Chart Trading: Difference between revisions
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The chart trading panel allows placing manual orders directly from a chart. The chart is cursor-sensitive, so right-clicking on the chart will create an order at the price level you clicked on. Orders can be also dragged and dropped directly to a specific price on the chart. | The chart trading panel allows placing manual orders directly from a chart. The chart is cursor-sensitive, so right-clicking on the chart will create an order at the price level you clicked on. Orders can be also dragged and dropped directly to a specific price on the chart. | ||
You can send single orders and entire strategies using the methods described above. MultiCharts supports simple single orders, One-Cancels-Other order groups (OCO), as well as automated entry and exit strategies. The Entry Automation and Exit Automation strategies can be applied by drag-and-drop or by right-clicking to individual orders, and entire positions | You can send single orders and entire strategies using the methods described above. MultiCharts supports simple single orders, One-Cancels-Other order groups (OCO), as well as automated entry and exit strategies. The Entry Automation and Exit Automation strategies can be applied by drag-and-drop or by right-clicking to individual orders, and entire positions. | ||
Orders can be changed or cancelled by right-clicking them and choosing the appropriate option in the shortcut menu or from the Chart trading panel itself. Strategy levels (such as profit target and stop loss) can also be easily changed and moved around. Strategy names are shown on the appropriate levels, showing where the orders came from. | Orders can be changed or cancelled by right-clicking them and choosing the appropriate option in the shortcut menu or from the Chart trading panel itself. Strategy levels (such as profit target and stop loss) can also be easily changed and moved around. Strategy names are shown on the appropriate levels, showing where the orders came from. | ||
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Active orders are shown in a bright color, while dependent inactive orders (wait for the active order to be filled before becoming active) are shown in transparent colors. Changing the size, or the price, of the parent order will automatically recalculate and update the dependent orders. | Active orders are shown in a bright color, while dependent inactive orders (wait for the active order to be filled before becoming active) are shown in transparent colors. Changing the size, or the price, of the parent order will automatically recalculate and update the dependent orders. | ||
The [[Risk Management Mode of Chart Trading]] allows to set an offset in ticks, equity percent or currency, and MultiCharts will calculate the price of exit orders and place them together with the entry. Press [[File:RadioBtn_Mode_RiskM.png|90px]] to switch to this mode. | |||
[[File:1.png]] | |||
==Show/Hide Chart Trading Panel== | ==Show/Hide Chart Trading Panel== | ||
To show/hide chart trading panel, click the Chart Trading Panel button | To show/hide chart trading panel, click the Chart Trading Panel button [[File:2.png]] at the top-right corner of the chart. | ||
==Full and Compact Modes== | ==Full and Compact Modes== | ||
To switch to Full/Compact Mode, | To switch to Full/Compact Mode, click the corresponding button at the top of the Chart Trading Panel. | ||
==Selecting Broker== | ==Selecting Broker== | ||
To select a broker, click the arrow on the Broker Connection button | To select a broker, click the arrow on the Broker Connection button [[File:3.png]] and select a broker in drop-down menu. | ||
For more info see [[Broker Profiles Overview]] | For more info see [[Broker Profiles Overview]] | ||
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==Connecting / Disconnecting Broker Profile== | ==Connecting / Disconnecting Broker Profile== | ||
When a broker is selected, click the Broker Connection button | When a broker is selected, click the Broker Connection button [[File:3.png]] to connect or disconnect it. | ||
For more info see [[Broker Profiles Overview]] | For more info see [[Broker Profiles Overview]] | ||
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Profit and Loss can be indicated in: | Profit and Loss can be indicated in: | ||
Ticks | Ticks [[File:6.png]], percents [[File:7.png]] and dollars [[File:5.png]]. | ||
To change indication type, click the PnL and Current position box. Current Ask and Bid prices are indicated below. On the chart the Profit and Loss can be also indicated in: | To change indication type, click the PnL and Current position box. Current Ask and Bid prices are indicated below. On the chart the Profit and Loss can be also indicated in: | ||
Dollars | Dollars [[File:9.png]], Ticks [[File:10.png]], Percent [[File:8.png]]. | ||
Click the PnL Marker to change indication type. | Click the PnL Marker to change indication type. | ||
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Buy or Sell Market orders can be sent by pressing Buy Mkt and Sell Mkt buttons. Buy Ask, Buy Bid & Sell Ask, Sell Bid buttons send buy and sell limit orders at ask and bid prices respectively. | Buy or Sell Market orders can be sent by pressing Buy Mkt and Sell Mkt buttons. Buy Ask, Buy Bid & Sell Ask, Sell Bid buttons send buy and sell limit orders at ask and bid prices respectively. | ||
[[File:11.png]] | |||
==Place Order== | ==Place Order== | ||
