Main Menu
Last updated
Last updated
In order to open a watch list use one of the options:
Select Watch by using Main -> New or
left click the icon in the application toolbar within the main window.
The watch list and the fulfill the same functions in the list chart group.
Right click and select the Add Instruments option to add new instruments or a new instrument list using the Reload Instrument List menu item.
You can manually add instrument symbols to the symbol column. A simple left click in the column beneath the last instrument will allow you to type in the symbol name. In addition to this, the instruments/symbols can be rearranged using the intuitive drag & drop functionality.
Press the Delete button on the keyboard to delete the entry.
By righ-clicking on the header of a column you can access the option "Edit Columns" and add a column to your Watchlist.
In the following screenshot you can choose information, indicators and conditions to be displayed as a column. You can display detailled information for an instrument by adding Information->InstrumentProperty with a double click on it. Now you can set this to a big amount of different information as for example TradingHours, ExpiryDate (Futures), Margin, Point Value, Sectors, etc.
right click within the Watch tab and
select the Open Linked ChartGroup menu item
Select 3rd Level Box by using Main -> New or
The 3rd Level Box window displays the following information:
Parameter
Meaning
Symbol
Chg:
Indicates the percentage change and absolute change of the day.
Price fields
Real-Time
Order part(red edging)
Bid/Ask list
Time&Sales
The combination of keyboard keys and mouse clicks offer the following possibilities:
Hot keys
Order
Ctrl + mouse click in the bid list
Stop Sell
Alt + mouse click in the bid list
Limit Buy
Ctrl + mouse click in the ask list
Stop Buy
Alt + mouse click in the ask list
Limit Sell
Orders will be placed at the current price level clicked on with the mouse.
In order to open the Forex Pad use one of the options:
Select Forex Pad by using Main -> New or
In order to quickly effect entries into long- or short positions, use buy and sell buttons in the Forex pad to place a variety of instruments (including non-Forex-instruments) next to each other. For each instrument you can see the price (best bid/ask and corresponding volume), the spread and the daily high/low. Double-clicking on buy or sell opens a position with previously activated settings (order size, order type etc.).
Context menu:
Add Instrument: opens a window to add an instrument or an instrument list (including shares lists) from the Instrument Editor.
Remove Instrument: deletes the currently selected instrument.
Remove All: empties the ForexPad.
Settings
Parameter
Meaning
Entry
Starting date, it represents the trade entries of the portfolio.
Exit
Exit date, it represents the trade exit of the portfolio (only if "Realtime mode is deactivated).
Interval
Interval of the Periodicity (e.g. 1 min, 1 hour, ...) The chart will be displayed in this time frame.
Periodicity
Choose between min, hours, days, etc. The chart will be displayed in this time frame.
Show Single Equities
The Equity curve will display each instrument (security) in a single curve. On top of the Equity curve the name of each instrument will be displayed and it's total winnings or losses.
Show Account Equities
The Equity curve will display only one curve of all the instruments (securities) combined. On top of the Equity curve the name of the total account and it's winnings and losses are displayed.
Buying Power
Buying power of the account portfolio
Realtime mode
If the checkbox has been checked the Exit date is the current date and time.
Instrument List
Chart Template
Select a chart template for chart representation.
Instrument List shows the following information:
Column
Meaning
Symbol
Instrument symbol
Entry
Entry date (see settings)
Exit
Exit date (only if "Realtime mode is deactivated)
Percentage
Percentage of the Buying Power invested in this instrument (security).
B/S
The user can choose if he wants to buy (long) or sell (short) this instrument (security).
Pause
Stop the download of real time data for the chart (only if "Realtime mode" checkbox is checked).
The DOM (Depth of the market) provides full functionality for placing orders in the market. In order to be able to use DOM, you will need level 2 data, which you have to request from your data feed provider.
In order to open the DOM use one of the options:
Select DOM by using Main -> New or
The left side of the window displays the following instrument information:
Parameter
Meaning
Symbol
Symbol for the selected instrument
Spread
Displays the current spread for the instrument
Cum. Vol.
Shows the cumulative order size for the particular price level
Quantity
Trading volumes
TIF
Validity of orders
Flatten
Closes the position and cancels all orders
Reverse
Reverses the position into the opposite trading direction
What can you actually see in the order book? The two bars right at the top show the overall volume for buy and sell orders. Even if some orders are not in the visible area, their volumes are still included in the calculation.
The yellow cell displays the last price and the volume (in brackets):
When the box next to "Cum. Vol." is checked, you see the overall volume for the last orders executed at the same price When the box next to "Cum. Vol." is not checked, you see the volume of the last order.
You can see the overall volume for the respective price on the left (for buy orders) and right (for sell orders). Values in brackets represent the cumulative volume for n levels (ticks) - in this case for every 5 ticks. You can change this setting as desired using "Size Summaries for Every Levels". In the example below, the 2-level cumulative volumes are calculated on the sell side in the following way: 581+318+510+973+501=2883.
On the left side, the user may notice Volume Histogram (HIST). It displays the traded volume per price-level for the complete chart.
