Automation, OddsMaker, and Expectations: Lessons Learned so Far

By Rodrigo | October 1, 2007

We are not only software makers, we are our own Guinea pigs (kinda like those hairclub companies). Fully automated trading recently arrived to the suite of Trade-Ideas tools. We do this by first implementing a strategy created and backtested via The OddsMaker. Then we execute the strategy rolling forward via an API (Application Programming Interface)…

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Never Too Late to Praise Accomplishments

By Rodrigo | September 30, 2007

You might think you’re alone on the battlefield engaging the market. It’s not true. There are many who work to support your efforts either indirectly (like your broker, your technology – including Trade-Ideas for example) or directly (like a mentor, spouse, or fellow trader). The people closest to you especially deserve your appreciation – not…

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Poker Odds and Professional Trading

By Rodrigo | September 25, 2007

There is no doubt in my mind that the skills to succeed in poker are the same skills to succeed in trading. Unfortunately most people approach trading differently and in a way that opens them up to losses and eventual failure. Is your hand worth playing? In poker understanding the odds of your hand determines…

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How Trade-Ideas Displays Time: Time & Sales Comparisons

By Rodrigo | September 24, 2007

Occasionally a customer pushes the Trade-Ideas tools in a new way and/or reveals another small piece of functionality. The other day we received an email about how we display time in Trade-Ideas PRO. This is a feature that has existed for a while, but it’s hard to use. We plan to add this to the…

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PR Pitfalls to Avoid from a Hedge Fund Manager

By Rodrigo | September 23, 2007

Trader Monthly’s contribution to my regular diet of news and information comes not via the magazine but its daily email of articles – often from other sources but with a concise summary and witty tilt all their own. Occasionally their own articles make the cut – especially last Friday’s article about a hedge fund manager’s…

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I Bet My Personal Trading Volatility Is Higher Than Yours

By Rodrigo | August 28, 2007

Volatility says in a sense, that what moves up also moves down. Here’s how we define it technically as it applies to our real-time statistical analysis: Definition of technical volatility A resourceful trader knows his/her prey and can identify a stock’s natural volatility so that a natural wiggle doesn’t automatically hit a stop order (See…

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What Your Broker Doesn’t Know, Will Reassure You

By Rodrigo | August 21, 2007

More than a Chinese Wall, Your Trading Secrets are SafeEmails and message board posts mentioned recently a fear that when it comes to automating a trader’s trading strategies, their broker can either: See your strategies Trade against them Front run them or some combination thereof In terms of the Trade-Ideas Automated Trading Bot (ATB) we…

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Know Your Enemy

By Rodrigo | August 14, 2007

“Know your enemy. You’re at war. They outgun you. In head-on combat, odds are against you. You must redefine the rules of engagement. Go into the shadows, yours. Never play by their rules, on their battlefield. Fight an asymmetrical war with the insurgent’s tactics. Play your game, by your rules. You must decide. Fight your…

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14 Questions and 1 Invite for Automated Trading

By Rodrigo | August 1, 2007

More on the Automated Trading Pilot with OptionsXpressTrade-Ideas and OptionsXpress now offer fully automated equities trading to OptionsXpress customers. This offering is part of a pilot program that features the availability of a suite of tools at no cost to participants for the 3-month pilot. Please note: a subscription to Trade-Ideas PRO paid by participants…

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