The Algo Method
Learn the exact pipeline used to build Phoenix and Aspen — two live automated strategies running on NQ and ES with 100/100 robustness scores. No black boxes, no curve-fitting shortcuts. Nine modules covering everything from data export to live prop firm deployment, including AI-assisted Builder configuration and managed orders conversion.
The Algo Method is a comprehensive course on systematic futures trading using automated strategies. You'll learn how to:
- Develop robust trading strategies using Adaptrade Builder and Build Alpha
- Validate strategies using rigorous statistical methods including Monte Carlo analysis and robustness testing
- Deploy strategies on NinjaTrader across multiple prop firm accounts
This isn't theory — every concept is grounded in real strategies that Tom trades live on his own prop firm accounts at Apex, Bulenox, and Lucid Trading. You'll see actual performance data, actual backtest results, and the tools built specifically to analyze and manage a portfolio of automated strategies.
Topics covered:
- Strategy development & walk-forward optimization
- Robustness scoring & statistical validation
- Prop firm selection & risk management
- Portfolio management across multiple accounts and strategies
Course Contents
Welcome to The Algo Method
Welcome — and congratulations on taking a systematic approach to futures trading. This course covers the complete pipeline from raw market data to a live automated strategy running on your NinjaTrader prop firm accounts.
What You'll Build
By the end of this course you'll have:
- Exported clean, filtered market data using the Data Exporter
- Built and validated a futures strategy using Adaptrade Builder and AI assistance
- Converted it from unmanaged to managed orders using the Builder Converter
- Confirmed it passes robustness testing at futures.aeromir.com
- Deployed it on a live NinjaTrader prop firm account
How This Course Works
- Module 2 — Tools and Resources is your starting point. Get everything installed and licensed before class day
- Modules 3 through 8 follow the live class recording and walk through the full pipeline step by step
- Mark lessons complete as you go to track your progress
- Use the forums if you get stuck — Tom and other class members are there to help
Questions?
Post in the Aeromir Forums or submit a support ticket and we'll get you sorted out.
The Five-Stage Pipeline
The Algo Method is built around a repeatable five-stage pipeline. Every strategy you build will follow the same path — from raw market data to a live deployed strategy. Understanding the pipeline before we start means you always know where you are and what comes next.
Stage 1 — Export Your Market Data
The Data Exporter pulls OHLCV data, indicator values, and VWAP from NinjaTrader into a clean CSV file. Before exporting we filter out FOMC dates, holidays, early-close sessions, and any time ranges we don't want the strategy building around. Clean data in, better strategies out.
Stage 2 — Configure & Build with AI Assistance
We import the CSV into Adaptrade Builder and use AI to help configure the build parameters. Screenshot the Builder dialogs, drop them into Claude or ChatGPT, describe your objective, and let AI help dial in the settings before the genetic algorithm runs. Two sets of eyes before you burn build time.
Stage 3 — Monitor the Build
Watching the build progress chart is a skill. There are clear signs when the genetic algorithm has found something real versus when it has shifted into curve-fitting mode. You'll learn to recognize that inflection point and stop the build before you waste time advancing a junk strategy.
Stage 4 — Run the Robustness Gauntlet
In-Sample and Out-Of-Sample testing, Monte Carlo simulation and more. The whole goal is to throw out junk. If a strategy doesn't survive, go back to Builder and AI together to iterate — tweak parameters, re-run, evaluate again. Only strategies that pass the full suite advance.
Stage 5 — Convert & Deploy Live
Adaptrade's NinjaTrader export uses outdated unmanaged order code. We convert it to managed orders using the Builder Converter tool and helper class, verify the backtest still matches Builder, run a final robustness pass, and deploy to a live prop firm account.
What Makes This Different
- No black boxes — you build it, you understand it, you own it
- AI as a collaborator — not to replace your judgment, but to give you a second set of eyes at every stage
- Robustness first — a strategy that doesn't survive stress testing never touches a live account
- Managed orders — production-ready code from day one, not a prototype that breaks in live trading
NinjaTrader 8
NinjaTrader 8 is the trading platform we use for this course. It's free to download and use for backtesting and simulation.
