Tradewinds

I want a straight line for price level to keep going until the next price level signal fires. I looked at your code in the other thread, and here is what I have so far: var: Peak(False),NoPriorPk(False); var: ClsDwn(False),ClsUp(False); var: ht(H); ClsDwn=c<o; ClsUp=c>o; Peak=ClsUp[1] and ClsDwn; NoPriorPk=Peak[1] = false; if Peak and NoPriorPk then ht= H[1]; {-- restarts the trendline if a new peak signal fired ---} var: HiTrget(-1); if Peak then Begin HiTrget = tl_new(d, t, H, d, t, H); end; {--- extends the trendline from PEAK to current bar ---} tl_setend(HiTrget, d, t, h); // To test for a PEAK signal. Set format to POINTS. {If Peak and NoPriorPk then plot30(l,"Test",Black,5) else NoPlot(30);} This won't plot anything. I've tried everything I can think of, and I can not get a trendline to do anything right. I've tried hard coding the dates, times and price levels. I've tried the simplest example I can think of, and I can't get anything to work for a trendline. If anyone can tell me how to make this work, I'd appreciate it.

There is the: TL_SetEnd (Reserved Word) This sets the end of the trendline. The trendlines seem like a lot more work, and more difficult to program. I'm also curious as to whether they take more computing power. I'm trying to avoid having connecting lines between trend lines that are at different price levels.

I've read that Plots can be converted to Trendlines in EasyLanguage. What is the difference between a Plot and a Trendline? How is the code different? I'd like to see an example of each. A Plot has the syntax of: PlotN(Expression[,"<PlotName>"[,ForeColor[,Default[,Width]]]]); Expression is the price value to be plotted, PlotName and ForeColor are self explanatory. Width is how thick you want the plot to be. Text and Trend Lines are created using the Text_XXXXX and TL_XXXXX Reserved Words. The "TL_New" reserved word adds a trendline. TL_New (Reserved Word) This reserved word adds a trendline with the specified starting and ending points to a price chart. It returns a numeric expression corresponding to the ID number of the trendline added to the chart. I want to start a trendline, and have it continue until the next signal.

I tried keeping it as generic as possible. There could definitely be more detail. Plus I may have overlooked some things, or not made the decision flow perfect. I was trying to create a foundational document to build upon. Ultimately, I'd like to have some logic defined for an automated system. If I can get the decision making defined well enough to convert to code, that would make the programing easier. Thanks for commenting. If anyone has suggestions, examples, refinements, etc. feel free to make a contribution. Hopefully I can apply some details of my strategy to this framework and make another post.

I'm just starting to use TradeStation. Practice trading: Attached is the performance report. June 29 2011.xls

Ok, I'm using TradeStation.

How is a lower study differentiated from an upper study in EasyLanguage? I've looked at the code for something like Bollinger Bands, compared to RSI, and I can't find anything that makes one a lower study, and the other an upper study. RSI is a lower study, Bollinger Bands is an upper study. Actually, I think I may have found the answer. It looks like it's under "Formatting". Right click the indicator, then choose "Format XXXX", and under the "Scaling" tab choose the Sub-graph 2 or higher. Interestingly, sub-graphs of lower studies can be overlaid. If, for example, they are both sub-graph 2, both lower studies will be plotted in the same space. I may have answered my own question. Oh well, I'll make the post anyway. :rofl:

My IQ is OVER THE TOP!!!!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

My IQ is SOARING!!!!!

My IQ is really increasing now!!!!

My IQ just went up....

It may be true that Men Suck and Women Are Better Traders, but I can aim my piss with pinpoint accuracy, and that is what is really important in life. (Sarcasm) :rofl: I like the title of the thread because it reverses the perspective that some people might assume. It's good to turn things upside down once in a while.

I'm just starting to get to the point where I have a strategy good enough to consider automating. If I ever do that, it's still a long way off. Right now I have 6 indicators, and support and resistance lines. I'd need to put all of that programing into one program. It's doable, but it's a time commitment. I've done a lot of programing, but no automation, so that's a whole other road I haven't been down. My strategy and my custom studies make an automation system a serious consideration, but everything is still a "work in progress". My "house" is only half way built. :rofl:

I'm not familiar with MQL4, but if you have programing skills, you can look for what seems to be things that affect the market price, write a program, and then determine if there really is a correlation or not. Many people don't have any programing skills, so the only way they have of verifying whether their strategy works or not is by actual trading, or just viewing charts. I've studied charts for years, and 99.9999% of the time when I think I see a correlation between an indicator and price, it turns out to be nothing more but a "flip of the coin", no real correlation at all. So what I'm saying is, it's a long, long process of finding out what really affects price. I know nothing about forex, so I can't help you on that. Here is an interesting webpage: Principles of market movements @ Forex Factory It uses and indicator that depicts the flow of volume as an oscillator. If volume has a lower high, you sell. If volume has a higher low, you buy. How is that for simple? Since you can program, now you need to figure out how to take the data volume and depict it into a lower study that oscillates.

