forex software

Create and Test Forex Strategies

forex software
Forex Software
Products
Expert Advisor Studio Forex Strategy Builder Professional Top 10 Robots App Express Generator CoinRang Trading Courses Historical Forex Data
Purchase Partners Repository Docs & Guides Forum

Skip to forum content

Forex Software

Create and Test Forex Strategies

You are not logged in. Please login or register.

Forex Software → Help and Support → Not enough data available from broker

Pages 1

You must login or register to post a reply

RSS topic feed

Posts: 10

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Topic: Not enough data available from broker

Hi,

I'm having difficulty finding a UK broker that gives enough data for backtesting.

I should mention that I'm only looking at demo data at the moment, but it usually only goes back two weeks, which is obviously not enough.

I posted a while ago about this, and Blaiserboy said he doesn't bother looking at broker data until he's found a strategy he's interested in, which sounds fair enough, and probably the way I'll try first until, if and when, I find something i prefer more, but it bothers me that the best data I can currently find from a UK broker is only two weeks.

I've dug around on Google a bit, and found that there is a method of downloading around 3 years of tick data from Dukascopy or similar, and converting it to be uploaded to your broker's MT4 Terminal - here:  https://eareview.net/tick-data

My head is swimming with questions at the moment while I try to figure it out, but things I'm wondering are:

1) Do I even need to do this, given that the FSB data is already from Dukascopy?
2) Is it even possible to "tell" a broker what their data is?
3) Would doing this mess with the way FSB Pro works?

2 Reply by Irmantas (edited by Irmantas 2016-10-02 16:54:54)

  • Registered: 2016-05-16
  • Posts: 190

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Hi,
I use broker data only to compare short period with free Dukascopy data. Beware of different timezones. If no big differences found in strategies results and entries I conclude that it's the same and I can use this strategy with high level of confidence with chosen broker.

I do not want to promote here anything, but I am using "tickstory" software (already had license a long time ago) , which uses the same Ducascopy data. What I like about that soft that it has already built in "forexsb" data format, also I can choose different timezone, what is important if your broker uses DST or other timezone than original Ducascopy.

Before that I used methods described what FSB gives, was pretty happy, but after I got in need of +2/+3 GMT DST timezone, I started to look for different data source.

By the way, you surely do not need anything from that site.

Hope it helps

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Hi Irmantas, thanks for the reply.

Can you explain a bit more about how to avoid timezone problems?

  • Registered: 2016-05-16
  • Posts: 190

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Original Ducascopy data is GMT 0 (if I am correct), not many brokers uses it. And if your broker is UK based, probably it is GMT +2 , or like me with DST (daylight saving time), you will get H4 ir daily candle difference. With smaller <4h time frames there is no big deal, just few hours shift of time, no market/candle structure change. So before using tickstory I was aware of that few hours shift in <4h timeframes, but I could not get same entries/results with >1h with ducascopy and my boker data, so I needed to convert ducasdata to different timezone.... so that tickstory did great job for me smile

https://s14.postimg.org/mosoindvx/example.png

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Thanks for your help, Irmantas smile

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Just been looking at Tickstory, I guess the main benefit of it is that it goes down to tick data, where FSB Pro only goes down to M1, would that be correct?

So you import Tickstory tick data into FSB Pro to backtest strategies, then upload EA's to your brokers MT4?

Do you randomly cross reference broker with Tickstory data to check if it's the same? Are you sure that's reliable?

Thanks,
Simon.

  • Registered: 2016-05-16
  • Posts: 190

Re: Not enough data available from broker

No, I don't import tick data to FSB, I start from 1 minute bar timeframes. I think fsb do not support tick data, also it's enough for me 1 minute bars. You can use ducascopy data (what comes since 2007) from whatever source you want, you can use tickstory or can do it this way http://forexsb.com/wiki/fsbpro_guide/history_center . I choose tickstory because timezones, what I already explained.

After finding something in FSB with long ducascopy data, I check for a short period of time if my broker data shows similar entries/results in FSB too. Short because broker do not have long history. If results/entries is the same, I can safely conclude that everything is OK with broker data and my strategy, if not it is first sign that your strategy sucks, because good strategies works with different data. Few different bars should not make drastic changes in strategies performance.

After that I upload EA to mt4 and run a short backtest in tester too, to check it again, to compare entries/results, sometimes you can find big differences and sometimes some bug in custom fsb indicator (happened few times for me).

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Again, thanks for your help Irmantas.

  • Simon
  • Licensed Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2016-07-08
  • Posts: 107

Re: Not enough data available from broker

Just coming back to this after a distracting week of work...

Irmantas, would it be correct to say that you can just work entirely using the default FSB profile?

Could you set the Symbol/Account balance/Leverage settings in the default FSB profile to match that of your broker, and safely create strategies to be exported to your broker MT4?

  • Registered: 2016-05-16
  • Posts: 190

Re: Not enough data available from broker

The answer is yes smile there is no reason to doubt FSB if all settings and data is the same. Maybe it can be some problems for you if you are from USA and using mt4 broker with USA regulations/restrictions? Read some recent post about someone struggling with this (can't find fast a link for you ...). However I do not know much about this and can't help.

Posts: 10

Pages 1

You must login or register to post a reply

Forex Software → Help and Support → Not enough data available from broker

Similar topics in this forum