Download & Install
Download the latest version of NinjaTrader 8 from the official website:
Data Source
To follow along with live or historical data you'll need a data source connected to NinjaTrader. Any of these work:
- Prop firm connection — if you're already trading at Apex, Bulenox, or Lucid, you can connect NinjaTrader directly
- Broker connection — most futures brokers support NinjaTrader natively
- Third-party data provider — options like Kinetick or Rithmic work well for data-only connections
Important Notes
- Make sure you're running NinjaTrader 8 — not NinjaTrader 7
- Install before class day and confirm it launches without errors
- We'll walk through the basic interface at the start of the Setup module
Adaptrade Builder
Adaptrade Builder is the strategy generation engine at the heart of The Algo Method. It uses a genetic algorithm to build and optimize trading strategies from your market data — no manual coding required.
Download & Install
A free 30-day trial is available at the Adaptrade website:
Save $100 on a License
If you decide to purchase Adaptrade Builder after your trial, Mike Bryan offers a $100 off coupon when you join his mailing list, bringing the price down to $899. Worth signing up before you buy.
What Adaptrade Builder Does
- Ingests your exported market data CSV file
- Runs a genetic algorithm search to find viable trading strategies
- Tests strategies against in-sample and out-of-sample data
- Exports strategy code directly to NinjaTrader 8
Before Class Day
- Download and install Builder but don't start your trial yet if you haven't purchased
- We'll walk through the full setup and configuration together during the Adaptrade Builder module
Installing NinjaTrader 8
NinjaTrader 8 is the trading platform at the center of the Algo Method workflow — it's where your market data lives, where your automated strategies run, and where you connect to your prop firm accounts. Getting it installed correctly from the start saves a lot of troubleshooting later. This lesson walks through the complete installation process, license options, first-launch configuration, and the most common setup problems and how to fix them.
What NinjaTrader 8 Does in This Course
Before installing anything it's worth being clear about what role NinjaTrader plays in the Algo Method pipeline, because NinjaTrader is a large platform with many features — most of which you won't use in this course.
In the Algo Method, NinjaTrader does four specific jobs:
Data Source
Connects to Rithmic and provides the live market data your DataExporter uses to build CSV files for Adaptrade Builder
Strategy Analyzer
Backtests Builder-generated strategies to verify they match Builder's results before going live
Automated Trading
Runs your converted managed-order strategies live or in simulation on your prop firm accounts
NinjaScript Editor
Compiles and imports the C# strategy code that Builder generates and the Builder Converter modifies
System Requirements
NinjaTrader publishes official minimum requirements, but those minimums will give you a frustrating experience when running strategies, multiple charts, and the DataExporter simultaneously. Here are both the official requirements and the realistic recommendations for the Algo Method workflow.
| Component | Official Minimum | Algo Method Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 or 11 64-bit | Windows only — no native Mac support. 64-bit required. |
| Processor | 2 GHz quad-core | Intel Core i7 / AMD Ryzen 7 or better | Higher clock speed matters more than core count for NinjaTrader execution. Ryzen 9 is excellent if you're also running Builder on the same machine. |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB minimum, 32 GB preferred | NinjaTrader loads historical data into memory. Running multiple instruments with tick replay or the DataExporter will consume RAM quickly. 8 GB will feel limiting. |
| Storage | Any hard drive | SSD — NVMe preferred | NinjaTrader stores historical data locally. SSD dramatically improves data loading speed for backtesting and chart loading. |
| .NET Framework | .NET Framework 4.8 | .NET Framework 4.8 | Usually pre-installed on Windows 10/11. If not, download from Microsoft directly before installing NinjaTrader. |
| Internet | Broadband | Stable wired connection preferred | A connection drop during live strategy operation can leave open positions. Wired ethernet is significantly more reliable than WiFi for live trading. |
| Display | 1024 × 768 | 1920 × 1080 minimum, dual monitors preferred | NinjaTrader has a lot of panels. A single 1080p monitor works, but you'll spend a lot of time rearranging windows. Dual monitors make the workflow significantly more comfortable. |
Understanding the License Options
NinjaTrader has several licensing tiers that determine what features you can access. Understanding these before you install saves confusion later — particularly around prop firm accounts, which often come with their own license arrangements.
