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Hello,

Im new to this forum and I'm looking for a good spreadbetting broker. If they offer trading in nordic shares and indices it would be an advantage since I am from Sweden. Does anyone have one to recommend? I have used a demo account by finansbet so far but I'm looking for someone with better charts.
 
i want to make three line break indicator and system test for metastock can i get any help


Sharky said:
This new sticky thread is targeted to all new members and existing members who are making their first posts.

In this thread, feel free to ask ANY question relating to trading, however simple you think it is. Our forum advisors and more senior members will be happy to answer them for you! :smart:

:!: If you think your question requires more than a quick reply, it's best to create a new thread in the appropriate forum, so that a discussion about it can develop.
Click to expand...
 
sainsburys

Hi there,

does any one know why there is such a huge difference between the share price of sainsburys in feb 08 compared to that of the ftse 100 index in feb o8

thank you

vernon
 
Thank you

Thank you very much for your response. Understanding IB's platform thoroughly makes sense before dropping a front end on top. I was looking at ninjatraders platform because they have a great chart trading 'drag and drop stop loss' feature, which makes things visually simple. Perhaps after learning IB's platform, I'll try it.

Regards,
Neal
temptrader said:
TSim and TSim+ are shortcut front ends that talk to IB.

My advice is to totally be proficient in using IB before you even bother with a different front end for the following reasons:

1) things happen, and the worse thing that could happen is you could be in a trade and not know how to use the interface to close/amend or the front end crashes. If you know IB inside out then you are prepared for this
2) use front ends at your own risk, in my experience (and I trade the DOW) they are NOT needed
3) always have IB's phone number of their help desk just in case
Click to expand...
 
iam looking for a trader to teach me the basics.i read a lot about trading but no practical experience at all.i like to see alive trading session in order to learn and practise.anyone around essex or herts.iam willing to pay.thanks
 
Hello,
I am a newbie to this forum.Was wondering if anyone is aware of E1 Asset Management in the US.They are recruiting trainee brokers at present.Was wondering if anyon knew what this company is all about?Are they reliable etc etc.
 
Protective Stops - a question..?

Hello everyone,

I dont know if this question has been answered before but I am sure the brains-trust on this forum can help me out.

I'm currently doing some research on the Hang Seng futures market as I came across this market while holidaying in Singapore back in August '07 on my 40th birthday bash.

The market was around the 18,000 mark and I thought it was very high considering I had been following the aussie SPI index (6000 ish) and the daily fluctuations were in the hundreds of points. WOW

When I got back home to Perth I asked my broker to do some checking and by the end of October the HSeng had recovered its Aug losses and was breaking historic daily highs through October until it almost touched 32,000 points.

It equated to a monthly range of about 4 to 5000 points

1 Hang Seng point = $50 HKD which converts to approx $7 AUD

Now that is some serious money movement to catch.

I use bollinger bands on my charts with 2 or 3 other indicators and the range for an average day can be as small as 100 points or as large as 600 plus.
I've found watching the HSeng that is doesn't have time to muck around like the other major indexes like FTSE, DAX or SPI - its just trends either one way or another

A 2 min candle bar can have a range over 100 points, so you can see if the initial trade was placed and due to natural market fluctuations, moved 100 plus points against your trade, you would need to have a HUGE stop.

My question is :

By using two accounts (1 for BUY and 1 for SELL), can you place another trade in the market that covers your trade going against you until the main movement occurs as I would hate to lose 100 points then get knocked out of a potential 600 pointer trade.

For example, I place an initial SELL contract in the market as that is the macro trend at the moment but the market has a mini- rally of say 120 points within 2 to 3 two min bars. If I had a 100 point stop I would be wiped out of that SELL trade.

But if I had used my BUY account and placed 2 trades 10 or even 20 points away from my SELL position, I would be in front as 1 contract would cover the market going against my SELL and I would be in profit with the extra BUY trade active at the same time.

I would like to target a min of 100 points every trading day - but not limit any major movements as that equates to $700 aussie dollars a day which would quickly add up to a healthly portfolio.

I used the twin account system quite well when trading the SPI early last year until the volitility caught me a few times.

If anyone has any thoughts to using a protective stop strategy within their trading program, I would be very interested in hearing your comments.

cheers,
Leonie
 
Hi everyone!

