Hello, I'm interested in automated trading particularly for day trading stocks (long/short) but I'm not sure where to begin. Do I need to tie together a Platform, Brokerage, Data Feed, Charting Program, etc. to work harmoniously? If so, can you please recommend the best combination and exactly what I will need (I'm in Canada so TradeStation brokerage is not available). Or... Is there software/applications/platforms that are one stop shops and do it all? If so, can you please recommend the best. I appreciate your response and thank you very much in advance.
Pick something at random and build something to work with that. Then iteratively refine until your needs are met. Needs could be anything from revenue goals to aesthetic requirements.
I know what I will not use for AT. IB: data is not accurate for AT. it gives different, sometime opposite signals comparing against IQfeed; iqfeed does not have long enough data for futures for testing.
That is not really correct. IB provides two data feeds and can be correct if required. (the 5 sec feed is actually accurate as no prices are missed) I'm autotrading with Sierra Chart as my display and programming platform and IB as my broker api interface for Sierra Chart. Note that SC has two system programing options: a C++ subset to create dlls or a spreadsheet type interface if you are not keen on full programing languages. Note also that most of the platforms (Tradestation, Esignal, Amibroker, etc that have a language actually have something very like a subset of C).
One thing not to forget is your physical setup. I strongly advice AGAINST trading from home. If you go automated, you want as much reliability as possible. * Get a server - physical or virtual... * ...in a reliable data center. This does not mean "put it into the exchagne for extreme cost", unless it makes sense for you (financially and from the benefits). But if you have your stuff in a good data center, the following things are mostly non-issues: * Power failure Happen, but a LOT rarer than at home. * Internet outage. * Computer failures - server hardware is just a lot more reliable. Plus you CAN go with multiple power supplies etc. Remember, when your automatic system looses control (not even talking of a programming issue here) because power is out, or internet fails - you MAY have a significant problem
I've found that using a laptop with two different high speed connections became a perfect setup for home trading. If power goes out for too long, I can just drive to Starbucks.