I'm chasing my tail trying to consolidate my investing software packages and could really use some help from this board. The problem is that software packages I've found good at quotes, charting, and current position tracking never provide historical trade information and multi-portfolio/strategy performance tracking. And vice versa. And of course IB sucks at both Right now I'm using Medved, Quicken, IB, and TC2000 (for scanning) to cover all these bases and typing in the same symbols and prices over and over is getting tiresome. Is there perhaps a single package (or service) that can at least take care of the quotes, charting, positions, AND historical trade performance??? (while not sucking at one or more of these tasks). Even better if it can also execute trades at IB (or another similarly priced broker). I would be more than happy to pay $50-60/mo for such a package or service. If scanning and backtesting were included I would be willing to pay up to $100/mo. On average I only trade 3-4 times per day and don't expect this to change. Thanks in advance!
redunzl - QTExtender ( http://www.qtextender.com ) integrates tightly within QuoteTracker and would give you full blown portfolio management (covered calls, call, puts,transaction history), along with several other features for active traders. You can directly import positions from QT to QTE, and active traders will enjoy the ability to quickly log a transaction while simultaneously sending the position to QuoteTracker for execution (http://www.qtextender.com/manual.php#sendtoqt). Because of the tight coupling with QT, maybe you wouldn't feel so overwhelmed, for these two apps act more as a single integration.
redunzl, check out RT Investor from Linn Software. http://www.linnsoft.com I've been with them for about 18 months now. An incredibly deep system with very sophisticated backtesting, tracking and portlolio management. Backtest your systems, then run realtime scans and alerts during the day. Superb customer support via e-mail and a chat room. If this sounds like a paid promotion, it isn't. I have no ties to them other than as a satisfied customer. They offer a number of subscriptions, quarterly, yearly, permanent, etc. Then you need to add a data service depending on how many stocks you want to track, end of day, realtime, etc. I have found the backtesting language much, much easier to deal with than Wealth-Lab or Trade Station. There really isn't any programming language involved. It is a matter of creatively using and combining their existing trading rules that cover just about every tech indicator. If you are serious about trading, I would not let a few dollars a month stand in your way of success, IMHO. Good luck.
I have a list of 15 awesome software packages into which, when all of them are used simultaneously, you can neatly integrate your current 8 packages Seriously tho, see the thread on simplicity. One big reason people fail in the markets is information overload. Most of what's going on is noise.
It seems your needs and price range would be met by Tradestation. They have integrated trading and their commission structure for stocks is very competitive. All of the needs you mentioned are there except for scanning, which is nicely done with your present TC2000. Metooxx says that TS is a toy as far as backtesting goes, but his needs are the same as the guys sending space probes to mars. Your needs might not be as sophisticated or complex. Check out the website.
Heck no you aren't... but some of the strategies you guys have up your sleeves would befuddle an astrophysicist. And I'm sure the programs you are running are longer than many of the non-academic books I've ever read...and maybe longer than some of those too.