Research brief 028

116% before commissions. 11% after. Where did the return go?

Can a slower, long-only signal preserve useful downside protection after realistic friction?

The idea worth investigating

A Reddit-sentiment study reports a 116% cumulative return for its long/short timing strategy. Adding a 0.1% commission per trade reduces that figure to 11%. The gap makes the research interesting: how much value comes from predicting the next move, and how much survives switching positions to capture it?

Authors’ historical simulation, 845 trading observations within the 2019–June 2022 study period. Gross versus commission-adjusted cumulative returns, not annual returns. No house replication completed; commissions are not a full execution-cost model.

This is a source-based research review. We have not completed a house replication.

Paid analysis on Substack

See what changes the investment case.

The headline is the starting point. The subscriber analysis takes you through:

  • How trading frequency consumes the reported gross return
  • Why the paper’s gain/loss ratio is not profit factor
  • What a slower, long-only evaluation would need to establish
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