MNQ/Intraday momentum
JRH Momentum
A rules-based intraday momentum strategy for Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures. It trades at most once a day during US regular hours, goes with a strong move, and is out by the end of the regular session. A daily loss limit is built in.
- Market
- MNQ
- Pace
- About one trade a week
- Hours
- US regular hours, at most one trade a day
- Stop-loss at entry
- None unless you set one
- Daily loss limit
- Built in, $400 by default
- Size
- Fixed, set by you
On your chart
What you'll see, in order
The exact rules and settings are proprietary. This is the behavior you'll see, and the limits fixed in the code.
- Waits
On most days its conditions never line up, and it doesn't trade.
- Enters
When they do during US regular hours, it goes with the day's move, at most once a day.
- Holds
It stays in while its rules keep the trade. There is no fixed profit target.
- Exits
When its rules end the trade, at your daily loss limit, or at the end of the regular session.
- Flat
It never holds a position overnight and never has more than one trade on.
Hypothetical results
MNQ · May 2019 to Oct 2026 · 1 MNQ contract on every trade, no compounding · 1.12 points ($2.24) a round trip deducted · default preset with the $400 daily loss limit
Most recent trade
Long. Win, +$8.76 at 1 MNQ
The day of its most recent trade in the research data, drawn as a simplified price path with the entry and the exit marked. No prices, times or levels are shown, and it is not to scale. Some trades lose.
Last three trades, newest first
- LongWin+$8.76at 1 MNQ
- ShortLoss−$273.74at 1 MNQ
- LongWin+$735.76at 1 MNQ
Net at the size shown, after the research costs. The first is the trade drawn above. No dates are shown.
Profit factor by half of the test period
Bars start at the 1.0 break-even line. Two similar halves suggest a steadier result than one strong half.
| Average trade | $29.02 |
| Winning trades | 45.8% |
| Worst trade | −$424 |
| Worst day, open trades marked | −$446 |
| After the data its rules were chosen on, Aug 2025 to Oct 2026 | 59 trades, PF 1.30 |
| NinjaTrader's own Strategy Analyzer, Jan 2021 to Oct 2026, same costs | PF 1.72 |
Weak spots
- Weaker since its rules were set. Two of its rules were chosen on data that ended in mid-2025. On the months since, it made PF 1.30 on 59 trades.
- No stop-loss order at entry by default. Its worst trade lost −$424 at 1 MNQ. You can add a stop in the settings, and the results above are without one.
- Fewer than half its trades win. Long runs of small losses are normal for it.
- Sold for MNQ. Its default daily loss limit is sized for one MNQ contract. On NQ the same dollar limit is far tighter in points, and it cut most trades short in a 2026 NQ test.
How it was tested
- Data: clean 1-minute MNQ bars on the CME US Index Futures ETH session, Eastern time, May 2019 to Oct 5 2026.
- Costs: 1.12 points ($2.24) a round trip for commission and slippage.
- Size: one contract on every trade, no compounding.
- NinjaTrader check: against NinjaTrader's own Strategy Analyzer runs on MNQ from Jan 2021, the research model took the same entry on all 316 trades both covered, and the same exit on 313.
- Before 2021: NinjaTrader's MNQ history on the test machine starts in 2021, so 2019 and 2020 rest on the research model alone.
Hypothetical performanceCFTC Rule 4.41 · NFA Rule 2-29
These results are based on simulated or hypothetical performance results that have certain inherent limitations. Unlike the results shown in an actual performance record, these results do not represent actual trading. Also, because these trades have not actually been executed, these results may have under- or over-compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated or hypothetical trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to these being shown.
HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE MANY INHERENT LIMITATIONS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DESCRIBED BELOW. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. IN FACT, THERE ARE FREQUENTLY SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND THE ACTUAL RESULTS SUBSEQUENTLY ACHIEVED BY ANY PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM.
ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY PREPARED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. IN ADDITION, HYPOTHETICAL TRADING DOES NOT INVOLVE FINANCIAL RISK, AND NO HYPOTHETICAL TRADING RECORD CAN COMPLETELY ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL RISK IN ACTUAL TRADING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ABILITY TO WITHSTAND LOSSES OR TO ADHERE TO A PARTICULAR TRADING PROGRAM IN SPITE OF TRADING LOSSES ARE MATERIAL POINTS WHICH CAN ALSO ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER FACTORS RELATED TO THE MARKETS IN GENERAL OR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ANY SPECIFIC TRADING PROGRAM WHICH CANNOT BE FULLY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE PREPARATION OF HYPOTHETICAL PERFORMANCE RESULTS AND ALL OF WHICH CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT ACTUAL TRADING RESULTS.
What you control
Your settings
The signal logic is fixed. These are the settings you choose.
| Contracts | The fixed size of every trade. |
| Direction | Both sides, long only or short only. |
| Daily loss limit | Counts closed and open losses during the day. When they reach your limit, it goes flat and stops for the day. $400 by default. |
| Max loss per trade | An optional stop-loss order at a distance you choose. Off by default. |
| Alerts | NinjaTrader alerts on each fill, on or off. |
| Trade log | An optional CSV file of your trades. |
Before you go live
Run JRH Momentum on Sim first
Your license key works on NinjaTrader's simulator as well as live accounts. Set the daily loss limit to fit your account, then watch it on Sim before you put real money behind it.