D.E Shaw Step 5
Today’s Change (Mar 17, 2026)
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A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here
About
A complex, daily-rebalanced, multi-asset strategy that mixes momentum/trend signals with hedges (cash/BIL and volatility ETFs) and leveraged bets to pursue growth while trying to limit drawdowns. It rotates among broad market proxies, sectors, bonds, and commodities based on RSI and moving-average signals.
Plain-language view of how it operates:
- The system slices capital into many modules, each looking at different signals and assets. On a given day, it computes signals from momentum (how fast prices are rising or falling), trend (is the price above or below a moving average), and volatility cues (are we seeing spikes in market fear?). If a module’s rules say an asset looks attractive, the module suggests buying or increasing exposure to that asset. If a module signals danger (e.g., market is getting choppy or down), it moves capital into hedges or cash to reduce risk.
- Signals come from familiar ideas, translated into ETF decisions:
- Momentum and trend: If price momentum looks strong (assets are rising and are above their trend lines), the system will tilt toward higher-beta, leveraged ETFs to try to capture bigger gains. If momentum looks weak or the price is near/under its trend, assets get trimmed or hedged.
- RSI-like checks: RSI tells us whether something is overbought (hot and likely due for a pullback) or oversold (cool and could rebound). When RSI is very high, the system may switch into hedges like UVXY or VIX-related products or cash. When RSI is low, it may add risk-on bets.
- Defensive positions: The system uses BIL (short-term T-bills) or SHY/IEF (treasury ETFs) to provide ballast during rough markets, and it may use leveraged hedges (like UVXY, VIX-related funds) to protect against spikes in volatility.
- The approach is intentionally diversified and layered: it doesn’t bet on a single sector or asset. Instead it picks top performers from various groups (tech, energy, bonds, commodities, etc.) and also keeps a defensive sleeve that activates when risk rises.
- The daily rebalance means the rules re-run every day and adjust the mix to reflect the current signals and risk conditions.
- In short: it’s a big, rule-based puzzle that blends momentum, trend, hedging, and diversification to seek growth while guarding against big market drops. It is not a simple buy-and-hold plan and involves substantial complexity and risk.
Out-of-sample, this strategy shows higher risk-adjusted returns (OOS Sharpe ~1.22 vs SPY ~1.20), lower max drawdown (14.1% vs 18.8%), and a stronger Calmar ratio—growth with downside protection versus the S&P 500.
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Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Feb 17, 2024
Trading Setting
Daily
Type
Stocks
Category
Multi-asset, risk-managed, momentum-driven, volatility-hedged, dynamic-allocations, macro-overlays, leverage
Tickers in this symphonyThis symphony trades 94 assets in total
Ticker
Type
BIL
State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF
Stocks
BND
Vanguard Total Bond Market
Stocks
BOIL
ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Natural Gas
Stocks
BSV
Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF
Stocks
BTAL
AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund
Stocks
COP
ConocoPhillips
Stocks
CVE
Cenovus Energy Inc.
Stocks
CVX
Chevron Corporation
Stocks
DBC
Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund
Stocks
DBO
Invesco DB Oil Fund
Stocks