The journey

From one strategy to 157.
Six months, mapped.

Every stop on the road from a single opening range breakout to a full trading system for Indian index options: what I built, the wins along the way, and what each month taught me.

6+months building

157strategies tested

10,500+trades logged

390+code changes

Code changes per month

47Mar

21Apr

41May

70Jun

100Jul

88Aug

26Sep

The map

1
March 2026
Day one: one idea, two AI co-pilots
- Built: Turned the classic opening range breakout into code. The whole bot was one strategy.
- Built: Gave it two AI co-pilots: GPT to read the chart, Claude as a second opinion.
- Learned: The first lesson came fast: every trade needs a stop-loss, even the winners.
Paper tradingFirst strategy
Read: Opening range breakout on Nifty: I tested 25 versions →Read: GPT vs Claude in a live trading bot: letting two AIs vote →
2
April 2026
Hello, real market
- Win: Moved from my laptop to a cloud server. The bot never sleeps through the open again.
- Win: Placed its first live trade on 9 April.
- Built: Gave every strategy its own paper/live switch, so ideas could graduate one at a time.
First live tradeCloud server
Story coming soon
3
May 2026
One idea, many flavours
- Built: Retests, reversals, fake-outs, smarter exits: the breakout grew into a whole family.
- Built: Taught the AI to vote with itself: ask three times, go with the majority.
- Win: A couple of the new variants clearly beat the original. The family tree paid off.
Strategy familyAI voting
Story coming soon
4
June 2026
A control room in my pocket
- Built: Could check, pause and steer the bot from my phone, from anywhere.
- Built: Wrote clear rules for when each strategy is allowed to trade live.
- Learned: Size should grow slower than confidence, so I added a daily loss limit to keep it that way.
Phone controlRisk limits
Story coming soon
5
July 2026
Building a time machine
- Built: Built a replay engine that re-runs any past trading day exactly as the bot saw it.
- Built: Put a published research paper and dozens of open-source strategies through the same tests.
- Win: The busiest month yet, and the one that made every test since more honest.
Replay engineBusiest month
Story coming soon
6
August 2026
Tightening the bolts
- Built: Added guardrails: a daily cap on live trades and stricter rules on what can go live.
- Learned: Started measuring every strategy in points, so comparisons became fair.
- Win: The bot got much better at protecting me from my own impulses.
GuardrailsFair comparisons
Story coming soon
7
September 2026You are here
Quality over quantity
- Win: Focused live trading on the strategies that had earned it.
- Built: Kept everything running smoothly through my broker's new API limits.
- Built: Started sharing the whole journey, right here.
FocusThis site
Story coming soon

Every post

72 posts

Pre-market report for 13 November 2026: Huang quits Nvidia, CPI at 6.09%GIFT Nifty is 84.5 points below its 3:30 PM level. Jensen Huang resigned as Nvidia's CEO, Brent settled at $95.82 and India's October CPI rose to 6.09%.

Post-market report for 12 November 2026: Nifty up 0.18% as financiers offset autosNifty rose 44.30 points to 25,299.35 as Bajaj Finance and insurers gained and autos fell; Nifty Realty jumped 4.51%. October CPI came in at 6.09% after the close.

Pre-market report for 12 November 2026: Nvidia sinks after hoursGIFT Nifty is 78 points above its 3:30 PM level. Nvidia fell over 8% after hours on a report its board was preparing to remove its CEO. India's October CPI is due.

Post-market report for 11 November 2026: autos and banks lift Nifty 0.84%Nifty rose 210.40 points to 25,255.05 and Sensex 772.75 to 81,879.40; M&M jumped 5.30% and the PSU Bank index 2.94%. Tata Power reported after the close.

Pre-market report for 11 November 2026: US CPI tops forecast, Nvidia slidesGIFT Nifty is 292 points above Monday's 3:30 PM level after trading through the holiday. US CPI rose 0.4% in October; the 10-year yield closed at 4.99%.

How far does the Nifty move after 3:15 PM?In 30 Nifty sessions to 11 November 2026, the official close finished above the 3:15 PM value 21 times. All eight moves bigger than 50 points went up.

Post-market report for 9 November 2026: PSU banks lift Nifty 0.23%Nifty rose 58.25 points to 25,044.65 as the PSU Bank index jumped 3.73% and Bank Nifty 1.51%; Tata Steel fell 2.81% after its Q2 results. NSE is shut on 10 November.

