I have a strategy that I had coded using tradestation but I dropped it because I ended up joining a prop firm. Now I want to see if I can automate it again. It's not a complicated system at all, it's just that I need to be able to track 3-4 stocks at the same time and it's to much for me. So what are the steps I need to take to get this started? I guess the first thing is to see is if the platform that my firm uses supports automated trading. I should try to see if there is an API for the system. Let's say there is and API, what would be my next step? I've heard people using programs like Excel to automate with and I have also hear of people using C and Java. How would I determine which one I should use? I have coded in both C and Java before but since my strategy is pretty simple, i would think I could get away with Excel. If any one could help me out or just point me in the right direction it would be helpful.
Get Amibroker, the IB-plugin for automation and an account at interactive brokers. No need for any programming, amibroker has its own porgramming language. If you know a bit java and C you will definitely learn how to program amibroker. There are good groups on yahoo groups for amibroker and its programming language.
I want to take advantage of the commsion setup and leverage I have being at my current firm. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to do it working with the trading platform at my office.
Ever thought by any chance your idea may be stolen by your firm, given the fact you initiate the exposure of your strategy to them at the first place. So they don't even take the blame of stealing your idea? Just I wonder, as if I were the manager, and I have the tech. department who knows automation and program trading, then there is literally no point of giving a percentage for a guy who I can substitute using a stupid box. Unless he can keep on develop new trading strategies or market anomalies for profit so the stupid box can sequeeze him out until he is out of ideas.
Hey Casper I don't know what trading platform you're using at your firm, but with any API worth its salt, any of the ideas you mentioned above should work. Just in terms of simplicity, I might go with Excel - there's kind of a built-in UI with Excel, and then you just enable macros, and the programming's VBA. I would suggest you use a 3rd-party timer, since VBA doesn't include a timer component. Personally, I love java, but you might want easier UI stuff. C is probably not the way to go. Why hassle with memory management when you don't have to? .NET is also a fine way to go. Hope that helps.