Historical Backtester
Test the canonical index-option strategies across years of market history. Every trade is costed with the full Indian charge stack, and results are shown as a distribution with an explicit methodology — because a single hero number is how tutorial sites mislead you.
Short Straddle on NIFTY
Configure the test on the left and hit Run backtest. You'll get win rate, the equity curve, the full trade list, and a methodology note explaining exactly what was and wasn't simulated.
What am I looking at?
What a backtest is
It replays a strategy on past market history to show how it would have done. Think of it as a flight simulator — practice with history before risking real money.
Max drawdown
The worst peak-to-trough drop the strategy suffered — the deepest hole. This is the number that tells you if you could actually stomach holding it. Lower is safer.
Why a distribution
We show a spread of outcomes, not one hero number. A single lucky result is how tutorial sites mislead you — the range tells you what's typical and what's possible.
Net of costs
Every trade here is charged the full Indian fee stack (STT, GST, brokerage and more). A strategy that looks great before costs can lose after them.
About the Options Strategy Backtester
The Backtester runs a simple options strategy — a short straddle, short strangle or long straddle — repeatedly across a lookback window on real recorded NSE premiums, and shows you the equity curve, win rate, average P&L and drawdown. Every trade is charged the full Indian cost stack, so the results reflect what a strategy would actually have netted after STT, exchange, SEBI and stamp charges, GST and brokerage — not a frictionless fantasy.
What you can do
- Pick the underlying, strategy, entry days-to-expiry and lookback window.
- Run the backtest across every eligible expiry in the window.
- Read the equity curve, win rate, average trade and worst drawdown.
- Each trade is costed with the real Indian charge stack — no frictionless assumptions.
What a backtest reveals
A short straddle sold every week collects premium and profits when NIFTY stays calm, so its equity curve typically grinds upward in quiet regimes — then gives back weeks of gains in a single sharp move, because a short straddle has undefined risk. Seeing that jagged "grind up, gap down" curve, fully costed, is the honest way to understand why premium-selling is not free money.
Frequently asked
Are trading costs included in the backtest?
Yes. Every simulated trade is charged the full Indian derivatives cost stack — STT, exchange transaction charges, SEBI turnover fee, stamp duty, GST and brokerage — so the equity curve reflects realistic net returns.
What is a short straddle?
A short straddle sells both a call and a put at the same strike, collecting two premiums. It profits when the underlying stays near that strike and time decays the options, but carries undefined risk if the market makes a large move.
Does a positive backtest mean the strategy is safe?
No. A backtest describes the past on a specific window and does not predict the future. Premium-selling strategies in particular can show smooth gains punctuated by severe losses. This is educational, not investment advice.
Learn the concepts
Educational content only — nothing here is investment advice. Derivatives carry significant risk of loss; SEBI studies show the large majority of individual F&O traders lose money. Tapetide is not a SEBI-registered research analyst or investment adviser.