regimemedium-high riskindex⚠ Data as of 2026-07-05 — refresh pending

Regime Rotation (BTC Trend Switch)

Does regime rotation work for crypto? Backtested on real Hyperliquid perps from 2024-08-15 to 2026-07-05, the default settings earned a Sharpe of 0.89 — +75.4% total return with a 30.4% worst drawdown across 87 trades, net of fees, slippage, and funding.

By Keel Research · Data as of 2026-07-05 · how this backtest was produced
EquityDrawdown
Sharpe
0.89
default settings
Total return
+75.4%
Worst drawdown
−30.4%
Trades
87

2024-08-152026-07-05 · net of fees, slippage, and funding · price-only Sharpe 1.08 · only 87 trades, so treat the ratio as a small-sample estimate.

At $1,000, this strategy’s worst historical dip was about $304. Free account, your own Hyperliquid keys — Keel only trades.

How it works

How it works

BTC leads the crypto complex, so this strategy uses it as a single risk switch. Each day, while BTC trades above its 100-day trend line, it holds an equal-weight basket of four majors — BTC, ETH, SOL, and HYPE — at full weight; when BTC closes below the line, it moves entirely to cash. No shorting, no leverage, one decision a day. It is the classic Faber trend-timing model, re-tuned for crypto: the edge is drawdown avoidance, not clever timing, and the diversified basket beats holding BTC alone because the switch protects whatever it holds.

When it works best

It profits across BTC-led uptrends, riding the majors basket while the trend holds and stepping aside before the worst of a downturn. The 100-day line is the sweet spot for crypto: it captures the up-legs while exiting fast enough to matter. A slower 200-day line — the equity-market classic — exits far too late for crypto's faster cycles, and holding the basket beats holding only BTC.

When it struggles

Whipsaws are the main cost: when BTC oscillates around its trend line, the switch flips in and out and each round-trip loses a little — a faster 50-day line churns more for less. The once-a-regime cadence keeps trades low (87 over the window) and holds the worst drawdown to a relatively contained 30.4%, but this is still a directional, long/flat crypto strategy: in choppy or falling markets it sits in cash preserving capital rather than making progress, and it offers no downside protection beyond going flat.

How it’s built

The exact strategy behind this backtest — no black box. Switch to code to see or copy the full definition.

Configuration

Globalsconfig
target_timeframe1dbar_offset12h
UniverseassetsManual · HL Perps · 4 symbols4 resolved
Executiontrading
rebalanceBufferedbuffer_threshold0.1buffer_moderelative+1

Factories

btc_trendfactory
Pipeline5 steps
PriceDataLoaderData Loader
timeframe15min
TargetTimeframeResamplerData Transform
Parallel2 branches
basket
ConstantForecastForecast Mapper
value10
btc_regime
btc_trendcall
RegimeGateForecast Composer
signal_keybasketindex_keybtc_regimeconditionindex > 0
EqualWeightSizerPosition Sizer
target_leverage1max_weight0.25

Explore the settings

precomputed · updates instantly

Adjust a setting to see the exact backtested result — including the ones that lost money.

Complete 18-cell public cross-product on explicit resolved universes.

Pinned held basket
BTC trend line
Gross exposure
Sharpe
0.89
Return
75.4%
Worst DD
−30.4%
Trades
87

Heads up: low_sample.

At $1,000, these settings' worst historical dip was about $304. You land in the editor with this exact setup. Free account, your own keys.

Compare all 18 settings
SettingsSharpeReturnWorst DDTrades
Pinned btc · BTC 50d · Gross 0.50.7720.2%−14.7%24
Pinned btc · BTC 50d · Gross 10.7637.0%−27.2%12
Pinned btc · BTC 100d · Gross 0.50.5413.4%−12.5%18
Pinned btc · BTC 100d · Gross 10.5523.4%−22.7%7
Pinned btc · BTC 200d · Gross 0.5-0.42-10.6%−13.6%4
Pinned btc · BTC 200d · Gross 1-0.40-20.9%−25.7%4
Pinned majors3 · BTC 50d · Gross 0.50.5216.8%−21.1%90
Pinned majors3 · BTC 50d · Gross 10.5025.2%−38.2%65
Pinned majors3 · BTC 100d · Gross 0.50.5719.1%−17.7%81
Pinned majors3 · BTC 100d · Gross 10.5529.6%−34.1%64
Pinned majors3 · BTC 200d · Gross 0.5-0.13-7.8%−20.6%53
Pinned majors3 · BTC 200d · Gross 1-0.14-20.8%−39.4%53
Pinned majors4 · BTC 50d · Gross 0.50.9039.1%−23.7%118
Pinned majors4 · BTC 50d · Gross 10.7960.3%−42.1%96
Pinned majors4 · BTC 100d · Gross 0.50.9845.3%−16.1%101
Pinned majors4 · BTC 100d · Gross 1default0.8975.4%−30.4%87
Pinned majors4 · BTC 200d · Gross 0.50.3610.8%−18.6%85
Pinned majors4 · BTC 200d · Gross 10.3713.5%−34.7%66

The data

Monthly returns

MonthReturn
2024-080.0%
2024-090.0%
2024-10+10.1%
2024-11+23.8%
2024-12+10.0%
2025-01+8.7%
2025-02-27.8%
2025-030.0%
2025-04+2.5%
2025-05+26.0%
2025-06+5.9%
2025-07+20.4%
2025-08+4.6%
2025-09-4.5%
2025-10-12.3%
2025-110.0%
2025-120.0%
2026-010.0%
2026-020.0%
2026-030.0%
2026-04-3.7%
2026-05+7.3%
2026-060.0%
2026-070.0%

Which assets it traded

Avg allocationDays held% of time heldAsset
0.2534850.51BTC
0.2534850.51ETH
0.2534850.51SOL
0.2528741.65HYPE

What this is: a historical backtest on real Hyperliquid market data, net of fees, slippage, and funding. Its worst historical drawdown was 30.4% — expect drawdowns of that order or worse. Past performance does not predict future results, and this is not investment advice. Size your account so a full drawdown is survivable.

Questions

Common questions

Does regime rotation work for crypto?

Over 2024-08-15 → 2026-07-05 on real Hyperliquid perps, the default settings earned a Sharpe of 0.89 with +75.4% total return and a 30.4% worst drawdown across 87 trades — net of fees, slippage, and funding. Read the drawdown expectations before sizing your account.

Best BTC trend line for a crypto regime switch (50 / 100 / 200-day)

You can adjust Pinned held basket, Gross exposure, BTC trend line. The config explorer on this page lets you compare every setting we tested — including the ones that underperformed — with the exact backtested result for each.

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