The disadvantage of the retail trader

The disadvantage of the retail trader concerning technology and software against the big boys becomes bigger and bigger.
Hardware power grew at an enormous rate the last 15 years, but when it comes to speed of trading-, backtesting-, scanning software, the improvement rate lags behind.

Software makers always try to sell the same concept.
If someone comes with a totally new concept, it covers only a small part of trading.

Intraday backtesting on ascii files? This is an absurd concept and it seems nobody thinks about a new way.

The way to go for the retail trader is discretionary trading (at least for daytrading) or to be a professional programmer and develop everything from the scratch.

Please prove me wrong and show me some examples!

 

Really?

The idea that without the latest, most sophisticated and fastest facilities one can't win against the big boys is a defeatist one.

As a retail trader I have a lot of freedoms and the available software, connections and low commissions place me in a position to run circles around institutional traders.

GC

 

You registered 5 yrs ago and now you come to this conclusion?

 

what's wrong with that? convert your ascii files into binary and back testing, that takes hours will take minutes, if not seconds. works for me for at least 5 years.
imo -biggest advantage little guy have against big boys as been pointed by gurucandidate is flexibility. little guy can make something in days or even hours, that will take for them ten meetings, pages of specifications, teams of developers and testers and who knows, how much money. last thing will bring us to another imo big advantage.
can you tell me what this is?

 

Bogan7,

Of course it needs time, I´m talking about a development over time.

We now have quadcore cpu´s and several GB of RAM are affordable.
Do you see a proportional improvement in trading technlogy for the retail trader over the last 5 years?

 

The introduction of NeoTicker by Ticquest
definitely represents a quantum leap in development for any trader.

Only the trader' imagination is the limit.

GC

 

ok thanks gurucandidate.
I will check Neoticker.

Of course I don´t think that we need the best technology to survive, but I don´t like the fact that we have so much computer power today and only programmers can take full advantage of it.

 

Which product does it?

 

what's wrong with learn programming? take evening classes like i did, spend six months, maybe a year and take that advantage. it’s not easy, but it's not rocket science either. better than wasting you time blaming big boys for your performance...
i don't like them either, but what can we do? take it as it is or enjoy Wal-Mart team.

 

I can't agree, the so called big boys can't trade worth a damn.
Its not their money so they don't care. How many retail traders have been hurt in the sub-prime mess. None, everyone who was hurt were so called hedge funds and banks.
Why do you think they bought that junk, because they knew that for a few years they could show great results and earn the fees until the inevitable bump came. But hey its not my money and I have earned a few multi-million dollar bonus now I put my cash in treasuries and retire.

Give me some guy who day in and day out hacks a living, without having to trade in some exotic hundred year derivative that he marks to myth any day.