a1daytrading

previous article in this series outlined what spyware and adware is. In this article I will discuss symptoms of spyware and adware so that you can determine if you have been infected.

How do I know if I have Spyware or Adware?

As previously discussed, there are plenty of spyware and adware bugs out there that are harmless. If that is the case, you wouldn’t really know whether or not you have it. It is always wise still to scan and search your computer with tools to determine if even the most harmless bug exists. If you have a malicious spyware or adware problem, you’ll definitely know.

Listed below are some signs that your computer may be running one or more deceptive adware or spyware software programs.

1. Your homepage changes to an unknown site or continues to change back to a particular site even if you change the homepage settings in your browser. Many deceptive spyware and adware software programs try to force you to use specific sites so the site owners can earn advertising revenue.

2. When you click on the Search button in Internet Explorer, you are taken to a page that you’ve never seen before.

3. Your browser window starts displaying unwanted toolbars or search forms that are difficult to remove or keep coming back.

4. You receive an increase in pop-up windows, even while browsing to pages that have not had pop-up windows before. Under normal conditions, pop-up windows come from the Web pages you visit. Adware is able to create its own pop-up advertisements independent of the page that you are viewing.

5. Your computer seems much slower than it used to be. Deceptive software steals your computer’s resources such as computing power and bandwidth in order to deliver advertisements or track activities.

Okay, so now if you know you have some sort of spyware or adware bug on your computer. In the next article, I will outline how to control the issue at hand and terminate these annoyances.

author, Jordan Peterson, of Custom Trading Computers, Inc. is a well-known expert in custom built high performance computers, which must be specifically designed for currency traders. Such computer systems can handle heavy volume trading periods with complete success and without any danger of locking up.

Tags: DTT, day trading, day trading computer

Technorati Tags: Day

In the next week or so, Strategy Runner agreed to add two additional buttons to their platform that will hopefully allow Nigel to enter and exit the market faster. This won’t solve all the problems (since the platform needs more modifications to meet our needs), but it should increase the quality of execution to an acceptable level. If this happens, we will inform clients at FXLQ to transfer their accounts to ODL.

MT4 Currenex Tests

On Friday we received the login information for the new MT4-Currenex project we have been waiting for. The brokerage firm involved still has to resolve the latency (delay) issues present, but even having something to test is progress. We will continue to monitor the platform and pricing. When everything is ready for live testing and we get to run some successful live trades, this might become another option for our forex traders.

New Forex Trading System

We will be testing a new, fully-automated forex day trading system next week that works directly with Currenex. It does not need MT4 or any other platform to run and the server where the program is installed is located in New York. Since all Currenex execution servers are also in New York, this should reduce execution delays significantly. I will let you know what the live results are once we have them. This might be another option for some of you to diversify.

New Forex Scalper

Next week we’ll also be running some live tests with an additional forex scalper. If these manual tests are successful, we’ll also start testing a fully automated version of the scalper’s strategy.

I know we don’t have a solution for our FXLQ clients yet, but I know that we soon will - the [near] future looks very promising.

Tags: DTT, Forex day trading, day trading system

Technorati Tags: New

Adware and spyware programs seem to always be a hot topic in the media. The prevalence of these often deceptive programs on the Internet is increasing and the potential harm that they can cause day trading computers is severe.

What is spyware and adware?

Adware and spyware programs are applications that get installed on an Internet user’s computer that in their most benign form will display unwanted pop-up advertisements and in the most extreme form, can degrade computer performance, change browser settings and record keystrokes with the intent of capturing and recording sensitive data. These programs are usually, and unintentionally, installed by Internet users who are installing a separate desired software program that has the deceptive program bundled with it. A common example of this is free file sharing software that users install so they can swap music or other types of media that has adware or spyware included with it. Examples of these programs are Kazaa, Morpheus and Kazaa Lite. These programs can open a day trader’s computer to all kinds of problems including the risk of outside sources hacking into personal information like tax records, trading records and other information stored on your computer hard drive.

To end on a good note: spyware and adware are controllable and removable. In the upcoming article series, I’ll show you how to determine if you have some sort of infection, how to handle the infection and gain back control of your trading computer!

The author, Jordan Peterson, of Custom Trading Computers, Inc. is a well-known expert in custom built high performance computers, which must be specifically designed for currency traders. Such computer systems can handle heavy volume trading periods with complete success and without any danger of locking up.

