Anyone have experience with Trading System Lab? Quite expensive so one has to wonder where is the value. What would you say are any drawbacks or limitations? Also, as is the case with many similar packages, the vendors claim that limited knowledge of NN, GP, etc is required but - in my experience with other applications - that is not the case if you want to get the most out of software. Thanks.
Hard to say if it is a fancy optimizer or not. It belongs to a class of systems that discover systems but I am afraid this particular one cannot avoid optimized results simply because these genetic programs mix and match various indicators using some evolutionary algorithm to produce optimal results. Again, hard to say if you cannot have access to a full demo for testing the results. I use a program that discovers systems but only based on OHLC. It is called Automatic Pattern Search and it is no longer available for sale from what I can see. I have used its output with a genetic programming algorithm and I got excellent results (made some good money that is) but keep in mind that the patterns this program finds do not allow parameter adjustement so they are not optimized that way. They may be optimized in other ways though. Ask the TSL company for a demo, my suggestion.
Thanks jimbojim. In terms of APS, from what i recall it basically: - allowed you to determine profit targets and stop levels - determine profit factors or win ratios etc - allowed you to set a pattern length and then identified all/any patterns that met your criteria. Is that essentially it or am i missing something? Thanks again.
Every computer analysis tool follows the rule of garbage in garbage out or vice versa. I would say if you have good inputs it would be a handy tool to help automate some research tasks. The problem however is that if the user already have good inputs it wouldn't take much time to do the test with manual coding anyways. The hard part is finding the right inputs. Throwing in all the common indicators into the program won't do you any good (which is the way most people use this kind of tools). I would say discovering the underlying truths of the market one by one thru manually testing is hard enough. Tools like this would spits out thousands of curve fitted systems without helping you getting closer to the truth and would probably only serve to confuse rather than helping.
No, that is not what APS does. I have no time to explain what it does. I have been using this program for the last past 3 years and it has hepled me a lot. I wonder why Mr. Harris discontinued it. I will try to contact him and find out more details about that. Great program.
Ron, Thanks & congrats on being busy. You've used APS so I'm sure I'm missing something but I was just basing my understanding on the description of what APS does in this older paper by Mr. Harris. Starting on pg 6 he provides a description of the software. Probably more to the software. Thanks.
There is a lot more to this software that meets the eye. Unfortunately, the author decided not to support it any longer. The latest addition, the p-indicator, was a very good one.