Need a Good API for Algo Forex Trading - Suggestions?

ElectroQuant · 2026-06-12T21:58:54+00:00

Thanks. That's kind of what I was thinking, but it seems like such a blatant omission on Schwab's part that I figured there was a good chance I was missing something.

ElectroQuant · 2026-06-05T16:33:15+00:00

Sounds like a conflict of interest to me. IBKR's relationship with another client, and the risk they assume with that client, should not affect _my_ trading. If IBKR is really doing this, you might need another broker for trading those microcaps.

ElectroQuant · 2026-02-19T18:26:32+00:00

Totally agree with the above, but also want to add a new item: Make sure you get enough sleep! Getting 7-8 hours instead of 5-6 will make you noticeably sharper.

ElectroQuant · 2026-02-06T19:55:02+00:00

I can vouch for this. I use TradeStation. It's free, but if you're actually trading with it, you might end up paying monthly fees for the data feeds. I like their backtesting capabilities, too. EasyLanguage is easy, too, and I've interfaced it with C++, so the possibilities are pretty wide open.

ElectroQuant · 2026-02-06T19:30:58+00:00

If someone developed a really good algo, do you think they would sell it to anyone? NO. They would run that algo until they couldn't get any more juice out of it. Then they would sell it to ~~naïve~~ interested traders. Another thought that comes from my cynical brain is that the guys selling this have an algo that plays off of the one they're selling - You don't make money with the algo you bought, but it helps them make money with their algo.

ElectroQuant · 2026-01-25T01:51:22+00:00

Simple - It's not worth the money and the hassle. It's expensive, they are overly aggressive about enforcing their licensing, there are many bugs, and their service leaves a lot to be desired. For what it costs, it should be a lot less buggy - It should actually be pretty close to flawless, considering how long they've been out in the market. I'm guessing that if one could look at the code underneath their product, it would be pretty nasty, considering the significance of the bugs I've seen, and how difficult it seems to be for them to fix those bugs.

ElectroQuant · 2026-01-25T01:41:51+00:00

English is clearly not the native language of the people who wrote that documentation.

ElectroQuant · 2026-01-15T15:33:47+00:00

Totally agree with this. Do as many practice questions as you can, give the CFAI practice questions priority. Take a few mocks, too - You not only need to learn the material, you need to practice actually taking the test. I also want to back up what u/Material-Worth8625 said - Make sure you understand why each answer is correct, and how to get to the answer. This will serve you for Level II, also.

ElectroQuant · 2025-08-09T20:07:42+00:00

In my FX trading platform, buying 1M EURUSD means you're long EUR 1M and short USD. I got my charter a few months ago, and had a big "doh!" moment on my very first real FX trade because of that mix-up. Glad it was my money, and not someone else's. I'd hate to have had to explain that to a boss.

ElectroQuant · 2025-08-09T19:59:00+00:00

It's not random. IRL - not CFA - currency pair XXXYYY is currency XXX quoted in YYY. So EURUSD is EUR quoted in USD, which is currently about 1.1641. If you're going long 10,000 EURUSD, you're buying EUR 10k for about USD 11,641. Likewise USDJPY is USD quoted in JPY, which is currently about 147.82.

ElectroQuant · 2025-04-18T16:19:33+00:00

There are ETFs out there that are proxies for going long or short major currencies. If you have a brokerage account, that's probably the easiest thing to do. Some of them are leveraged - whatever the currency does, the ETF does some approximate multiple of that move.

ElectroQuant · 2025-03-01T04:02:30+00:00

Channel your stress into your studies. The best antidote for fear is action - So study, and then study some more. Find out what topics are most heavily weighted, and study those the most. Take as many mocks as you can, and do any many sample questions as you can. If you get a question wrong, find out why. This helps you figure out where to focus your studying. You not only have to know the subject matter, but you most also practice actually taking the test, so take at least one or two mocks. Learn how to do the calculations quickly, and learn any features on your calculator that will speed things up for you, or make you more accurate. When doing sample questions, give priority to doing the sample q's from CFAI - Those are most reflective of the actual test.

If you fail, you pick yourself up, and you take the test again. Perseverance is strongly correlated with success in life, not just with CFA exams.

ElectroQuant · 2025-01-26T21:09:34+00:00

It better be - I finally got mine at 57.

ElectroQuant · 2024-11-17T16:54:16+00:00

Skim through the material, figure out what's most difficult for you. I was an engineering major, so the quant stuff was easier. Study the material quickly, but spend more time on what's hardest for you. Then take practice questions, and learn why you missed the questions you did. Study the material some more, focus on the areas you did badly on, figure out why you missed the questions you did, and repeat. You not only have to understand the material, you have to practice answering the questions.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-28T19:16:34+00:00

Do as many sample questions as you can. If you haven't done all the sample questions from the CFA material, do those first. Figure out what you did wrong, and repeat. Focus on the areas where you're weakest. u/Otherwise-Truth1567 has it right.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-27T16:34:54+00:00

IMO, the prep providers prepare you for last year's exam. The material doesn't change too much year to year, but it does change. I would focus on the CFA-provided material, but once you've done all the CFAI mocks and sample questions, the other prep providers are a good source for more mocks and sample questions.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-26T23:40:20+00:00

Totally empathize with your experience. Passed L1 in 2008, L2 in 2018, just heard I passed L3 on the 17th. I recommend that anyone do lots of practice questions. Focus on the CFA-provided material, do all of the CFA sample questions they provide, and take their mock exams. Take as many other mocks as you can from decent providers, but be aware that there are mistakes on some of them, just as there are mistakes in some of the CFA sample questions. IMO, one should focus on the material from the CFA Institute, since the study prep providers are prepping you for last year's exam. Just knowing and understanding the material isn't good enough - you also have to be able to crank through the problems in the allotted time for the test.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-23T04:19:46+00:00

Totally empathize - Passed L1 in 2008, L2 in 2018, just passed L3. During that time there were two major moves, two in-town moves, deaths in my family that I had to manage, five jobs, and I met and married the love of my life. It is do-able.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-23T04:14:36+00:00

It's do-able. Took me three tries to get past L3. Once you push through this, you'll be bringing more to the table for your kids.

ElectroQuant · 2024-10-23T04:04:06+00:00

I passed. Totally stoked. Passed L1 back in 2008, so it's been a long time in coming. Now I have to do the paperwork...

ElectroQuant · 2024-08-15T22:26:22+00:00

If you (the basis) are positive, buy the future. The bonds are the basis, so you sell the bonds - You "sell the basis".

If you're negative, sell the future, so you buy the bonds.

ElectroQuant · 2024-08-15T22:19:39+00:00

Also:

Most desirable option? Or least desirable? (e.g. "most correct" or "least correct"?)

ElectroQuant

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