First post, be gentle with me. I'm feeling my way in Forex & spreadbetting. Happily settled into small profits after a more volatile learning curve. I read about the Three Ducks system, which seems sensible. However, using either Capital Spreads or IGIndex I find that I cannot load a 4 hour chart. How do I do this and overlay a 60 period moving average (and is "60 period" 60 x the period selected, ie 60 x 4 hrs, 60 x 1 hr, 60 x 5 mins?)

Thanks
 
Leonie,

Don't try foolish things like buying opposite positions - all you really do is give a broker two commissions. Look at mini-hsi and consider real stops. Also look at nikkei and taiwan (stw).

Eternal optimist. A 60x4 = 240 sma is not dissimilar to a 60 ma on a 4x chart.
 
zphinx said:
My question is :

By using two accounts (1 for BUY and 1 for SELL), can you place another trade in the market that covers your trade going against you until the main movement occurs as I would hate to lose 100 points then get knocked out of a potential 600 pointer trade.

For example, I place an initial SELL contract in the market as that is the macro trend at the moment but the market has a mini- rally of say 120 points within 2 to 3 two min bars. If I had a 100 point stop I would be wiped out of that SELL trade.

But if I had used my BUY account and placed 2 trades 10 or even 20 points away from my SELL position, I would be in front as 1 contract would cover the market going against my SELL and I would be in profit with the extra BUY trade active at the same time.

I would like to target a min of 100 points every trading day - but not limit any major movements as that equates to $700 aussie dollars a day which would quickly add up to a healthly portfolio.

I used the twin account system quite well when trading the SPI early last year until the volitility caught me a few times.

If anyone has any thoughts to using a protective stop strategy within their trading program, I would be very interested in hearing your comments.

cheers,
Leonie
Click to expand...

Leonie,
doing anything in two broker accounts has the same net results of doint the same thing in one broker account.

You should never try to pull off any trade that involves being simultaneously long and short because this simply means you will be hedged - which is just a very expensive way of being flat.
 
timsk said:
Hi Oddbjørn - welcome to T2W.

This isn't an unreasonable question for a newbie to ask, but it's not one that is easily answered I'm afraid. The reason for this is that of the numerous methodologies and timeframes available to trade, the right one - or best one for you - is governed exclusively by each individual trader. Day trading per se is no harder or easier than any other kind of trading. That said, if at heart you're a position trader, you're going to have a torrid time day trading, in the same way that Paula Radcliffe would struggle in the 100 metres dash.
No easy answer here either! If you're taken on by a bank or prop firm, then I believe you'd be expected to be trading with real money inside six months or so. A self taught trader working from home, the answer ranges from a few months to never. There's an oft quoted maxim that says 'trading is simple, but it ain't easy'.
No, you don't. Test your strategy first until you're consistently profitable on paper before putting real money on the line. Read the very good article on this very topic, accessible from the T2W home page.
Good luck,
Tim.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tim!

I think there is hard to give bether answers on these questions:) I`ve been doing some thinking, and I`ve now know what king of trading I want to do. Beacuse of work and my social life I think swing trading is the best for me, and I want to trade stocks (and short) and maybee futures.

But I don`t know what kind of information and knowlege I should look for. Would a good book about day-trading help me, if I want to bee a swing trader? Or should I find litteraure and information that are specific to swing trading?

I`ve just ordered this to books. Okey to start with if I want to bee a swing trader?

Amazon.com: High Probability trading: Marcel Link: Books

Amazon.com: A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading Online (2nd edition): Toni Turner: Books

Greetings
Oddbjørn S.
Norway
 
O.Ramone said:
. . . Beacuse of work and my social life I think swing trading is the best for me, and I want to trade stocks (and short) and maybee futures.

But I don`t know what kind of information and knowlege I should look for. Would a good book about day-trading help me, if I want to bee a swing trader? Or should I find litteraure and information that are specific to swing trading?
Click to expand...
Hi Oddbjørn,
The Marcel Link book is well regarded (although I've not read it myself) and, of the two, I'd start with that one if I were you. Having an understanding of the different types of trading styles and timeframes is no bad thing but, inevitably, there will be information in the day trading book that won't be especially pertinent to swing trading. Referring back to my athletics analogy in my earlier post, the techniques and training undertaken by Paula Radcliffe is probably very different to that undertaken by 100 metre sprinters. That said, I'm sure each learns from the other. A good book on swing trading that I can recommend highly is:
Marc Rivalland on Swing Trading, published by Harriman House.
Also, take a look at the articles in the Knowledge Lab. Go to 'Topics' > 'Trading Strategies' > 'Swing & Position Trading'. Start with Barjon's article 'Simple Swing Trading' as it's a very good introduction to the topic and is based on Rivalland. If you like that, check out Jon's own thread 'Swingin' the FTSE' (U.K. Indices forum) as he utilises the principles explained in the article to swing trade the FTSE 100 Index.
Enjoy!
Tim.
 
