Hi guys- I'm considering doing some ES trading. Right now I trade the SP500 via spy,sds,sso, etc. but my platform and fees leave some things to be desired to be the most efficient I can. So, I'm looking to try trading the ES and see how that works out- the commissions are certainly better, and it seems to be setup more towards my trading style. However, my current broker is TDAmeritrade, and I don't believe I can get the ES live data from them to pull into my charting software (quotetracker) I like quotetracker, and would love to keep using it, but I'm going to need a futures data source. I'm wondering if you can give me any leads as to good sources for futures data (QT is compatible with many data sources) Something fast and dependable is desired.. and as inexpensive as possible (free is good too) I know Think Or Swim has the data, but I'm hoping to not have to switch over to new charting software if I can avoid it. Thanks for any tips!
http://www.openecry.com Get a demo of Open Ecry's software (free for 2 weeks I think). After that, either open an account and it's free or it's 25 bucks a month I think. That INCLUDES real-time data.
Heard good things about OEC, too. Maybe this is a bit off topic...but why do people search so hard for free data feeds? The feeds cost less than a tank of gas and 2-3 ticks on the ES will pay for a month of data. I don't get why people who want to trade levered instruments such as futures can't just swallow the price and go with a quality data provider and subtract a couple ticks at the end of the month to pay for the data. They're out there i guess, but if it were me, I'd just suck it up and pay the $$$ and go with a reliable provider...you do get what you pay for and should expect there to be fees to use a data service. Besides, you're gonna make a ton trading so big deal if you gotta pay a little to play Anyway, good luck
IB (Interactivebroker) is compatible with QT and is fairly cheap (10K account I think). It can't be worst than TDAmeritrade. IB's data is nothing to brag about, but it is fairly consistent even in high volume spikes. As with data from other brokers, you are limited to how much and how far back it goes. Their universal accounts lets you trade a wide variety of instruments.
While there are ongoing issues with the IB data feed i'm not happy with, their ES (and NQ, YM) feed are quite good, fast, accurate, and cost you nothing. Backfill intraday good for 5 days back. I doubt you could do better at any price.
Check out eSignal OnDemand Mini Futures, it includes back fill, for $45. You need to use one of the integrated trading partners and there are no exchanges fees. http://www.esignal.com/ondemand/ondemand_minifutures.aspx Mirius / Zenfire integrated trading should be live in a few weeks. Chuck