Pre-market report for 2 November 2026: Nasdaq sinks, Reliance profit jumpsGIFT Nifty was 152.5 points above Friday's 3:30 PM level; the Nasdaq fell 2.86% as Intel slid. Reliance's Q2 profit rose 41%; FIIs bought ₹3,598.50 crore.

Post-market report for 30 October 2026: IT lifts Nifty 0.51%Nifty rose 116.35 points to 23,053.10 and the Sensex 308.49 to 74,459.53 as IT gained 2.32%; the Smallcap 100 fell 1.85%. Trent and IndiGo rose on results.

Pre-market report for 30 October 2026: Alphabet sinks, FIIs sellGIFT Nifty was 30 points under Thursday's 3:30 PM level. Alphabet fell 12.64% and the Nasdaq 1.38%, Intel 23.01% after hours; FIIs sold a net ₹943.60 crore.

Post-market report for 29 October 2026: Nifty up 1.05% after Fed holdNifty rose 237.90 points to 22,936.75 and the Sensex 905.01 to 74,151.04 after the Fed held rates; FMCG and realty led and India VIX fell 6.95%.

Pre-market report for 29 October 2026: Fed holds, Alphabet slidesGIFT Nifty was 90 points below Wednesday's 3:30 PM level. The Fed held rates 10-2, Alphabet fell 10.8% after hours and FIIs bought a net ₹871.80 crore.

Post-market report for 28 October 2026: Nifty down 0.22% on IT and oilNifty fell 50.90 points to 22,698.85 as Infosys and Reliance slid; Jio Platforms closed at ₹1,417.50 on debut and L&T rose 3.72% after its results.

Pre-market report for 28 October 2026: Jio lists, FIIs buy, Brent above $115Foreign institutions bought a net ₹4,240.40 crore on Tuesday. Brent rose 1.47% to $115.56, the Nasdaq gained 1.2% and Jio Platforms lists today at ₹1,119.

Post-market report for 27 October 2026: Nifty flat, smallcaps up 2.69%The Nifty slipped 3.45 points to 22,749.75 on expiry day as bank and cement losses cancelled gains elsewhere. Smallcap 100 rose 2.69%; Tata Consumer 6.78%.

Pre-market report for 27 October 2026: GIFT Nifty 111.5 lower, Anthropic files for IPOGIFT Nifty was 22,667 at 8:05 AM, 111.5 points under Monday's 3:30 PM level. Anthropic filed for its IPO, the Nasdaq rose 0.8% and Brent eased to $114.66.

Post-market report for 26 October 2026: Nifty ends a four-day fall at its highThe Nifty rose 0.68% to 22,753.20 at the day's high, ending a four-day fall. Dr Reddy's rose 6.62% and JSW Steel 6.28%; Shriram Finance fell 4.62%.

Pre-market report for 26 October 2026: Brent at $114.57, Dow down 1.2%GIFT Nifty was 22,604.5 at 8:05 AM, 15.5 points above Friday's 3:30 PM level. Brent hit $116 on Friday, the Dow fell 652.82 and FIIs bought a net ₹887.60 crore.

Post-market report for 23 October 2026: Nifty falls a fourth day as Brent tops $114The Nifty fell 0.39% to 22,600, a fourth straight loss, as Brent passed $114. Smallcap 100 lost 2.94% and 3,011 shares fell; Shriram Finance fell 3.98%.

Pre-market report for 23 October 2026: Nasdaq falls 2.6%, GIFT Nifty up 114GIFT Nifty was 22,832.5 at 8:05 AM, 114 points above Thursday's 3:30 PM level, though the Nasdaq fell 2.6% on AI worries. FIIs sold a net ₹3,458.70 crore.

Post-market report for 22 October 2026: Nifty slips 0.54% as Brent nears $112The Nifty fell 0.54% to 22,687.65, a third straight loss, as Brent rose 2.9% toward $112. Nestle India lost 2.78% after FSSAI notices; Bajaj Finance rose 1.74%.

Pre-market report for 22 October 2026: GIFT Nifty down 78, Brent at $110.50GIFT Nifty was 22,650 at 8:05 AM, 78 points under Wednesday's 3:30 PM level, after a drone attack on a Saudi oil field. FIIs bought a net ₹1,022.30 crore.