The possible order types are summarized below:
Order
Cursor location
Action
Limit Buy (bid)
Bid-Area below Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
Limit Buy (ask)
Ask-Area below Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button + Ask Checkbox
Limit Sell (ask)
Ask-Area above Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
Limit Sell (bid)
Bid-Area above Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button + Bid Checkbox
StopLimit Buy
Bid Area above Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button + CTRL
StopLimit Sell
Ask Area below Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button + CTRL
Stop Buy
Bid-Area above Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
Stop Sell
Ask Area below Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
Market Buy
Bid-Area on Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
Market Sell
Ask-Area on Market Price
+ Left Mouse Button
To submit a Limit Buy/Sell, Stop Buy/Sell or Stop Limit Buy/Sell order you have 2 different possibilities:
1. Select the cell that corresponds to the desired price and left click on it.
2. To submit a Stop Limit Buy ŠøŠ»Šø Stop Limit Sell order, hold the Ctrl button and click above the market price in the bid area or below the market price in the ask area. The selected cell will be frozen, allowing you to enter the difference in cents/ticks/pips for the limit price and the stop price. The picture below illustrates this:
You are able to move orders via DOM by mouse.
3. Use the cells in the middle to submit market buy/sell orders. This button changes red for a short position, and green for a long position. Subsequently, the opened position and corresponding volumes are displayed in the Trades tab. Clicking on the Flatten button closes the position and cancels the orders.
If the price shifts away from the initial price of the opened position, it will still be shown at the top or bottom next to the price column. If several submitted orders turn out to be in the non-visible area, they will be displayed cumulatively at the top or bottom next to the price column.
The user may access DOM, Time&Sales and QuickTrader properties via button Properties
With a rightclick in one of the columns of the DOM you will open context menu:
Hold: stops price railing (displayed in the middle)
Hide Quick Trading Buttons:on the lower end of DOM Trade Buttons can be hidden respectively shown:
Cancel all orders: all orders are canceled
Flatten: closes a position and delets all orders
Hide Time&Sales: activates respectively deactivates Time&Sales column
DOM Template: here you can safe, load or remove templates
DOM Properties:
Buy/Sell Relation: Here the color settings for Buy/Sell Relations can be changed
DOM Colors: Here the color settings for Ask, Bid, Times&Sales and so on can be changed
Price Levels Count: There you may set the number of price levels.
Fonts: Here you can select font settings
Orders: Here the color settings for the different orders can be changed
Other: Here you can change general settings for cumulative volume, price level count, display of tooltips and so on
Price Volume Histogramm: Displays Volume Histogramm in between TradingPad and DOM
Sizes: Here you can change size of columns of DOM, order columns and so on
Trades: Here you change color settings for your trades and positionen
Visibility: Here you can set, if Quick Trading Buttons, Spreads should be shown or not
Volume Histogramm: Here you can change color settings for DOM itself
The Times & Sales window displays the price, volume and the last traded time.
Select Times & Sales by using Main -> new or
The left side of the window shows the following instrument information:
Color properties:
Parameter
Meaning
Price Alignment
tba
Size Alignment
tba
Above Ask Back Color
Trades above the ask price (text background color)
Above Ask Fore Color
Trades above the ask price (text color)
At Ask Back Color
Trades at ask price (text background color)
At Ask Fore Color
Trades at ask price (text color)
At Bid Back Color
Trades at bid price (text background color)
At Bid Fore Color
Trades at bid price (text color)
Background Color
Background color
Below Bid Back Color
Trades below bid price (text background color)
Below Bid Fore Color
Trades below bid price (text color)
Daily High Color
Daily High price (text color)
Daily Low Color
Daily Low price (text color)
In Spread Back Color
Trades within the spread price (text background color)
In Spread Fore Color
Trades within the spread price (text color)
Quantity Alerts
Allow to set alarm filters for specified trade size.
Quantity Filters
Allow to set trade size which be excluded from Time&Sales
Fonts
Font settings
This function is only available with the AgenaTrader Andromeda or higher versions of the trading platform.
(available as well in the Discovery version)
The stock EOD screener makes it possible to scan for around 7000 US stocks according to the fundamental and technical criteria.
You can use the EOD screener for the following:
The stock EOD screener consists of three sections:
The upper section offers the following possibilities:
Setting
Meaning
Icon/Picture
Add, save or remove a scanner list
To save a new configuration as a list, enter the desired name into the text field and click the "+" button. Once saved, the list will appear in the drop-down box. To remove the selected list, left click on the "-" button. To completely reset the scanner and begin the new configuration, left click on ānoneā
Signal filter
Shows filter options that can be combined with the common filter criteria
Symbols filter
MS Excel Export
To save the scanner content into a CSV file click the MS Excel icon
Load Data
Reloads the current configuration
Reset
Deletes the current configuration without changing the list
Filter
Allows to show or hide the filter criteria
Columns
Allows to define which columns should be displayed within the table
This function is only available with the AgenaTrader Andromeda or higher versions of the trading platform.
AgenaTrader records each trade and keeps an automated trading journal. This enables you to clearly understand and evaluate trading behavior.
Choose the criteria, you want to filter: You can activate one ore more entries, exits accounts, instrument types, time frames and direction (long / short). In case you do not choose anything in "Direction"-box, both long and short trades will be displayed.
Specify, whether you want to filter for entry- or exit-time and define exact date and time for start and end point.
Click "Show Journal".
FAMILIAR FUNCTIONS:
Entry
Exit
Accounts
InstrumentType
Direction
TimeFrame
Date From/To
NEW:
Button: Show Journal
Click this button to load the trade journal with the affected settings.