Every NinjaTrader installation comes with a free simulation license preconfigured — the license key is @SIM-A82F-D5 and it's already active when you first launch. This license includes:
- Full charting and market analysis on live data
- Simulated trading (Sim101 account)
- Strategy backtesting in the Strategy Analyzer
- The NinjaScript Editor — including compiling and importing custom strategies
- Running automated strategies on the Sim101 simulation account
For the Algo Method development workflow — building strategies in Builder, testing them in Strategy Analyzer, running them in simulation — the free simulation license is sufficient. You can do everything in this course up through simulation testing on the free license.
Most prop firms — including Apex, Bulenox, and Lucid Trading — provide their own NinjaTrader license keys to evaluation and funded account holders. These keys allow you to connect to your prop firm account and run strategies live without purchasing a separate NinjaTrader license.
Important limitations of prop firm license keys:
- They are single-broker — tied to the prop firm's Rithmic connection only
- They may not include all premium features (some don't include the OrderFlow suite)
- They are tied to your account — if your account expires, so does the key
- They are not transferable between prop firms
If you're trading multiple prop firm accounts across different firms, you may end up managing multiple license keys. Your prop firm's onboarding instructions will tell you exactly how to obtain and apply their key.
The lease provides full NinjaTrader functionality not tied to a specific broker — useful if you want platform independence from prop firm license constraints. Includes all premium features, multiple broker connections, and the full NinjaScript development environment. Monthly billing with no long-term commitment.
For most Algo Method students who are trading exclusively through prop firm accounts, the prop firm license key + free simulation license covers everything needed without a separate lease.
One-time purchase — all features, all brokers, free platform upgrades for life within NinjaTrader 8. Also includes the OrderFlow+ suite of indicators. Best long-term value if you plan to use NinjaTrader seriously for multiple years across multiple prop firms or personal accounts.
If you're committed to systematic futures trading as a long-term pursuit, the Lifetime license is worth considering. It eliminates the prop firm license dependency and gives you the most stable, full-featured development environment. That said, it's not required to complete this course or to trade successfully on prop firm accounts.
Here's a move that solves the license question and the data quality question simultaneously: open a Bulenox evaluation account.
Bulenox runs on Rithmic — the professional-grade data feed used by serious futures traders. A $50K evaluation account is currently $19.25/month with code AEROMIR (89% off). At that price, a Bulenox eval gives you three things that are genuinely valuable for the Algo Method:
- A live Rithmic data connection in NinjaTrader — Rithmic data is significantly cleaner and more complete than NinjaTrader's default simulation data, which means your DataExporter CSV files will be higher quality and your Strategy Analyzer results will more closely match live trading behavior.
- A NinjaTrader license key — Bulenox provides a license key to all account holders, covering live trading features you'd otherwise need to lease or purchase separately.
- A real account to deploy strategies on — once you've built and validated a strategy through the Algo Method pipeline, you have an account ready to run it on immediately.
One more thing worth knowing: Bulenox locks in your subscription price for life. The discounted rate you pay today never increases as long as you keep the account active. Tom currently runs 5 master accounts on Bulenox — if you're serious about scaling funded accounts, it's the best value in the prop firm space right now.
