How Trading Signals Work
A Vector Ridge signal is a timestamped research card. It identifies the product, instrument, direction, entry basis, grade, manager state, active risk or protection, and expiry before the outcome is complete.
It is more than a one-word buy or sell call, but it is not a brokerage instruction. The card records what the model published and how that card changes over time. You remain responsible for deciding whether to act, your position size, and your execution.
The fields every card shares
- Product and instrument: which public lane and asset the card belongs to.
- Direction: long or short.
- Entry basis: the price or execution convention used by the published record.
- Grade: conviction metadata scoped to that product and source context.
- State: pending, at risk, confirmed, protected, or closed as applicable.
- Risk and time: the active risk or protected level and the governing expiry.
How a card becomes active
There is no universal public rule that every card must wait for a later zone touch. Some products publish pending levels; other products publish after a qualifying event and use a next-bar or next-session entry basis. Read the state and entry basis on the specific card. A pending or near card is not the same thing as an open card.
How a card closes
The assigned manager governs the close. Depending on the product, that can be an active risk event, protected-level event, or lifecycle clock. The terminal shows the fields that apply to the current card rather than forcing every product into one target-and-stop template.
What is verified
Publication time, card identity, updates, manager state, and realized result are ledgered. Internal features, thresholds, route priority, and calibration remain proprietary. This separation allows the public outcome record to be checked without publishing a replica-grade model recipe.
Signal vs tip vs managed account
| Hot tip | Managed account | Vector Ridge card | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published structure | Usually vague | Often hidden | Identity, state, risk and time |
| You execute | Yes | No | Yes |
| Timestamped evidence | Usually no | Varies | Yes |
| Guarantees profit | No | No | No |
Does every signal wait for an entry-zone touch?
No. Activation depends on the product. Use the specific card's state and entry basis.
Does a signal place a trade for me?
No. Vector Ridge publishes research. You control execution, size, and portfolio risk.
Are exact thresholds public?
No. Subscriber-facing state and realized evidence are auditable; internal model construction remains proprietary.