Can I sim-trade during market playback  [SOLVED]

Questions about MultiCharts and user contributed studies.
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Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby Guest » 16 May 2011

Can I sim-trade during market playback? I found all the order button grey out during market playback.

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Stan Bokov
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Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby Stan Bokov » 17 May 2011

Right now there is no order simulator during market playback. You can however practice using drawings, placing marks at levels you would have placed a trade. In general we recommend getting a Simulated account from some broker and practice real-trading like that.

atata

Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby atata » 12 Jun 2011

Hi there, is this in the works at all? I agree with paper-money and realtime forward testing however when I am trying a new system as a discretionary trader a ToS /TOS/ type of Ondemand or NT type of replay I've found it very useful. Basically allows me more practice. if it is a slow time I can speed up while on real time obviously no such "feature".
Time is money... right?
Right now I am in a decision process if I'll purchase MC or not.
While I like the platform very much and like to use for all my tradings it is not quite a practical for me. Have to write the same scripts for alert signal for both platforms as well I am not practicing with the same look and feel which is not good when you have to make split seconds decisions using real money. ex. trade the cl for a while and you'll know what I mean.
TOS has very nice charting platform/package however their data feed s*cks and one would stuck with their commission structure and automated solution as well. NT I have other issues.

Thanks,

Attila

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Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby Stan Bokov » 15 Jun 2011

A built-in trading engine needs to be very good in order to be of value to the trader. It would take us considerable time and effort to get it right, and it's not worth it if brokers are already supplying this feature (IB for instance). Plus it makes more sense to evaluate with realistic broker delays and to have an active connection to them to foresee other possible volume/delay problems.

You can try installing IB's TWS on your computer, and if you don't have a simulated account with them use their freely available demo account - login "edemo" and password "demouser". It will give you fake prices, but everything else is realistic.

Also, Zen-Fire informed us they will be building a server-side sim engine in their next API release. OEC, MB Trading, FXCM, Rithmic, PFG and others also have demo accounts. I think it would be best to rely on the brokers.

mastertrader

Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby mastertrader » 17 Jun 2011

Stan,
how would this broker API feature help with sim trading on replay?

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Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback

Postby Stan Bokov » 20 Jun 2011

You are right, it won't help during replay. The only way to trade during playback would be to add the built-in sim engine.

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Rantings of a MC7 beta test guy

Postby RobotMan » 20 Jun 2011

Using MCDT or Chart Trader without testing exit strategies in "sim" is like releasing software without beta testing or buying a car without test driving. Not having sufficient documentation for your own product and having to install a third party software like TWS does not seem like a sound solution. I tried installing the demo TWS and could not get it to work even though I followed the video tutorial on the MC website. No price bars or orders showed up on the MC chart although orders were visible on the TWS window. Maybe if you guys made it easier to get the price data feed and the IB simulated order engine working in MC to use it, I might reconsider. BUT YOU HAVE NO DOCUMENTATION TO DO SO.

Like atata intimates, becoming familiar with the trading buttons and features is a paramount concern to a real trader using real money. When practicing in "sim", I do not care whether fills are accurate or even if the prices are accurate (or fake), just that I know what will happen when I configure and press a button in your program. Since I cannot find any documentation on how to configure the buttons in Chart Trader, I am afraid to use it until I know all the ins and outs of what to expect. I'm sorry you think "it's not worth it"; as my broker (Mirus) does not have this "sim engine" available and who knows when it ever will be. It *is* worth it to anyone who trades real money. Why would I jump from using Chart Trader in NT to using Chart Trader in MC without being functionally familiar as to what to expect? Does hitting the "buy" button and setting stops work the same in both programs? No, they do not. After using NT for several years, I am intimately familiar with how it works and do many things subconsciously now. Jumping to MC Chart trader, although obvious and familiar to you, is a whole 'nother ball game for me. Especially if I have to "practice" using real money. I guarantee you, after a couple of "oopses" I would be back on NT.

You have this amazing charting program with an easy to use programming language that blows away everything else on the market as far as usability, GUI, dependability, accuracy. It has great charting and great drawing tools. It has the best data managers and portfolio back-testers in the retail charting biz. And yet, this one little thing; confidence in actually getting the orders to my broker using Zen-Fire, keeps me from dumping a fully paid-for, lifetime licensed NT.

Just my opinion.

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Re: Can I sim-trade during market playback  [SOLVED]

Postby Stan Bokov » 21 Jun 2011

Dear RobotMan,

Thank you for your detailed post. It makes sense, and we are considering adding this feature, as well as improving the learning aspect of the program with videos. Btw, Mirus works on Zen-Fire architecture, and ZF is expecting a release of their new API sometime soon. The new API, as we are told, will have server-side simulation.


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