Nana Trader - Thank you for your reply... Ill check it out. Futures Trader - Just looking to trade 1 or 2 contracts to start. I want real time streaming charts w/ the ability to have 3 or 4 running at the same time. Hope this still isnt too broad. Is there a broker/charts/datafeed combination that seems to be the accepted "must have"? Thanks again in advance.
You have plenty of options. Unless you plan on placing your scalping orders right from the charting interface, then you can save a lot of money by going with a "low-powered" solution like Ensign with IQFeed. Generally, if you are only scalping, you are just looking for the overall pattern created in those timeframes by the market, so you don't need up to the millisecond updates. CQG is a professional package and is pretty expensive. The order interface is pretty good, apparently (I only use it for charting; not for order entry), but others have praised their HeadsUp order system. You are looking at spending at least $500 a month or so just for that. I think Ensign with IQFeed with a basic setup is around $90 per month or so. Whichever program you use will seem clunky and difficult at first, so give it time. Take care.
You can also use QuoteTracker with IQFeed or various other datafeeds, and you CAN place orders through Quotetracker as well, if you are trading through one of the dozen or so supported brokers. Jerry Medved http://www.quotetracker.com
I am very satisfied with the following setup: - Amibroker for charting - Buttontrader for orders - IB for datafeed