Automated Trading

We are happy to present our free & open-source trading platform called PTL Trader. This application allows our users to execute their portfolios of pair trading strategies live, in real-time. Same strategies with same settings as they backtested using this web site.

This application is a simple, yet powerful tool to execute pairs trading strategies in real markets. It is not meant to have any backtesting or charting capabilities whatsoever.

The best idea is to keep PTL Trader running on a Virtual Private Server. The application will communicate with our website (using an encrypted channel) in order to retrieve portfolio of strategies to be traded live and execute the whole portfolio using the broker.

Currently, only Interactive Brokers broker is supported by the application, which is one of best brokers for pairs trading anyway thanks to pretty low commissions on stocks and ETFs.

PTL Trader is a free application, but it still requires a PTL account to load pair trading strategies. If you don't have a PTL account, sign up here.

PTL Trader Detailed Info & Manual

View Project on GitHub

Features

• standalone application built over IB API, does not require other software except Java JRE and Trader Workstation/ IB Gateway (preferred)
• cross-platform software - runs under Microsoft Windows, Linux & macOS
• automated execution of same strategies with same parameters as backtested on this web site, optionally with useful extra rules
• takes advantage of advanced IB API features (for instance, immediate stock shortability status - it never attempts to short a stock with shortability issues indicated)
• uses high quality Interactive Brokers historical data feed for model calculations
• intra-day signal execution during predefined times, automatic timezone rule evaluation (you don't need to care about DST differences if you run this software at other timezone than your exchange uses)
• it is aware of PDT restrictions of accounts smaller than USD $25,000
• gracefully maintains stock splits and some reverse splits as long IB updates data in the historical data feed in time
• system monitoring (if the application crashes, VPS crashes or loses connection, our server will send warning e-mail to pre-configured address)
• multiple instances of PTL Trader are supported
• trade up to 2 (two) IB accounts using single PTL account, there may be individual upgrade programs available on request
• smart, automated, slot-based money management - very efficient resource allocation (read more)
• application state and results are synchronized with our server - you can for instance stop the application, move it to another server and resume trading
• slippage and order fill time tracking
• "confidential mode" for users who don't like to send their trading stats to our web site
• supports both live and paper accounts
• free & open-source software^[1]

^[1] PTL account is still effectively required to use the software

Requirements

• computer running 64bit Microsoft Windows, Linux or macOS
• 2 GB RAM
• Java 8 (or newer) installed (64bit)
• stable Internet connection
• running instance of IB Trader Workstation or IB Gateway (preferred)
• Interactive Brokers account
• market data subscriptions for instruments you are going to trade (see FAQ for details)

Scalability & Order Execution

Please note that the current version of PTL Trader supports execution via market orders only, so it is mostly aimed at retail traders.

Restrictions

There are some additional restrictions in the current version of PTL Trader:

• the account you are going to trade must have USD as base currency
• you may only trade USD based stocks or ETFs listed on NYSE, NASDAQ, NYSEARCA and NYSEMKT(AMEX) exchanges
• trading models marked as experimental are not supported