TRADE RATING (global)
You can evaluate your trades in the JournalTab using the Entry/Exit/TradeManagement Rating, from which the TotalRating for each trade is calculated. Here, the average of all TotalRatings is shown as the overall Rating of your trading. The more stars you achieve, the better you have stuck to your trading rules and the more positively you have rated your trades.
Balance Change
Is the total profit/loss generated by all trades loaded in the journal.
Available Columns
Explanation
Account
the account in which the trade was executed.
Exchange
Stock Exchange
Type
the instrument type (currency, stocks etc.).
Instrument name
name of the instrument.
Symbol
symbol of the instrument on the exchange.
Direction
long or short trade.
Timeframe
trade timeframe
Entry Time
date and time of the trade opening.
Entry reason
the entry strategy.
Entry price
price of the entry order.
Average Price
trade average price
Volume Open
Open position size
Exit time
date and time of exit.
Exit price
price at execution.
Exit reason
reason for the exit from the trade.
Initial Stop Price
If you have started a trade with the AT++ automatism, the price at which you have placed your initial stop is displayed. For discretionary trades, the initial stop can usually no longer be read and the display remains at 0.00. With the initial stop price, the RiskMultiples are measured in the PerformanceGraph, whereby 1 risk is defined as the distance between the entry and the initial stop price.
Volume Closed
Closed position size
Exit Currency
exit trade currency
P&L
profit or loss.
P&L %
The profit/loss as a percentage value of the current account balance at the respective time of the trade exit.
Max. Profit During Trade
This calculates the maximum profit that you could have extracted from the trade. The price development during the trade is analyzed and the maximum profit that could have been reached if you had exited at the high point is outputted. Note: partial exits are not taken into account; the maximum profit is calculated with the initial trade size.
Max. Loss During Trade
Calculation analogous to āmax. profit during tradeā, here pertaining to the maximum loss during the trade.
Strategy Tag
You can categorize trades with tags and then have the total P&L per strategy tag calculated in the later evaluation in the SummaryTag. In doing so, you can summarize several different signals of a strategy under one tag, giving you an overview of figures from the whole strategy.
Fees
incurred commissions.
Swap
amount you have to pay for financing overnight-short-positions or leveraged positions
Commentary
allows you to see the previously entered comments or add a new comment (a double-click will open an editor, where you can also insert images).
Entry Rating
Rate your entry into the trade. You can select a text preset or create your own text ratings in the settings window. Each text rating has a specific number of stars assigned to it; 5 stars is the highest. You can change the number of stars per text preset in the settings tab.
Exit Rating
Rate your exit from the trade; the principle is the same as the Entry Rating.
Trade Management Rating
Rate your trade management during the trade; the principle is the same as the Entry Rating.
Total Rating
Here you see the automatically calculated overall rating for your trade. Based on how you have rated your entry, exit and the trade management, the total score is determined here. This score cannot be changed directly, but instead only by changing the Entry/Exit/Trade Management Ratings. The average of all Total Ratings is displayed at the very top of the Trading Journal as a star rating.
Snapshot
The āOpenā button opens a screenshot that is automatically created upon closing of the trade. You can set the chart template for the screenshot under Global Configuration->Chart-> Snapshot Template. By right-clicking on the āOpenā button, you can also delete a screenshot again if you wish.
With a double mouse click on splitter bar you may open chart where selected trades was running:
Available Columns
Explanation
Amount
Shows your performance per trade in absolute numbers (in the currency that you have selected in the Global Configuration -> General)
Percent
Shows your performance per trade as a percentage value relative to the current account balance in the respective account in which the trade was carried out. The current account balance is always the account balance that was available on your account at the time of the closing of the trade.
Risk Multiple
Here, your performance per trade is outputted as a risk multiple. For an explanation of risk multiples, please read more under āInitial Stop Priceā. In this graph, the generated risk multiples are displayed.
Use Daily Chart
When you activate āUse Daily Chartā, all your intraday trading activities on a daily basis are summarized. This means that per day, for the display, all trades that were closed on this day are accumulated.
In the new TradingJournal, you can load any indicator to your equity curve, from which you can draw new conclusions, e.g. whether your equity curve is currently below the average or above it. This provides you with valuable new insights about your trading performance and its development.
Just like in a normal chart, you can also use all possible drawing objects in the Performance Graph.
You can only activate the Benchmark function if you are using āPercentā as a display method and additionally activate āUse daily chartā. The Benchmark dropdown is then enabled, and you can choose from one of the biggest, most informative indices worldwide, which is then placed in the chart as a comparative marker. You can now rate how good your own performance is in comparison to the selected index. For the index as well as for your own trading result, the percentage changes are shown per day and can therefore be compared. If your percent equity curve is above the index, you have beaten the market. If you click and hold the left mouse button in the chart, you can view the value of your equity curve as well as the percent value of the Benchmark at any time in the DataBox, enabling you to also carry out more detailed evaluations.
Available Columns
Explanation
Key Metrics
Best Performers
Here, the 10 best and 10 worst instruments are listed, calculated for the net profit & loss per instrument.
P&L Trade Graph
This displays graphs that depict your profit & loss per day, per week, per month and per trade.
