Mars Strategy

A sector rotation strategy that identifies the strongest sectors by momentum and invests in the top stocks within those sectors.

What This Page Covers

This page explains the Mars sector rotation strategy. You'll learn about the dynamic stock universe, how sectors are ranked by momentum, and how the portfolio is constructed from the top stocks in the strongest sectors.

1

Strategy Overview

Core Concept

The Mars strategy is a systematic sector rotation approach that ranks all sectors by their momentum return and invests in the top stocks from the strongest sectors. By rotating into the hottest sectors, the strategy aims to capture broad market trends and sector-level momentum.

Dynamically filters stocks by price and volume each day
Groups qualifying stocks into proprietary sector categories
Ranks sectors by average momentum return
Selects top stocks from the top sectors for the portfolio

Current Configuration

Stock UniverseDynamic Universe
Price FilterProprietary Range
Volume FilterLiquidity Threshold
Top SectorsProprietary Selection
Stocks per SectorProprietary Selection
Portfolio SizeConcentrated
RebalancingDaily at open
2

Sector Rotation Scoring

How Sectors Are Scored

Each day, all qualifying stocks are grouped by their sector classification. For each sector with enough qualifying stocks, the average momentum return is calculated to produce a sector score. The top sectors are then selected.

What We Measure

  • Proprietary momentum window for return calculation
  • Skip-recent approach to avoid short-term noise
  • Sector-level aggregation of individual stock momentum
  • Minimum qualifying stocks per sector required

How Scores Are Used

  • Sectors ranked by average momentum return
  • Top sectors selected for investment
  • Top stocks within each selected sector are chosen
  • Daily re-ranking ensures freshness
3

Universe & Sectors

Dynamic Universe

Unlike Gemini's fixed stock universe, Mars dynamically filters from thousands of classified stocks each day. Stocks must meet price and volume thresholds to qualify, ensuring adequate liquidity for position sizing.

This dynamic approach means the strategy can discover new opportunities as stocks meet the qualification criteria and naturally avoids stocks that have become illiquid or too expensive/cheap.

Diverse Sector Categories

Stocks are classified into a diverse set of proprietary sector categories spanning technology, healthcare, financials, energy, industrials, consumer sectors, and more. The classification uses multiple data sources to ensure accurate grouping.

The strategy captures sector-level momentum trends, such as the rotation into energy stocks during commodity booms or the surge in technology during growth cycles.

4

Trade Execution

T+1 Execution Model

All trading signals are generated at market close (Day T) and executed at the next day's open (Day T+1). This ensures realistic backtesting without look-ahead bias.

1

End of Day T: Score & Rank Sectors

After market close, calculate momentum returns for all qualifying stocks, compute sector averages, and rank sectors. Select top stocks from the strongest sectors.

2

Day T+1 Open: Execute Trades

At market open, sell positions that are no longer in the top selection and buy new positions. Equal-weight allocation across all positions.

Important Disclaimer

All performance figures are based on historical backtesting and are hypothetical. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This momentum strategy is designed for bull markets with clear directional trends — it can experience significant drawdowns during bear markets or prolonged sideways conditions. The backtest assumes perfect execution at open prices with no slippage. Real-world trading will differ. This is educational content, not investment advice.