Building a financial trading system from the wide variety of components available in the market can be daunting. Doing it right requires you to consider multiple functions a typical trading system is required to do, then selecting the best tool for the job.
The first challenge is laying out what you want to achieve on the trading side versus position-keeping, accounting and trade processing. There are a plethora of software platforms available from those less than $200 to massive systems used by global financial institutions. At the beginning you should ask "what do we really need versus want in terms of trader tools?" The answer will help guide the decision-making process as you look at each component of the trader's tool chest.
So, let's say you are a small firm of 10 traders with a range of different strategies you implement every day in the markets. This size firm doesn't merit a massive financial trading system designed for a big investment bank. But the firm's traders also are not small fry -- they trade millions in shares and commodity futures on a daily basis. What they need is something that is highly configurable, modular, easy to understand, easy to change, and does the trick.
The main components or modules in a financial trading system to consider are: trading strategy and analysis, trade execution, market data management, position management, profit and loss analysis, and risk management. Depending on the complexity of your needs, two additional modules to consider would be for accounting and user security access. These latter two are needed for formal corporate environments. Otherwise you can rely on broker statements and PC login security.
Microsoft Excel is one of the most-used applications for this purpose. Programming trading strategies directly into Excel with VBA code or formulas is achievable with a limited amount of training. A typical trader can learn to do this fairly easily. User controls such as buttons, dropdowns, data entry fields, charts, etc. can be added in a way that mimics the visuals and behavior of more expensive software platforms. You can automatically import market data (prices, volume, volatility...) for use with technical indicators. Basic if-then rules, with statements and loops can be used to create elaborate or simple strategies. Excel's statistical calculations are a great add-on. Sophisticated analysis can be done before and after the trade. These are why Excel is so widely used by Tier 1 traders, despite the fact they have the most elaborate trading systems available to them.
Small trading shops and invidual traders can execute trades directly in the market by integrating with your broker's execution API. If your firm has an OMS with an API, trade signals originated in Excel can be routed through the OMS and executed at different prime brokers or liquidity centers. Different order types, VWAP and contingent orders can be implemented to ensure best execution.
Implementing an Excel-based financial trading system requires defining the trading strategy, importing and managing price-volume data, computing the right position sizes to balance risk and return, reporting, back testing, graphs, tables, watch lists, etc. You can find add-ins or build components for each part of the process. Add-ins are available for market risk, statistics, greeks, valuation and many other fuctions. A quant can build an entire tool chest in Excel with integrations to FinCad, Matlab and similar software.
If you're planning to implement a financial trading system, Excel is likely to become a major part of your trading operation. Hopefully, these insights will help make the right decisions for your trading success.
The first challenge is laying out what you want to achieve on the trading side versus position-keeping, accounting and trade processing. There are a plethora of software platforms available from those less than $200 to massive systems used by global financial institutions. At the beginning you should ask "what do we really need versus want in terms of trader tools?" The answer will help guide the decision-making process as you look at each component of the trader's tool chest.
So, let's say you are a small firm of 10 traders with a range of different strategies you implement every day in the markets. This size firm doesn't merit a massive financial trading system designed for a big investment bank. But the firm's traders also are not small fry -- they trade millions in shares and commodity futures on a daily basis. What they need is something that is highly configurable, modular, easy to understand, easy to change, and does the trick.
The main components or modules in a financial trading system to consider are: trading strategy and analysis, trade execution, market data management, position management, profit and loss analysis, and risk management. Depending on the complexity of your needs, two additional modules to consider would be for accounting and user security access. These latter two are needed for formal corporate environments. Otherwise you can rely on broker statements and PC login security.
Microsoft Excel is one of the most-used applications for this purpose. Programming trading strategies directly into Excel with VBA code or formulas is achievable with a limited amount of training. A typical trader can learn to do this fairly easily. User controls such as buttons, dropdowns, data entry fields, charts, etc. can be added in a way that mimics the visuals and behavior of more expensive software platforms. You can automatically import market data (prices, volume, volatility...) for use with technical indicators. Basic if-then rules, with statements and loops can be used to create elaborate or simple strategies. Excel's statistical calculations are a great add-on. Sophisticated analysis can be done before and after the trade. These are why Excel is so widely used by Tier 1 traders, despite the fact they have the most elaborate trading systems available to them.
Small trading shops and invidual traders can execute trades directly in the market by integrating with your broker's execution API. If your firm has an OMS with an API, trade signals originated in Excel can be routed through the OMS and executed at different prime brokers or liquidity centers. Different order types, VWAP and contingent orders can be implemented to ensure best execution.
Implementing an Excel-based financial trading system requires defining the trading strategy, importing and managing price-volume data, computing the right position sizes to balance risk and return, reporting, back testing, graphs, tables, watch lists, etc. You can find add-ins or build components for each part of the process. Add-ins are available for market risk, statistics, greeks, valuation and many other fuctions. A quant can build an entire tool chest in Excel with integrations to FinCad, Matlab and similar software.
If you're planning to implement a financial trading system, Excel is likely to become a major part of your trading operation. Hopefully, these insights will help make the right decisions for your trading success.
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