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Candle Body Shapes Strategy

Strategy that trades based on where a candle opens and closes within its range. Enters long when the candle opens near its low and closes near its high, showing strong bullish pressure. Enters short when the candle opens near its high and closes near its low, indicating strong bearish pressure.

The approach relies purely on price action and can be applied to any liquid market.

Details

  • Entry Criteria:
    • Long: Open near Low && Close near High
    • Short: Open near High && Close near Low
  • Long/Short: Both
  • Exit Criteria: Opposite signal
  • Stops: No
  • Default Values:
    • BodyThreshold = 0.2m
    • CandleType = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5).TimeFrame()
  • Filters:
    • Category: Candlestick pattern
    • Direction: Both
    • Indicators: None
    • Stops: No
    • Complexity: Basic
    • Timeframe: Intraday
    • Seasonality: No
    • Neural Networks: No
    • Divergence: No
    • Risk Level: Medium
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;

using Ecng.Common;

using StockSharp.Algo.Indicators;
using StockSharp.Algo.Strategies;
using StockSharp.BusinessEntities;
using StockSharp.Messages;

namespace StockSharp.Samples.Strategies;

/// <summary>
/// Candle body shapes strategy using EMA crossover for trend timing.
/// Enters long on golden cross, short on death cross.
/// </summary>
public class CandleBodyShapesStrategy : Strategy
{
	private readonly StrategyParam<int> _fastEmaPeriod;
	private readonly StrategyParam<int> _slowEmaPeriod;
	private readonly StrategyParam<DataType> _candleType;

	private decimal _prevFastEma;
	private decimal _prevSlowEma;

	public int FastEmaPeriod { get => _fastEmaPeriod.Value; set => _fastEmaPeriod.Value = value; }
	public int SlowEmaPeriod { get => _slowEmaPeriod.Value; set => _slowEmaPeriod.Value = value; }
	public DataType CandleType { get => _candleType.Value; set => _candleType.Value = value; }

	public CandleBodyShapesStrategy()
	{
		_fastEmaPeriod = Param(nameof(FastEmaPeriod), 120)
			.SetGreaterThanZero()
			.SetDisplay("Fast EMA", "Fast EMA period", "Indicators");

		_slowEmaPeriod = Param(nameof(SlowEmaPeriod), 450)
			.SetGreaterThanZero()
			.SetDisplay("Slow EMA", "Slow EMA period", "Indicators");

		_candleType = Param(nameof(CandleType), TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1).TimeFrame())
			.SetDisplay("Candle Type", "Type of candles to use", "General");
	}

	/// <inheritdoc />
	public override IEnumerable<(Security sec, DataType dt)> GetWorkingSecurities()
	{
		return [(Security, CandleType)];
	}

	/// <inheritdoc />
	protected override void OnReseted()
	{
		base.OnReseted();
		_prevFastEma = 0m;
		_prevSlowEma = 0m;
	}

	/// <inheritdoc />
	protected override void OnStarted2(DateTime time)
	{
		base.OnStarted2(time);

		var fastEma = new ExponentialMovingAverage { Length = FastEmaPeriod };
		var slowEma = new ExponentialMovingAverage { Length = SlowEmaPeriod };

		var subscription = SubscribeCandles(CandleType);
		subscription
			.Bind(fastEma, slowEma, ProcessCandle)
			.Start();

		var area = CreateChartArea();
		if (area != null)
		{
			DrawCandles(area, subscription);
			DrawIndicator(area, fastEma);
			DrawIndicator(area, slowEma);
			DrawOwnTrades(area);
		}
	}

	private void ProcessCandle(ICandleMessage candle, decimal fastEmaValue, decimal slowEmaValue)
	{
		if (candle.State != CandleStates.Finished)
			return;

		if (_prevFastEma == 0m || _prevSlowEma == 0m)
		{
			_prevFastEma = fastEmaValue;
			_prevSlowEma = slowEmaValue;
			return;
		}

		if (_prevFastEma <= _prevSlowEma && fastEmaValue > slowEmaValue && Position <= 0)
		{
			BuyMarket();
		}
		else if (_prevFastEma >= _prevSlowEma && fastEmaValue < slowEmaValue && Position >= 0)
		{
			SellMarket();
		}

		_prevFastEma = fastEmaValue;
		_prevSlowEma = slowEmaValue;
	}
}