Technically, I don't have an automated system. But I have all custom indicators that give me information on every single bar of the chart. Given the signal, and the price conditions, I want my response to be automatic. If I get a strength signal and price has moved substantially, my strategy is to take profit. I don't want any doubt, or any heavy thinking, or any indecision. As my signals, and my strategy get better, I gain more confidence. I'm not trying to gain control of my emotions. As a result of developing a better strategy, the consequence is that my emotions are more well controlled. Consider the following possible scenarios: Fear is successfully removed or suppressed, your trading skills do not improve Fear is not successfully dealt with, your trading skills do not improve. Fear is successfully removed or suppressed, your trading skills improve Fear is not successfully dealt with, your trading skills improve Depending upon which of those four situations a person is in, the response should be very different. The worst case is the first one. The traders skills don't improve, but they have no fear. What is going to happen in that situation? They may just keep loosing money unnecessarily. When there is talk of emotions affecting trading, the assumption is that scenario 4 is happening; the trader is getting better, but the emotions haven't been dealt with. My concern, is that people may suppress or try to ignore their emotions when they should be allowing their emotions to stop them from trading because it just isn't working. In the above four possible scenarios, FEAR is at the front of the sentence and the focus of the attention. What I'm saying is this: Your trading skills improve, as a consequence the fear diminishes. Your trading skills do not improve, you still have a lot of fear I think that the perspective is different when we are talking about fears diminishing as a consequence of knowing how to trade well. Getting rid of the fear will not necessarily make anyone a better trader. I think it's beneficial to make these distinctions.

Feel the pain. Let yourself feel the pain. You are in denial, and not allowing yourself to accept the reality of the situation. The pain will help you decide. Feel the pain.

I've practice traded NinjaTrader, and probably would have gone with NinjaTrader, and a futures broker, but the futures broker I had a datafeed with didn't even return an email I had sent to them. If they don't want my business, that's fine, I don't want to do business with someone who doesn't want to do business with me. I have not used the TradeStation platform, because you need a funded account to get access to the platform. I've had contact with a couple of people who do a lot of programing, and they use TradeStation. TradeStation does not necessarily get the best reviews in broker reviews, but they get more reviews than any one else. My experience with researching anything that has reviews is this: The product or service that has the most reviews, NEVER has the best review. The product or service that often has some of the fewest reviews can get a perfect score. But the only way a product or service can get the highest rating, is if they don't have many reviews. If there are a LOT of reviews, there will inevitably be people who don't like the product or service. That brings the rating down. That is what I have observed. I know that TradeStation is capable of doing what I need for programing, it's widely used, and has a good rating. They have been rated #1 by Barons for a long time. I would prefer using Easy Language compared to the programing language that NinjaTrader uses. I have not used Easy Language, but I've seen Easy Language code, and I liked the impression I got from how it is structured. I've looked at other platforms, and nothing stood out to me. Again, I would have gone with NinjaTrader if I'd had some customer service from the broker. Most of what I'm writing here is just my impressions, as I haven't used TradeStation yet, and only used NinjaTrader for a month, and didn't do any programing. I've been using Thinkorswim, and am satisfied with them as a broker. I have nothing against them. But the margin balance requirement is less with TradeStation. Thinkorswim has a separate platform for automated trading with a programing language that I'm really not interested in. And thinkorswim's backtesting of custom programs is not adequate for what I need. My impression of TradeStation is substantially better than other platforms I've looked at, and I know that other professionals use the platform. I'll be able to verify that soon.

Made 3 Scalps today, just to get myself trading live. I decided on entry prices ahead of time, and let the price come to me. When I do that, I seem to have better success. When I worry that I missed a good entry price, and start chasing the price, I usually loose money. All 3 trades made money. So that was encouraging. I got a new account approved with TradeStation, and I'll be funding it tomorrow probably. Then I need to transfer all my programs over.

NinjaTrader can be downloaded for free, and you can replay historical data for practicing. Or you could fund an account, and use SIM. If you use a trial version of a trading platform that usually only lasts a month. I don't know if there are other free options.

I don't know the answer to your question, but my strategy is to take whatever the market gives me. I don't know what's easy in trading except for loosing money. Both the Russell and the ES had a relatively big move up at the same time at 10 am today. On a 1 minute chart, the Russell went from 796.1 to 797.6 the ES went from 1271.50 to 1274.50 in one minute. But then the Russell went higher in the next 3 minutes, and the ES did not go higher at the same time. The Russell went to 799.3 in the next 3 minutes, the ES went down. Unless someone did a long term comparison and statistically analyzed the data, I don't know that any verifiable claims could be made. Maybe someone could give an opinion as the comparisons between the Russell and the ES.

This chart compares two almost identical situations. In the first, price goes up. In the second, price goes down.

You should have had him sign an agreement for royalties to you. :rofl:

I found this site: S&P | Indices | Equity | Americas

Thank you. I was not aware of the details of the weighting. So I appreciate that info. I'll need to look into how I could get the raw data and process that myself. I need all the pieces of the puzzle I can find. Thank you for posting this info, because critical information is sometimes not readily available.

My experience with programing is that the programing isn't really that difficult compared to finding a strategy that is profitable. The ability to program will allow you to test your own ideas without needing to pay someone else to do it. You can download Ninjatrader for free, and use End of Day (EOD) data to "play around with". No live trading, but you could get used to the programing language in Ninjatrader as opposed something else not trading related. If you get enough money for a funded account, you could look at other platforms.