Important Features Tour

In this article you can find an overview of the most important Tradesignal functions. For detailed information, please follow the references to the respective articles.

Classic Chart Analysis

Tradesignal makes it easy for you to create charts for one or more symbols, indicators and strategies. The design possibilities are vast. In the following, some important features will be given.

You can find an introduction to the user interface in the chapter User Interface in a Nutshell.

Creating a Chart

To open a new empty chart, click on the Chart button in the Toolbar. You can then add symbols to this chart, e.g. by dragging symbols from the Toolbox into it.

You can also quickly open a chart for a symbol directly from the toolbar:

1. Click on the Symbol Lists button in the Toolbox.
2. Open a symbol list, e.g. the Nasdaq indizes, and look for the ".NDX".
3. Double-click on the entry. Alternatively, right-click on it and select Open in Chart in the context menu.

You can also enter the symbol shortcut in the Command Line.

1. Enter the shortcut ".NDX" in the command line.
2. Select New Chart from the drop-down menu.

The data is displayed as a candlestick chart. You can change this default chart setting in the Tradesignal Options, see the chapter Set New Default Chart Style. The line and bar chart types are also available as default.

In general, many more chart types are available to you, like Forest, Equivolume, Kagi or Point&Figure. You can find a complete list of all available chart types in Chart.

On the top left in the (sub-)chart, you can find the chart legend. Here, information about the symbols, indicators, strategies, periods etc. is available. The chart legend offers a context menu in which you can find various functions, depending on the entry type.

Changing the Period and Time Span

There are various ways to change the displayed data. In the toolbar, the buttons Period and Time Span are available. Click on the small arrows to open the respective button menus.

• Keep the Period at Daily. With this setting, one bar (candlestick) is drawn per day.
• For the Time Span, select Current Year, for example.

You can also change the displayed time span and prices by directly manipulating the axes with the mouse. To do so, click on the time axis with the right mouse button and keep it pressed while moving the mouse left and right. You can see that the axis is stretched and shrunk. The price axis can be changed accordingly. You can find more information in the chapter Stretch/shrink Axes.

Adding Drawing Elements

In the chart tools you can find simple drawing elements like lines, circles and rectangles, but also tools with a calculation function, like the Fibonacci Retracements or Andrew's Pitchfork. You can find more information in the chapter Chart Tools.

1. Click on the symbol for the trend line in the toolbar.
2. With the mouse button pressed, draw a trend line between two points in your current chart. A line is drawn.
3. Now click on the symbol for the linear regression channel in the toolbar.
4. With the mouse button pressed, draw a linear regression channel from a low to a high in the chart. You can see that the midline and a regression channel are calculated and drawn; they change angle and width depending on the bars (candlesticks) that are included from the start to the end point.

Some drawing elements can be combined with the alert function. You can find more information in the chapter Alerts.

Changing the Chart Design

You can edit the details of the chart design, for example by changing the chart properties in the toolbox.

However, you can also use one of the available chart styles to change the design extensively.

1. Click on the small arrow on the Styles button in the toolbar to open the button menu.
2. Select a style from the list, for example Blue. If you have drawing elements in the chart, you can see that changing the style also results in color changes for the drawn elements.

You can find more information in the chapter Chart Properties.

Displaying Several Symbols in the Same Workspace

You can display more than one symbol in the same workspace, e.g. as subchart. For that, it is important to have a look at the settings for subcharts in the Tradesignal Options.

1. Open the file menu (in the header of the Tradesignal window) and select the entry Tradesignal Options.
2. On the left, click on the entry Chart and then check whether the setting Open symbols in their own subchart is selected.

This entry has the following effect:

• If no subcharts should be opened: If a chart with a symbol is displayed and you add a symbol by selecting Add Symbol in the context menu of that symbol, then the symbol is displayed in the same chart as the first symbol. This can make it hard to distinguish between the two quotations.
• If subcharts should be opened: The added symbol is displayed as a subchart below the first symbol.

Subcharts share the same time and price axes. This has the advantage (or disadvantage) that all changes of e.g. period and time span apply to all subcharts.

Tip: You can edit the period for a single symbol in the chart legend context menu.

You can also display several charts in one workspace. For this, simply add the symbol by selecting Open in Chart in the symbol context menu. This way, the chart opens with its own axes.

You can find more information in the chapter Charts.

Keeping the Symbol Overview

Symbols and Symbol Lists

You can see symbols and symbol lists by clicking on the button Symbol Lists in the toolbox.