Place Order menu allows you to place Stop, Limit and Stop-Limit orders as well as to automate certain methods of entering or exiting positions (see [[Orders and Strategies]]). It’s perfect for avoiding repetitive tasks, increasing your productivity and focusing on trading. Automation is especially useful when you need to apply an order pair quickly. | Place Order menu allows you to place Stop, Limit and Stop-Limit orders as well as to automate certain methods of entering or exiting positions (see [[Chart Trading#Orders and Strategies|Orders and Strategies]]). It’s perfect for avoiding repetitive tasks, increasing your productivity and focusing on trading. Automation is especially useful when you need to apply an order pair quickly. | ||
[[File:12.png]] | |||
Place Order menu strategies give you competitive advantage over other traders: they allow you to exit the position faster than others. They also reduce the risk of two orders execution and would be especially useful for traders who use pyramiding strategies. Each strategy is an OCO group – if one order is filled, the other is canceled. | Place Order menu strategies give you competitive advantage over other traders: they allow you to exit the position faster than others. They also reduce the risk of two orders execution and would be especially useful for traders who use pyramiding strategies. Each strategy is an OCO group – if one order is filled, the other is canceled. | ||
<div style="background-color: #E3FBE5;">Note: Not all brokers support server-based OCO groups. Consequently, there is no 100% guarantee that only one order will be executed ( | <div style="background-color: #E3FBE5;">Note: Not all brokers support server-based OCO groups. Consequently, there is no 100% guarantee that only one order will be executed (see [[Trading Risks# OCO-Orders Risk|OCO-Orders Risk]]).</div> | ||
Orders and Entry Strategies are shown as icons on the Chart Trading panel and can be easily applied to the chart. You can visually change the order levels, which saves a lot of time when managing your orders. | Orders and Entry Strategies are shown as icons on the Chart Trading panel and can be easily applied to the chart. You can visually change the order levels, which saves a lot of time when managing your orders. | ||
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#Select '''File''' in the main menu, click '''Preferences''', select the '''Trading''' tab | #Select '''File''' in the main menu, click '''Preferences''', select the '''Trading''' tab | ||
#Enable the '''recived from broker''' button to use the price received from broker or the '''calculated based on order(s) execution price''' button to use the price calculated by MultiCarts based on entry order(s) execution price. | |||
'''Exit Orders Management''' | |||
Exit strategies applied to an open position change the number of contracts according to the current position size. | |||
Exit strategies applied to active orders do not change number of contracts regardless of the open position size (do not "jump" onto the active position after the parent order was filled). They remain active and keep protecting orders that were generated by the parent order. | |||
Number of contracts for exit strategies applied to the open position changes taken into account strategies applied to filled orders and their effect on the overall position. In other words, strategies applied to the position protect the remainder that is not protected by strategies applied to individual orders. | |||
If a position was opened by an order that has an exit strategy attached from a flat position, then this strategy is applied to the entire position and “protects” it (see Example 2 below). | |||
Exit strategies applied to positions and strategies applied to orders are visually different on both on the chart and in the DOM: exits strategies applied to positions have “p” letter to the left of the number of contracts. | |||
<div style="background-color: #E5F6FF;">Example 1 - Shows exit strategy attached to an individual order: | |||
# Open position is -1 contract. | |||
# Sell limit order for 1 contract is sent to broker. | |||
# Profit Target exit strategy is attached to the sell limit order. | |||
# Sell limit order is filled. Profit Target becomes active. Open position is -2 contracts. Profit Target size is 1 (attached to the order, not the position). | |||
# Sell market order for 2 contracts is sent to broker. | |||
# Sell market order is filled. Open position is -4 contracts. Profit Target size is 1.</div> | |||
<div style="background-color: #E5F6FF;">Example 2 - Shows exit strategy auto-attached to an order opening the position from a flat position: | |||
# Open position is flat. | |||
# Buy market order for 100 contracts with a Master Strategy auto attached to it is sent to broker. | |||
# Buy market order is filled. Master Strategy becomes active. Open position is +100 contracts. Master Strategy size is 100. | |||
# Buy stop order for 200 contracts is sent to broker. | |||
# Buy Stop order is filled. Open position is +300 contracts. Master Strategy size is 300 (protects entire position since the position was opened by an order that has an exit strategy attached from a flat position).</div> | |||
<div style="background-color: #E5F6FF;">Example 3 - Shows exit strategy attached to the entire position: | |||
# Open position is +50 contracts. | |||
# Buy market order for 100 contracts with a Master Strategy auto attached to it is sent to broker. | |||
# Buy market order is filled. Master Strategy becomes active. Open position is +150 contracts. Master Strategy size is 100 (attached to the order, not the position). | |||
# Buy stop order for 200 contracts is sent to broker. | |||
# Buy Stop order is filled. Open position is +300 contracts. Master Strategy size is 300(attached to the position).</div> | |||
<div style="background-color: #E5F6FF;">Example 4 - Shows both exit strategy attached to the entire position and exit strategy attached to an individual order: | |||
