In a previous article I wrote about trading software for Mac and Linux users.  Despite the superior stability and usability of these platforms, there is not as much software available as for Windows, so one option is to use something like Parallels and run Windows so that you can use Windows software.  The disadvantage of this approach is that you have to put up with Windows.  This is reason enough for many traders to look for native Mac / Linux software.

In the last article, I did discuss some software that runs natively under Mac and Linux.  Now I’m going to review one of the packages that I suggested, which is completely free of charge.  My review is of the Mac version, but there are also versions for Linux, and Windows.

This software is SpiffyCharts, previously known as Behold!.  My review uses the latest version from the site, and was conducted on a MacBook Pro 15″ with 2Gb of RAM, and 2.2 GHz Intel CPU.

To get a copy, you need to register and enter an email address.  The registration code is emailed to you immediately.  The reason that the software must be registered is because the vendor earns a small commission should you choose to use some of the commercial data providers (you can also use free data suppliers).  I think that this is more than fair, considering that the software is provided free of charge.

When you download the software, you get a zip file which must be decompressed.  The software is not installed as such (there is not a dmg file).  The zip file simply builds a directory.  After you run the executable, you need to enter the registration code, which then allows you to use the software.   You will also find a nice bonus - there is a lot of historical data included with the package.

It is immediately obvious that this software is focussed on being logical, powerful and easy to use rather than on graphic design.  The graphic design could be brought up to date.  If you value substance over style, this will not matter.  Having said this, the software is a full Mac application, not a hacked Unix application or similar.

The software is logical, but it isn’t dumbed down.  There’s a straightforward manual that is available online.  I recommend that a new user spends some time with this because you can’t just start clicking on icons and expect to use the package productively.  

SpiffyCharts, despite the name is not just a charting package.  It provides optimisation, overlay of trading models over charts, trading statistics, market scanner and its own programming language.  It is fully the equal of commercial packages such as TradeStation.

When you start using the software, you will notice that it is very fast.  You can bring up a study (including a chart) almost instantaneously.  Similarly, if you run an optimisation, it is incredibly quick.  My comparison is with TradeStation, which appears to be somewhat slower.  

This trading software can run all the standard reports, and here is an example of the output from a supplied model:

GrossGain    3308.33          GrossLoss   -2545.24          Net           763.09   

NumWins           26          NumLoss           32          TotTrades         58   

AveWin        127.24          AveLoss       -79.54          AveTrade       13.16   

 

PercentWin     44.83          ProfitFact      1.30          SharpeRatio    0.386   

MaxComm      3349.50          NumFiles           1          $/Bar           1.45   

TotBarsTst       852          BarsInTrd        526          PercentIn     61.737   

 

BigWin        704.52          BigLoss      -364.78          MaxDraw       788.54   

BigWinDate  20071107          BigLosDate  20060428          MaxDrwDate  20080522   

AvBrsWnTrd     14.19          AvBrsLsTrd      4.91          AvBrsTrd        9.07   

 

Long Gain    2147.24          Long Loss   -1532.72          Long Net      614.52   

Short Gain   1161.09          Short Loss  -1012.52          Short Net     148.57   

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You can program your own trading systems and indicators, but I haven’t yet got into this side.  Similarly, you can set up criteria for scanning the market for opportunities.

One important thing is that this software is designed for end of day trading.  If you want a real time system, you’ll need to look elsewhere.  The only other drawback is that there is no way to easily tile or manage multiple windows in this software (there may be but I haven’t seen it yet).

How would I sum up SpiffyCharts trading software?  Well I think that it is excellent.  For a start, the price is right, since it is free.  Secondly, this software is incredibly powerful and logical.  Once you read the basic manual, you can understand the principles of this software and start to unleash it.  It has all the features you would want, and if you want more, you can write your own extensions in its own programming language (similar to EasyLanguage, but based around the C syntax).

If you use a Mac and want some top shelf trading software that doesn’t require you to install Windows, I recommend that you download a copy of SpiffyCharts.

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Tags: linux, mac, Trading Software

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