P&L Time Graph
This displays graphs that depict your profit & loss for every weekday and in periods of 2 hours at a time. Each of your trades is assigned to the weekday and the 2-hour interval in which it was closed. In the x-axis, you can see by the number in brackets how many trades have been assigned to the weekday/time span. These graphs make it very easy to closely analyze whether there are weekdays or time intervals in your trading that turn out particularly positively/negatively.
Win/Loss Graph
In this graph, you see the depiction of your ratio of profit-to-loss trades and overall profit to overall loss.
Long/Short Graph
In this graph, you see the depiction of how many long and short trades you have carried out.
Strategy Ranking
In the Strategy Ranking, you can right-click to select whether strategy tags should be used or not. If you activate āUse tagsā, the P&L for all trades to which you have assigned the respective tag is shown cumulatively. In the second column, you also see the number of trades that were assigned to this tag. If you deactivate āUse tagsā, the cumulative P&L and the number of trades for each entry signal traded at least once is displayed. All trades that were started without an AT++ strategy are displayed as āDiscretionaryā.
The TradeCollection is a āphoto albumā of your trades: a screenshot of all closed trades is automatically created, and then appears in the TradeCollection. In addition, all important information for every trade is displayed next to the screenshot. If you have already written comments on a trade in the JournalTab or in the TradesTab, these are synchronized and similarly displayed here in the comment field for every trade. The TotalRating, which you can assign yourself for every trade in the JournalTab, is also displayed here, so that you can see at a glance how you yourself have rated a trade. The TradeCollection gives you the opportunity to study and understand your trades after the fact in order to recognize errors and learn from them, which is one of the most important processes for a trader ā whether beginner or pro.
In this Tab you can set how many stars a specific rating should receive, in addition you can create your own rating-texts which you then can use for your trade-ratings in the JournalTab.
The Backtest has been implemented as a key feature for analyzing the performance of a strategy on a historical basis. It is possible to backtest a strategy for a single instrument (security) or instrument list (portfolio).
Running a backtest will require:
Imported strategy
With AgenaTrader Discovery and higher: AgenaTrader++ (plusplus) strategy.
In order to open the backtest window select Backtest by using Main -> New.
Workflow:
ā Choose your Analyzer Session in SetupEscort ā Define your Entry-, Stop- and Target-parameter in SetupEscort ā Choose Main / New -> Backtest ā Choose your strategy in āGeneral Optionsā (e.g.: AT++) ā Choose a data source, e.g. āDatafeedā or āFile with ticksā (you need to download and/or select from file) ā Define a timeframe ā Select an InstrumentList (optional: you can additionally choose one specific instrument by simply clicking on it) ā Set start and end times (date and time) ā Go to the tabs and click on āSettingsā ā Choose your entry signal in āBacktest Parametersā and check if stops and targets match your settings in SetupEscort. Yet you have the chance to chance those settings here. Confirm by clicking āSave Setupā. ā Go to āParametersā and choose your Analyzer Session ā Define other settings like amount of bars, buying power and so on. ā Confirm by clicking āSave Setupā. Please note: If you have changed your setup in āBacktest Parametersā, you overwrite your settings in SetupEscort when clicking āSave Setupā. ā Start your backtest by clicking āRunā. Now you can choose if you want to backtest your strategy on a selected instrument or on the whole list. ā In the area below your InstrumentList you can watch the progress of calculation or stop it.
The Input Tab allows the following settings:
Parameter
Meaning
Start Date&Time
Choose date and time at which the backtesting should start.
End Date&Time
Choose date and time at which the backtesting should end.
Instrument Lists
Choose an instrument list.
Time-Frame
Time interval for data representation on a chart e.g. 1Min, 1hour, 1Day.
Strategy
Run
Here you can choose between a selected (single) instrument or an instrument list (portfolio); this starts the backtest.
Open
Allows to open a backtest result saved in the past.
Data Source
Define if a datafeed or a file is used to calculate the backtest. Possible files: with bars or with ticks. The file should not contain a header.
Result tab offers the following possibilities:
Parameter
Meaning
View Type
Choose between Amount, Percent or Ticks
Save Result
Saves the backtest result
This tab shows two types of strategies: 1. Self programmed or imported strategies
The parameters of the strategy can be edited.
Additional parameters:
Buying Power
Cash Value
Commission
Slippage
2. AgenaTrader++ Strategies The AT++ parameters are mainly the same as the above, with just a few slight differences:
The Backtest Parameters category contains the parameters from the Setup Builder
The Parameters category allows you to select an Analyzer Column session from the Setup Builder
It is possible to save the manually edited settings with the Save Setup button
Saving the setup will overwrite the Setup Builder.
The following functions are available under the category "Trading":
Function
Description
Enable Trading Breaks
Trading breaks set in the Market Place Escort are either taken into consideration or not. If this parameter is set to ātrueā, then the backtest only calculates its results within the trading times set in AgenaTrader. Pre- or post-market movements are not taken into account.
Last Opened Trade Handling Mode
If the last trade cannot be completed during the backtest, then you can select whether this trade should be closed anyway (Option: Close) or stay open (LeaveOpen). With āLeaveOpenā, the last trade is not included in the Profit&Loss calculation.