Post-market report for 21 October 2026: Nifty erases early gain, IT jumps 2.88%The Nifty fell 0.34% to 22,811.35 after trading 1.01% higher early on. Nifty IT rose 2.88% on LTTS results; Smallcap 100 lost 2.37% and Bajaj Finance 3.27%.

Pre-market report for 21 October 2026: GIFT Nifty up 118, Brent at $110GIFT Nifty was 23,012 at 8:07 AM, 118 points above Monday's 3:30 PM level. Brent is at $110.37, the Dow rose 1% on Tuesday and FIIs sold a net ₹1,148.60 crore.

Post-market report for 19 October 2026: Nifty down 1.11% on bank resultsThe Nifty fell 1.11% to 22,888.95 and the Sensex 1.17% to 73,852.90. Axis Bank lost 4.19% after results, while Nifty PSU Bank rose 2.46% on PNB and Union Bank.

Pre-market report for 19 October 2026: Nasdaq falls 2.1%, FIIs turn net buyersGIFT Nifty was 23,118 at 8:05 AM, 11 points above Friday's 3:30 PM level, after the Nasdaq fell 2.1%. FIIs bought a net ₹1,165.90 crore; Brent is at $107.80.

Post-market report for 16 October 2026: Nifty up 0.65% as IT jumps 3.92%The Nifty rose 0.65% to 23,146.15 and the Sensex 0.56% to 74,729.27. Nifty IT gained 3.92% as Tech Mahindra jumped 8.48% and Wipro 5.95% after results.

Pre-market report for 16 October 2026: FIIs sell ₹5,285 crore, Dow up 1.1%GIFT Nifty was 23,088 at 8:05 AM, 101 points above Thursday's 3:30 PM level, after the Dow rose 1.1%. FIIs sold a net ₹5,285.40 crore; Wipro's profit fell 1.4%.

Post-market report for 15 October 2026: Nifty jumps 1.66% as Asia sinksThe Nifty rose 1.66% to 22,997.35 and the Sensex 2.11% to 74,315.61, the best day since June. Nestle India fell 7.76% after results; smallcaps fell 1.31%.

Pre-market report for 15 October 2026: Kospi falls 7.1%, US inflation at 3.7%GIFT Nifty was 22,616.5 at 8:05 AM, 30.5 points below Wednesday's 3:30 PM level, after US inflation hit 3.7% and the Kospi fell 7.1% in early trade.

Post-market report for 14 October 2026: Nifty falls 0.44% as WPI hits 11.39%The Nifty fell 0.44% to 22,622.70 and the Sensex 0.34% to 72,781.89. Wholesale inflation rose to 11.39%; Nestle gained 3.69% and Shriram Finance fell 3.85%.

Pre-market report for 14 October 2026: GIFT Nifty lower, oil up, WPI dueGIFT Nifty was 22,765.5 at 8:05 AM, 80.5 points below Tuesday's 3:30 PM level. Brent is up 0.85% at $106.59, and September WPI inflation is due today.

Post-market report for 13 October 2026: Nifty gains 1.60% as IT stocks rallyThe Nifty rose 1.60% to 22,721.95 and the Sensex 1.54% to 73,033.78. Nifty IT gained 5.22% after HCLTech's results, and HCLTech closed 8.42% higher.

Pre-market report for 13 October 2026: chip selloff reaches Tokyo, expiry dayGIFT Nifty was 22,426 at 8:05 AM, 49 points above Monday's 3:30 PM level. The Nikkei was down 2.52% after memory-chip shares fell in New York; Brent is $105.37.

Post-market report for 12 October 2026: Nifty falls 0.70% as bond yields riseThe Nifty fell 0.70% to 22,363.35 and the Sensex 0.76% to 71,924.68; PTI linked the fall to rising bond yields. September CPI inflation was 5.54%.

Pre-market report for 12 October 2026: oil slips on ceasefire claim, CPI and HCLTech dueGIFT Nifty was 22,626.50 at 8:05 AM, 20.5 points above Friday's 3:30 PM level. Brent fell 1.73% to $102.91 after Trump's Russia-Ukraine ceasefire claim.

