Short-term commodities trading system ranks in top 10
FYI -- Traders Software Company announced that for the first time, its ETS ST short-term S&P Trading System made the Futures Truth top 10 list of systems tracked for the last 12 months, with a percentage return rate 103.3% for the period. The system is listed as the ETS Interim, which is also known as the company's ST Position System. The top 10 list reflects all systems tracked by Futures Truth on all markets and time frames.
The top 10 systems are chosen based on their relative historical performance.
Futures Truth ranks mechanical commodity and futures trading systems by historical performance.
Traders Software Company is a registered informational Commodity Trading Advisor and developer of trading systems for the TradeStation and SuperCharts platforms.
NEW -- InvesTrade discount brokerage has announced the availability of wireless trading and financial information via its w-Trade Wireless Internet Trading System. With the w-Trade System, InvesTrade customers can use the newest data-enabled handheld wireless devices, including PalmPilots and smart cellular phones, to get real-time quotes and financial information as well as to place trades.
Customers can use the w-Trade Systems to view and manage any number of accounts and portfolios; create alerts that notify them of trading opportunities; receive broker alerts with personalized buy/sell recommendations; and trade stocks, options, and mutual funds, with trade confirmations sent to the customer's wireless device, fax or E-mail.
The w-Trade System is component-based, which allows InvesTrade to expand the system on-the-fly to accommodate any number of traders, even when there are unexpected increases in trading volume.
For options trading over the Internet, InvesTrade charges just $1.75 per contract, subject to a $14.95 minimum. For stock trading, InvesTrade charges $7.95 for market orders.
InvesTrade is a division of Regal Discount Securities, Inc., which has served customers in the discount brokerage industry for more than 20 years.
UPGRADE -- Option Wizard has released version 7.3 of its options software for use in Microsoft Excel. The new version features PositionProfit Table and Chart, which shows profit, loss, and breakeven at expiration by both table and by graph for 18 long and short positions, from simple to complex: calls, puts, call spreads, put spreads, butterflies, straddles, strangles, ratio spreads, ratio backspreads, synthetic longs, and synthetic shorts.
All 18 positions are preset for the trader. Copy and paste the position into the table, then set specific stock and strike prices for the position under analysis. Option Wizard charts and tables the results. Bullish strategies, long calls, bull calls, or synthetic calls may be compared for their profit and risk parameters by tables and charts.
The OptionWizard 7.3 upgrade is $39.95 to current users, and is available from Option Wizard's Web site.
UPGRADE -- IQC Corporation offers real-time technical charts and quotes for IQ Chart, its Internet-enabled software for the technical analysis of stocks. IQ Chart Real-Time allows investors to perform technical analysis on individual stocks during the trading day in real-time.
IQ Chart offers a stock screening tool, whereby subscribers can scan IQ Chart's entire database of stocks based on more than 100 technical criteria in addition to price, volume, and fundamental variables. The scan function also has a candlestick recognition engine, which locates stocks that exhibit candlestick patterns.
IQ Chart is accessed through the Internet, but is downloaded and installed as a separate Java application. This gives IQ Chart a higher degree of flexibility and usability than financial data accessed through a Web browser. IQ Chart's real-time data automatically updates throughout the trading day, so users can monitor their portfolios and study charts. Common functions such as zooming in or out, changing technical indicators, or adding a moving average don't require a Web page to be reloaded.
IQ Chart also features historical charting back to 1968; 21 indicators with user-defined parameters; alerts; an educational area; and more.
IQ Chart RT's monthly subscription fee is $24.95 plus exchange fees.
UPGRADE -- Trendsetter Software has released updates of its Personal Hotline (version 7.2), Personal Analyst (version 3.2), and Analyst Lite (version 2.1) software for the Macintosh. The new versions include adjustments to allow for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to surpass the 10,000 level. As with most Macintosh applications, Trendsetter applications are year-2000 ready.
Trendsetter programs offer graphics, trade recommendation modules, and technical indicators, including computer-generated trendlines and Alexander Elder's force index, which illustrates price and volume change.
Trendsetter's software is available from the company over the Internet. Trendsetter's programs come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
UPGRADE -- Equis International offers several different versions of MetaStock, including the real-time version, MetaStock Professional for DBC Signal and BMI, and end-of-day versions for Reuters, Quotron, and other datafeeds. These versions work with Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 and higher.
The latest version, MetaStock Professional for DBC Signal and BMI, offers real-time trading support, including real-time charts; indicators and custom indicators; building, testing, optimizing, and comparing trading systems; security searching based on selected criteria (in the Explorer module); an Expert Advisor offering commentary and buy/sell signals; and custom alerts.