Symbol lists are sorted in groups. These are labeled with a folder symbol. Click on the plus symbol in front of it to display the symbol lists.

Symbol lists are labeled with a document symbol with a star. Symbols are labeled with a star.

The context menu offers a lot of functions for both. For example, you can open symbols in charts or in a market depth document. Symbol lists can be opened in a Scanner, Watchlist or a Portfolio.

You can find more information in the chapter Symbol Lists and the chapter Symbol Search.

Adding Symbols to Lists

Single symbols are always managed in symbol lists.

1. To add a new symbol, open the context menu of a symbol list and select New Symbol. The New Symbol wizard opens.
2. You can choose between three options. Select A standard symbol (from the data provider).
3. The Symbol Search opens. Search the symbol you want to add.

You can also add symbols to symbol lists by dragging symbols into them from other lists.

You can find more information in the chapter Add a Symbol to a Symbol List.

Creating a New Symbol List

You can create your own symbols lists, for example to have your favorites in one list.

1. In the toolbox, click the Symbol Lists button and then on New Symbol List in the Related Task area. The Symbol List wizard opens. Select the option User-defined Symbol List.
2. The second window of the Wizard opens. Enter a name for the symbol list.
3. Click on Add to start the Symbol Search. Find the symbols, select them and Add them to the list.
4. Click on Done. The new symbol lists appears in the toolbox.

You can find more information in the chapter Symbol Lists.

Using a Watchlist

The Watchlist is optimized for monitoring symbol data in realtime. In combination with indicators (see below), alerts can be issued when certain data is "interesting" as defined by your indicators.

The easiest way is to open an existing symbol list in a Watchlist.

1. Right-click on a symbol list in the toolbox and select Open in Watchlist from the context menu. The Wizard opens.
2. You can add one or more indicators, for example the "Relative Strength Index".
3. In the next step, you can also add one or more stategies.
4. When finished selecting, click on Done.

Similarly you can open single symbols in the Watchlist.

To open an empty Watchlist, click on the Watchlist button in the toolbar.

You can sort the Watchlist columns by clicking on the respective column header. A small triangle appears (pointing up or down, depending on the soring direction). To change the direction, click on the column header again.

Symbols can be copied from other tables into the Watchlist by using Drag&Drop, e.g. from the Scanner to the Watchlist. In a similar way, you can drag symbols from the Watchlist into a Scanner or Portfolio.

1. Click into a table cell of the symbol you want to copy. A small plus sign and a rectangle appear under the mouse cursor.
2. Drag the cursor into the other table. The symbol is copied into the table.

You can find more information in the chapter Watchlist.

Scanning Symbols

The Scanner helps you search the large number of symbols traded at international markets for profitable trading candidates.

In contrast to the Watchlist, the Scanner offers no realtime information. It is therefore more useful for scanning large symbol lists for indicator or price patterns, for example overnight.

Similar to the Watchlist, you can quickly fill the Scanner by calling up the context menu of a symbol or symbol list and selecting Open in Market Scanner.

As for a Watchlist, you can

• open an empty Scanner via the toolbar
• directly add indicators and strategies when creating a Scanner
• copy symbols from the Scanner into other tables by using Drag&Drop, or filling symbols from other tables into the Scanner
• sort the columns in the Scanner by clicking on the respective column headers.

You can find more information in the chapter Scanner.

Indicators and Strategies

Indicators and strategies are the main themes in analyzing symbol quotations.

Alongside classic drawing tools like trend lines or channels, indicators help to classify trends or offer clear trading signals. In Tradesignal, you can use indicators with Charts, Scanners, Watchlists and more. Indicators can be combined, derived from each other, or calculated for more than one symbol.

Strategies combine indicators with entry and exit signals. This allows you to trade mechanical systems.

You can find more information in the chapter Introduction to Functions, Indicators and Strategies.

Applying an Indicator to a Chart

1. Open a symbol in a chart.
2. Click on the Indicators button in the toolbox.
3. Drag the indicator "Moving Average Exponential" onto the chart legend of the symbol. Alternatively, you can also select Apply in the context menu of the indicator.

In a similar way you can apply indicators to a Watchlist, Scanner and Portfolio.

You can find more information in the chapter Using Indicators.

Editing the Indicator Properties

You can edit the properties of indicators.

• Right-click the indicator entry in the chart legend and select Properties from the context menu. The indicator properties are displayed in the toolbox.
• Alternatively, click on the Properties button in the toolbox and select the indicator in the list of elements available in the chart, on top of the properties display. (For example, for a chart that may be "Chart", "Money Management", the symbol shortcut, indicators and strategies.)

