Day Trading Hardware and Software
28. Jun, 2010 
2 Comments
One of the most important tools for a painter is their palette. I feel that a trader is similar to an artist that one needs excellent tools to be creative and successful in day trading. As for traders it’s their hardware and software. I often get asked what kind of computer and trading platform I am using to trade.
I used to trade from a Dell XPS desktop until January I bought a beautiful Sony Vaio Laptop with a 16.3 inch screen, i7 processor, 1080i screen, bluray player and many other great features. For anyone interested the model is VPCF 115/FM from the Sony F Series. At the time the laptop cost me $1425 including tax. When I bought this computer I stopped trading from my desktop and connected my laptop to my 24 inch Dell LCD via HDMI to trade comfortably from 2 screens. This also helped clear all the clutter at my trading desk at home. This makes it easier to be mobile since all my software and files are on my laptop and don’t have to jump from laptop to desktop. When I do travel and trade mobile my screen space does get tight. However, with Windows 7 and I am able to simply customize and access my trading screens fairly quickly. My laptop is very powerful with 6GB’s of memory and 500 GB harddrive.
Having a bluray player in my laptop is great when I am traveling for watching movies with the Dr. Dre “Studio” Beats headphone with noising cancelling. Having the HDMI also allows me to get connected to hotel flat screen TV’s that I occasionally use as a second monitor. Some hotel’s will actually provide an additional if you request it at no cost. It really depends on the hotel.
My Internet connection at home is Verizon fiber optic, which is super fast and when I am mobile I am on wifi. In hotel rooms I will usually connect through Ethernet cable and will try to avoid wifi. However, I have traded wifi at cafes and other wifi hotpots without any issues. I would stay and avoid very crowded cafes and certain wifi hotspots. I am considering with Clear for High Speed mobile Internet connection on a 3G network once more reviews come in about the network.
For my trading platform I currently use propriety software that I paid $4000. This software has really changed the way I trade and has made me much more profitable because the software eliminates extraneous information and concentrates on the market activity that matter – price and volume. I am typically looking at 4 different windows and will trade from the dome. One of my windows is market profile that has been critical in my improved trading. I am finding that I am making winning trades 80% of the time now for at least 4 ticks or more. It did take me a couple months to adjust to this style of trading and watching price and volume in a completely different perspective. Looking back now, I feel I was trading blindly. Now I am in better position to anticipate moves and better understand the behavior of the e-mini.
Overall, it’s critical to feel comfortable with your platform, test new ideas, and adjust settings that fit your personality and trading. It makes trading a lot easier and profitable.
Trade well……………..
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I found the biggest challenge trading on the road is finding reliable and fast internet connection. I run about 30 Mbps at home base in San Francisco. But when I’m on the road – especially in countries where internet infrastructure is not strong, it’s always frustrating. I run two laptops and stream CNBC through my TV at the same time. Connectivity and lag time are the main issues. My best case solution is to request the host/hotel/landlord run a speed test. ( Google Speed test ). You can then determine how fast is fast yourself. Also, I always bring my own wireless modem, router, and cables with me. Using my own equipment makes a huge difference.
When traveling I make sure I stay at hotels with very good internet connection. Seems though you travel with a lot of equipment. It would be nice to have a high speed global wireless connection.