Hello. Sorry if this has been answered here already, but I'm looking for new software and was wondering what suggestions you fine folks had. I trade NYMEX energies. Right now I'm using CQG @ $700+/month. I want to go to something cheaper, in the $300 to $400 range. Tradestation looks good, but I'm not seeing options on commodity futures there. My trial with eSignal confirmed their data reliability issues. I can get by without tick data, but I do need at least 5-minute data. Built-in backtesting would be nice, but it's not a necessity, as I only backtest EOD data. Thanks in advance for suggestions.
Jason, I am a big fan of CQG. I do not believe you will completely replace it. I was running Tradestation as well. I am canning it and running Ensign instead. Ensign can run on many differant data providers. With a 40 dollar subscription. You get free historical data. I have an IB account for stocks etc. So I wanted something to take advantage of the free data they give you. I tried out Ensign. I am blown away. The charting feels like CQG and you can make charts look like CQG's ---in fact better in some ways. Try them out. If you need pit commodities run them with a free 7 day trial with DTN IQ ---bet you get it all in under 160-170 a month. Try it out.
I think you can do options through Tradestation, but have to use the clearing brokers platform to do it and involves a seperate account from one with TS. I think they can link the 2 accounts. Can't you use the CQG platform to trade through one of the FCM's listed on the site? I would think one of those would have options available, and then you get the data and trade platform for 1 fee.
So, Ensign is the platform, and DTN IQ is the preferred data feed? Will this give me the options prices/greeks also? Thanks!
I just started using it a week ago. Yes, you can get option quotes and all that. In Tradestation, you have optionstation. However, you cannot use it for futures options. They are suppose to enable it for futures sometime in the near future. Of course to Tradestation 'near future' can mean like next year! Over the course of the last year, I have not seen anything extraordinary out of them. Their planning and customer communication are horrible for futures traders. Think about you have optionstation BUT you cannot analyze futures options. Call them and I bet they will tell you---any day now it is coming. And it may be coming out soon. But beware I heard that a year ago. Do a free trial with Ensign and Dtn IQ ---you should be pleasantly surprised. If you just need the basic option window in CQG, you will be fine. If you need advanced modeling, I do not know enough about Ensign to tell you anything. Check them out and call them. They are very prompt.
Have you tried Futuresource? They are the BEST for futures options. Probably a little cheaper than CQG. They were bought out by eSignal last year but I think they still act independently. Try this link: http://products.futuresource.com/ Good luck.
You should know that FutureSource, although good, is a resource hog! It would routinely max out my ram (768 MB) when running nothing else. My Ensign software running the same charts uses maybe 20% at peak times. FS is aware of this problem, but they could give no time frame for when it would be fixed. You have to get this from a tech guy, the salesmen won't tell you this. Jay
May I suggest Aspen Graphics they offer an excellent option program http://www.aspenres.com/index.php?fa=Features.Options Contact mbodrogi@aspenres.com for a free demo. In this demo they will throw everything plus the kitchen sink in on the demo. Just mention to Mike John from ET sent you.