Blog · Finance · 2026-08-30

Build a Trading Research Agent That Starts on Paper

Separate market research, thesis checks, risk review, and simulated execution before any real capital enters the workflow.

Premise

An agent team can study markets and rehearse trades without receiving authority over real money. Specialists gather data, challenge the thesis, size a hypothetical position, and record the result in a paper account.

Setup

  1. Connect verified market-data sources and a paper-trading account.
  2. Create separate research, thesis, risk, and simulated-execution roles.
  3. Store each proposal and outcome in a decision ledger.
  4. Review the daily report before considering any tightly limited live mandate.

Boundaries

  • Simulated orders are the default; live trading requires explicit written authorization.
  • No leverage, options, transfers, or withdrawal changes.
  • Missing or stale market data must be labeled rather than estimated.

For every candidate, document the instrument, direction, hypothetical size, invalidation level, evidence, and conditions that would disprove the idea. Record every decision, including trades considered but rejected.

Produce a daily page showing simulated positions, profit or loss, changed assumptions, and unresolved risks. Attach the source and timestamp for material market facts. If dependable data is unavailable, mark the desk as unable to evaluate the idea.

Never submit a live order, transfer funds, modify withdrawal settings, add leverage, or expose credentials. A move beyond paper trading requires a separate, narrowly scoped instruction from me.

Prompt

Run a market-research desk that uses paper trades only. Divide work among data review, thesis construction, independent risk challenge, and simulated execution when useful.