These versions of MetaStock are object-oriented with 32-bit design. Using The DownLoader built-in data collection software, users can retrieve historical end-of-day data information from six different vendors.
MetaStock Professional retails for $1,495, and MetaStock for Windows 95 & NT 4.0 retails for $349, with upgrade pricing available for current users. Call for pricing on other versions.
MetaStock is also available for Java, DOS and Windows CE.
The Futures Forecast has now been published continuously for 21 years. It analyzes cycle turning points and unusual fundamental situations to help futures and options traders anticipate major highs and lows and changes in trend direction. The most recent update includes S&Ps, bonds, currencies, metals, meats, grains, sugar, cocoa, coffee, and crude oil.
A free sample issue is available.
Technology Investment Advisors announces its Level II day trading course for stock traders. The comprehensive course covers all aspects of the NASDAQ market, electronic communications networks, market makers, SOES, Instinet, order entry, software, and getting started. Each part of the trading day is examined in depth, and eight specific day trading techniques are presented with examples.
The course is 223 pages in length and is self-paced. The price of the course includes free technical support.
With online trading expected to account for 50% of retail volume by the year 2000, according to a study by investment banking firm Piper Jaffrey, more and more online brokerages are stepping up with competitive pricing and service. SureTrade.com is an online brokerage that offers market orders at $7.95 per trade.
PowerOptions allows the user to specify search criteria and sort thousands of options from an online database of optionable stocks. It provides the subscriber with percentage-yield calculations on each call or put.
PowerOptions announces a new addition to its existing information service. Self-directed investors who write covered calls can now find fundamental information added to the criteria they use to sort the option database. Subscribers can use minimum and maximum values for: %EPSG, P/E, %Hi/Lo range, %yield, %volume, and number of outstanding shares to find investment opportunities according to their personal strategies.
In addition, nine months of possible options for each issue have been added to the database for finding future investment opportunities.
The PowerOptions basic service is offered by subscription for $29.95 per month. A level B subscription is $39.95, which provides fundamental data on individual issues and gives access to the CBOE Option Chain, including LEAPS. A free interactive demo is available on the Web site.
TradeLogic Corporation has released the TradeLogic Financial Suite, which is an Internet-based trading and investing program suite for Windows 95/98 and NT4.0.
The TradeLogic Financial Suite is designed to provide the Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0/5.0 workstation user flexibility in setup and use. Whether you are a casual investor who monitors a few stocks and mutual funds once a month, or a seasoned trader watching for intraday buy/sell opportunities, the TradeLogic Financial Suite can help with the job.
With TradeLogic Financial Suite, you can create your own trading environment, complete with access to real-time or delayed quotes on securities and mutual funds. Employing a palette of customizable windows, you can design visual pages containing intraday and end-of-day price information, company news headlines and stories, fundamental data, and access to financial research and recommendations through your Internet browser.
A free trial version of the TradeLogic Financial Suite is available for downloading from the TradeLogic Web site.
The TradeLogic Financial Suite is $89 and can be ordered through the TradeLogic Web site.
Manhattan Analytics has launched the AdvisorSquare Web page design service. Using its proprietary Web software, Manhattan Analytics designs custom Web sites for financial clients. Clients can modify the pages as they wish once they're created.
Manhattan Analytics not only designs the page but also provides financial content. AdvisorSquare's investor research center enables visitors to profile 8,000 mutual funds, view charts and quotes, track individual portfolios, print market reports and obtain financial news.
The AdvisorSquare service registers the client's site with 500 search engines, and provides a record of every registered user to the client's site.
Virtual Stock Exchange offers market simulation at its Web site at no cost. The service allows anyone to create his or her own fictitious brokerage account and trade major US exchange?listed stocks and mutual funds in real time. The simulation gives investors the opportunity to practice trading without risking real capital.
The simulations are sometimes used in university classes. Groups can also set up simulations to compete with each other. A group leader sets up the terms of the session with starting cash balance, commission fees, cash interest rates, and trading start and end dates. Participants then place orders, which are executed at real market prices. A group ranking system and discussion board allow users to share information.
Other features on the site include stock screening, discussion forums, and a financial advice column.
Wolfram Research is distributing Global Optimization, a third-party package for use with its Mathematica problem-solving software. The Global Optimization package performs global optimization of nonlinear systems in Mathematica. Global Optimization uses the Mathematica system as an interface for defining the nonlinear system to be solved and for computing numeric function values.
Knowledge of advanced mathematics is not required to use Global Optimization. Robust solutions are provided with the goal of saving time for the user by finding all optimal solutions in a single run.
