How to Build a Complete ORB Strategy on Tradetron (Step-by-Step)

If you've ever wanted to automate an Opening Range Breakout strategy across multiple stocks at once, this guide walks you through exactly how to do it on Tradetron's Advanced Strategy Builder — from creating your watchlist all the way to deploying it live.

What Is This Strategy?

This is a list-based ORB strategy, meaning it runs on multiple stocks simultaneously using a watchlist. Instead of monitoring one stock at a time, you load up a list — say Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Google — and the strategy checks the breakout condition on all of them at the same time.

The core logic is simple:

• If a stock breaks above the opening range high after 10 AM → Buy
• If a stock breaks below the opening range low after 10 AM → Sell Short
• Position size adjusts automatically based on how wide the opening range is
• Stop loss and target are calculated from the opening range itself
• Everything closes at 3:45 PM regardless

Step 1 — Create Your Watchlist

Before building the strategy, you need a list of stocks to run it on.

Go to the strategy builder and click Add to create a new watchlist. Give it a name — in this example it is called ORB List Watchlist. Select NASDAQ as the exchange since we are trading equity stocks. If you were trading options, you would pick the appropriate derivatives exchange instead.

Now add your instruments. For this example: Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Google.

One thing worth knowing — you can add up to 100 stocks in a single list. Once you are done adding instruments, save the watchlist.

Step 2 — Build the Entry Condition

Now select your saved watchlist in the strategy set and start building the entry.

The long entry condition is: LTP greater than ORB High

Click Add, type LTP, select the instrument, choose NASDAQ, and then select your list from the dropdown. You can type "List" directly in the search field to find it quickly.

On the right side of the condition, set it to ORB — it defaults to High automatically. Set the time window to 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM Eastern. This captures the first 30 minutes of the morning session as your opening range. Select the instrument, NASDAQ, and your list again on this side too.

Step 3 — Add the Time Gate

This is a critical step that a lot of people miss.

The ORB keyword fetches data from a specific time window. But for that data to be accurate, that time window must have already passed. If your range is 9:30 to 10:00 AM, you cannot check for a breakout at 9:45 AM — the range isn't complete yet.

So you must add a second condition using AND:

Time greater than 1000

On Tradetron, time is written as a number. 10:00 AM = 1000, 9:00 AM = 900, 3:00 PM = 1500. Enter 1000 for 10 AM and click OK.

The full entry condition now reads:

Time greater than 1000 AND LTP greater than ORB High (9:30–10:00 AM Eastern)

Submit it.

Step 4 — Set Up Dynamic Position Sizing

Instead of a fixed quantity, this strategy uses a formula that automatically adjusts position size based on how wide the opening range is. The wider the range, the smaller the position — which helps control risk.

In the quantity field, click FX to open the formula builder and enter:

1000 ÷ (ORB High − ORB Low)

Both ORB High and ORB Low use the same 9:30–10:00 AM Eastern window. Write it exactly like a normal math formula — brackets and all. The size of the first 30-minute candle becomes the divisor.

Pro tip: Save your progress after completing each section. If you build the entire strategy without saving and something goes wrong, all your work is lost.

Step 5 — Build the Stop Loss

For the stop loss, copy your entry condition and paste it into the exit section. Then make these changes:

• Switch AND to OR
• Remove the time condition — by the time an exit fires, you are already past 10 AM
• Change ORB High to ORB Low
• Change greater than to less than

The stop loss condition now reads:

LTP less than ORB Low (9:30–10:00 AM Eastern)

Step 6 — Build the Target

The target exits the trade when price moves 2x the opening range in your favor.

Add a new exit condition and set it up as:

LTP greater than Entry Price + (2 × (ORB High − ORB Low))

To reference the entry price, select Traded Instrument on the right side and search for your list. Since this is Set 1 with a single leg entry, enter 1, 1, 1 for the set, condition, and leg numbers. A separate video covers how these reference numbers work in detail — for now, just use 1-1-1 for a single leg entry.

Then add the formula: plus, open bracket, 2 multiplied by, open bracket, ORB High minus ORB Low, close both brackets.

Always write it like a normal math formula — this bracket opens here and closes here.

Set 1 — the long side — is now complete.

Step 7 — Build the Short Side (Set 2)

Now mirror everything for the short side in Set 2.

Short Entry: Copy the long entry, paste into Set 2, change greater than to less than, and switch ORB High to ORB Low.

Time greater than 1000 AND LTP less than ORB Low

Short Position: Copy the long position. Before pasting, make sure to select the same watchlist first — otherwise the platform will throw a list mismatch error. Then paste, and change the order type from Buy to Sell. The quantity formula stays exactly the same.

Short Exits: Copy the long exits and flip the logic:

• Stop loss → change less than to greater than, switch Low to High (exits when price breaks back above the opening range high)
• Target → change to less than, and subtract the range from entry price instead of adding it

LTP less than Entry Price − (2 × (ORB High − ORB Low))

Set 2 Entry:-

Set 2 Entry Position Builder:-

Set 2 Exit:-

Step 8 — Add the Universal Exit

The final piece is a universal exit that closes all open positions at 3:45 PM — no matter what.

Click Add Universal Exit and set the condition:

Time greater than or equal to 1545

1545 is 3:45 PM in 24-hour format. Submit, update, and your strategy is ready to deploy.

Full Strategy Summary

Deploy and Go Live

Once everything is saved, you can deploy the strategy directly from the builder. The strategy will now monitor every stock in your watchlist and trigger trades automatically when the breakout conditions are met.

Copy This Strategy on Tradetron

Don't want to build it from scratch? You can duplicate this strategy directly:

👉 https://tradetron.tech/strategy/9729450

Updated on: 18/05/2026