A Validated Volatility-Volume-Gap Classifier for Regime Identification in MNQ Intraday Data

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mesfin, Mathias
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866909035152801792
author Mesfin, Mathias
author_facet Mesfin, Mathias
contents This paper constructs and validates a composite day-classification system for Micro E-Mini Nasdaq 100 futures (MNQ) using three pre-market observable conditions: first-30-minute return magnitude, overnight gap magnitude, and abnormal opening-bar volume relative to a rolling baseline. Using 947 regular trading days of five-minute data from 2021-2025, we find that classifier-positive days exhibit statistically distinct intraday behavior, including directional morning drift followed by systematic late-session reversal. Despite these descriptive characteristics, all tested directional trading strategies fail institutional validation standards after transaction costs and multi-year consistency requirements are applied. The highest-performing configuration achieves T = 1.46 and mean net +7.80 points but fails year-stability criteria. The primary contribution is the validation of the Volatility-Volume-Gap (VVG) classifier as a descriptive regime-identification framework and the documentation of failed attempts to convert these statistical patterns into deployable trading signals under realistic execution constraints.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_11423
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Validated Volatility-Volume-Gap Classifier for Regime Identification in MNQ Intraday Data
Mesfin, Mathias
Trading and Market Microstructure
Computational Finance
Statistical Finance
This paper constructs and validates a composite day-classification system for Micro E-Mini Nasdaq 100 futures (MNQ) using three pre-market observable conditions: first-30-minute return magnitude, overnight gap magnitude, and abnormal opening-bar volume relative to a rolling baseline. Using 947 regular trading days of five-minute data from 2021-2025, we find that classifier-positive days exhibit statistically distinct intraday behavior, including directional morning drift followed by systematic late-session reversal. Despite these descriptive characteristics, all tested directional trading strategies fail institutional validation standards after transaction costs and multi-year consistency requirements are applied. The highest-performing configuration achieves T = 1.46 and mean net +7.80 points but fails year-stability criteria. The primary contribution is the validation of the Volatility-Volume-Gap (VVG) classifier as a descriptive regime-identification framework and the documentation of failed attempts to convert these statistical patterns into deployable trading signals under realistic execution constraints.
title A Validated Volatility-Volume-Gap Classifier for Regime Identification in MNQ Intraday Data
topic Trading and Market Microstructure
Computational Finance
Statistical Finance
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.11423