SEPTEMBER 2001 TRADE NEWS
News Releases & Products

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TRADE NEWS & PRODUCTS

TRADING SYSTEM WORKSHOP

Sabrient Systems is sponsoring a workshop, "Rocket Science for Traders," on the technology of building trading systems. The workshop will be held August 17-18 in Santa Barbara, CA. 

Some of the topics covered will include advanced digital signal processing as it applies to trading, the process of trading system design, and techniques for implementing mechanical trading rules. Taught by John Ehlers, author of Rocket Science For Traders and developer of the MESA software, this is a hands-on workshop that will discuss nonlinear filters, patterns, optimum predictors, lag, and more. 

The two-day interactive workshop is $1,995. A $500 upgrade gets an advanced tutorial and personal system review, a dinner with John Ehlers, and an autographed copy of his latest book. 

Sabrient Systems, LLC, 801 Garden Street, #300, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, 805 730-7777, fax 805 730-1906, info@sabrient.com, www.sabrient.com 

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MURPHYMORRIS.COM SEMINAR

MurphyMorris.com will present a two-day seminar in Tampa, FL, on October 13-14, 2001. Well-known analysts John Murphy, Martin Pring, and Larry McMillan will offer two intense days of analysis and education. 

The Market Legends Seminar will consist of four events: The Basics, Legend Specialties, Current Market Perspectives, and Legend Favorites/Panel Discussion. Early registration discounts are available and seating is limited.

800 298-4995 (or 972 404-4529), https://www.murphymorris.com/seminar_tampa.html 

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TRADERS INTERNATIONAL

  With investors finding it increasingly harder to make positive headway in the stock market, many are discovering trading futures. Software-based systems that may have some merit in stock trading do not always work well for trading futures. Traders International provides a method, training, and support for futures trading the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. The futures markets offer opportunities to use leverage and trade even if the market goes down. Traders International uses technical analysis in a simple way, incorporating the latest technologies for trading and datafeeds. Students are also taught the mental tools they will need to combat the emotional aspects of trading. 

Traders International, Corp., 7000 N. MoPac Expressway, 2nd floor, Austin, TX 78731, 
800 670-0834, fax 512 514-6947, info@tradersinternational.net, www.tradersinternational.net
 

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TRADESTATION  GROUP LAUNCHES NEW TRADESTATION PLATFORM

TradeStation Group has launched the new TradeStation platform, which combines strategy testing, automated trading, and direct-access execution. This release marks the company's entry into the multibillion dollar market of providing brokerage services to institutional and active individual traders. The technology within TradeStation will now be available for free to institutional and active traders who trade at a certain level at TradeStation Securities. The new platform offers a combination of equities, options, and futures data and direct-access equities and futures execution services. 

TradeStation Securities, Inc., 2700 North Military Trail, Suite 150, Boca Raton, FL 33431, 800 808-9336, 305 485-7677, sales@tradestation.com, www.tradestation.com 
 

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METASTOCK 7.2 IS RELEASED

MetaStock 7.2 is now available with Reuters DataLink Data Service for $59 per month. The investment analysis software has 26 new Performance Systems and built-in tools, offering more power and reliability, and features one-stop trading, with a built-in browser and online trading capability. Traders can access the Internet within MetaStock and view Internet content side-by-side with MetaStock charts. MetaStock 7.2 also lets the user set up links to favorite websites. 

Equis International, 3950 S. 700 E., Suite 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84107, 800 508-9180, 801 265-8886, fax 801 265-3999, sales@equis.com, www.equis.com 

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LINN SOFTWARE RELEASES INVESTOR/RT VERSION 4.9

Investor/RT version 4.9 from Linn Software includes the addition of many new technical indicators, several chart manipulation and drawing improvements, and new time-and-sales window features. Two additional automated indicators have been added: automated trendlines and automated Fibonacci retracements. Automation will be added to other indicators in the future. 
 Many other new technical indicators have also been included. All Fibonacci tools, including arcs, projections, time zones, and retracements now have up to eight levels that can be customized. Shortcut keys can now be assigned to schedules, giving Investor/RT a helpful macro capability. 

