desktop:add_a_contract

Adding a Contract

To select a new Contract you can select Contract from the New Item Menu.

Click the + to the left of the exchanges to see a list of available contracts. Or you can type either the name or symbol of the product to find it faster.

Image

Double click a desired contract or select it and click Ok.

Selecting Months and Strategies

Image

Use the Market Tab to switch between available markets. Just click on the market that you desire to trade. If you want to view multiple markets for the same contract then just open a second Contract and select the additional market.

Image

The Spread dropdown allows you to choose whether or not strategies are visible in the Market Tab Strip. If a contract has no spreads available then the ‘SP’ button will not be displayed. The SP dropdown will display all available strategies for that market. If you do not to see all the available markets choose the first 2 months only option.

Image

Once visible, selecting Spreads is the same as selecting any other market. To the right of each spread market is a carrot dropdown with all available spreads for that front month.

Image

New Screen Dropdown

You can create different windows directly from the contract window. Click the drop down arrow to choose from a second contract window, a new chart, market profile, market history window, or an account contract window.

Image

Contract Window: Select Contract to pull up a new contract window for the current contract Chart Window: Select Chart to pull up a new instance of the chart window for the current contract Market Profile: Select Market Profile to pull a new Market Profile window for the current contract. Spread Matrix: Select Spread Matrix to pull a new Spread Matrix window for the current contract. Market History: Select Market History to pull a new Market History window for the current contract. Account Contract: Select Account Contract to pull up a new Account Contract window for the current contract.

Setting Volumes

Image

A contract volume must be set prior to submitting an order. If you try and submit an order with no volume it will be rejected. By default only left click trading is enabled. If you would like to take advantage of right click net, or a separate right click volume, you will need to enable right click trading from the trading tab of the Contract Properties.

The volume fields use a custom Volume Picker designed for quick volume changes.

Image This volume is used when submitting an order with a left click. Image This volume is used when submitting an order with a right click. This field can be set to net position entry or a numeric entry (same as left click volume). The Net feature allows you to flatten tour position with a right click. Enable right click trading from the trading tab of the Contract Properties. Or Image

Volume Bar

Image

The Volume Bar is convenient for quick volume changes. If the right click volume field is enabled for numerical entry then the Volume Bar will update the volume field that is currently selected Image Image Switch between fixed number tabs. X and Y are fixed tabs. Z is configurable in the Main Properties, Quantities. ImageImage Switch between Sum and Chain mode. Sum mode: clicking 2, 2, 2 = 6 Chain mode: clicking 2, 2, 2 = 222 Fonts The font can be increased or decreased by sliding the Splitter underneath up or down.

Account Positions

Account Position information is displayed in the upper right corner of the Contract. By default your Net Position and Unrealized Profit and Loss are listed. Only trades for the current market and account are included.

Image

Additional account position fields can be selected from the accounts tab of the Contract Properties.

Image

Account Position details correspond to the current market and current trading account.

Image

Additional details can be added from the Accounts tab of the Contract Properties. If the additional items don’t all fit then adjust the Splitter below them by sliding it up or down.

Contract Ticket

The Contract Ticket is used for rapid order entry. Pre-configured volumes reduce the need to change a contracts volume between the submission of one order and the next. Hit Bid and Hit Offer buttons submit orders against the best bid and best offer prices without having to click a specific price. Joining the best bid and best offer is simplified by enabling price tracking. The Contract Ticket can be enabled from the Trading tab of the Contract Properties. Contract Ticket configurations are on the Ticket tab of the Contract Properties.

Image

Working Offer List. The list can be configured to display all working orders or an order summary. The order summary aggregates orders by price and order type. Sell Volume Buttons. Clicking a volume button submits a sell limit at the offer price and corresponding volume. Enable offer price tracking by clicking the icon until the last rung is highlighted. To disable click icon again and the middle rung will be highlighted. When enabled the offer price tracks the markets best offer price. Submits a sell limit at the offer price using left or right click volume. Pull all working offers. The offer price will always be the market’s best offer price if price tracking is enabled. If price tracking is disabled the price can be changed manually by clicking the up and down arrows or by clicking in the offer column. Hit Bid Submits a limit sell order at the best bid price using left or right click volume. Hit Offer Submits a limit buy order at the best offer price and left or right click volume. The bid price will always be the market’s best bid price if price tracking is enabled. If price tracking is disabled the price can be changed manually by clicking the up and down arrows or by clicking in the bid column. Enable bid price tracking by clicking the icon until the top rung is highlighted. To disable click icon again and the middle rung will be highlighted. When enabled the bid price tracks the markets best bid price. Submits a buy limit at the bid price and left or right click volume. Pull all working bids. Buy Volume Buttons. Clicking a volume button submits a buy limit at the bid price and corresponding volume. Working Bid List. The list can be configured to display all working orders or an order summary. The order summary aggregates orders by price and order type.

