YOUR FIRST BACKTEST
Get from zero to a completed backtest in under 2 minutes. The fastest path is to clone a template.
Sign up and access dashboard
Create a free account at podium-finance.com. You'll land on the dashboard at "/dashboard/strategies".
Click "Browse Templates" or "Create Strategy"
New users see a welcome panel. Click "Browse Templates" to see pre-built strategies, or "Create Strategy" to start from scratch.
Clone the Momentum Ranking template
The Momentum Ranking template is marked "Recommended" for first-time users. Click "Clone" to create your own copy of this strategy. It uses 6-month momentum to rank up to 20 stocks by trailing return and assigns equal weight once at least 10 symbols have usable history.
Review the code
You'll be taken to the strategy detail page. The code defines three methods: `universe()` selects symbols, `signal()` returns target weights, and `initialize()` is available for one-time setup. Each method receives a `StrategyContext` with market data access.
Click "Run Backtest"
Hit the "Run Backtest" button with the default date range (1 year). The backtest engine will simulate daily rebalancing with $100,000 starting capital, applying slippage and risk limits. During warmup, the template may hold cash until enough symbols have rankable history.
Interpret results
When the backtest completes, you'll see: an equity curve showing your portfolio value over time, key metrics (Sortino ratio, max drawdown, annualized return, Sharpe), and a trade log with every rebalance. Momentum performance varies by market regime, so first check that risk limits were respected and drawdown stayed controlled.
Next steps
Try modifying the `TOP_N` or `LOOKBACK_DAYS` parameters and re-running the backtest. When you're satisfied with the metrics, deploy to paper trading to see how the strategy performs with live market data. After 14 days of paper trading, your strategy becomes eligible for the leaderboard.