FAQ and troubleshooting

Why did it ask me a question?

The Strategy Agent asks before it runs anything when your words leave something open. Questions are free. The usual reasons:

• A name could be two companies, or is one Quantis does not hold. It asks which you meant, with the nearest ones it holds.
• A setting could mean two things, or a number is out of range.
• The period is longer than the longest test, 20 years. It offers the longest one instead.
• The rule needs something the engine cannot do. It says what is missing and offers rules that do run.
• A rule of several conditions names no share. It never picks the shares for you.

Why was my test refused?

Because the engine cannot run that kind of rule yet. You are told before anything runs, and nothing is charged. A run the engine refuses after it starts is refunded. Its own lists of what it cannot do:

• A condition on trading volume.
• A yearly rebalance.
• Adding money on a schedule.

A post-earnings strategy

The dates companies reported earnings (and whether they beat expectations) are not loaded into the backtest engine, so it cannot buy after an earnings report.

Post-earnings announcement drift

The dates companies reported earnings (and the size of each surprise) are not loaded into the backtest engine, so it cannot buy after an earnings surprise.

An insider-buying strategy

Insider (SEC Form 4) filings are shown on the Smart Money page but are not loaded into the backtest engine, so it cannot buy on the day a filing became public.

A calendar rule

The backtest engine has no rule that buys and sells on calendar dates (months of the year, days of the month, meeting dates), so a calendar rule cannot be run.

A macro regime strategy

The backtest engine reads share prices only: it cannot read a macro series (the yield curve, unemployment, a recession indicator) inside a rule yet.

An inflation regime strategy

The backtest engine reads share prices only: it cannot read the inflation rate (CPI) inside a rule yet.

A credit regime strategy

The backtest engine reads share prices only: it cannot read a credit spread inside a rule yet (and the usual spread series is not licensed for use here).

A pair trade

A pair trade that opens and closes on the gap between two prices is a second rule on a price made from two shares, and that rule is not built (a fixed pair, one share bought and the other sold short in equal amounts, does run).

Why are my results different from yesterday?

• A new day of prices. A test that ends today includes the newest day, so the same words give slightly different figures.
• The sealed months. The first test of an idea sets its latest months aside, so later tests of the same idea end before them (the sealed test).
• A fix to how tests are worked out. Each fix that changed stored results is listed on Corrections, with the day it went live and how to tell an older result.

The fixes listed there so far:

• Daily prices, and timing rules that can sell (live 26 Sep 2026)
• Dividends, withholding tax and UK stamp duty (live 28 Sep 2026)
• The buy-and-hold comparison is bought once (live 28 Sep 2026)
• Accounts in another currency than their shares (live 4 Oct 2026)
• RSI, EMA and MACD as a chart shows them (live 4 Oct 2026)
• Stops and targets sell during the day (live 15 Oct 2026)
• Higher standard trading costs (live 15 Oct 2026)

Why does my test end before today?

Because the idea's sealed months are set aside. Every test of the same idea ends the day before them, and the result says so, until you open the sealed test once. The sealed test

Why does my rule lose to simply holding?

A rule that is out of the market misses the days prices rise while it is out, and it pays costs each time it trades. The evidence explorer counts how often simple rules beat simply holding in its recorded tests, made on windows that share no days.

Why did my rule never buy anything?

Its buying condition was never true in the period tested, such as an RSI level the price never reached. The result says so, and the test is refunded.

Why is a share I want not there?

Tests use the shares and funds Quantis holds daily prices for: US, London and European listings. The Research Agent's page says how many it holds today. Ask for one it does not hold and the agent says so before anything runs.

How far back can a test go?

Up to 20 years. A share listed more recently, or a comparison fund that starts later, makes the test start later, and the result names the date and the reason.

When am I refunded?

• When the engine refuses a test after it starts.
• When a rule never buys anything.
• When a run fails.
• A question the Research Agent cannot answer is not charged in the first place.

Can Quantis Trade trade real money for me?

No. Quantis Trade does not place real-money trades. Practice broker accounts hold pretend money at a broker.

Is any of this advice?

No. Results describe tests on past prices and are not forecasts or recommendations. Read the risk warning before acting on anything.

My AI app shows an error

A 401 means the key or connection is missing, revoked or expired; a 429 is a rate limit. Troubleshooting for AI apps has each one.

Still stuck?

Write to contact@quantistrade.co.uk, or use the contact page.