Tags: DTT, day trading, day trading computer

Technorati Tags: Day

forex day trading broker, FXLQ.

This leads me to believe that some clients have not read my blog posts earlier this month about the termination of our relationship with FXLQ. You won’t see any activity in your FXLQ brokerage account because we cannot trade there anymore. It is obvious that we soon need to start day trading. Brokers currently being tested include one who provides Strategy Runner with Currenex, a London forex broker who will provide Currenex via MetaTrader, and a Swiss broker who has a similar setup.

The two MT4 day trading brokers are almost ready to release their Currenex products. This might happen this week, but it is not a guarantee. The only Currenex broker where we are actually trading live with Strategy Runner is ODL. So far, the Strategy Runner day trading software is performing great, but we need to run it through some more dynamic market scenarios to make sure that it is acceptable under extreme conditions. I want to make sure that the conditions are right before I give you the green light to transfer your accounts from FXLQ to another forex day trading broker. I am planning to make that announcement by the beginning of next month.

Please understand that we’re not resting on our laurels. If there’s someone that hates the status quo it’s me! Believe me, there’s a lot going on in the background. But one thing that I won’t do is rush into a relationship with a new forex broker or into trading under unacceptable conditions.

Neither you nor I make any money if the money is just sitting in a brokerage account. I do not earn any interest on it - that’s for sure; so I want the action to resume; really!

Please keep checking this section of my day trading blog for future updates. The day trading broker green light may come at any minute!

Tags: DTT, day trading broker

Technorati Tags: Day

InDay Trading the News, I discussed the popular news day trading strategy as it applies to forex (foreign exchange) online trading.

Trading the news does not just apply to currencies though. Many traders day trade during economic or news releases using stocks too, even though I like currencies better for this. Why do I prefer forex (or currencies) for day trading news?

One word…”simplicity.” A currency is like the stock of a particular country. When it comes to the stock market, a stock represents ownership for a particular company. Whereas there are tens of thousands of stocks to choose from, there are only a few major currencies available. This simplifies matters greatly when you’re going to day trade during news releases. Ingeneral, all you have to do is focus on a particular currency during each news release. You don’t have to worry about thousands of stocks.

Some of you might argue that in order to avoid having to worry about which stock to trade during news time, all you have to do is trade a stock index that represents the entire stock market (using stocks like Diamonds (DIA) or Spiders (SPY), which mimic the Dow and the S&P500 respectively). While it is true that day trading a stock index simplifies matters somewhat, I feel that it is easier to determine how the outcome of an economic statistic is going to affect the price of a country’s currency than the average value of its stock market.

So currencies still earn my vote over stocks for the online day trading of news.

Tags: DTT, currency trading

Technorati Tags: Day

Day trading the news or “news trading” usually refers to the popular practice in the forex market of day trading online a specific currency after the release of an economic report or statistic.

Each potentially market-moving report is released at a specific date and time every month - and there’s a consensus estimate for each released figure. Generally speaking, how much higher or lower than the estimate the actual numbers come in will dictate how a day trader will react (by buying or selling a particular currency).

Note that day trading the news is not the opening of a position before the report is released betting on a particular outcome. That is more like gambling (or financial suicide). No one knows in advance where the numbers will come in, so trying to predict the outcome is an extremely dangerous and futile endeavor.

Even though forex news day trading is risky by nature, the use of some specific tools might slightly increase the odds of day trading the news successfully. Some of these are: using a fast, reliable news service like Bloomberg, day trading online on a platform that offers one-click execution, and using limits rather than market orders to enter the market.

News day trading is not for the faint-hearted trader, but it can make forex online trading very profitable for those who approach it correctly.

Tags: DTT, Forex day trading

Technorati Tags: Day

Forex day trading system might have a new home soon. Today is the second day that we have been testing the Strategy Runner day trading system with Currenex. The executions have been pretty fast so far, even though the Forex market hasn’t provided us with the quick trading opportunities we like.

Tommorrow’s PPI (Producer Price Index) numbers and Friday’s CPI (Consumer Price Index) and Consumer Sentiment reports will probably create ample market volatility to put our managed day trading system on Strategy Runner through some more vigorous testing. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome.

