I actually just wrote a small article on my blog about taking in price update data and creating your own simple time series and indicators from it. Although I typically work in C#, but I don't see any reason the code wouldn't be somewhat similar. http://programmingandtrading.blogspot.com/2013/10/creating-indicators-from-live-data.html Hope it helps!
AFL is just *one* language you can use in AmiBroker. You can use AFL, C/C++, .NET, vbscript, jscript. The software itself is written in C++, AFAIK. Anyway it's (one of) the best I've ever used out of many different ones I've tried. Have never looked back so far for months.
Speaking of indicators - and I'm not picking on anyone that uses them - but the figure in the lower right corner (follow link) jumped out at me. Lots of programming has already been done with the common stuff and the results are given away for free. The secret, I suppose, is figuring out an uncommon combination that works before someone beats you to it. http://www.barchart.com/performance/futures/ZCZ13
not necessarily. i've been using a very simple semiautomatic system for decade or so .and it made money every year. there is no indicators or anything like that. simple mid school math. add,subtract,divide,multiply. that was it.
The real secret is understanding your own personal psychology, finding a time-frame and trading framework that fits you, and thinking for yourself (by ignoring everybody else). Most indicators are just attempts to use technical tools to manage/hide psychological issues and/or get out of actually thinking about what's going on in that market in the timeframe you're comfortable with... In most cases, the market doesn't beat you. You beat yourself. Hence, the surplus of indicators, automation, and trading plans... Crutches.. Crutches... Crutches... Get your trading crutch for only 4 low installments of $499, cash-only!
It is true that understanding your psychological makeup is important, but this still doesn't give you an edge to fight the market with. All it does is buy you time with extra ammo to figure out a plan but as the clock ticks, you will eventually be defeated. You will be exposed (With good money management and through the process of trial and error you will hopefully arrive to an edge) Hacking the mind is a defensive strategy; however, it is only good as long as the means justifies the end. The edge; on the other hand, will put you on the offense and to figure out your edge you have to figure out the market flow and the psychology of its participants and the indicators are another arsenal to use for this purpose. If you haven't figured out that bit already then you most probably are not profitable in the long or even the short run.
one common combination is watching the 4 majors work in tandem, thats what the big money is doing, on a large term chart and then work your way in each down to smaller timeframes , they correlate like an orchestra and move together, when they are all hitting res at the same time or supp,thats a golden trade, you wouldnt need more than one per month of those trades,first edge would be reading the market and the 2nd would be knowing when not to trade, the 3rd would be getting into a trade, knowing your loss and target and managing your losses small and your winners larger,being able to read the market allows you a target,without, your a ship at sea with no land insight
So going by your quote mentioning that all move as orchestra (all the time), correlating at 90% and hitting whatever point at same time then non-provocatively spoken what's the difference between using 4 charts instead of just one?
if it were a football game , you have a reciever 3 steps from getting open in the endzone and a blitzing linebacker a split second from sacking you, with all 4 there is no surprise... you have to watch bonds also but they move so slow you just kind of know where they are