Orders Handling Mode
Possible options are: - DatŠ°feed (e.g. YFeed etc. or a datafeed from a broker) - File with Bars - File with Ticks
File format and data format for data from a file:
File with Bars: .csv and .txt
File with Ticks: .csv and .txt
The Charts tab is divided into the equity curve and the chart history. The equity curve contains information either about one instrument (security) or an entire instrument list (portfolio), while the chart history is always for one instrument only.
The functions Show, Equity and X Axis are only available after a backtest has been generated.
Equity curve representation
If the option Show All is active, the equity curve shows all trades of the backtesting result.
If the option Show Chart is active, the equity curve shows all trades within the charting history area (zoom).
Both options have also an impact on other tabs too:
In the same manner:
If the option Show All is active, then results of the tabs Summary, Trades, Orders, Executions, Periods and Trading Info are calculated for all trades.
If the option Show Chart is active, then results of the tabs Summary, Trades, Orders, Executions, Periods and Trading Info are only calculated for those trades within the charting history area (zoom).
Equity Single: displays only the selected instrument
Equity All: displays all instruments of the instrument list (portfolio) and draws a curve for each instrument.
Equity Account: displays all instruments of the instrument list (portfolio) in one curve.
Please Note! The options Show All or Show Chart have no impact if the Equity options are set to All or Account. The above mentioned other tabs will calculate there results on all trades only and not for a specific area of the chart history window.
The X Axis options allow the user to display the equity curve either with Date & Profil/Loss or Trades & Profit/Loss.
Navigation There are two zoom options for analyzing the results:
mouse wheel
click and hold right mouse button and select an area in the chart history or equity curve.
As mentioned above, the Show All or Show Chart options have an impact on the displayed of the equity curve and the results in the other tabs. If the option Show Chart is active, then zooming within the chart history will also zoom within the equity curve. If the option Show All is active, then the chart history zoom has no impact on the equity curve. Zooming within the equity curve, on the other hand, always has an impact on the chart history.
Context menu
There are several options in the context menu:
Copy
Save Image As...
Page Setup... (for printing)
Print...
Show Point Values
Set Scale to Default
Context menu Graph:
Cumulative Profit
Daily Net Profit
Entry Efficiency
Exit Efficiency
MAE
MFE
Monthly Net Profit
Weekly Net Profit
Total Efficiency
Trade Profit/Loss
Context menu Trades:
All
Long
Short
Context menu Winning/Losing:
All
Winning
Losing
As the name implies, the Summary tab contains a summary of trading results.
Indicator explanations The Indicator results are divided into three columns: all long and short trades together, long trades only and short trades only.
Parameter
Meaning
Total Net Profit
Total net profit (gross profit minus gross loss)
Gross Profit
Profit generated by all your trades within the specified date & time period
Gross Loss
Loss generated by all your trades within the specified date & time period
Profit Factor
Gross profit divided by gross loss (e.g. 1 = profit and loss is the same)
Cumulative Profit
Cumulative profit of previous periods
Maximum Drawdown
Maximum loss in one trading sequence
Commission
Commission generated for the broker
Total Number of Trades
Monetary number of all trades
Winning Trades
Monetary number of all winnings trades
Losing Trades
Monetary number of all losing trades
Average Trade
Average profit or loss per trades
Average Winning Trade
Average profit or winning trades
Average Losing Trade
Average loss of losing trades
Ration (Win/loss)
Ratio of wins to losses
Maximum Consequence Winners
Number or consecutively winning trades
Maximum Consequence Losers
Number or consecutively losing trades
Largest Winning Trade
Highest profit of a trade
Largest Losing Trade
Highest loss of a trade
Number of Trades per Day
Total number of trades per day
Average Time in Market (Min)
Average time your trades are in the market (in minutes)
Average Bars in Trade
Average number of bars of the trades in the market
Profit per Month
Monthly profit generated by all your trades
Average MAE(maximum adverse excursion)
Average value on maximum run-down your strategy experiences against the initial entry point. It is a calculation on how effective the strategy can predict price movements. A low number indicates a very effective strategy.
Average MFE (maximum favorable excursion)
Average value on maximum run-up your strategy experiences in favor of the initial entry point. It is a calculation on how effective the strategy can predict price movements. A high number indicates a very effective strategy.
Average ETD
Average value on how effective the exit condition is at capturing the desired price movement. It displays the difference between the best price possible (MFE) and the actual exit price. A low number indicates a very effective exit condition.
The Trades tab contains all trades from the backtesting summary. Right clicking on the column names opens the context menu, which allows you to add or remove columns using the Choose columns window. Right clicking on the trades list allows you to export the list as MS Excel document.
Tip: PnL shows profit and loss of the actual trade. The cumulative PnL (āCom. PnLā) shows total profit and loss of all trades so far. As you can see in the screenshot, top down - starting with the first PnL - the following PnL is subtracted respectively added on. Each new result you will find in āCom. PnLā-column, every following PnL will be added on or subtracted in a zigzag-mode down to the latest result of cumulated PnL. Please take into account that most minimal deviations might occur as the cumulated PnL is rounded to two decimal figures whereas prices sometimes are calculated to three or more decimal figures.
The Orders tab contains all orders from the backtesting summary. Right clicking on the column names opens the context menu, which allows you to add or remove columns using the Choose columns window. Right clicking on the trades list allows you to export the list as MS Excel document.