Linn Software, Inc., 905 Commercial St. NE, Conyers, GA 30012, 770 922-7271, fax 770 922-9071, info@linnsoft.com, www.linnsoft.com 
 

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TRACK DATA RELEASES MYTRACK 5.0

Track Data Corporation released version 5.0 of its myTrack online trading software, with some major enhancements that include the ability to trade and research mutual funds using Morningstar Quicktake Reports provided by Morningstar. 
 myTrack members with trading accounts will now be able to trade stocks, options, and more than 6,500 mutual funds from 432 mutual fund companies. Load, no-load, and low-load funds will all be available at a flat transaction cost of $25. myTrack members will also have access to Morningstar Quicktake Reports. 

Track Data, 95 Rockwell Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217, 800-myTrack (698-7225), 718 923-3100, myTrack@tdc.com, www.mytrack.com 
Morningstar, Inc., 225 W. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, 312 696-6000, fax 312 696-6001, www.morningstar.com 

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TOWNSEND ANAYLTICS ACQUIRES HOTTREND.COM

Townsend Analytics has acquired Hottrend.com Inc., a company that detects unusual trading activity in stocks. Hottrend's tracking system will be integrated into RealTick, which is Townsend Analytics' market research and direct-access trading platform, and will continue to be available as a stand-alone service. 

Despite recent regulations and advances in technology, some market participants still receive information sooner than others. Emerging companies such as Hottrend are working to maintain information equilibrium by tracking and displaying stocks experiencing abnormal trading activity. Hottrend determines unusual trading patterns by simultaneously measuring deviations in trade count, money flow, volume, and associated news events and comparing these deviations against a stock's historical expected behavior. Stocks that make the Hottrend list can be viewed in real time and also appear on a summary index of stocks identified by Hottrend, which is distributed twice daily on the Dow Jones News Service.

Townsend Analytics, Ltd., 100 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2040, Chicago, IL 60606, 800 827-0141, 
fax 312 621-0487, sales@taltrade.com, www.taltrade.com 

Hottrend.com info@hottrend.com, www.hottrend.com 
 

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REVISED TRADING MODELS; NEW WEB-BASED ANALYSIS

Matheny Enterprises and Vista-Research released their revised trading models for TradeStation Pro, 2000i, V3, V4, and SuperCharts. This joint effort between Brad L. Matheny and Samuel K. Tennis  allows the firms to combine technologies and strengths to improve on existing strategies and develop new products.  The new and revised trading models include three of Matheny's systems and his Technical Indicator Library. 

Matheny Enterprises has also introduced CandleWatch Reports, a web-based subscriber service offering market analysis using a proprietary pattern-recognition system and filtering technology, including candlesticks and other breakout/trend-following systems. This new service delivers detailed weekly market analysis of the S&P 500 stocks, the Nasdaq 100 stocks, all major indices, and all major commodity markets for a single price. The web-based reports also track previous positions, suggest trailing-stop levels, and provide summarized market commentary. 

Matheny Enterprises, 33332 Nottingham Way, 
Unit C, Dana Point, CA 92629, 949 240-6977, 
fax 949 248-8747, Bmatheny@ment.com, 
https://www.ment.com 
 

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WEBSITE FOR SWING TRADERS

Trader Frederik Van Duuren's new website, MrSwing.com, provides a wide range of techniques for traders of all levels who want to pinpoint opportunities presented by short-term price moves. Swing trading offers traders the ability to isolate high-probability trade setups and difficult-to-spot opportunities before they disappear. MrSwing.com's Master Plan system will help traders to spotlight and close out trade setups. MrSwing.com covers when, where, how, and what to swing trade, and which books, magazines, and educational websites to visit for information, as well as what tools to use. 

mrswing@mrswing.com, www.mrswing.com 
Havenguel, 8620 Nieuwpoort, Belgium

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DATEK REORGANIZES BROKERAGE OPERATIONS

Datek Online Holdings has reorganized its brokerage operations into three subsidiaries: Datek Online Financial Services, iCapital Markets, and iClearing, creating an organizational structure designed to support the company's growth well into the future. The reorganization will separate Datek's introducing broker from its executing broker. Customers now will interact through the new subsidiary, Datek Online Financial Services. 

