sevensa

I've been poking around on Sierra Chart's website this afternoon. That might be a viable option as well that could fit into your budget.

If you were a broker, would you want you as a customer?

That was yesterday and not today.

The only software I know which could have most of the features you are looking for and price range is Ensign and Atrader. Ensign is probably the more robust of the two, but comes with a monthly subscription fee. Atrader is still very much a work in progress, but is interesting and the developer is very responsive with adding new features when you ask him and I think you can still get it for a one time fee instead of monthly subscription. NinjaTrader would work too, but you will need to purchase/create the indicators you are looking for and it also have a monthly subscription fee if you do live trading, otherwise it is free. You probably could get this with Amibroker also, but will require some programming from your side and AFL gets a bit to get used to and learn. But Amibroker is very flexible with backtesting and might be time well spent down the line. Your biggest cost would be a datafeed and for under $100, I don't think you will be able to use one of the pure data feed vendors and will have to go with a feed from a broker. You might be able to squeak by with IQFeed or Barchart if you sign up through the link provided at Ensign's website, depending on the exchanges you want to subscribe to. To get a feed from a broker, you will have to open an account. Ensign supports more feeds from brokers than ATrader. I suggest to look it's supported brokers to see which one has the lowest minimum balance requirements to open an account. Also check which one come with monthly fees. IB for example waive their $10 month data fees if you have commissions of $30 in a month. Your best bet is probably to get trials for some of the above and see which one you like.

What is your definition of affordable?

You can do this with NinjaTrader. NT is free in sim mode. You will have to connect it to a broker and IB is probably the cheapest to get data. It cost something like $10 a month if you don't generate $30 in commissions a month. You will have to open an account though. I am not sure what the minimum is. Check their website. NT's playback is pretty good though. I think you can also do it with OEC. I haven't used OEC, so I don't know how good it is. You can sign up for a 15 day trial I think to check it out. You can also do it with Ensign. I think it's subscription is around $40/month, but that includes downloading playback files I think. I'm sure there are plenty others, but these are the ones coming to mind.

Wow, what a response to a simple observation. I've just pointed out this is strange. Obviously it hit a nerve and it is quite funny how much you all of a sudden remember now about the past. I am also impressed and slightly flattered that you've read all my posts since you've "stumbled on this site over the holidays". I am sorry to hear that you found all of them without any value though. What an unfortunate waste of time this must have been for you. Can I suggest that you use the ignore functionality? This will save you a considerable amount of time. Calling someone out on a lie is hardly stalking, but I can see how you would prefer to see it that way. Lastly, I would suggest that you look at your response to my simple observation and especially your recommendation about logic and see if maybe you might value in following your own advice. My response was based on a fact. Not sure what was not logical about that? Yours on the other hand...

Thanks for a clear explanation which is more helpful to people considering the IB/NT combination than baseless statements from someone who doesn't use it, nor understand how it works.

Ok, so how you do code your automated strategy to detect that Zen-Fire lost connection and is no longer feeding data?

I am sorry, but this makes no sense. If you use e-signal for example connecting to NT, this is one application. Then you still need another application to place orders with your broker. This is a 2nd application. Then you still use NT which is your third application. So, you would rather not use TWS to avoid using two applications to opt for a solution using three? So, you are not using an auto strategy and have not coded one and is not using IB with TWS??? What are you basing your comments on auto trading with NT through TWS then? Where did you get your facts from?

I'm a bit confused now as well. You said this is an issue when using IB and NT which implied to me that this is not an issue when using something else. I also would like to know you would code this in an automated system to detect this when you use e-signal for example and why you cannot do that when using IB?

Really? I had internet issues recently with a bad DSL connection and got frequent "Connection Lost" voice prompts from NT each time this happened and TWS lost connection. Are you actually using IB, or is your comment based on what you "heard" or from something long ago? Not trying to sound rude and apologize if it sounds like it, but I think this is important to know if your comments are based on real experience or heresay or based on using something very long ago. I am still unclear how this an issue with automated systems? Are you saying that when running an automated system in NT that it will send orders to IB even though there is no active data feed when your internet connection is down because you cannot detect it automatically in the strategy? What would the NT strategy base it's orders on then? Sounds like an NT issue to me and not an IB issue.

I at least define how much I would need to cover my monthly expenses, to live on and save some for a rainy day. If I cannot meet that, then my business' income does not cover my expenses even if I follow my trading plan on how to enter and exit perfectly and profitably and I need to know that and address it.

I am not sure how this is an IB issue? Isn't this is an issue/concern for any automated system with any broker to know when you lose internet connection?

What is bad about IB's datafeed? I've been using it for years and don't have any issues with it with my type of trading. Are you really going to trade stocks, forex and futures? Do you know what data you need, tick level, minute, daily? Have you found a reliable method and edge yet? If not, you probably should concentrate on that first and figure out what and how you really want to trade before you try to find the "best" broker. If you are learning to drive, you will not go and buy full and top of the line racing gear and a Ferrari up front, but just something cheap to start of with to get used to driving. Remember a broker is typically just a broker and not a datafeed provider, with tradestation probably the exception. Many brokers do provide a feed, but their main business is to be a broker first. The same goes for data providers. Their main business is to provide a datafeed and not brokerage services. Asking questions like what is best, sound logical but really isn't as simple to answer. What is best is what will fit your requirements the best. You need to know exactly what your requirements are before you can decide what is best for them.

No, I don't think so. I think entries are very rarely the same as an exit, but in reverse. Exits are normally very different than the way you enter.

Maybe when you start giving, you will start receiving. The number of times you have given thanks is currently 0. Do you maybe think that, combined with treating the forum as your own personal support site, might have something to do with the lack of help received?

Why not share how you have done this? Someone else might be looking for something like that and find it helpful. The forum is about give and take and not just ask until you get what you want and then move on without giving back.

What do you base this statement on? This is a pretty serious allegation, so I would assume you have some proof and would be interested to see what you have.

Or maybe you can also?

How would you define more reliable? Reliable in what sense? What do you want to get out of using it and what is important for you? Do you think overnight action is important or not? I know not an answer you were looking for, but many times I find that by the time I can clearly define my question, that I don't need to ask it anymore and already know the answer.

Really? All you are showing is hindsight trading. Which broker do you use that let you place orders after the fact? In real time and not at the end of the day by showing what should have been done yesterday.

I've heard good things about Tickdata. Never used them and I think it is on the expensive side (which is probably relative).

You are correct. It is a function of time and price. In this case price is missing, so how do you want to draw a bar then? What price level would the open and close be of the "flat" bar if there is no price? This is like saying that you want to plot the speed per lap of a car doing laps where Speed is a function of Distance/Time, but when time is missing on some laps, you should just make up a value for speed and plot that. Do you think drawing "made-up" bars not based on any activity, would be better than showing gaps?

How can be there a bar if there is no activity during that time frame?