For the "MACD" indicator in our example, you can set the PeriodSlow to "38" by clicking into the field and entering a number. You can also click on the spin buttons to increase or decrease the number.

Applying an Indicator to an Indicator

You can apply a second indicator to the indicator used above, "Moving Average Exponential", for example via the command line.

1. Click on the "Moving Average Double Crossover" entry in the chart legend to select the indicator.
2. Enter the symbol shortcut MACD in the command line.
3. Select Add Indicator in the drop-down menu.

The "MACD" indicator is now applied to the "Moving Average Exponential".

Applying Strategies to a Chart

Strategies are an important part of trading systems, since they combine indicators with entry and exit signals. This allows you to trade mechanical systems.

Strategies are applied similarly to indicators. You can apply strategies to Charts, Watchlists, Scanners and Portfolios.

Here is an example that you can also use for the optimization below.

1. Open a symbol in a chart, for example a symbol of the Dow Jones group.
2. Click on the Strategies button in the toolbar.
3. Select the "Moving Average Double Crossover" strategy and drag it into the chart.
4. Click on the Properties button and select the strategy in the list of elements on top.
5. Set PeriodFast to "5" days and PeriodSlow to "10" days.

Now the strategy is set up.

Alternatively, you can add trading systems by clicking on the Add Strategy button in the Trading Systems group in the toolbar. A window opens in which you can find strategies sorted by subject, e.g. strategies for stops or position sizing.

You can find more information in the chapter Using Strategies.

Optimizing Trading Systems

Trading systems are often based on mathematical or statistical calculations and include many variables. The Optimizer helps you to find good and stable parameter sets for your trading system.

For the following example, please use the system you created in the previous section.

1. Click on the Optimize button in the toolbar.
2. Select the method Brute Force.
3. In the right field, select the parameter PeriodFast.
4. Remove it by clicking on the << button in the middle of the window.
5. Select PeriodSlow in the field on the right and enter the start value "10" and the end value "50".
6. Click on Next. Click on Next again (so that all available data is used for optimization) and finally click on Optimize in the last window.

The optimization starts. This may take some time, therefore a button Pause is available in the Optimizer group in the toolbar. Click on it to halt the optimization and to display the intermediate results.

When the optimization is finished, the results are displayed, in this case for optimizing the Moving Average Double Crossover strategy. During the optimization, Tradesignal has calculated and checked many possible parameter combinations, and the result shows that certain settings for PeriodSlow would have been more profitable than others.

To apply the result of the optimization, for example the number for PeriodSlow with the highest profit, simply double-click on the row with the highest profit and confirm the warning with Yes.

Please remember that the optimization is always a backtest, e.g. working with the data of past trading periods. Therefore it is recommended to check the optimization results against current developments from time to time.

You can find more information in the chapter Optimizer.

Portfolio Trading

Trading with a trading system of one or more symbols, or even several trading systems, is done most effectively by using the Portfolio function. With it, you can trade via a central account that includes settings for money and risk management. The Portfolio also allows you creating a global Performance Report.

In a similar way to the Scanner and Watchlist, you can open an empty Portfolio from the toolbar, or you can open symbols and symbol lists in a Portfolio by selecting Open in Portfolio from the context menus.

As for a Watchlist, you can

• directly add indicators and strategies when creating a Portfolio
• copy symbols from the Portfolio into other tables by using Drag&Drop, or filling symbols from other tables into the Portfolio
• sort the columns in the Portfolio by clicking on the respective column headers.

You can find more information in the chapter Portfolio.

Position Manager

When trading a mechanical system, the Position Manager offers a complete overview over your current trading system activities. It displays open, filled, and canceled orders and your currently held positions.

You can open the Position Manager via the button Position Manager in the toolbar. However, there are only entries in the Position Manager if a number of conditions have been met.

You can find more information in the chapter Position Manager.

The Position Manager is closely correlated with automatic order routing, see next paragraph.

Automatic Order Routing

The automatic order routing function in Tradesignal allows you trading with a more or less mechanical trading system connected to your broker. You can decide if the orders are to be routed automatically or only with a manual confirmation.

If you are using broker software without interfaces to Tradesignal, you can set up the order routing so that the trading activity is only displayed in the Position Manager. You can then enter the orders into the broker's software manually.

You can find more information in the chapter Automatic Order Routing.