Order execution description
The Backtest simulates a real-time behavior in two different modes: Mode No. 1 - Tick based (works in the same way as the simulation account). If the current tick touches an open order this tick price will be used as fill price. Mode No. 2 - Candle based (simulates the tick based mode).
Each candle will be split in four pieces:
growing candle: Open; High; Low; Close.
falling candle: Open; Low; High; Close.
If e.g. the High price touches an open order this price will be used as fill price. The same is valid if an open order touches the Open, Low or Close price.
Difference between Market, Stop and StopLimit order: Market and Stop orders will be filled with the same candle. StopLimit orders will be filled with the next candle. Example. Assuming TimeFrame = 1 Day the StopLimit order will be filled on the next day, while the Stop order will be filled on the same day.
The Executions tab contains all order executions of the backtesting summary. Right clicking on the column names opens the context menu, which allows you to add or remove columns using the Choose columns window. Right clicking on the trades list allows you to export the list as MS Excel document.
The Periods tab contains a summary of the backtesting results based on various calendar settings. Right clicking on the column names opens the context menu, which allows you to add or remove columns using the Choose columns window. Right clicking on the list allows you to export the list as MS Excel document and choose the period type.
Possible period types are:
Annual
Monthly
Weekly
Day of Week
Daily
Hour of Day
The Trading Info tab contains all information about the trade in a trading tree. It includes Partial Trades, Orders and Executions. Right clicking on the column names opens the context menu, which allows you to add or remove columns using the Choose columns window.
To backtest a trading signal it is necessary to set the correct history length required by the signal or condition. To do this the setting "Required bars count" must be defined. In general, the default setting of 20 bars is enough for most signals. If a signal or condition with the Signal Builder or via programming was created that requires more history (bars) the setting must be adjusted accordingly. Be aware that for the defined history (bars count) setting no signals/conditions can be calculated. Only the bars after that will show signals.
Information for Dow Theory signals: Signals created with Dow Theory indicators like the P123 require a long history to calculate the signals. At least 500 bars or more must be set. Note, that your datafeed or file must deliver enough history since the e.g. first 500 bars will not show any signals. Only the following bars will show them.
In collaboration with the University of Aachen (Institute for Mathematics), the Backtest function of AgenaTrader has been further developed and the Advanced Mode has been created. The research paper by Dr. Stanislaus Maier-Paape and Dr. Andreas Platen indicates that a strategy in the Backtest only delivers results for historical data and cannot be a basis for live trade, since the future results can deviate substantially therefrom. Nevertheless, the function Backtest, which is offered by all leading software manufacturers, still plays an essential role in the quality of the software. A well-functioning backtest algorithm is necessary in order to develop a well-functioning trading system. The more accurately the results are calculated in the backtest, the more reliable the trading system is when it comes to live trading.
Furthermore, the research also demonstrates that despite very progressively developed algorithms and tests in the market, in some cases, the calculations are not outputted correctly. In one of these cases, one speaks of situations that cannot be clearly defined, for short SNU (situation which is not unique). In order to make it possible to also react to SNUs, the function "Decision Mode" was developed, which gives the user of the software the chance to make a decision. The following three settings can be made:
Worst case: the SNU is evaluated based on the worst possible result.
Best case: the SNU is evaluated based on the best possible result.
Ignore: the entry signal or the whole trade is ignored.
SNUs only occur in connection with stop, limit and stop limit orders. Market orders can always be clearly defined.
With the correlation matrix, you can compare the performance of individual instruments and even whole instrument lists in real-time (!) in any time based timeframe. The correlation matrix can be filled with all possible instruments; you can also compare instruments from various asset classes.
In the next window, you can select the following settings for the matrix:
Name
Meaning
Instrument list
Here, select the instruments for which the correlation matrix should be created. For the selected list, the correlation between each contained value is calculated.
Periodicity / Interval
Controls the timeframe on the basis of which the correlation between the instruments should be calculated
Correlation period
The number of periods in the respective timeframe that will be used for calculating the correlation. By default, the correlation is calculated based on the last 100 daily candles.
Bars Count / Time period
Number of bars to be loaded in the linked chart. Next to the correlation matrix you see a chart which will assume these settings.
Template
Chart template for the linked chart next to the matrix.
By default, the correlation is displayed in the matrix view, which is a two-dimensional table with each symbol of the selected instrument list on the x-axis and y-axis respectively. The matrix is to be read in such a way that the intersection of a row with a column outputs the respective correlation coefficient of the two values to each other. The correlation coefficient is 100 when the same symbol is selected in the row and column. Using the plus icon in the top left corner of the matrix, you can add individual values to the matrix, for which the correlation coefficient will then be calculated for the entire instrument list again. When you click on an individual correlation coefficient, the corresponding value is loaded in the chart to the right of the matrix. In the process, the instrument from the selected column is loaded to the chart as the primary data series; the instrument from the selected row as the secondary data series and as a line chart. For this, the price axis is changed to percentage values, in order to make the two data series comparable. The first data point of the secondary data series begins at 0%; after this, the percentage changes per period are displayed in comparison to the primary data series. Addtionally if you click on a field in the matrix the InstrumentCorrelation indicator is loaded to the chart, find more details about the indicator below.
