New "Trial" User - formerly with TS, had a question or 2,..

Hello all,
I am just using the trial version of MC and so far so good.
Using the latest version 8.8 8363 (standard version as I learned EL and don't really feel like learning C++).
I have been using TOS PLatform / TS for a number of years for discretionary / auto trading, but eventually fell out of love with TS as the fees / platform issues / buggy connectivity, (even with a remote server), blah, blah, blah were just getting a bit too much.

I will be keeping my TOS accounts for my options / swing stuff.

I mostly swing / position trade, so lightening quick tick data doesn't really matter to me much, just reliability.
I really do like MC so far as it is very much like the TS platform so I just have to get my head around a few differences in relation to TS.

So here are a few questions for the MC pros:
Please keep in mind, some of these may be because I am still in trial mode,.....

1) -I keep getting this pop up box asking me to install the IQfeed, see attachment.
It just keeps on popping up and I can not find where to disable / shoot it,.... >:-(

2) -OK, using TOS / TS was easy, data came from them so I have NEVER had to deal with a separate data vendor / broker, etc. So this is where I fall completely short,....
For some reason, I can not get certain symbols to load using the freequotes, or any data system. It is driving me crazy, and I think I'm a pretty smart guy,..apparently dumb as a rock on this particular stuff.
Now I don't expect to get much in a trial, but I am having a hell of a time getting symbols in at all. Things like DIA, SPY, (I did finally get SPY to load, still not entirely sure how though) and other ETF's and certain stocks.
Even 2 of the pre-loaded index charts didn't fill in when I first booted the program.
I have scoured the wiki / sites, etc and obviously need a lot more "face time" with the system.
Is this a common issue with the trial version or am I just missing something really simple?
(I have been known to complicate a cup of coffee)
I really just can not seem to wrap my head around setting up my own list, or even getting them to load,....I know,...I know,....
I have a feeling I have been using other platforms for so long, my brain is just stuck on certain symbol types,.....

On the lighter side,...
I have loaded a few of my own strats to run in the chart windows, tested, optimized them, you know, basically "kicking the tires" so to speak. I do love the hyper-threading !!!


Eventually, I would like to have this platform doing some signals for discretionary trading / actual autotrading via a remote server for me.
My plan is to familiarize myself with the platform for the next few months while I move my accounts over to new brokerage(s).
I have been thinking of using IB for a main swing / stock account for my position / swing stuff while I do discretionary futures, (so I could use their feed which would allow papertrading of my autostrats prior to launching them) but then had the thought of adding a futures account with a better data feed, (thus adding a feed which is already complicated for me so far)
The reasoning is data: I need clean data,( mostly minute / day bars) to feed into a software system / analyzer to create / analyze my strategies.

I have been on multiple forums like BMT, ET, etc so any opinions there would be helpful,....
Probably just me complicating my coffee again,.....

So hello, and let the flames begin,....

Steve

Free Quote tutorial:

Look for Yahoo
https://www.multicharts.com/multicharts/help/videos/


You can also connect to InteractiveBrokers' Demo System for free streaming quotes (day old data for testing purposes).
Go to IB website and look for instruction for Demo System.

Free Quote tutorial:

Look for Yahoo
https://www.multicharts.com/multicharts/help/videos/


You can also connect to InteractiveBrokers' Demo System for free streaming quotes (day old data for testing purposes).
Go to IB website and look for instruction for Demo System.

Thanks TJ !!!

Will do.

I recommend a small account at amp or another like them.

I have a CQG and Rithmic feed through them.
Get familiar with connecting a few data feeds and setting them up properly.

Then you can settle in and everything will fall into place.
It is different from TOS or TS with the automatic data feed, but you will get used to it pretty quick.

I have 2 subaccounts at AMP with a different feed on each account.
TT, CQG and Rithmic. If one acts up, another one is ready.

I went through the same experience when coming from TOS. I still have TOS for all the stocks.
I only use MC for futures.

Data feeds are included free at AMP

You can use demo from amp also. Click MC demo and they will send you a 21 day CQG demo to set up and you will have futures and index data on a reliable stream to play with.

shane

Thanks Shane,
Love all the feedback

1) -I keep getting this pop up box asking me to install the IQfeed, see attachment.
It just keeps on popping up and I can not find where to disable / shoot it,.... >:-(

Hello Steve,

IQFeed installer appears only when you are trying to get access to IQFeed data/symbols.
Please make sure IQFeed symbols are not used on any of your charts; go to QuoteManager, make sure all IQFeed symbols have status Off in Collect RT data w/o plotting (right click o nthe symbol->Disconenct symbol). If you do not need the symbols from this data provider - you can delete them. Even if you need them i nthe future - that is possible to add them easily.

For some reason, I can not get certain symbols to load using the freequotes, or any data system. It is driving me crazy, and I think I'm a pretty smart guy,..apparently dumb as a rock on this particular stuff.
Now I don't expect to get much in a trial, but I am having a hell of a time getting symbols in at all. Things like DIA, SPY, (I did finally get SPY to load, still not entirely sure how though) and other ETF's and certain stocks.
Even 2 of the pre-loaded index charts didn't fill in when I first booted the program.

With FreeQuotes you can get data only for the symbols that have the option Historical prices->Download to Spreadsheet on their webpage. Such option is no longer available for ^DJI and ^DJT instruments from FreeQuotes data providers. We will update the prebuilt workspaces to have only the valid instruments. Thank you for reporting.

You can get the data from one of the supported data providers:
https://www.multicharts.com/market-data-feeds/

If you have in data in Metastock - you can load it into MultiCharts. Here is how to do that.

If you have the data in ASCII file you can import it or read directly from the file using ASCII mapping.

Thanks Henry, and all who posted.
I spent some time this weekend and last night getting more familiar with the platform and where all the right "buttons" are, so to speak.

I wanted to know if the portfolio backtester has / had an option to test on OOS data, as in set a preference or percentage of data tested.
I looked around for that but couldn't find it.
Perhaps that question is more appropriate in another forum thread.

Anyway, for right now, I'm really liking the platform and it's capabilities.
Hats off to the programmers / support folks who have, as far as I can tell, continuously sought to keep their platform relevant with the changing tide in the world of trading.

Thank you for all your efforts.

I wanted to know if the portfolio backtester has / had an option to test on OOS data, as in set a preference or percentage of data tested.

IS and OOS segments are parts of Walk Forward Optimization, which is not available in Portfolio Backtester.

I wanted to know if the portfolio backtester has / had an option to test on OOS data, as in set a preference or percentage of data tested.

IS and OOS segments are parts of Walk Forward Optimization, which is not available in Portfolio Backtester.

Any guess when WFO might be added to Portfolio Backtester?

Hey Josh,
Not sure if you were referring to this, however:
I've been doing it on MC by changing the time periods analyzed / built.

For example:
I will pull data 2005 - 2012, (to capture different types of markets), build strat to my specs using a metric of about 70 / 30, (70% build data, 30% OOS test data) then apply it on data from 2000 - 2014.
It's crude, but will be absolutely OOS data that way.

In MC it does have a walk forward feature I saw, (including an anchoring option).
I myself have not used it yet.


Note ***I have software I build from which allows me to test on adjustable OOS settings prior to loading into MC, along with programmable build functions, Monte Carlo and other things to ensure as robust a system as possible.
So that does help me out a bit.

Steve

Any guess when WFO might be added to Portfolio Backtester?

There is no ETA for this functionality yet.