What time of day does the Nifty fill its opening gap?In 64 Nifty sessions, 34 opening gaps filled. 18 of them filled in the first minute and 24 in the first 15 minutes. After 9:45 AM only 7 more did.

Post-market report for 9 October 2026: Nifty rises 1.30% as IT stocks gain after TCS resultsThe Nifty rose 1.30% to 22,520.45 and the Sensex 1.23% to 72,472.33 as IT stocks gained after TCS's results and Brent crude eased. India VIX fell 5.89%.

Pre-market report for 9 October 2026: FIIs sell ₹12,944 crore, chip stocks drag Nasdaq, Brent near $103GIFT Nifty was 22,363 at 8:05 AM, 84 points above Thursday's 3:30 PM level. FIIs sold a net ₹12,943.60 crore; the Nasdaq fell 1.3% on Thursday.

Do FII flows tell you anything about the next day's Nifty?After FII selling the Nifty fell 62.5% of the time. But it fell 58.5% of the time across the whole sample, so most of the signal was just the trend.

Post-market report for 8 October 2026: Nifty falls 1.64% as Brent crude tops $104The Nifty fell 1.64% to 22,231.80 and the Sensex 1.44% to 71,593.24 as Brent crude rose above $104. India VIX jumped 10.01% and 47 Nifty stocks fell.

Pre-market report for 8 October 2026: TCS results day, US yields at 2002 highs, FIIs sell ₹6,121 croreGIFT Nifty was 22,619.5 at 8:05 AM, 10 points above Wednesday's 3:30 PM level. US stocks fell as yields rose; FIIs sold a net ₹6,121.40 crore.

Do the Nifty's highs and lows shift on expiry days?On 13 expiry Tuesdays the high came early and the low came late, far more often than on other days. The sample cannot tell expiry from Tuesday.

Post-market report for 7 October 2026: Nifty falls 0.76% as the RBI raises the repo rate to 5.50%The Nifty fell 0.76% to 22,603.05 and the Sensex 0.59% to 72,638.70 after the RBI raised the repo rate to 5.50%. Titan fell 3.80% after its Q2 update.

Pre-market report for 7 October 2026: RBI decision day, US records, GIFT Nifty lowerGIFT Nifty was 22,677.5 at 8:05 AM, 101 points below Tuesday's 3:30 PM level. S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at records; FIIs sold a net ₹2,961.30 crore.

What happens when I close my bot's trades by hand? My dataI closed 43 of 413 live trades by hand between April and September 2026. 33 of them came in August and September, and most came before noon.

Post-market report for 6 October 2026: Nifty ends at the day's high as Trent and Kotak Bank rise on Q2 updatesThe Nifty rose 0.98% to 22,776.10 and the Sensex 0.95% to 73,067.81, both closing at the day's high. Trent jumped 12.64% after its Q2 business update.

Pre-market report for 6 October 2026: Brent settles near $100, Nasdaq at a record, SEBI expiry settlement reportGIFT Nifty was 22,635 at 8:05 AM, 26.5 points above Monday's 3:30 PM level. Brent fell 1.89% to $100.32; FIIs sold a net ₹4,699.10 crore on 5 October.

How often does the Nifty fill its opening gap?Gap size decided it, not direction. In 97 Nifty sessions, gaps under 25 points filled 85% of the time and gaps of 100 points or more only 28%.

Post-market report for 5 October 2026: Nifty ends a four-day fall as ITC leads and crude easesThe Nifty rose 0.60% to 22,555.75 and the Sensex 0.66% to 72,382.47, ending four days of falls. ITC rose 5.08%; HCL Tech fell 3.31% and HDFC Bank 2.27%.

Pre-market report for 5 October 2026: GIFT Nifty about 117 points above Thursday's level, weak US jobs data, Brent above $100GIFT Nifty was 22,625 at 8:05 AM on Monday, up 0.52% from Thursday's 3:30 PM level. US payrolls rose 29,000 in September; FIIs sold a net ₹9,484 crore on 1 October.

How often does the opening range break, and which way?All 64 Nifty sessions I checked traded outside their first 15-minute range. Only 31 closed beyond the side that broke first, close to a coin flip.