Downloading NinjaTrader 8
- Go to ninjatrader.com
- Click Download or Get NinjaTrader Free
- Create a free NinjaTrader account if you don't already have one — you'll need this to activate the platform
- Download the installer — the file will be named something like NinjaTrader.install.msi
- Save it somewhere you can find it — your Downloads folder is fine
Installing NinjaTrader 8 — Step by Step
- Locate the downloaded
NinjaTrader.install.msifile - Right-click the file and select Run as Administrator — this prevents permission errors during installation
- Click Next on the welcome screen
- Read and accept the License Agreement, then click Next
- When prompted for installation type, select Complete — not Custom
- Leave the installation path at the default:
C:\Program Files (x86)\NinjaTrader 8— changing this can cause issues with some add-ons and indicators - Click Install and wait for the installation to complete — typically 2–5 minutes
- Click Finish when the installer completes
- NinjaTrader will launch automatically — if it doesn't, find it in your Start menu or desktop shortcut
First Launch — Creating Your Account and Logging In
The first time NinjaTrader launches it will prompt you to log in or create an account.
- Log in with the NinjaTrader account you created during download — email address and password
- If this is your first install, NinjaTrader will activate automatically with the free simulation license
- You'll land at the Control Center — the main hub of NinjaTrader
The Control Center — Your NinjaTrader Home Base
When NinjaTrader opens you'll see the Control Center — a compact window that acts as the hub for everything. It looks small but it controls everything. The key items across the top menu:
| Menu Item | What It Contains | You'll Use It For |
|---|---|---|
| New | Opens charts, Strategy Analyzer, Trade Performance, etc. | Opening charts for your instruments and launching the Strategy Analyzer for backtesting |
| Accounts | Lists all connected accounts (Sim101, prop firm accounts) | Monitoring account balances, P&L, positions |
| Tools | Import NinjaScript, Options, Data, etc. | Importing strategy files and add-ons, configuring connections |
| Connections | Data feed and broker connections | Connecting to Rithmic for live data |
| Help | License key, support, updates | Applying license keys from prop firms |
| Strategies | Running automated strategies | Enabling and monitoring live automated strategies on your accounts |
Verifying the Simulation Account Is Working
Before connecting to any live data or prop firm account, verify the simulation account works correctly.
- In the Control Center, look at the Accounts tab — you should see Sim101 listed
- Go to New > Chart
- In the instrument field type NQ 06-26 (or the current front-month NQ contract) and press Enter
- Select Minute as the bar type, 5 as the interval
- Click OK
- A chart should load — if you see historical bars and the chart is updating in real time during market hours, NinjaTrader is working correctly
Applying a Prop Firm License Key
If your prop firm has provided a NinjaTrader license key as part of your account setup, apply it now:
- In the Control Center, go to Help > License Key
- Clear any existing license key in the field
- Paste your prop firm's license key exactly as provided — these are case sensitive
- Click OK
- NinjaTrader will confirm the license is applied — you may need to restart the platform
@SIM-A82F-D5 — save it somewhere accessible. If your prop firm account expires and you lose access to their key, reapply the simulation key to continue development work.Keeping NinjaTrader Updated
NinjaTrader releases updates periodically. Updates occasionally include fixes that affect strategy behavior, order routing, or data handling — staying reasonably current matters for live trading reliability.
- NinjaTrader will notify you in the Control Center when an update is available
- Before updating: if you have live strategies running, stop them first
- After updating: verify your custom add-ons and Builder helper functions still compile correctly — major updates occasionally require re-importing add-ons
- Don't update immediately on release day if you have strategies actively trading — wait a few days to see if any critical issues are reported by the community
Common Installation Problems and Fixes
Most likely cause: System clock out of sync. Fix: Windows Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time > Sync now. Try again immediately after syncing. If the clock was significantly off, NinjaTrader may need to be restarted after the sync.
Second cause: Wrong password. NinjaTrader accounts and NinjaTrader Brokerage accounts are sometimes confused — make sure you're using the credentials for your ninjatrader.com platform account, not a brokerage account.
Most likely cause: .NET Framework 4.8 is not installed. Download it from Microsoft's website and install it before retrying the NinjaTrader installer.
Second cause: Installer not run as Administrator. Right-click the .msi file and choose "Run as Administrator" explicitly — don't just double-click.