Datek Online Brokerage Services has begun executing certain customer transactions in increments of one-tenth of a cent, providing a trading advantage over investors who are limited to conducting transactions in one-cent increments. These new lower increments apply only to transactions routed to The Island through the Datek Direct direct-access trading platform. 

The Nasdaq Stock Market recently reported that trading costs for retail investors dropped sharply as a result of its shift from trading in fractions to decimals. As a result of this move, Nasdaq reported that the average spread, or difference between what a buyer and seller are asking for a stock, dropped by an average of more than 50%, from 7.8 cents to 3.8 cents, following the transition. 

Datek, Attn: New Accounts Dept., PO Box 2300, Jersey City, NJ 07303, 800 823-2835, 201 761-7500, fax 201 558-4365, support@datek.com, www.datek.com 
 

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FUTURES COMMISSIONS MERCHANT

Forex Capital Markets (FXCM) has registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Futures Commissions Merchant, putting FXCM in full compliance with the regulatory requirements created by The Commodity Modernization Act. 

In the US, retail foreign exchange has been known as the wild west of financial services, with no requirements or regulations regarding firms offering spot-foreign exchange services. The lack of regulation created ideal conditions for starting bucket shops and scam operations. As a result, many currency firms were created with the sole intention of defrauding clients. Under the new legislation, firms must be registered with the CFTC as a Futures Commission Merchant or with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) as a broker-dealer to offer foreign exchange trading to private clients with less than $10,000,000 in assets. This effectively forces most firms currently offering foreign exchange services in the US out of business, since these firms will not be able to meet registration requirements. FXCM expects the new regulatory environment to dramatically increase its volume and number of accounts. 

Forex Capital Markets, LLC, 11 Hanover Square, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10005, 866-600-3926, fax 212-897-7669, sales@fxcm.com, www.fxcm.com

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NEW BACKTESTING MODULE FOR OPTIONS TRADERS

OptionVue 5 software's new BackTrader module plays out trade scenarios with actual historical data to show what would have happened. BackTrader allows investors who trade options to create and test an infinite variety of trading strategies using actual historical options data. 

The software works in conjunction with a proprietary archive of historical data and quotes to roll back the clock to provide actual historical prices, charts, and other market data for any selected date and time in the past. The user can then apply a favorite or new options trading strategy, move the clock forward in 30-minute increments or day by day, and observe exactly how the strategy would have played out over any length of time under actual market conditions. BackTrader users can access historical pricing information on all assets and their related options retroactive to January 1, 2001.

OptionVue Systems International, 1117 South Milwaukee Ave., Suite C-10, Libertyville, IL 60048, 847 816-6610, fax 847 816-6647, info@optionvue.com, www.optionvue.com 
 

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REAL-TIME TECHNICAL ANALYSIS AND CHARTING SOFTWARE

FutureSource/Bridge has released ProNet 4.0 real-time technical analysis and charting software with enhanced trading tools. Prospects can now sign up online for a free 14-day product trial. Users can quickly and easily register for real-time exchange data and sign up for automated credit card billing through the redesigned website. Each of the new features has been specifically designed to make the product more user-friendly and intuitive. 

For a free 14-day trial of ProNet 4.0, prospects can go to https://pronet.futuresource.com. Trial users will receive ProNet Plus along with real-time access to data from several exchanges and delayed data from other exchanges for the trial period. 

FutureSource/Bridge, LLC, 955 Parkview Blvd., Lombard, IL 60148, 630 792-2001, fax 630 792-2600, service@futuresource.com, https://pronet.futuresource.com

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NYBOT LAUNCHES CONTRACTS


 
  The New York Board of Trade is introducing two futures contracts: a new mini contract based on the Russell 1000 Index, and a smaller version of the existing NYSE Small Composite Index. The contracts are one-tenth the size of the NYBOT's regular Russell 1000 Index and NYSE Composite Index contracts. Both contracts are $50 times the respective index, with a minimum tick of 0.05 and minimum tick value of $2.50. The new trading symbol is RM for the Russell 1000 Index mini and remains YS for the amended NYSE Small Composite Index. Margins for the mini Russell 1000 Index will be $1,350 and $950 for the amended NYSE Small Composite Index. 

New York Board of Trade, Four World Trade Center, New York, NY 10048, 212 742-6000, fax 212 748-4320, www.nybot.com

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