TradeStation
Encyclopedia
TradeStation is a Windows
-based application
, designed, sold and distributed by TradeStation Securities, Inc. It is technical analysis software
that is used for analyzing and trading the financial markets. It uses a built-in proprietary programming language
named EasyLanguage
.
TradeStation is a professional electronic trading platform
for financial market traders. It is used mainly by retail and relatively small investment operations as large financial institutions tend to have their own in-house solutions. It provides extensive functionality for receiving real-time data, displaying charts, and entering investment positions. Although it comes with a large number of pre-defined indicators, individuals can create and display their own using the built-in EasyLanguage
programming language. TradeStation supports the development, testing and automation of all aspects of trading. Trading strategies can be backtested
and refined against historical data before being turned on and traded "live." TradeStation can either be used as a research and testing tool, or as a trading platform with TradeStation Securities acting as the broker
.
. If any trader has a potentially profitable strategy he would like to have developed, he can either write his own strategy in EasyLanguage
or have his trading system developed by third party developers.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
-based application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, designed, sold and distributed by TradeStation Securities, Inc. It is technical analysis software
Technical analysis software
Technical analysis software automates the charting, analysis and reporting functions that support technical analysts in their review and prediction of financial markets .-Features:...
that is used for analyzing and trading the financial markets. It uses a built-in proprietary programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
named EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage is a proprietary programming language that was developed by TradeStation built into its trading platform. It is used to create custom indicators for financial charts and also to create algorithmic trading strategies for the markets...
.
TradeStation is a professional electronic trading platform
Electronic trading platform
In finance, an Electronic trading platform is a computer system that can be used to place orders for financial products over a network with a financial intermediary. This includes products such as shares, bonds, currencies, commodities and derivatives with a financial intermediary, such as a...
for financial market traders. It is used mainly by retail and relatively small investment operations as large financial institutions tend to have their own in-house solutions. It provides extensive functionality for receiving real-time data, displaying charts, and entering investment positions. Although it comes with a large number of pre-defined indicators, individuals can create and display their own using the built-in EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage is a proprietary programming language that was developed by TradeStation built into its trading platform. It is used to create custom indicators for financial charts and also to create algorithmic trading strategies for the markets...
programming language. TradeStation supports the development, testing and automation of all aspects of trading. Trading strategies can be backtested
Backtesting
Backtesting is the process of evaluating a strategy, theory, or model by applying it to historical data. Backtesting can be used in situations like studying how a trading method would have performed in past stock markets or how a model of climate and weather patterns would have matched past...
and refined against historical data before being turned on and traded "live." TradeStation can either be used as a research and testing tool, or as a trading platform with TradeStation Securities acting as the broker
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
.
Corporate Structure
TradeStation Group, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: TRAD), through its principal operating subsidiary, TradeStation Securities, Inc., offers the TradeStation platform to the active trader and certain institutional trader markets. TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC, DTCC, OCC & NFA) is a licensed securities broker-dealer and a registered futures commission merchant, and also a member of the Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Chicago Stock Exchange, International Securities Exchange and NASDAQ OMX. Its TradeStation Prime Services division, based in New York, seeks to provide prime brokerage services to small and mid-sized hedge funds and other firms. The company’s technology subsidiary, TradeStation Technologies, Inc., develops and offers strategy trading software tools and subscription services. Its London-based subsidiary, TradeStation Europe Limited, an FSA-authorized brokerage firm, introduces UK and other European accounts to TradeStation Securities.History
- 2004 - Company launches TradeStation 8, which includes direct-access electronic execution of options trades.
- 2003 - TradeStation Securities launches forex analytics and execution services.
- 2003 - Company launches TradeStation 7, which includes direct-access electronic execution of futures trades.
- 2001 - Company launches TradeStation 6 for institutional and active traders, which combines for the first time custom strategy design and testing, automated trading and intelligent direct-access execution of stock trades.
- 2001 - Nasdaq trading symbol for the company's publicly-traded common stock is changed from OMGA to TRAD.
- 2000 - TradeStation Securities (then under a different name), a direct-access securities brokerage, is acquired.
- 2000 - TradeStation 6, the Internet-based trading platform that is to serve as the foundation of the company's intelligent direct-access brokerage service, is launched.
- 2000 - WindowOnWallStreet.com, the company's first Internet-based charting and analytics service, is launched.
- 1999 - Window On WallStreet is acquired.
- 1999 - RadarScreen, a software application that enables traders to scan up to thousands of securities to identify buy and sell opportunities based on the trader's criteria, is launched.
- 1997 - Initial public offering.
- 1996 - OptionStation, an options trading analytics product that enables traders to explore complex trading strategies, is launched.
- 1996 - TradeStation premium service is launched by Telerate, Inc.
- 1994 - Dow Jones Telerate, Inc. agrees to offer TradeStation as a premium service to its institutional customers worldwide.
- 1992 - SuperCharts, a state-of-the-art charting and analytics software application, is launched.
- 1991 - TradeStation, the company's flagship product, is launched.
- 1989 - System Writer, a sophisticated trading strategy software application, is launched.
- 1982 - Company is formed under the name Omega Research, Inc.
Add-ons
A large number of third-party developers sell add-on extensions for TradeStation. Since TradeStation is a development platform, a custom trading program can be developed called a trading system or trading strategyTrading strategy
In finance, a trading strategy is a predefined set of rules for making trading decisions.Traders, investment firms and fund managers use a trading strategy to help make wiser investment decisions and help eliminate the emotional aspect of trading. A trading strategy is governed by a set of rules...
. If any trader has a potentially profitable strategy he would like to have developed, he can either write his own strategy in EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage
EasyLanguage is a proprietary programming language that was developed by TradeStation built into its trading platform. It is used to create custom indicators for financial charts and also to create algorithmic trading strategies for the markets...
or have his trading system developed by third party developers.
Software Versions
The current version of the software is version 9.0, Build 8925 - its real-time data only covers the US and European markets (April 2009 : only US and European real-time data feeds: source1 source2) though there are plans to extend coverage to other regions [. Version 5 was called TradeStation 2000i and could use a variety of different real-time data feeds so that although officially no longer supported, it is still used by traders wishing to work with real-time non-US data. The support for Tradestation 5.0 alias 2000i was closed the 31 December 2003 Announce link. Version 4 of TradeStation was 16 bit software and is now no longer used.Release history
- TradeStation 3.0 (January 1993) source 3.0
- TradeStation 4.0
- TradeStation 5.0 alias TradeStation 2000i (February 1999) source 5.0
- TradeStation 6.0
- TradeStation 7.0
- TradeStation 7.1
- TradeStation 7.2
- TradeStation 8.0
- TradeStation 8.1
- TradeStation 8.2
- TradeStation 8.3 (June 2007) source 8.3
- TradeStation 8.4 (October 2008) source 8.4
- TradeStation 8.5 (February 2009) source 8.5
- TradeStation 8.6 (April 2009) source 8.6
- TradeStation 8.7 (December 2009 source 8.7
- TradeStation 8.8 (October 2010 source 8.8
- TradeStation 9.0 [October 2010 source 9.0