Personal Challenge: Automated Trading. A Journal- Requests!

Hotch

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OK, so...

I've fancied giving myself a bit of a challenge for a long time. There are several reasons for this. Firstly I'm rather lazy, and feel I should try and make a better use of my time. Secondly, I really feel I need to fail something. Now don't get me wrong, I have failed tonnes of stuff in my life, but I don't fell I've failed at anything I've tried especially hard at (haven't tried especially hard at much I guess, but a few things). Plenty of other reasons which I'm sure you're all not interested in. Figured trading would be something rather...clinical? (wouldn't be effected by much), plus, more money isn't a bad thing (and if it is, I can waste it pretty quick when I want to).

Also, I like this forum, I've been a member of a few forums and it's always better when you contribute more, so I thought this might be entertaining, and possibly informative. Hopefully I can contribute something which will be appreciated.

Anyway, as I want to start programming, and people seem very divided on the idea of algorithmic trading, I thought I might give it a go. Also I can call upon a lot of help in this area.

I'm planning on using ninja trader, mainly because there seems to be a lot of confusion about it on the forum, and I thought I could help, both by my comments here, and by getting acquainted with it so I can help in other threads.

Not set on a broker yet, any suggestions would be great, not going to make much difference I guess.

As for algorithmic strategies?

Well I figured it would be best to use those freely available, or those that people would want me to program. I will take requests providing I think I can program them, if nobody has any ideas I'll probably pick a few, and see if the creators mind.

And the Challenge.

Well, there is this house I've been eyeing up. Been on the market forever, partly because it was way over priced (before the collapse of the market). By now it's probably half the asking price. I figured I might try to make a go at getting the money for it, now of course, I want this to be a challenge, and so I'm going to only invest £1,000 (might spend more on any charting packages etc). Not going to aim to get the whole price, just enough to be able to afford a deposit, and make the payments from further trading, might even add some more of my own money to procure said house if I'm successful enough.

I mean the idea is to follow information purely available on this site, to show the extent of the goodness here etc. So will go along 1%-2% risk, whatever you guys think really :D

I will try to post live trades here (complete with leverage, R/Ts, stop losses etc etc), however a) The point of automated trading is that you don't have to watch the screen all day, however I probably will do, and b) I'll be running off a PC with the only monitor being the projector so it's not too hot during the day as I haven't got black out curtains at my current residence yet.

All comments are as usual welcome. Will probably start trading at the beginning of the month, but lots to do before hand.

Thanks

Hotch
 
are you talking trend following or mean-reverting? What time frames?
 
Anything algorithmic really. There are a few strats on here which look good which I might have a go with. Just thought people might have requests.
 
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