Alpine_Analyst

Mad Market Scientist, I have used investopedia's Forex simulator for some time now, and I always found it interesting that the delay in the data coming down to their simulator is near RT from Gain Capital. Excellent platform, charting isn't all that useful but when used in conjunction with a free charting package (or Aspen Graphics for myself), it's a great place to manually test strategies. I was trying to think of some others, but all of the other one's I have used are pretty much a two week simulator at which point you need to sign up for a new account to get another simulator log in - kind of a bummer.

Hey there, I've used both Interactive Data and IQ.Feed to get data for this instrument into Aspen Graphics. IQ Feed is a lot more affordable, and very fast. IDC seems to have a little more depth in regards to options data. I really enjoy working with the staff over at DTN as well, they are very helpful. I'd recommend starting with that. Cheers!

Ahh yes, the endless journey of market education begins! Good for you! :-) I don't watch much spot forex anymore, but I used to use, and still do from time to time, Aspen Charts. The first page you come to isn't that helpful, but if you register its a pretty neat product for charting and quotes (for free too!). There is a book called "Technical Analysis" by Kirkpatrick, I found this to be a great place to start as the author begins with the history of the markets and develops concepts further from there. It's easy to follow, and well written. :helloooo:

Hello There, This has to be quick so I hope you have found more information on another site, but futures are instruments which are traded around a delivery date. Futures may include things such as the S&P 500 E-Mini contracts, or actual resources (commodities) such as sugar, coffee, coca, lumber, cattle, hogs, etc. When you purchase a futures contract your position is highly leveraged with brokers only requiring a minimum amount of the total contract value up front. This can work in your favor so long as the markets move in your favor. A contract must include a delivery date, if you hold the contract through delivery you may end up with one hell of headache (assuming your speculating). These instruments are used by speculators and individuals such as farmers or producers who utilize these markets to hedge against future risks should the market dynamics change. I hope this helps! There are a handful of excellent books out there (amazon) on Futures. Cheers, Ryan

Hi there, After a little research it looks like yahoo refers users to the exchange to obtain after hours transaction data. So I would assume (although that generally never works well) that the data on their website only covers the standard market hours. You may try obtaining historical data from Rolland at endofday.com, he is a great guy and easy to work with. Good Luck! Ryan

Hi, I have not seen that before, but I will have to take a look at it now that you have posted the link (thanks)! When I was getting started learning about options one book I found helpful was "Options for the Beginner and Beyond" by Edward Olmstead. I'd take this book ten fold over the "better-off-fire-starter" "For Dummies" series. Cheers, Ryan

I have been using Aspen Graphics as my primary analysis platform for a little over three years now. Although there is no means of order execution or routing integrated into the platform itself, I seem to get by fine and dandy by using a third party OE platform side-by-side with Aspen. One of the strongest points of this platform is the built in formula writer. Although I can't say that the language is as "intuitive" as the "Easy Language" found on some other platforms, Aspen's formula writer really provides an unrestricted whiteboard. I have invested a great deal of time writing formulas that will accomplish everything from identifying and labeling entry points on charts based on several study values, to creating my own studies from scratch. It takes a little time, but it sure works well. In regards to this same area, the other function I really enjoy about Aspen Graphics is the wide range of customizable parameters for the preexisting studies. There is almost never a field that cannot be modified to fit your demands. At the present time I run Aspen Graphics on four monitors, it runs very smoothly on about three, but at times I do experience a minor slowdown when I am using all four - especially when running options contract volatility analysis and different strategy scenarios. With all four screens up and running it does lock up, and I have to exit out and reboot. This really is something that I ONLY see when I have all four going. By far my favorite feature of this platform is their charts. They claim to have some of the best graphics around, and I would have to say that this is not a false claim. The default chart colors are a little bland for my personal tastes, but once again, easily customized to my liking. They are clear, clean, easy to read, quick to update, and totally customizable. I have not found a chart that I would rather work with on any other platform. Also, all of the indicators and overlays (even my own) can be added or removed from the chart itself so there is no need to go fumbling through endless menus or poorly designed buttons to find them. Aspen's Market profile is very nice, and even has a basket function where it will automatically group sessions for you. Their "OptionAlysis" module is great for evaluating what-if scenarios, and their Quote pages are fantastic. Overall I don't know how I could continue to do as well as I do in this industry without having access to Aspen. There are undoubtedly some quirks in the platform, but nothing so severe that it has resulted in lost profits or enough agitation that I seek out another charting platform. I would really like to see some integrated order execution in the future, but for the time being, and for only an Analysis platform, this really is the best one I've seen so far.