I’ve been asked by JD to write about what tools I use for trading so here’s a quick run down of some trading resources fellow traders may find useful.  Since I started with trading in 2000 I’ve used dozens, if not more, of tools such as charting and graphs applications, intraday data feeds, indicators, stocks scanners and screeners with and without strategy automation, intraday market gauges and barometers, spreadsheets, brokers (both direct access and online web-based ones), you name it most likely I’ve used it as some point. So the following is a snapshot of what I’m actually using at the moment. I try to keep things simple and basic, the less clutter and the lower the costs the better.

1. Charting – primarily QuoteTracker with IQFeed but also TradeStation and Amibroker occastionally. I was a very avid user of QCharts, unfortunately with the move to eSignal the application got screwed and became unusable. The amount of problems reported on the eSignal QCharts forum would embarrass any self-respecting company.

2. Broker – Almost exclusively InteractiveBrokers. The execution is great, the platform is rock solid, the commissions are low, the issues are rare, order types variety is awesome, access to international markets, currencies, futures, you name it. What’s there not to like? No charting, a bit of a learning curve for newbies, customer service is a frequent complaint, I don’t have very memorable negative CS experience in the past 4+ years I’ve been with them (which is probably quite telling in itself).

3. Scanners – a must have for day traders – I used primarily IB’s TWS scanners and Trade-Ideas.

4. Position sizing – A simple excel spreadsheet I made which calculates for me how much I should buy/short based on my risk level, entry and exit.

5. Trading Journal – I use Stocktickr to record my trades, it’s a great tool and much better in terms of features and analysis capability than the limited functionality I had before this came about when I was using an excel spreadsheet.

6. I also use Stockfetcher for testing out news ideas as well as TradeStation and Amibroker for more systematic backtesting.

7. Everything runs on my MacBook Pro running Win XP over Bootcamp with just the 15″ screen. I used dual screens back in 2005 for a couple of months but never felt I really needed it. If I had a second internet connection I’d probably run a second computer with its own monitor just as backup + for other non-trading related internet usage and music. I also use the excellent Logitech Cordless Trackman which is a wrist saver (during the week I live inside the computer).

What I never used and don’t see myself using: Trading rooms subscription, alerts services, newsletters, paid indicators (I use just EMA5 for stocks), paid guru consultation / training services, anything costing more than a 2 digits US$ amount (except for must have data service). I did buy, and sometimes still do, many many books on trading, some were excellent but most not very useful.

What else? I think that’s about it. Those are the tools that work best for me, at this point in time, that doesn’t mean they’re the best for others or that I won’t change something. At the end of the day you have to make sure whatever you use supports your trading style and objectives.

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While browsing through QCharts features and indicators I came across an interesting measure which calculates the ratio between the Volume at Ask and Volume at Bid (more on this here).The premise is based on tape reading technique in which the health of the trend can be measured by looking at the strength (volume) of the traders sitting on the Ask (moving up) versus that of traders sitting on the Bid (moving down). QCharts may be a good application but the documentation is bollocks so I was looking online for some information on this feature and found this relevant Chat Transcript – Bid/Ask Analysis on EliteTrader.

So far I must say I’m quite happy with QChart, it has lots of features which I’ve never seen in any of the other charting apps I’ve used in the past.

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