can someone pls let me know what software is good for backtesting intraday stock trading strategies? Ninjatrader any good? anything else? thx in advance
I think the question is not what software is good, most packages I believe are fine for stocks. The real question has to do with the quality of the data.
That is a very tough question to answer. I believe it depends on your requirements as a user. TradeStation is very nice in the sense that it is simple. Execution as well as datafeed's are fully integrated making this a one stop shop. Additionally, they will handle correcting things such as bad ticks, etc. The new version also has some pretty nice new functionality. NinjaTrader is very flexible and will allow you to do far more than TradeStation. For most complex strategies NinjaTrader is probably the better way to go. However NinjaTrader reminds me of TradeStation 2000i in the sense that you have to handle your own data feeds from 3rd party providers. This can be somewhat of a pain from time to time. It is very convenient however that they allow multiple connections, so you aren't 100% reliant on their data. There are a number of other factors that you may need to consider, but I can't tell you everything as every trader has unique needs.
I use both Tradestation and Stockfinder for my backtesting. I manually look at each and every trade so I cant comment on the automation aspect of either (they both have different capabilities of automation). Another idea is to use excel with a datalink to a data provider. You may be able to better fine tune it. Best to you RW
Wealth Lab Pro is the only platform in the world that enables this. The rest only wish they had portfolio level backtesting. Here's the link: fidelity.com
I thought Trading Blox also included a portfolio level backtester.... Anyway, I agree with a lot of people here: Give ninjatrader a go -- it's free.
thx for everyone's help... so if it's for daytrading intraday strategies.. you guys recommend wealth lab pro? thx again for your help.
Yes, TB has portfolio backtesting. Quite good in fact. But it does not allow you to trade from the platform. Tradestation is great for quick deelopment time and all around ease of use.
That comment shows how completely uninformed you are. InvestRT at www.linnsoft.com has been backtesting in every timeframe with portfiolios, for years. It makes WealthLab look like a Commodore 64 application from 1981. Far more advanced and flexible. And you don't need to committ to some lame brokerage to use it. Trust my judgement. I have a lot of experience with both platforms.