The DARWIN portfolio.
Our first live strategy, trading since September 2026 as a DARWIN on the Darwinex Zero platform.
Backtest March 2018 – September 2026, live from launch.
Backtest figures cover March 2018 to launch in September 2026, at the DARWIN's standard risk scale, on the venue's own prices, with modelled trading costs and the same execution timing the live system faces. Before performance fees. A backtest shows how the design behaved in the past. It is not a forecast and not a guarantee. Live performance from launch is shown at the same risk scale, starting from the backtest's value on launch day.
Risk and return vs the S&P 500
| Portfolio (backtest) | S&P 500 (SPY, total return) | |
|---|---|---|
| March 2018 – December 2021 | ||
| Annual return | 18.6% | 19.1% |
| Annual volatility | 12.1% | 20.9% |
| Worst fall | −10.7% | −33.7% |
| Return ÷ volatility | 1.5 | 0.9 |
| March 2018 – launch, September 2026 | ||
| Annual return | 26.8% | 15.3% |
| Annual volatility | 12.4% | 19.0% |
| Worst fall | −10.7% | −33.7% |
| Return ÷ volatility | 2.2 | 0.8 |
Calendar-year returns vs the S&P 500
| Year | Portfolio (backtest) | S&P 500 (SPY, total return) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +24.1% | +31.2% |
| 2020 | +15.9% | +18.3% |
| 2021 | +24.5% | +28.7% |
| 2022 | +33.3% | −18.2% |
| 2023 | +27.0% | +26.2% |
| 2024 | +41.6% | +24.9% |
| 2025 | +46.4% | +17.7% |
| 2026 to launch (backtest) | +12.3% | +14.3% |
| Live, since launch | … | … |
Is the live system behaving like its backtest?
We compare live performance with the backtest over exactly the same days. A small gap is evidence the backtest describes how the system really trades. The expected range widens with time: ±2 × a 5% annual tracking allowance × √(years live).
… Updated daily from the close.
Built for a risk-normalised platform.
- Decorrelated components. Each strategy earns its place by adding independence, not just return. A strategy that moves with the rest of the book is rejected.
- Risk-based sizing. Positions sized by market volatility, with hard caps on concentration.
- Circuit breakers on every component. Each one stops itself if it moves beyond its own historical limits.
- Event risk rules. Known high-risk events are handled by fixed rules.
- Venue-native data. Research, backtests and live decisions run on the venue's own prices, so the model trades what it tested.
- Backtest matches live. Every backtest trade waits for the same execution timing the live system faces.
Monthly updates.
Each month we publish design updates, results and market commentary on the updates page. Read more about the design and build process here.