Topic: Users' Questions and Answers

Hello dear friends,
Here we will publish some of the most interesting questions, we've received in the e-mail.
Of course, we will try to answer too!

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   Hello. I'm having trouble testing a strategy of mine. Is there a number I can
call to talk to someone?

If not then here is my strategy: GBP/JPY 30min chart, plot a 100sma and
9ema. Buy when 9ema crosses up 100sma, stop loss=45 pips, take profit=45
pips. if it is possible to test with a trailing stop could you let me know
how to do it.

Thank you very much!!

A: Of course you can ask everything. We or some of our users will answer you. The preferable way is to ask your questions here in the forum. Thus will help to the other readers with  similar interests.

Currently you can't set crossing of SMA and EMA, but there are at least three ways to set crossing of two MA with different periods and shifts but using one method of smoothing.

See the following examples :

MA(9) crosses the MA(100) upward

1st way
#####################
[Opening logic condition]
     MA Oscillator
     The MA Oscillator crosses the Level line upward
     Smoothing method  -  Simple
     Base price  -  Close
     Fast MA period  -  9
     Slow MA period  -  100
     Level  -  0
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

2nd way
#####################
[Opening logic condition]
Alligator
     The Teeth crosses the Jaws upward
     Smoothing method  -  Smoothed
     Base price  -  Median
     Jaws period  -  100
     Jaws shift  -  0
     Teeth period  -  9
     Teeth shift  -  0
     Lips period  -  5
     Lips shift  -  3
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

3rd way
#####################
[Opening logic condition]
MACD
     The MACD line crosses the zero line upward
     Smoothing method  -  Exponential
     Base price  -  Close
     Slow MA period  -  100
     Fast MA period  -  9
     Signal line period  -  9
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes


In the current version of the program you can't use GBP/JPY. We will include more quotes later.

This is an example of a strategy with a logic suggested by you:

Forex Strategy Builder V 2.4.0.0
Strategy name: New
Exported on: 4/7/2007 1:59:15 PM

Market: EURUSD 1 Hour
Spread: 4 pips
Swap Number: 1 pip

Balance: -454 pips
Minimum account: -454 pips
Maximum drawdown: 1146 pips
Time in position: 24 %

The same direction signal - does Nothing
The opposite direction signal - does Nothing

[Opening point of the position]
Bar Opening
     The market entry is at the beginning of the bar
     Base price  -  Open

[Opening logic condition]
MACD
     The MACD line crosses the zero line upward
     Smoothing method  -  Exponential
     Base price  -  Close
     Slow MA period  -  100
     Fast MA period  -  9
     Signal line period  -  9
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

[Closing point of the position]
Stop Limit
     Stop  -  -45
     Limit  -  45

Or with closing at a Traling Stop

[Closing point of the position]
Trailing Stop
     Stop  -  -40

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   WHAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY TO PUT TOGETHER NEW .CSV FILES FOR OTHER PAIRS SUCH AS GBPJPY?

A:   Go to menu Market -> Edit Instruments.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   I need data in different formats. Do you have any data converter to txt format?

A:   Actually the .csv file is a text file. CSV means comma separated value (there is commas between the data records). You can easy edit those files with a text editor or with MS Excel. For more info see  this post.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   Dear Sir,

I can not start building my strategy, I can't get the program to quote real prices,
or to download recent information.

Thank you.

A:  Please, describe what exactly you can't do. We will try to help you.
For the moment there is no live data feed. This will be possible later.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   How do you use Program ?

What are the Strategies ?

  Please Advise

A: You can find more information into the online forex help  system or browsing this forum. Useful articles are posted into the Forex Library.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   Hi,
I'm new in fx market I' don't have much knowledge about the indicators of fx
market. I visit your site is very knowledgeable and i also download your
strategy builder software. Can you sent me a user guide to me.

your truly

A:   Please, browse the online help, the forum, the library and the blog. Take a look into the Frequently Asked Questions.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   I would like to know what are the new improvements with this version.
  Is there a user guide or something related to this version?
  Thank you for your time.