Thanks for your advice Arbitrageur and Nine,

One of the reasons I used twin accounts was to keep the hedge going to protect the stop, being new to trading and putting my entry signals were wrong timing but correct market direction.

When I was trading the SPI early last year I used the twin accounts to BUy and SELL on the open. It sounds like a flat trade minus brokerage and would get you no-where, yet when you applied a stop to either side, the results were quite good on a trending day, consistantly picking up 15-20 pts and the best day was a 100+ point day. It was the whipsawing that caused problems.

I'm just curious if other traders have used protection on their stops as I think having a neutral position minus brokerage is far better for my trading account than a stop loss eating my account away until the real trend begins to move.
 
You might want to play at something similar with KOSPI options. You could buy a call and put on open. Don't know how it would work.

O Ramone, Marcel's book is good. You don't need his indicators but if you pay attention to his thinking then you'll see a lot of what is needed to get good trades.
 
Please be aware this thread has now been moved to the First Steps forum. While it remains open for asking questions, please check to see if you question has already been answered - if not, start a thread in the appropriate forum.

Remember if you're just starting out then this forum (First Steps) is probably the best place to ask a question!
 
rs1 said:
Hi,

This is an excellent site with some good forums. I have been lurking for a little while and here is my first post and first question. Hope somebody can help.

I am looking into trading crude oil and thought that the minY would be the way to go initially but it seems as though the tick size on the miNY (12.5 USD) is larger than the tick size on the full-size contract (10 USD).

Have I got that right or is there something I'm missing?

Thanks for the help

rs
Click to expand...



full size (CL) moves in increments of 1 cent. A 1 cent move = $10 so a full $1 move in the price equates to $1,000 per contract
mini (QM) a 1 cent move = $5 therefore a $1 move in price = $500 per contract

be aware that oil contracts expire early - a September contract expires in August etc.

good luck, hope it helps
 
First apologies to everyone for the length of this..

zphinx...Your idea might sound a little unconventional and even counter-intuitive... but i am passionate about hedging and use a method of sorts for hedging myself that you might be interested in.

The key thing is that I also use limit profit orders as well, and have found it quite useful in what i like to call "range-trading”. I must mention at this point that I am a very risk averse trader - I think hedging is one of the most under-rated things in the financial world and i am sure there are a few million dead or blown up traders out there who wish they had hedged up there positions correctly) “you know who you are”

The way it works is...

I dont really believe in technical analysis but I do agree that over a given time period that a price can be hit many times through the ranging points, these I call the "profit/loss opportunities".

2 trades are placed based at the same price level 1 long / 1 short (from 2 different accounts if you like).. and they are given a percentage bias based on a secret formula only known to me .. ;~]

i.e. you feel a price will increase, but you are only 70% sure, then only go 70% long and 30% short. this is where you skill as a predictor really comes to the fore because if you are wrong you will lose based on the larger bias..BUT you will be hedged to some extent and you also give yourself the profit / loss opportunity because of the ranging effect. .

The test really comes when one trade hits the Profit limit and leaves the other i.e. the loss maker in potential free fall if the price action continues in the wining direction.

If your bias is still the same you can choose at this point to take the loss (remember this was 30% of your trade if you guessed the price direction correctly) .

On the upside you also give yourself the opportunity to capitalise on the temporary moments or price targets that have no real support. like say a market reaction to something or other, these I find are usually overdone and the action stablises once the fun is over, but you can take the hedging position at this point if it is in profit against your trade bias or not if you have it wrong ;-] . (which is nice when it works, but again you need to use a profit limit stop)

With all this in mind I think you are perhaps really looking to protect yourself against those annoying events that knock your stops out from time to time and then move back quickly toward your bias having lost you money and then lost you profit to boot.
Whilst your method does have the effect of being hedged against any counter price action i can see that by executing twice to hedge your against your loss, and trying to catch the profit on the rebound could go badly wrong if the price continues to move against you !!
 
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