Regime-matched momentum with three engines

TrendLock.

Three independent engines running together: sustained momentum, calendar patterns, and crisis dip-buying. Long-biased equity exposure that steps aside when the tape turns hostile.

Live since Nov 1, 2025SPYQQQ2x leveraged ETFs5 min/day

Cancel anytime · converts to $147/mo on annual if you stay · 30-day money back

At a glance
Backtest CAGR+16.7%
Sharpe0.7133333333333334
Max DD (backtest)-22.7%
Live sinceNov 1, 2025
Live return+1.5%
Live max DD-1.8%
Total trades0

The hypothesis

Why this system exists.

Equity markets spend most of their time in one of three regimes that reward different approaches. Sustained trends reward momentum. Predictable calendar flows reward mean-reversion inside known windows. Panics reward dip-buying when breadth capitulates. Running one engine for each, gated by a regime classifier, captures the edge of all three while avoiding the drawdowns of forcing any single approach in the wrong environment.

How it works

Three engines, one regime filter.

ENGINE 01

Momentum

Captures sustained directional moves. Fires when the regime classifier confirms a trend state — fast SQN above 1.5 and aligned with slow SQN. Holds until the regime shifts or the trailing stop hits.

~70% of returns · Avg hold: 18 days
ENGINE 02

Monthly Flip

Calendar pattern system. Exploits the documented turn-of-month effect in equity markets. Price-agnostic. Fires on calendar date, exits on calendar date. Small but consistent contributor independent of regime.

~15% of returns · 12 trades/year
ENGINE 03

Crisis Hunter

Dip-buyer for genuine panic. Activates only when VIX spikes above 30 and market breadth capitulates — fewer than 10% of S&P 500 above the 50-day MA. Built for the tails. Small position, defined risk.

~15% of returns · 3-5 trades/decade

Performance

Live results first. Backtest second. Never mixed.

We show live results first. Backtests tell you what the system should do. Live results tell you what it is doing.

All TrendLock figures assume a standalone TrendLock subscriber, 100% allocation to this system, split 33% across the three engines (Momentum, Monthly Flip, Crisis Hunter).

Live

Since Nov 1, 2025

Real execution. Updated from live trade log.

2132282432582732025-112026-04
TrendLock
SPY
Return
+1.5%
Max DD
-1.8%
Trades
8
Win rate
50.0%
Backtest

Jan 2, 2020 — Apr 9, 2026

Historical backtest. See disclaimer below.

68122177232286LIVE2020-012026-04
TrendLock
SPY
Live: 2025-11
CAGR
+16.7%
Sharpe
0.71
Sortino
0.58
Max DD
-22.7%
Total return
+164.9%

Statistics

The numbers in detail.

Risk profile

Max drawdown
-22.7%
Max DD duration
301 days
Worst month
-12.7%
Positive months
42.2%

Trade characteristics

Average win
0.0%
Average loss
0.0%
Expectancy (R)
0.00
Best month
+28.7%

Recent signals

Recent activity.

Latest signals from this system, most recent first. Open positions shown at the top.

DateEngineDirTickerEntryExitHeldResult
Mar 29MomentumlongBIL91.63OpenOpen
Feb 27Monthly FliplongQQQ607.29600.3817d-1.1%
Feb 24MomentumlongUWM51.9753.217d+2.4%
Feb 24Monthly FliplongQQQ607.48607.870d+0.1%
Jan 22Monthly FliplongQQQ616.28601.9225d-2.3%
Jan 18MomentumlongSSO59.4259.2914d-0.2%

Full trade log available to subscribers in the dashboard.

Pricing

Annual saves $600/yr on TrendLock.

Same signals. Same dashboard. Annual subscribers pay $50 less per month and lock the rate for 12 months. 30-day money back if the system doesn't fit your process. Or start with $1 for 14 days.

Save $600 · best value
Annual
$147
per month, billed $1764 once · 30-day money back
Save $600/yr · lock the rate
Subscribe annual

30-day money back · Cancel anytime

6-month
$167
per month, billed $1002
Save $180/6mo
Subscribe 6-month

30-day money back · Cancel anytime

Monthly
$197
per month, cancel anytime
Subscribe monthly

Cancel anytime · Or try for $1 first

Common questions

FAQ.

What time do signals arrive?

TrendLock has three engines and each fires on its own cadence. The Momentum engine runs a weekly rotation — signal goes out Sunday evening when the rotation changes. Monthly Flip fires only when its specific calendar window opens, a handful of times per year. Crisis Hunter fires only during genuine VIX plus breadth capitulation — historically 3 to 5 times a decade. You subscribe once and get all three. Most weeks, nothing fires.

How many signals per month?

Varies by regime. Trending markets produce more signals. Choppy markets produce fewer. Average across the backtest: four signals per month. The system does not force trades to justify its own existence.

Do I need specific software?

No. Signals arrive by email. You execute in your own brokerage. Any broker that trades SPY and QQQ works.

Can I combine this with SwingHunter?

Yes. That is the Systems Portfolio at $347/mo. Correlation between the two systems is 0.12, which means they complement each other rather than duplicate.

What is the difference between the three engines?

Momentum fires on confirmed trends and is where most of the return comes from. Monthly Flip is a calendar-based system that runs independent of price action. Crisis Hunter only activates during extreme VIX spikes with breadth capitulation. All three share the same regime filter.

Important: Backtests are historical simulations. They do not represent actual trading and have inherent limitations. Live results are real-time execution. Past performance, whether backtested or live, is not indicative of future results. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. Pollinate Trading is not a registered investment advisor. See full risk disclosure.