A:   For the moment there is not published documentation for the last version (v2.4.0.0). It will be available soon.
The improvements are:
1. The back-testing logic is improved - it computes many special cases beter (for example - the price can't pass trough the MA without a signal)
2. The situation when the Revers signal opens two lots (when the position has been closed before recversing) is corrected.
3. The lots of the order are determined in the fly (in the moment of executing of the order) - it corrects some side effects.
4. There are no more Open/Close logic conditions in the Open/Close slots. They are exactly what means - The open slot shows the entry point on the market (Open a position, Adding or reversin price) and the close slot shows the exit price only.
5. Many new indicators have been added.
6. Indicator - indicator oscillators added.
7. Indicator - Moving Average oscillators added.
8. The program uses a nNew better and more intuitive user interface.
9. An optimizing function has been added.
10. Better publishing function.
11. Some minor bugs have been fixed.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   Hello,
I am just testing your nice tool, and the first problem I bumped into, was
the fact that the Stop/Limit exit method was limited to 300 pips and -300
pips. Why is that? Why not leave it unlimited, so that people who want to
try longer term strategies can also work with your tool?

Anyway, at a first view it looks nice - I only wish that there was an
option to make all the GUI elements with a  black background and white/yellow
text.

A:   The reason for that limitation is to prevent a memory overflow when a user set too wide stop/limit on a short period and the strategy allows adding to the position. It is possible in this case to have thousands transactions prior closing the position (if there is closing at all). FSB keeps records for all orders, positions and transactions (you can use up to 50000 bars data) also unlimited undo and even more if optimizing. Increasing of that limits will lead to narrowing others. It is a some kind of compromise. 

Color themes will be included in the next versions.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   Also, I was unable to find a way (I admit it, I am just now starting to
look) to make some simple strategies, like MA5 crosses MA25.
And, I was unable to understand how to make a strategy that goes both long
and short (with reversed conditions)

A:  There are several ways to set crossing between two moving averages - see post #2 in this topic.

For reversing the position use Close and Reverse in the [Closing point of the position] slot (the red one).
See this example:

[Opening point of the position]
Bar Opening
     The market entry is at the beginning of the bar
     Base price  -  Open

[Opening logic condition]
MA Oscillator
     The MA Oscillator rises
     Smoothing method  -  Simple
     Base price  -  Close
     Fast MA period  -  5
     Slow MA period  -  25
     Level  -  0
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

[Closing point of the position]
Close and Reverse
     Close all positions and open a new one in the opposite direction

11

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Ok - replying to the last two posts:

The ability to set higher stops and limits is a must in my opinion - that is if this tool is to be usable by more serious traders. A memory overflow is a technical problem that I am sure can be resolved. I am building strategies for 2 years now and in my view, systems that accumulate a position, must have a far (or not at all) stop loss - after all, we are averaging down.

Glad to hear about color themes.

As for the SMA crosses - this is a good enough solution I guess, but it is less generic than I would have expected.

Also - a brand new question for anyone in the forum:
I noticed that some of the forums here show screenshots of the FSB that I have not seen in the version that I downloaded. Specifically, the ones in the first strategy link on the Strategies download page.
Is this a screenshot of an older version?

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Oh - and I forgot this:

When I asked about reverse, I did not mean stop and reverse, but for example:
I want to open long when bar closes below the MA and RSI is below 30 (just an example)
AND
I want to open shorts on the opposite (price above the MA and RSI above 70)

So, in fact there are three possible scenarios:
1. We are at a long signal
2. We are at a short signal
3. There is no signal (30 > RSI > 70)

Can be done?

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

See this:

[Opening point of the position]
Bar Opening
     The market entry is at the beginning of the bar
     Base price  -  Open

[Opening logic condition]
Moving Average
     The current bar opens below the MA value
     Smoothing method  -  Simple
     Base price  -  Close
     Period  -  21
     Shift  -  0
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

[Opening logic condition]
RSI
     The RSI is lower than the Level line
     Smoothing method  -  Simple
     Base price  -  Close
     Smoothing period  -  14
     Level  -  30
     Use previous bar value  -  Yes

[Closing point of the position]
Bar Closing
     The market exit is at the end of the bar
     Base price  -  Close

How to check "bar closes below the MA"?
You can check the current bar closing and to open at the Closing bar price(you lose a rollover(if day chart)) or as the shown example we check the current bar opening and we open at the Open price.

