July 2007 Letters To The Editor
or return to July 2007 Contents
The editors of S&C invite readers to submit their opinions and
information on subjects relating to technical analysis and this magazine.
This column is our means of communication with our readers. Is there something
you would like to know more (or less) about? Tell us about it. Without
a source of new ideas and subjects coming from our readers, this magazine
would not exist.
Address your correspondence to: Editor, STOCKS & COMMODITIES,
4757 California Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98116-4499, or E-mail to editor@traders.com.
All letters become the property of Technical Analysis, Inc. Letter-writers
must include their full name and address for verification. Letters may
be edited for length or clarity. The opinions expressed in this column
do not necessarily represent those of the magazine. -Editor
KAGI SYSTEM
Editor,
I am a longtime and appreciative subscriber of your trading magazine.
I need information about where, how, or who could help me in finding
the programming in AmiBroker language for Japanese kagi charting. It should
be usable in different time frames including tick to tick.
Have you published any articles in the past on this? If so, please
let me know when, because I have the entire collection of your magazines.
If you haven't published this (and I don't believe you have), maybe
you could put me in touch with someone who could provide it, whether for
free or for a fee.
Jesus Guilabert Miralles
Crevillente, Spain
We published an article on creating kagi charts in our April 2000 issue,
but it did not include AmiBroker formula language:
Gopalakrishnan, Jayanthi [2000]. "Kagi Charts," Technical Analysis
of STOCKS & COMMODITIES, Volume 18: April.
Meanwhile, we checked with AmiBroker, who replies that kagi charts are
available for AmiBroker as code from their online formula library at:
http://www.amibroker.com/library/detail.php?id=236
Hope this is helpful.--Editor
CODE FOR MARKOS KATSANOS' TECHNIQUES
Editor,
Which formulas by your author Markos Katsanos can I find in the Traders'
Tips section of your website?
Michael Riedel
You will find code for Markos Katsanos's techniques in the following
Traders' Tips columns:
- Finite volume element (FVE): April and September 2003
- Volume flow indicator (VFI): June and July 2004
- Detecting breakout systems: January 2005
This code, which was contributed by various software developers,
can be found in the Traders' Tips area of our website at Traders.com. Past
Traders' Tips columns are archived by year at http://www.traders.com/Documentation/FEEDbk_docs/Archive/Y-2007.html.
In addition, you will find code written by Markos Katsanos and given
in his articles in the Subscriber Area of our website in the following
issues: May 2006, November 2005, July 2005, July 2004, June 2004, November
2003, and April 2003. Login to the Subscriber Area requires your subscription
account number (found on your magazine mailing label) and last name.--Editor
BACKTRAK SOFTWARE
Editor,
I buy occasional STOCKS & COMMODITIES articles from your Online
Store at Traders.com, and one I bought recently was "Parabolic Stop/Reversal"
by Peter Aan. In the article, Aan mentions that he used MicroVest's BackTrak
2.0 for his testing and illustrates this in Figure 2.
Can you advise me on where I might contact a vendor of BackTrak?
I am located in Glasgow, Scotland, and so far, I have been unable to locate
them.
I hope you can help and look forward to hearing from you.
Jack Simpson
MicroVest is no longer in business, but if you are looking for technical
analysis software with particular features, you might try browsing (or
using the advanced search feature to search on certain criteria using the
pulldown menus) at our Traders' Resource database of products at our website
at: http://technical.traders.com/Products/home.asp.
Generally speaking, most technical analysis software offers the parabolic
stop-and-reverse (SAR) as a built-in indicator.--Editor
SYMBOLS GUIDE
Editor,
I have a very old copy (printed in 1995) of the BMI Symbols Guide
(from Bonneville Market Information) and have been asked to get a current
copy of this same information. After exhausting all my options to locate
BMI, I am now contacting you for help. Do you know where I can get a symbols
guide? Thank you for your assistance.
Beverly
If our (collective) memory serves, BMI was a product of DBC (Data Broadcasting
Co.), which became IDC (Interactive Data Corp.) when it merged with FT's
Interactive Data.
In any case, the BMI Symbols Guide is no longer in print. References
to BMI started disappearing in the mid-1990s. Standard & Poor's used
to print an annual symbols guide, probably up until around the time the
Internet took off. But these days, symbol lookup is usually done over the
Internet. You can find these tools at the websites of the exchanges, brokerage
firms, and other financial sites such as Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com)
and BigCharts.com. Maybe the online tools will serve your needs.--Editor
HISTORICAL DATA FOR S&P OPTIONS
Editor,
Do you know where I might go to find historical data for options
on S&P futures? Any direction would be appreciated. I thought that
your magazine had CDs in the past.
Mark Ver Bryck
Technical Writer David Penn replies:
Your best source for historical data for options on S&P 500 index
futures would probably be the exchange where those products are traded.
The S&P 500 index futures are traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
(CME). The website is http://www.cme.com.
Here is a link to a PDF file that is a "frequently asked question" about
pricing and availability of historical data:
http://www.cme.com/files/historicaldataFAQ.pdf
I hope this helps. Best of luck.
HISTORICAL FUTURES DATA
Editor,
I have an account with a US broker, but unfortunately I discovered
that it does not meet my needs for historical data. Would you be able to
refer any firms that to me that supply historical data for all futures
contracts traded at the exchanges of US and Europe? Any help from your
readers will be greatly appreciated. Information can be sent to me at marcofkt@hotmail.com.
Marco Fornasier
We don't have such a list to offer you, but you might try checking our
Traders' Resource database at our website at http://technical.traders.com/Products/home.asp
for a list of brokers to follow up on, or maybe a reader will have a suggestion.--Editor
FUTURES & OPTIONS QUOTES
Editor,
Can someone suggest a good website for free quotes on futures and
options on futures? I would prefer them in MetaStock format.
From our Message-Boards at Traders.com
Technical Writer David Penn replies:
The best sites for free quotes on futures and options on futures are
the exchanges at which the futures and options on futures are traded, although
those quotes will be delayed. However, most of the quotes you get for free
will be delayed rather than real-time.
Other websites you might check out include ino.com, futuresource.com,
and bohlish.com. Bohlish.com is actually a futures brokerage firm. But
their free data, especially for options on futures, is worth taking a look
at.
TRADING COMPETITIONS OR VIRTUAL TRADING
Editor,
I am looking at learning more about trading and would like to know
if there are any competition sites/virtual trading/schools out there. Any
links would be appreciated.
From our Message-Boards at Traders.com
Technical Writer David Penn replies:
There are far fewer trading competitions than there used to be. Still,
various brokerages will occasionally sponsor a trading contest as a way
to help drum up new business. This is especially popular in foreign exchange
trading these days (for example, FXCM is currently running a trading contest).
Forex dealers also offer demo accounts that traders can use to practice
trading currencies -- usually for 30 days for free without having to open
up an account.
Virtual trading has also become less widespread. My favorite virtual
trading website for stocks is Virtual Stock Exchange, which has been around
for a few years now:
http://www.virtualstockexchange.com
With regard to trading schools, you are in much better luck. There is
a wide variety of trading schools to investigate, such as MarketWise, Pristine.com,
and the Online Trading Academy. Consider also the trading centers and schools
that have won recognition in our annual Readers' Choice poll. (This
listing is found in our Bonus Issue.)
Back to July 2007 Contents
Originally published in the July 2007 issue of Technical Analysis
of STOCKS & COMMODITIES magazine. All rights reserved. © Copyright
2007, Technical Analysis, Inc.
