US ETF PairsRisk-Free Testing
Practice with virtual money, validate your strategy, then go live with confidence
Why Paper Trading First?
Smart traders never risk real money until they've validated their setup
Zero Financial Risk
Trade with virtual money. No real capital at stake while you learn and test.
Test All Configurations
Experiment with different thresholds, stop-loss, and take-profit settings.
Real Market Conditions
Paper trading uses live market data - same prices, same spreads, same timing.
Validate Your Strategy
See exactly how your configuration performs before risking real money.
What to Test in Paper Mode
Optimize these settings before risking real capital
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Entry Threshold | How far the spread must deviate before opening a trade |
| Stop Loss | Maximum loss before automatically closing position |
| Take Profit | Target profit to lock in gains |
| Position Size | Percentage of capital per trade |
| Max Positions | Number of simultaneous open trades |
Pro Tip: Test Multiple Configurations
Run paper trading for at least 1-2 weeks with your chosen settings. If results don't match expectations, adjust and test again.
How to Get Your Alpaca API Keys
ETF Pairs connects to Alpaca for order execution.
Get Paper Trading Keys
In your Alpaca dashboard, navigate to 'Paper Trading' section.
Click 'View' to reveal your API Key and Secret Key.
Paper keys start with 'PK'
Test in ETF Pairs
Enter your paper keys in the ETF Pairs app settings.
Start trading with virtual $100,000.
Take your time - there's no rush to go live.
Validate Your Results
Review your paper trading performance over several days or weeks.
Make sure you're comfortable with the strategy.
Only proceed to live when you've validated your configuration.
Get Live Trading Keys (Optional)
Complete Alpaca's identity verification for live trading.
Submit ID documents and banking info. Approval typically takes 1-3 days.
Live keys start with 'AK'
Switch to Live Mode
Replace paper keys with live keys in settings.
Fund your Alpaca account and start trading with real capital.
Start small - you can always increase position sizes later.
Paper vs Live: Key Differences
Paper Trading
API Key starts with "PK"
- Virtual $100,000 to practice
- Real market data and prices
- No identity verification needed
- Unlimited testing, zero risk
- Available immediately
Live Trading
API Key starts with "AK"
- Trade with real money
- Real profits (and real losses)
- Identity verification required
- Account funding needed
- 1-3 days for approval