Most likely cause: No data connection established. On fresh install, NinjaTrader defaults to the simulation license which uses NinjaTrader's own data feed. Go to Connections in the Control Center and ensure a connection is shown as active (green indicator). During market hours you should have live data automatically with the simulation license using the built-in Kinetick feed. Outside market hours, charts show cached historical data which may be sparse on a fresh install.
NinjaTrader is legitimate software but some antivirus programs flag it during installation because it modifies system files. Temporarily disable real-time protection during installation, then re-enable after. Add the NinjaTrader installation folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\NinjaTrader 8) and the NinjaTrader data folder (Documents\NinjaTrader 8) to your antivirus exclusions list to prevent ongoing interference.
If you're upgrading from an earlier NT8 build: your existing workspace, templates, and data are preserved in the Documents\NinjaTrader 8 folder — the installer does not touch this folder. After upgrading, re-compile all custom NinjaScript add-ons by going to Tools > Edit NinjaScript > Compile All. Any add-ons that fail to compile after an upgrade need to be re-imported from their original source.
The Robustness Testing Philosophy
Adaptrade Builder has built-in robustness tools — three-segment data splitting, stress testing, Monte Carlo analysis, K-Ratio, DoF Ratio, Trade Sig. These are genuinely useful and a strategy that passes Builder's criteria has already cleared a meaningful quality bar. But Builder's tests are all applied to the same historical data the strategy was built from. The Aeromir robustness tools ask a different set of questions — questions that require your actual trade list, not just the backtest summary metrics.
What Builder's Tests Can and Cannot Tell You
Builder's robustness framework is excellent at answering one core question: does this strategy generalize across the historical data it was built from? The three-segment split, stress testing, and K-Ratio are all variations of this same question applied different ways.
What Builder cannot tell you — because it doesn't have access to this information:
- Is the edge real or random? — Statistical significance tests on the actual trade distribution, not just summary metrics
- Is the strategy getting better or worse over time? — First-half vs second-half performance stability analysis
- How sensitive is it to small price changes? — Noise testing against actual entry/exit prices, not parameter perturbation
- Are my stops and targets optimally sized? — MAE/MFE analysis requires the actual open loss and favorable excursion on every trade
- What's my actual probability of passing this prop firm evaluation? — Monte Carlo simulation against specific firm rules
- How correlated are my strategies to each other? — Portfolio-level diversification analysis
- Strategy Robustness Analyzer — edge reality, stability over time, price noise sensitivity, E-Ratio, Monte Carlo fill simulation
- Trade Quality Analyzer — stop and target optimization from actual MAE/MFE data, efficiency scoring
- Prop Firm Strategy Analyzer — pass probability, funded account survival rate, optimal contract sizing for specific firm rules
- The Correlator — instrument and strategy correlation for portfolio construction
The Trade List — The Input Everything Depends On
All four Aeromir robustness tools work from your actual trade data — not from Builder's summary metrics or the equity curve. This is the fundamental difference between what Builder's tests can do and what these tools can do.
The trade list contains information that summary metrics simply can't capture:
- The sequence of trades — did performance deteriorate in the second half of the data? Did winning streaks and losing streaks cluster in ways that suggest instability?
- The distribution of individual trade P&L — are results driven by a few large winners or genuinely consistent?
- The actual open loss on every trade (MAE) — how far did each trade go against you before exiting? This tells you whether your stop is tight enough, too tight, or too wide.
- The actual favorable excursion on every trade (MFE) — how far did each trade move in your favor before exiting? This tells you whether your target is capturing most of the available move or leaving money on the table.
- Entry and exit prices — needed for noise testing to simulate whether small price variations would change the result of individual trades
Where to Get the Trade List
The trade list comes from NinjaTrader's Strategy Analyzer after running a backtest on your converted strategy. Different Aeromir tools need different columns from the export — knowing which columns each tool needs helps you export the right format the first time.
