for documented bugs or broker spec changes.
- All proposed changes are written down with the reasoning, then evaluated at the end of the freeze.
Why freeze?
- Small samples are noisy. Changes based on 20 trades usually react to noise.
- Constant tweaking makes it impossible to know whether any version works.
- Changes made after losses tend to fit the recent past.
At the end of the freeze:
- Compare live results with backtest expectations.
- If within expected range, consider the proposed changes with a new backtest and forward test.
- If well outside, investigate before changing anything.
Do you have a freeze policy for your EAs?
A parameter freeze policy:
- After going live, no parameter changes for a fixed period: e.g. 100 trades or 3 months.
- Exceptions only for documented bugs or broker spec changes.
- All proposed changes are written down with the reasoning, then evaluated at the end of the freeze.
Why freeze?
- Small samples are noisy. Changes based on 20 trades usually react to noise.
- Constant tweaking makes it impossible to know whether any version works.
- Changes made after losses tend to fit the recent past.
At the end of the freeze:
- Compare live results with backtest expectations.
- If within expected range, consider the proposed changes with a new backtest and forward test.
- If well outside, investigate before changing anything.
Do you have a freeze policy for your EAs?