Months to Double the Balance in 8 EA Backtests: First 2x Took 3 to 70; GOLD TRIPWIRE's Latest Doubling Took 36, Not 3

How long did it take a backtest to double its closed balance, and did the later doublings come faster? For the backtests of 8 EAs we list on the Market, we followed the month-end closed balance and marked the first month it stood at 2x the initial deposit, then 4x, 8x and so on. Result: the first doubling took from 3 months to 70 months. In the 7 tests that doubled more than once, the latest doubling was slower than the first in 3. Those 3 are the tests with the fastest first doubling. The maximum relative equity drawdown of these tests runs from 10.8% to 91.3%, and it is in the table next to each result. Everything here is backtest. No forward result is used. Figures are as of 2026-11-15.

- Source: the deal list of each published MT5 test report, grouped by the month a trade was closed (commission and swap included). Floating profit and loss of open positions is not included.

- A doubling is counted in the first month whose month-end closed balance is at or above 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 32x, 64x or 128x the initial deposit. Months are counted from the first month of the test period.

- The check is made at month-end only. A level reached and lost again inside a month is not counted, and a later fall back below a level does not remove it.

- The drawdown column is the maximum relative equity drawdown of the whole test, the figure we publish for each EA. It is not a drawdown of one doubling.

Sorted by months to the first doubling, shortest first.

EA | Backtest period | History quality | Initial deposit | First doubling (months, month reached) | Later doublings in order (months each) | Doublings completed | Final balance / deposit | Lowest month-end balance before the first doubling | Max relative equity drawdown (whole test)

GOLD TRIPWIRE | 2020.01.01–2026.10.14 | 11% real ticks | 1,000 | 3 (2020-03) | 0, 8, 28, 36 | 5 | 38.45x | never below deposit | 19.0%

BITCOIN COMET | 2018.01.01–2025.12.31 | 98% | 10,000 | 11 (2018-11) | 9, 16, 4, 1, 31, 23 | 7 | 122.65x | −10.6% (2018-05) | 31.2%

GOLD VIPER | 2019.01.01–2026.09.01 | 8% real ticks | 10,000 | 12 (2019-12) | 9, 9, 13, 15, 6, 19 | 7 | 196.65x | never below deposit | 30.3%

GOLD KING v6 | 2019.01.01–2026.06.01 | 5% real ticks | 10,000 | 15 (2020-03) | 22, 20, 15, 10 | 5 | 62.78x | never below deposit | 91.3%

ATLAS | 2019.01.01–2026.06.28 | 100% | 10,000 | 27 (2021-03) | 12, 6, 11, 15 | 5 | 50.41x | −3.2% (2019-08) | 26.3%

MEGAMAX DONCHIAN | 2017.01.01–2026.06.01 | 100% | 10,000 | 38 (2020-02) | 14, 11, 17 | 4 | 22.55x | −19.7% (2017-11) | 58.6%

ETHEREUM EA | 2019.01.01–2026.06.28 | 100% real ticks | 10,000 | 68 (2024-08) | 11 | 2 | 4.24x | −7.8% (2020-08) | 17.1%

DONCHIAN ENGINE (free) | 2017.01.01–2026.06.01 | 100% real ticks | 10,000 | 70 (2022-10) | none | 1 | 2.65x | −2.2% (2017-01) | 10.8%

GOLD TRIPWIRE shows 0 for its second doubling because the month-end balance of 2020-03 was already above 4x the deposit: 2x and 4x fall in the same month.

GOLD TRIPWIRE, BITCOIN COMET and GOLD VIPER reached 2x within 12 months. In all three the latest completed doubling took longer than the first: 36 months against 3 for GOLD TRIPWIRE, 23 against 11 for BITCOIN COMET, 19 against 12 for GOLD VIPER. BITCOIN COMET also has the widest spread inside one test: one doubling inside 1 month (16x in 2021-04, 32x in 2021-05) and another that needed 31 months.

In the other 4 tests with more than one doubling, the latest doubling was faster than the first: 10 months against 15 for GOLD KING v6, 15 against 27 for ATLAS, 17 against 38 for MEGAMAX DONCHIAN, 11 against 68 for ETHEREUM EA. In ATLAS, MEGAMAX DONCHIAN and ETHEREUM EA the first doubling was the slowest of all. MEGAMAX DONCHIAN was 19.7% below its deposit at the end of 2017-11 before it reached 2x in month 38.

GOLD KING v6 never closed a month below its deposit and doubled 5 times, and its maximum relative equity drawdown is 91.3%. The doubling count reads month-end closed balances. Floating losses on open positions are not in it, and neither is a dip that recovered before the month ended. DONCHIAN ENGINE, the slowest test at 70 months, has the smallest drawdown in the table, 10.8%. The four tests with a final balance above 50x the deposit have drawdowns from 26.3% to 91.3%. Read the speed column and the drawdown column together.

- GOLD NEURON is left out today: the deal list we rebuilt does not add up to the net profit in its report, so we do not use its monthly figures. TRINITY and AIFW are left out because the original report files are not available.

- The tests differ in symbol, timeframe, period, tick model, risk setting and deposit. GOLD TRIPWIRE started from 1,000, the others from 10,000. GOLD KING v6, GOLD VIPER and GOLD TRIPWIRE ran on 5% to 11% real ticks. The row order is not a ranking.

- These tests size lots from the balance, so later doublings involve much larger amounts than early ones. A backtest fills large lots without the limits a broker would apply.

- These are EAs we chose to keep listed, so this is a survivor set. All of it is historical simulation, not a live record.

- Ask how long the first doubling took and how low the balance went before it. A test can spend its first 2 or 3 years near the deposit.

- Do not project the fastest doubling forward. In 3 of 7 tests the latest doubling was slower than the first.

- Check the maximum relative equity drawdown before you choose a lot size. Past doublings do not tell you when or whether the next one comes.

The two EAs discussed most in this article: GOLD TRIPWIRE https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/202581 · BITCOIN COMET https://www.mql5.com/en/market/product/181831