To check the bar closing we can set:

[Opening point of the position]
Bar Closing
     The market entry is at the end of the bar
     Base price  -  Close

[Opening logic condition]
Moving Average
     The position's opening price is lower than the MA value


For the RSI (as for all the other indicators) we have to set the logic for long positions only. FSB uses the mirrored logic for the short positions.

[Opening logic condition]
RSI
     The RSI is lower than the Level line
     Level  -  30

As you can see in the dynamic info in the chart. When the RSI is lower then 30 it allows long opening and when it is higher than 70 (70 is the mirror value of 30 for RSI) it allows short opening.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Sorry for the perhaps silly question that only I dont know the answer to - is there a way to import the strategy postings on this forum to FSB?

15 (edited by DannyBens 2007-04-12 20:16:37)

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Can someone tell me what is the "additional smoothing" parameter in the Momentum indicator? Couldnt find anything on that on the help pages. Usually Momentum only has a Period parameter, so what is this additional one? I would like to replicate the indicator in a scripting language.

Is it simply an SMA on the Momentum? (assuming I choose Simple smoothing)

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

FSB platform allows you some additional parameters to the indicators.
Normally the Momentum is the difference between the current price and the price n bars ago. FSB allows you to smooth the Momentum applying on it a Moving Average with a period and method of your choice.
The parameters are: Method of smoothing - the method of this additional smoothing and its period.
If you do not want to use it, live the period equal to 1(or 0).

You can't directly import the strategies. Arrange it in the program.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Data question:
Can FSB "understand" the formatting of the date field, if it is different than yyyy.mm.dd?

If not, I would suggest to at least also allow yyyy/mm/dd and yyyy-mm-dd.
Most of the data sources that I have seen use one of these as default.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

There are no problems with these. They have to work fine.

FSB will try to load your file, it dynamically analyze the format of date/time, column delimiter and the point symbol. Just try with your data file. If it doesn't work. Post a part of it here to see what we can do.

FSB recognize these data delimiters:

Date delimiters: - . / (yyyy.mm.dd yyyy-mm-dd yyyy/mm/dd dd/mm/yyyy dd.mm.yyyy dd-mm-yyyy)
Time delimiter:  :  (hh:mm)
Column delimiters: tab, space, ;, comma (1.2345 1.2345    1.2345,1.2345    1.2345\t1.2345 1.2345;1.2345)
Point symbol: . , (1.2345 or 1,2345)

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Hmm. smart.

I guess that since it is a new product, this was not a priority feature.
Instead of just testing my data, I spent the last hour developing a converter... smile

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

The FSB's main purpose is to be easy and useful (and FREE for ever)

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Ok, I must be doing something wrong with adding additional symbols.
I have created an output file that looks similar in formatting to the original data format, and I place the file in the Data folder.

I call the file AUDJPY1440.csv
A sample of the data looks like this:
2000.01.03,00:00,67.080002,67.419998,66.730003,66.830002,0
2000.01.04,00:00,66.830002,67.889999,66.720001,67.589996,0

Why isnt FSB reading it? Or, where do I configure the symbol list?

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

No more symbols except  the four majors can be added in this version. It will be possible soon. There is no a special reason for that. Just the code is not finished.

23 (edited by DannyBens 2007-04-13 11:51:55)

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

I suspected this will be the answer... I hate the majors.
So - for now, I can rename my AUDJPY to USDJPY and it will work fine yes?
I am assuming you have some logic to determine the pip size (0.0001 for almost all, and 0.01 for xxxJPY) - if so, I am guessing that all my 0.01 symbols should use the USDJPY slot and all others (0.0001) should use any other slot.

Correct?

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Yes, for the moment this is the solution. Sorry for this complication.

Edit:

In the latest FSB versions you can set the Point individually for every instruments.

Re: Users' Questions and Answers

Q:   How does FSB calculate Pivot Points . . . and are they daily or weekly?

A:   FSB uses the loaded time frame to calculate Pivot Points.
If you use 1 day data the pivots are daily, but for 1 Hour data - hourly


Edit:
   In the latest versions of FSB you can choose the base period for Pivot Points - Daily or the Current.