Post-market report for 1 October 2026: Nifty falls for a fourth session to its lowest close since March as auto stocks slideThe Nifty fell 0.88% to 22,421.95, its fourth straight fall and lowest close since 30 March. Nifty Auto fell 3.46% after September sales; Nifty IT rose 2.17%.

Pre-market report for 1 October 2026: GIFT Nifty about flat, Wall Street mixed, Nifty at its lowest close since 30 MarchGIFT Nifty was 22,633 at 6:37 AM on Thursday, Wall Street ended mixed (S&P 500 −0.3%) and the Nifty closed at 22,620.45, its lowest since 30 March.

Post-market report for 30 September 2026: Nifty falls to its lowest close since March as hospital and pharma stocks slideThe Nifty fell 0.42% to 22,620.45, its lowest close since 30 March. Healthcare, pharma and metal stocks fell while private banks and realty rose.

Pre-market report for 30 September 2026: crude falls, Wall Street slips, FIIs sell ₹9,980 croreOil fell on Tuesday, Wall Street ended slightly lower with the 10-year yield at 5.25%, and foreign investors sold a net ₹9,980 crore of Indian shares.

The guards every trading bot needs: kill switch, caps, limitsSix guards to build before any strategy: kill switches, a daily live-trade cap, loss limits, data checks and paper-or-live routing, plus a checklist.

When does the Nifty make its high and low of the day?In 64 sessions of one-minute Nifty 50 data, 63% of days set the high or low in the first 30 minutes, and 23% in the last 30. A count of days, not a forecast.

Post-market report for 29 September 2026: Nifty ends expiry day at its lowest close since AprilThe Nifty fell 0.28% to 22,716.20 as the September series ended 6.65% down. IT and consumer stocks fell; Adani shares rose after a SEBI settlement.

Pre-market report for 29 September 2026: global cues before the Nifty openQatar mediation keeps US–Iran talks alive, Wall Street fell as the 10-year yield hit 5.24%, generic drugs stay outside the new US pharma tariff and IIP grew 8% in August.

A day in the life of a trading botWhat my Nifty options trading bot does from 6 AM to the evening: the login, the 7 AM data pull, the health checks, the open, the close and the log review.

Does the pre-market read predict anything? I checked 125 morningsI set GIFT Nifty and overnight crude against 125 mornings of Nifty data. They explain the opening gap well and say almost nothing about the rest of the day.

Expiry days: what changes in the marketHow Nifty weekly and monthly expiry works in 2026, and what 24 expiry Tuesdays in my bot's records show: shorter trades and results 1.6 times as spread out.

How much does Nifty move in a day, and does India VIX tell you?Over 96 sessions the typical Nifty day spanned 170 points (0.72%). The previous evening's India VIX hinted at the range, not at how far the day would close.

Paper trading vs live trading: what actually changesMore than 10,000 paper trades and about 400 live ones since April. What changed when real money was on the line: fills, rejections, plumbing, and me.

What I got wrong in month oneMistakes from my trading bot's first weeks and first live month: the wrong expiry, stops facing the wrong way, a backtest I believed, and a misleading win rate.

Mistakes that cost me

Post-market report for 28 September 2026: Nifty falls 1.56% as oil tops $107The Nifty closed at 22,780 after oil jumped on Trump's rejection of Iran's plan. PSU banks fell 3.2%, FIIs sold ₹5,353 crore and the rupee closed at 96.03.

Pre-market report for 28 September 2026: global cues before the Nifty openIran's Hormuz plan turned down, oil lower on Friday, the US 10-year yield at a 19-year high, the bank strike deferred and FIIs selling. What changed since Friday's close.

How I analyse my trading bot's trades: putting the trade journal to workThe trade journal only earns its place if you ask it good questions. These are the ones I ask of my bot's trades: stops, exits, fills and whether filters pay.

The most important part of any algo trading bot is its trade journalNot the strategy, not the broker API: the trade journal is what tells you why a bot wins or loses. Here's what mine records for 10,700+ trades, and why.

GPT vs Claude in a live trading bot: letting two AIs voteI asked GPT and Claude to read the same Nifty chart thousands of times and made them vote on my trades. What I learned about using AI in a trading bot.

Opening range breakout on Nifty: I tested 25 versionsMy first trading bot traded one classic idea, the opening range breakout. I built 25 versions of it on Nifty options. Here's what made the good ones good.