Exporting from NinjaTrader Strategy Analyzer
- Run a backtest of your strategy in the Strategy Analyzer
- Click the Executions tab (or Trades tab depending on your NT8 version)
- Right-click on the trade list table
- Select Export or Copy to Clipboard then paste into a spreadsheet
- Save as a CSV file
- Strategy Robustness Analyzer: Trades tab export — needs Date and P&L at minimum. Also accepts entry price, exit price, and direction for noise tests.
- Trade Quality Analyzer: Trades tab export with MAE and MFE columns enabled — requires these specific columns to function.
- Prop Firm Strategy Analyzer: Standard NT8 CSV trade export — the tool reads multiple files and handles the format automatically.
- The Correlator: OHLCV price data from your DataExporter CSV — not a trade list. Uses bar-by-bar price data, not trade results.
Enabling MAE and MFE in NinjaTrader
By default, NinjaTrader's Strategy Analyzer may not show MAE and MFE columns. To enable them:
- In the Strategy Analyzer, right-click the column headers in the Trades tab
- Select Choose Columns or Column Chooser
- Add MAE (Maximum Adverse Excursion) and MFE (Maximum Favorable Excursion) to the visible columns
- These columns will now appear in your export
The Four Tools and Where They Fit
The Aeromir robustness tools aren't redundant with each other — each one tests a different dimension of strategy quality. Here's how they sequence in the pipeline:
| Stage | Tool | Question It Answers | When to Run It |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strategy Robustness Analyzer | Is this edge real? Is it stable? Is it sensitive to noise? | After Builder validation — before any further investment of time or money |
| 2 | Trade Quality Analyzer | Are my stops and targets optimally sized? Am I leaving money on the table? | After the edge is confirmed — to optimize trade management before live trading |
| 3 | Prop Firm Strategy Analyzer | What's my pass probability? How many contracts? Which accounts? | Before deploying — to size and structure the live trading plan correctly |
| 4 | The Correlator | Are my strategies and instruments diversified enough to reduce portfolio risk? | When building a multi-strategy portfolio — ongoing as you add new strategies |
The sequence matters. Running the Prop Firm Strategy Analyzer on a strategy that fails the Robustness Analyzer is a waste of time — you'd be planning deployment for a strategy that shouldn't be deployed. Running the Trade Quality Analyzer first makes the Prop Firm analysis more accurate because your stops and targets are optimized. Each tool's output informs the next tool's inputs.
What "Robust" Actually Means
The word "robust" gets used loosely in trading. In the context of these tools, robust has a specific meaning — and it's worth being precise about it before you start interpreting results.
A robust strategy is one that:
- Has a statistically significant edge — the results can't easily be explained by randomness. The same number of random trades would be unlikely to produce this performance by chance.
- Is stable across time — performance in the second half of the data is broadly consistent with the first half. The edge isn't decaying.
- Is insensitive to small perturbations — tiny changes to entry or exit prices don't flip winning trades to losers or vice versa. The edge isn't dependent on hitting exact prices.
- Has well-calibrated trade management — stops are tight enough to limit damage without being so tight they get hit by normal noise. Targets capture a meaningful portion of the available move without being so aggressive they're rarely hit.
- Fits the deployment context — the strategy's risk profile, drawdown characteristics, and expected performance are compatible with the specific prop firm rules and contract sizing you plan to use.
Builder's tests address points 1 and 3 partially. The Aeromir tools address all five comprehensively — using your actual trade data rather than summary statistics.
Realistic Expectations
Before working through the tools in the next four lessons, it's worth setting honest expectations about what robustness testing can and cannot guarantee.
- Raises the probability that a strategy's edge is real and will persist
- Filters out strategies that are statistically indistinguishable from random trading
- Identifies trade management improvements that can materially improve performance
- Quantifies deployment risk so you can make informed sizing decisions
- Provides an early warning system for edge decay during ongoing monitoring
- Guarantee future performance — no test can do this
- Eliminate the possibility of the edge deteriorating in the future
- Account for structural market changes that weren't in the historical data
- Replace live simulation and forward testing as final validation
- Make a borderline strategy into a good one — it filters, it doesn't fix
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