We continue to monitor the live performance of four additional traders. These individuals are running their Forex trading systems on MT4. Two use some automation and two are fully automated. Nigel is helping us look for other traders as well.

Today I started testing an MT4 day trading system with institutional (non fixed-spread) pricing which shows promise. By next week I should also be testing a Beta version of another MetaTrader system with Currenex pricing. Either one of these might also be viable alternatives for the Forex robot day trading system.

Tags: DTT, Forex day trading

Technorati Tags: Forex

The MT4-Currenex solution I discussed in my previous post is not ready yet. While I wait for that, I’m also looking at a second firm that is promising institutional pricing via MT4 (but I’ll believe it when I see it).

Last week, I also discussed bringing additional day traders on board. I’m still running a few traders through some final live tests. It is important to note that unless these traders pass all my tests, I won’t work with them. I’m very picky when it comes to these things and won’t settle for mediocrity when it comes to trading.

Some of you have asked why these traders won’t get shut down on MT4 while Nigel’s scalping program was. The reason is that they will hold on to trades for at least a minute or two longer than Nigel - something that we cannot force our existing managed account program to do or it won’t work.

Some have also suggested using HotSpot or MB Trading / EFX Group. I have spoken to HotSpot in the past about their institutional product (HotSpotFxi), but they don’t have the same liquidity as the Currenex brokers we work with. MB Trading and their subsidiary, EFX Group, don’t have a PAMM or master account available; which means that we won’t be able to try them out for managed accounts until they do.

I assure you that we have probably looked at most forex trading platforms and liquidity pools out there. The information I usually provide in this blog is just an iota of what we deal with on a daily basis - not because I don’t want to give you all the details, but because I do not have time to write about every single little thing.

FXLQ - Transferring Accounts to Another Broker

FXLQ has agreed to transfer your forex accounts to another broker when you request it. Since we don’t know right now where we’ll finally wind up, I ask you to simply stay put a bit longer. We’ll let you know when you should move your money out of FXLQ soon.

Tags: DTT, day trading broker, day trading system

Technorati Tags: Day

Forex Robot hits the Road - Trades Credited” explains why we are considering various alternatives for our managed day trading online program. If you haven’t read the previous post yet, please do so at this time.

Please keep in mind that the options I’ll be telling you about today are not mutually exclusive; i.e., you might decide to participate in more than one, whether you are an existing client or a new investor. Part of the reason I’m providing these options to you is because some of you might not qualify (”for reasons beyond our control”) for our existing online trading program going forward.

For a while, I have been considering the Strategy Runner-Currenex combination as an option for our current scalping program. We are already set up at a Currenex firm that works with Strategy Runner (SR) and funds for live testing should be coming in tomorrow or Thursday. If all goes well, live test trading might start late this week or early next week. If these live tests are successful, this might certainly be an option for Nigel’s program. I’ll have a better idea by next week.

At the end of this month, a Currenex firm that we’re working with is supposed to launch a true Currenex-MT4 combination (unlike what we had at FXLQ). If successful, this will be the first of its kind (to my knowledge) - an ideal environment to run the current forex scalping program. Having said that, here are our future options:

Trading with Strategy Runner - Strategy Runner is fast and works well with Currenex. It offers one-click execution and the ability to automate stops. The disadvantage of this option is that the account minimum for the Currenex broker we’re working with is US$25,000. This will leave many investors with $10,000 out of this program.

Trading on Currenex via MT4 (when ready) - In about three weeks, this option might be ready. This would be an ideal scenario because all of the indicators and “gizmos” used for the current scalping program are written in MT4 language. The problem with this option is that the broker might run into unexpected difficulties that delay the program launch. Remember that MT4 was not really designed to execute on Currenex. It must be rigged to work with it. Another drawback of this program is that a minimum of US$25,000 (possibly $50,000) is also imposed by the brokerage firm.

