I have been simulated trading the mini-Dow on Ninja for about a month now. So far it has gone well. I am observing risk parameters, only trading the number of contracts I would normally trade given my potential account size. My question is whether anyone has experience trading on the simulation vs. the real mini-Dow? Is the trade the same. The fills I get on the simulation seem to be only if the price trades through so I am getting no edge so I assume the fills trading the real contract are better. Also, if anyone who can compare the larger Dow to the mini I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Stay away from futures or come back in a few months and let us know how much money you burned. Trust me.
ang 99, Your right, a month proves nothing. Here is a little bit about my trading history. I start working at the CBOT in 1990. I started trading on Globex in 1993 and moved over to Project A in 1994. After they stupid, old men at the CBOT partnered with Eurex I traded Euribor and then Eurodollar electronically. I am not a novice but I am fairly new to pure scalping. Most of my other trading focused on spreading however that game has changed so much I don't think an individual can compete against the computers. So I am looking for something new and scalping the mini-Dow is working. So far.
This compared to real profitable trading of serious funds is as building a sand castle makes you a professional sculptor.
The other day I actually had a fill of a limit order at the touch on the top of a range and I was shockd, shocked I'll tell you. I use OEC and esignal , if I do a market order I usually loose a 1/4 point, if I do a limit order it usually must be traded through to be filled. Some people report better fills. I just don't know how they get them.
THat's good that the price trades through your limit before fill. That way you won't get a false sense of your superiority as a brilliant trader. Some simulator platforms, notably TOS, fill limit buys on the bid and limit sells on the ask. Just the opposite of how they should be filled, gives you a two tick advantage over real life, as we know it. P.S. make sure that you don't mean, for example, that when the ask is at your limit buy order and last flashes at the bid price one tick below your limit that price is trading through. That's a normal kind of "through." That's OK, because that leaves the ask at your limit price and when last =ask=your limit you will get filled. That's how it should work. In other words make sure you are buying on the ask and selling on the bid, not the other way round. Of course, when selling it also should work against you, so that the ask will rise above your limit and the bid will go to your limit before you can sell. Again that's the way it is supposed to work. Remember last can occur at either bid or ask, depending on whether the last trade took place at the bid or ask price. I hope your suitably confused. Confounded damn market! P.P.S. Just pay attention to what Rasko says below. We are both talking about the same thing, but he won't confuse you like i will.
If you are observing price trade through your price and those are your fills, I don't see any reason why it should be any different with a real money acct. The most important thing while sim trading is to make sure that you are placing realistic trades (given acct size) and also making sure that price trades through when you get your fills. It sounds like you are paying attention to the right things and you shouldnt experience anything different with a live acct when it comes to execution.
I plan on putting $20k in the account to trade a max of 10 contracts. Of course, I will be trading one lots and only going up to 5 if I see a fantastic trade that must go my way or I'm out. What is bothering me is the high cost per contract. I am going to get a membership, IDEM I think, but still it is over a dollar/contract with most of the fee being Advantages cut. I have been with them since 2002 so I am hoping to talk them down a little since I am an old timer.