When you hover over a correlation coefficient with the mouse in the matrix, a pop-up appears showing a graphic display of the temporal development of the correlation coefficient. For the display, the āInstrumentsCorrelationā indicator is used, which is also loaded into the chart to the right of the matrix by default. This indicator calculates the historical correlation coefficient for every historical period and depicts it graphically. With this indicator, you can very easily monitor how the correlation has changed over time, i.e. whether the correlation between two values remains constant or is subject to strong fluctuations.
Name
Bedeutung
āListā button
Using the āListā button in the top right, you can switch to the list view, where every instrument pair is now shown in the list and the corresponding correlation is displayed. The list is sorted in descending order; the highest correlation coefficients are shown as the first values.
Timeframe
Using āTimeframeā, you can change the timeframe based on which the correlation should be calculated.
Periods
Periods controls the number of historical periods that serve as a foundation for the correlation calculation.
By right-clicking in the matrix or the list, you can call up the correlation-specific display settings. You can set the values from which the cells should begin to be colored, and also the colors that should be used for a value of +100 and -100. The default color (= white) is used for values under the defined limit. Values located within the limit will be color-graded: the closer the value lies to +/- 100, the closer the background color will be to one of the two selected colors for the extreme values.
By default, a green background coloration begins at a value of +60, and values below -60 receive red background coloration.
Important! Correlation Matrix works only with time base charts. Please do not use chart templates with NonTimeBased Charts for the Correlation Matrix
The correlation coefficient value measures the degree of the linear correlation between two values and can accept values between +1 and -1. In the correlation matrix, the values are multiplied by 100, which is why the coefficient in AgenaTrader oscillates between +100 and -100. For a value of +100, there is a completely positive correlation between the observed values, and the price development is completely identical, therefore if instrument A increases, price B increases too, whereby just using the correlation coefficient alone, one cannot extrapolate the ratio of the extent of the increase. For a value of -100, there is a completely inverse dependency ā whenever instrument A increases, price B falls. You can find more detailed information on correlation coefficients under the following link:
You have the flexibility to tailor the look and feel of AgenaTrader with the following settings::
AgenaTrader offers you the possibility of creating a backup of the entire system. Should you ever lose data due to unforeseen circumstances, then the last data backup can be implemented to restore lost data.
Select a series type, such as, for example, weekly, daily ā¦
Select the weekday.
Select the precise time.
Specify how much memory should be available for backups on your hard drive.
Once the maximum size has been reached, the oldest backup is automatically deleted.
You should specify at least enough memory that up to min. 4 backups are possible. This is recommended so that several restore points can be created, and so that a restoration to an earlier functioning version is guaranteed. The more backups, the more certain the restoration of functioning data.
Information about the necessary memory is calculated according to which data has been activated for the backup.
Options
AgenaTrader executable: when active, the installation file is added to each backup, so that you can restore not only files, but also the respective version, and this reduces version conflicts and cannot be deactivated.
AgenaTrader environment: with this, all user data, such as workspace, trading journal, Add-Ons, conditions and co. are backed up.
AgenaTrader data: here, logs, histories, replay data and snapshots are backed up.
Specify the storage location on your storage medium. (Hard drive, SSD, USB ā¦)
There must be enough memory and sufficient write permission in the storage location.
Options
Here you can choose down to the last detail which user data should be backed up. There are two main directories, the user directory and the data directory. The first can be compared to the āAgenaTrader environmentā, and the second to the āAgenaTrader dataā from the simple mode.
Activating or deactivating the respective checkbox decides which data should be backed up.
The AgenaTrader installation file is also always backed up along with this here.
With the button āApplyā, changes are saved. The āBackupā button immediately creates a new backup, and āCloseā closes the window without creating a backup or saving data.
As soon as the āBackupā button has been clicked, the backup starts, and it can be stopped again using the button āCancelā.
Each created backup can subsequently be found under the function āRestoreā.
The user can run AgenaTrader on VM machine (in our case Virtual Box) and store the backup on his local machine. In order to do that please follow these steps:
Create the Backup folder on user local PC. In this folder, Backup will be stored.
Open Virtual Box and click on settings
Go to Shared Folder section and click on Add Shared Folder button
In open dialog select Folder Path->Other and through the Browse Folder window add the Backup folder.
Start virtual machine. Go to folder Network -> VBOXSVR -> User Backup folder and copy path. It should looks like: \\VBOXSVR\Backup
Run AgenaTrader. In Backup section paste backup folder path and click Backup button.
Now you VM backups will be stored on your local PC.
In other case User should zip User and Data directory. By default they are located: User Directory: C:\Users\"PC_Name"\Documents\AgenaTrader Data Directory: C:\Users\"PC_Name"\AppData\Local\AgenaTrader
You may store these zip files wherever you want, but keep in mind that there has to be enough memory usage.
To restore the backup user should close AgenaTrader, extract the backup files from the archive and replace files in user and data directory.
In this window, all previously created backups are displayed. With a click on the desired point of recovery, AgenaTrader will automatically be set back to the version and files of the specified date.
The storage location of the backups will automatically be synchronized with the backup dialogue window.
The location of the user data backup folder can be defined manually. It can, for example, be saved in: "... /Documents/AgenaTrader".
With the default setup, the backup folder is saved in the AgenaTrader user directory (.../Documents/AgenaTrader/).
