Hi there, Can anyone recommend a cheap as possible but reliable data supplier. I am looking for all asset classes flat price, futures and options. EOD will do but ideally I'd like tick by tick live prices. Baz
Trading isn't a game for people who don't have money. The cheapest way to get all of the data that you are refering to would be to open an account with Interactive Brokers. You can also purchase a subscription with DTN/IQFeed. Delayed data is next to useless, so don't even bother going there ... even making the recommendation is just an embarrassement on this Board.
I have posted this elsewhere -- X-Trader vs CQG -- but think I might get a reliable suggestion here. It's a bit long but I want to adequately describe my needs. ------------------------------------------ I am a new, marginally profitable trader using NQ's $5 tick to learn to swing intraday. I use X-Trader, pay a high per contract surcharge -- costs me under $100 monthly at current low volume -- and am restricted to CME. About nine minutes into my paper trading a year ago I realized X had a charting capability that was, to be kind, sub par. To their credit when I called to ask if I was using it wrong they told me most of their clients used separate charting packages from other vendors. I put up Sierra Charts with Barchart Data on the screen and it was surely adequate for someone at my level at that time. Since NQ moves slowly compared to ES I am able to watch Sierra's Time and Sales through the session. While calling me a tape (or T&S) reader would be like comparing a high school ball player with a Super Star, I am surprised by what I see and how it has helped when me when one particular "quirk" happens. Not often but just often enough that if I can find one or two other quirks that are as reliable I will be very pleased. A bit of observation has shown me the quirl exists in ES and E6 as well. Remember, what appears as a startling revelation to me may well be just how every pro knows it works. The Time and Sales I see on X with TT's feed is sometimes faster than Sierra but I can't use it because at times they seem to aggregate trades. Sierra gives me Time and Sales cleaner but not as fast as I would like. The only other option that Sierra offers me that might work is the DTN feed. It is a bit more coin than Barcharts but not so much more that I would bother to even think about it -- IF IT SOLVES THE PROBLEM. Sierra's charts work for me unless they are the T&S problem not the feed. I pay them month to month and I'm not married to them. I'm not yet ready take CQG's comprehensive solution. With only one exchange fee to pay their $600 bite is way to big for me at this stage. The truth is I am already the guy with the two piece cue who is not sure which end to use. Can't stand working with bad tools so I am ready to consider any charting data configuration that costs me up to about $200 monthly including the $55 CME data charge. Right now my cost for data and charting is under $130 monthly and, of course, no monthly hit for X-Trader. Please don't tell me to go to IB or Ameritrade or wherever. I am only willing to change the data provider and/or charting packages. Comments, ideas and/or suggestions?
Try Ninja Trader, Vision Professional and now e-Signal. If you use them in conjunction with an open futures trading account, I believe there are no futures market data fees.