# | # Open position is +10 contracts. | ||
# Stop-Loss #1 exit strategy is applied to the open position. Stop-Loss #1 size is 10. | |||
# Buy stop order for 5 contracts is sent to broker. | |||
# Stop-Loss #2 exit strategy is applied to the buy stop order. Stop-Loss #2 size is 5. | |||
# Buy stop order is filled. Stop-Loss #2 becomes active. Open position is +15 contracts. Stop-Loss #1 size is 10. Stop-Loss #2 size is 5. | |||
# Buy market order for 10 contracts is sent to the broker. | |||
# Buy market order is filled. Open position is +25 contracts. Stop-Loss #1 size becomes 20 (attached to the position). Stop-Loss #2 size is 5 (attached to the order, not the position).</div> | |||
'''OCO-Orders''' | '''OCO-Orders''' | ||
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All Entry Strategies are placed with OCO-orders. | All Entry Strategies are placed with OCO-orders. | ||
There are two types of OCO-groups in MultiCharts: Native and | There are two types of OCO-groups in MultiCharts: Native and Emulated. | ||
Native OCO-group is used when the broker’s API supports OCO-groups. In this case all OCO orders are sent to the broker directly and unfilled OCO orders will be cancelled by the broker. (Native OCO-group is supported by Interactive Brokers | Native OCO-group is used when the broker’s API supports OCO-groups. In this case all OCO orders are sent to the broker directly and unfilled OCO orders will be cancelled by the broker. (Native OCO-group is supported by Interactive Brokers). | ||
Emulated OCO-group means that all OCO orders will be sent to the broker, but once one of them is filled, other orders from this OCO group will be cancelled by MultiCharts. In this case, when one of the OCO orders is filled, MultiCharts will send a command to cancel or reduce size of the second OCO order to the broker. | |||
Please note that in case of high market volatility there may be not enough time to cancel the order and therefore both orders may be filled. Both orders also may be filled in the unlikely event of crash or connection loss. | Please note that in case of high market volatility there may be not enough time to cancel the order and therefore both orders may be filled. Both orders also may be filled in the unlikely event of crash or connection loss. | ||
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Set order quantity by one of the following methods: | Set order quantity by one of the following methods: | ||
* Type in order quantity in Order Quantity box | * Type in order quantity in Order Quantity box [[File:10 (1).png]] in Chart Trading; or: | ||
* Click the Trading Calculator button | * Click the Trading Calculator button [[File:11 (1).png]]. | ||
Calculator automatically increases the current trade size setting by one, e.g. if you had 1 in order quantity field, calculator would automatically make it 2. | Calculator automatically increases the current trade size setting by one, e.g. if you had 1 in order quantity field, calculator would automatically make it 2. | ||
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To set time in force of the order, use the '''Time in Force''' box in '''Chart Trading''' panel. | To set time in force of the order, use the '''Time in Force''' box in '''Chart Trading''' panel. | ||
* DAY – Good for one day | * DAY – Good for one day | ||
* GTC – Good | * GTC – Good-Til-Cancelled | ||
* GTD – Good | * GTD – Good-Til-Date | ||
* IOC – Immediate or Cancel Order | * IOC – Immediate or Cancel Order | ||
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** Right-click on the Chart Trading panel to see the shortcut menu, then click Format Chart Trading…; or | ** Right-click on the Chart Trading panel to see the shortcut menu, then click Format Chart Trading…; or | ||
** Click the Format tab in the main menu and then click Chart Trading. | ** Click the Format tab in the main menu and then click Chart Trading. | ||
* Select | * Select General Settings tab | ||
'''Show Open Positions''' – enables/disables active positions indication on the chart | '''Show Open Positions''' – enables/disables active positions indication on the chart | ||
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Change the style and the size of the components using 28 custom vertical and horizontal arrows and 7 custom sizes. | Change the style and the size of the components using 28 custom vertical and horizontal arrows and 7 custom sizes. | ||
To configure order markers size you should change Status Line font size: right-click on the chart to see the shortcut menu, click Format Window, select the Status Line tab and modify Font Size. | |||
To | To hide "Price and Type" and/or "Quantity and Direction" information for historical orders set style to "Invisible" in the corresponding lines. | ||
'''Active Orders and Positions''' | '''Active Orders and Positions''' | ||
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Change style and weight of connecting lines using 5 custom line types and 7 custom weights. | Change style and weight of connecting lines using 5 custom line types and 7 custom weights. | ||
Connecting Line Length - modifies the length of the line connecting order marker and price label on the price scale. | |||
<div style="background-color: #E3FBE5;">'''Note''': It is possible to change colors and weight for market positions, stop orders, limit orders and stop-limit orders, however it is not possible to change colors of the exit strategies for manual trading (see below).</div> | |||
<br> | |||
'''Default Active Order Colors''' | '''Default Active Order Colors''' | ||
[[File:13.png]] | |||
==Accessing Performance Report== | ==Accessing Performance Report== | ||
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* Connect a Broker Profile. | * Connect a Broker Profile. | ||
* Make sure that the chart shows historical trades. | * Make sure that the chart shows historical trades. | ||
* In the menu select View then click | * In the menu select View then click Trading Performance Report. | ||
[[Category:Manual Trading]] | [[Category:Manual Trading]] |