What is considered an edge?

[Thomas Olof Gardling]

I have discussed a couple of times in threads about EAs and if they have any real edge or not. But what is really considered an edge?

Is it a combination of indicators that on historical prices of a specific market can predict the direction of price most of the time?

Will it suffice to have a backtest to prove an edge, or does it have to be a live track record of a year back or more with a specific amount of trades that show overall profit?

Or does the edge need to be more of a predicting nature, like knowing news before it is official or some kind of insider information?

Can an edge be a money management on a some what ok strategy?

Can the edge be proven without showing the code behind the EA?

Or is it something completely different?

I would really like to hear what people here think.

I myself don't think any EAs in the Market section here have any real edge, even if some claim this. They are just curve fitted on historical prices, over and over again.