If you need to restore any data, copy the required data from the backup folder into the AgenaTrader user directory folder (.../Documents/AgenaTrader/).
If for any reason you don not want or need your customized settings anymore or if you unwittingly made settings, you donĀ“t want, yet do not find back to previous settings, you can easily set back your AgenaTrader to default values.
When clicking "Main - Backup/Restore - Setback to default values", you are asked if you are sure that you want to reset all your settings. After confirming this, AgenaTrader is set back to default values.
Please note that all of your settings are deleted!
On an application toolbar there is time section, where current time is displayed.
Left mouse click on a Clock will open Time zones window .
With right mouse click user may add, edit or remove time zones:
Selecting the Exit menu item from the Main menu will close the AgenaTrader platform.
Before closing the program you will be asked whether you wish to save the current workspace or not.
To link the watch list to a :
Once linked, the Watch tab and Trade tab will be colored green. In this way you can freely link the from the LCG = watch list to any chart.
Along with the , and the 3rd Level Box can also be used as a trading pad. In order to open the 3rd level box use one of the options:
Left click the symbol in the within the main window.
Name of the instrument for which Times&Sales / Level2 data should be displayed. Use to open a window for instrument selection.
Day open value Day high value Day low value
Last: latest submitted price Bid: current bid price Ask: current ask price Spread: current difference between ask and bid Size: volumes of the last trade Total: total volume of the current day
If the keyboard or mouse clicks are not sufficient for trading, you can also use the 3rd Level Box to handle via these buttons. Learn more about this functionality in the
ECN: (Electronic communication network) is the ECN broker Bid/Ask: bid or ask of an ECN Size: position size related to the bid/ask prices or to an ECN Different colors indicate different price settings for the market depth. If several ECNs set the same price, then precisely these ECNs will be visible within the same colored area. Press the button to change the ECN color settings for the bid/ask list.
Price: is the price at which a transaction took place Size: is the volume executed with the corresponding price Exchange: stock exchange at which the transaction occurred Time: time of transaction
You can utilize the functionalities of the 3rd Level Box with the keyboard or by combining the keyboard keys and mouse clicks. Define the to make your trading more comfortable.
The 3rd Level Box can also be activated together with the chart, making the orders visible in the chart as well. You can alternatively make orders visible on all charts by enabling the Show TradeMarkers on all Charts option in the General/Chart tabs in the .
Left click the symbol in the application toolbar within the main window.
Left clicking in the Forex pairs area applies the exchange symbol to the symbol field of the . Clicking in the buy/sell area of the currency pairs activates the corresponding order button. To place an order, left click on the buy/sell button at the top of the the order pad (or double-click in the buy/sell area of the currency pairs). If the position has been opened, you will see the volume and opened profit/loss beside the instrument symbol.
The default settings for the order size can be changed in tabs within the Global Configuration.
The Portfolio Mixer is an analysis tool to display total winnings or losses for a specific time period of a selected instrument list with one or more instruments (securities).
The instrument list which contains the instruments (securities) to be shown in the portfolio mixer. Please note that only instrument lists can be used with the portfolio mixer. It is possible to add instruments simply by typing in the new symbol name on the bottom row of the list. Learn more about how to create instrument lists in the section
Left click the symbol in the within the main window.
Tip! It is possible to assign a to the buttons "Reverse" and "Flatten".
The right side shows the list for the selected instrument.
The DOM properties can also be accessed by using the .
In order to open the Times and sales window, which is detached from and use one of the options:
Left click the symbol in the application toolbar within the main window.
Scanning and saving the results (the lists will appear in the in the Screener Presets);
Using the scanned lists in a or ;
Daily reloading of the list chart group or tab chart group. This is necessary because the dynamic Stocks EOD Scanner lists are not uploaded automatically in the list chart group or the tab chart group (however, within the they are always updated):
.
Shows filter options that will allow scanning for particular criteria within the instrument list. You can also combine various instrument lists with each other, or instrument lists with individual symbols. For example, if you wish to scan for the lists S&P1, S&P2 and the symbol RIMM, then delimit these three elements with a comma as shown on the picture:
You can open your Trading Journal via Main -> New -> Trading Journal or by clicking the corresponding icon in the tool bar.
The core element of the TradingJournal is the rating of the trading figures ā here you can examine all figures that have been calculated for all trades that you have loaded in the JournalTab. The calculation of the figures was taken from the backtest module; for a description of the individual values, please read more in the description of the backtest module.
Historical data from a
or
Choose a strategy (e.g. self programmed or AT++). An AT++ strategy must be created with the and chosen in the Settings tab.
Standard or Advanced. Further functions for Advanced: Orders settings Calculate Entry Market Orders On Close: Options ātrueā or āfalseā. Calculate Exit Market Orders On Close: Options ātrueā or āfalseā. The standard setting is based on the Backtest Standard Mode. Here, market orders are always calculated with the next open of the candle. This function can be changed in Advanced, as a result of which the close of the candle is also used. Decision Mode: - Best Case: unclear orders are calculated with the best possible result. - Worst Case: unclear orders are calculated with the worst result that could occur. - Ignore: unclear orders are ignored.
Select Main -> New -> Correlation Matrix .
In order to create a backup file select Main->Backup/Restore->Backup.
If you use Parallels you should do the same steps as for Windows. Please find details about sharing folder in Parallels