Using a Different Day Trading Program on MT4 - Nigel’s scalping program is no doubt excellent, but only the above two options are available right now to trade a certain amount of capital with it. All existing MT4 firms will shut us down once Nigel starts trading more than a few lots at a time. This might change in the near future, but it’s the reality right now. In the future, it might also be possible for us to accept $10,000 again for our current program (using the first two options), but not at this time. That’s why I have been filtering many traders in the background. I have four that I’ll be running through our final analysis this week; two running fully-automated robots and two manual day traders. Their systems will work with another MT4 firm that we have started working with already based on the recommendations of various system day traders that we know and trust. These systems are very short-term in nature, but operate in a way that won’t get them shut down by the brokerage firm. While these programs won’t replace our current scalping program with Nigel, they complement it and provide further diversification for our existing clients.

Please feel free to call our office to discuss these options. If you are an existing client, I ask that you give me until early next week to make a final recommendation.

To more prosperous days ahead!

Tags: DTT, day trading system, day trading online

Technorati Tags: Managed

This day trading business is definitely an exciting one! Maybe we should release an action/adventure motion picture in the near future! Hollywood, here we come!

It’s a hat-trick. We have experienced three back-to-back days of unacceptable delayed executions on MT4, resulting in losses. The good news is that FXLQ credited all three of these losses on Friday (3/2/2007). I already discussed Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s loss in my 2/28 post (”Will New MT4 System Solve our Trading Problems?“). I will discuss Thursday’s loss (the third one) today - plus some other exciting things. See the trading log below and my comments throughout.

This is the beginning of the log:

The day starts with an attempt to buy 25 GBPUSD at 1.9626 at 09:44:59 UK time (see below), which got rejected exactly 1 minute and 30 seconds later when the price was lower; i.e., when the trade would have been profitable. Click here to see the chart.

An order was then placed to buy 25 GBPUSD at 1.9633 at 14:37:32 UK time (see below). This order got filled 1 minute and 22 seconds later when the price was lower; that is, when the trade would NOT have been profitable. This is totally unacceptable and it seems as if someone, somewhere is just holding the trades in queue to see which way the price goes – and is then deciding whether to fill them or reject them (“off quotes”). It is impossible for a trade to have been filled at a price that occurred 1 minute and 22 seconds earlier, unless the price didn’t change throughout that time - which wasn’t the case here. It is obvious that this execution did not occur earlier because the programmed stop would have been triggered - and it wasn’t. The execution was just reported late.

Notice that the first line of the day trading log above shows: “07:38:47 Expert StepStopExpert_v1[1].1 GBPUSD,M5: loaded successfully.” This means that the Expert Advisor (fancy name for a computer program) that places stops on GBPUSD was already loaded. Despite this fact, if you look at the trade log and the corresponding screenshot, the row highlighted in blue shows that the stop was never activated (see “0.0000″ in the S/L column). This is obviously unnacceptable.

The final attempt to exit this trade (at 14:39:55) also resulted in a 17-second delay (from 14:39:55 to 14:40:12). See below.

I asked FXLQ to credit the above trade in question as well as the previous two. This they did on Friday (3/2). I also demanded an explanation for these “mysterious” execution delays that are putting client capital at risk. They couldn’t provide it and told me that they couldn’t guarantee that these problems would not occur in the future. Furthermore, I was informed that the new multi-bank system will not allow the use of Expert Advisors (EA’s); i.e., the programs that we currently use to place stops automatically. This might not sound like a big deal, but it is. If stops have to be placed manually (i.e., without the use of EA’s), it will slow down scalping significantly or make it impossible altogether. Having automatic stops is also the safest thing for the client.

To top it all off, I was told by FXLQ that they wanted to cancel my IB (Introducing Broker) agreement since they weren’t going to be able to provide me with an appropriate solution! This infuriated me even more. Why didn’t they tell me this before? Why now; especially since I have been demanding answers from them for almost a year now?

I then received a termination letter by mail from FXLQ. The forex robot needs to hit the road again! I can’t say that I’m ecstatic about this, but I’m glad in a way. This means that we are being noticed. We are making waves. If this program didn’t have such great potential, we wouldn’t have been experiencing so much resistance. Thank God that I had already been working on a few backup plans in parallel.

I will tell you about them by tomorrow. I don’t anticipate not being able to trade for more than two weeks, so I ask you to stay put until I make another announcement tomorrow.

As the above incident was taking place, a psalm came to mind (Psalm 141:4):

Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.

I’ll continue pushing forward; seeking what is right and appropriate for all of us - despite resistance .

To more prosperous days ahead!

Tags: DTT, Forex day trading, day trading system

Technorati Tags: Forex