[Python] Why is my Python trading bot not executing buy orders even with correct model...

I'm developing a real-time simulated trading bot in Python that uses a RandomForestClassifier to predict buy/sell signals for NASDAQ-100 stocks. The bot uses fake money and no APIs—it operates in a Tkinter GUI with a portfolio balance and candlestick chart visualization.

The logic is:

model.predict() returns 1 for buy, -1 for sell

If prediction == 1 and there's enough fake cash, the bot should buy

If prediction == -1 and the stock is owned, the bot should sell

However, the bot only seems to sell and never executes buy orders, even when the model outputs 1.

I’ve confirmed that:

prediction == 1 does occur (I logged it)

There is enough cash

The current price is a float like 174.12, cash is initialized as 10000.0

Possible issues I’ve considered:

Model output isn't correctly mapped

Logic bug in the if-statement conditions

GUI state (Tkinter) is affecting updates

Has anyone run into a similar issue with simulated trading logic in a GUI or ML setting? Any ideas on why this buy block isn't firing?

if prediction == 1 and cash_balance >= current_price:
portfolio[symbol] = portfolio.get(symbol, 0) + 1
cash_balance -= current_price
print(f"Bought {symbol}")
elif prediction == -1 and portfolio.get(symbol, 0) > 0:
portfolio[symbol] -= 1
cash_balance += current_price
print(f"Sold {symbol}")

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