Buy/Sell Bar

The Order Load Bar submits trades a specified number of ticks off the best bid/offer. Quickly load orders off the market so that they are readily available for single click and drag-and-drop revisions. Right and left click trading is supported.The Order Load Bar can be enabled from the trading tab of the Contract Properties. Single click and drag-and-drop revisions are configurable from the contract tab of the Main Properties. Image

Bids will be submitted at a limit price at the specified number of ticks lower than the best bid price. Offers will be submitted at a limit price at the specified number of ticks higher than the best offer price. TIP: The ticks will adjust and know the tick increments of the product you are trading. Example: the corn is set to 14 which is 1 1/2 cents but if you pulled up the mini dow it would be 6 ticks, or the Mini S&P would be 150 or 1 1/2 points. Working bid volume is displayed in the following format: Total Orders (Total Volume)For example:3 (7) would indicate 3 working orders that have a total working volume of 7 lots. Buy with a single click. The buy button can be clicked multiple times and will continue to submit orders the specified distance from the best bid. Sell with a single click. The sell button can be clicked multiple times and will continue to submit orders the specified distance from the best offer. Working offer volume is displayed in the following format:Total Orders (Total Volume)For example:3 (7) would indicate 3 working orders that have a total working volume of 7 lots.

Centering and Scrolling Depth

Image

Center depth of market. Scroll depth of market up. Clicking on the price column can be configured to center depth in different ways. This is configured in the contract tab in the Main Properties/Contract/Price Column Centering. None Center the depth around the price that was clicked Center the depth at the current bid and offer in the current Contract window Center the depth in all open Contract windows

Market Details

The four corners of the Contract grid provide additional market information. Image

High price for the current trading day. Low price for the current trading day. Total traded volume for the current trading day. This value is provided directly by the exchange. It may or may not include trades due to spreads depending on the exchange. Market Mode or the current status of the market. PreOpen, Open, Closed, Suspended, etc. TIP: Located in the Main properties/Contract/Market Mode the CME now provides a countdown as to set in seconds as to when the next market mode will change.

Order Types

Without using an Order Ticket, the Contract window is able to submit the following order types. All orders are placed with a single left or right click in the bid or offer columns. Image

Limit (all order types untoggled or black) The price at which the order is submitted is the orders limit price. All orders are defaulted to Limit orders. Image Order Templates. Now you can enter more advanced order types using our New Order Templates. The Order templates can be enabled from the main properties located in the Contract Tab. Click here to go to the order template user guide. Image Flatten Button. Click here to see how to use the Flatten button. Image Pull on Flatten. Click here to see how to use the Pull on Flatten button. Image Stop Order toggle. The price at which the order is submitted is the orders stop trigger price. Once triggered, Stop orders are submitted as stop market orders. Image Trailing Order toggle. When orange, the next order submitted will be a trailing order. The number of tics away from the best bid/offer is how many tics your order will trail the market. For example if you are working a 5 tic trailing stop and the market rallies 3 tics, your order will move up 3 tics. But, on this same order if the market were to then drop 2 tics your stop would remain at its previous price. Image

Image Hit/Join toggle. Click the drop down arrow to switch between hit and join. When you select hit from the drop down list, H will turn orange. When you select join from the drop down list, a J will appear in orange. Hit is for hitting the Bid or Offer and Join is for joining the best bid/offer. Image Request for Quote toggle. Click the drop down arrow located to the right of the hit button in the above image. When you select hit from the drop down list, RFQ will turn orange. click anywhere on the bid or offer column like you would to submit an order. Your RFQ requests are displayed in your orderbook like normal orders. Volume of 0 is allowed. Image MIT toggle is Market if Touched. If you are working an order below or above the market and if one contract trades at that price, your order becomes a market order. MIT is saying that if my price trades I want to be filled and not wait in the order queue type. Image Market Toggle is for placing a market order. Image Stop Same Limit toggle. SSL means that your trigger price and limit price is the same. Image Stop Limit toggle is a stop order in which you place a limit on how many tics from the trigger price you are willing to let the order run. Image GTC – Good Till Cancel Image Icebergs – enter a 10 lot into the market but only show 2 at a time. Image

Image Image

OCO/AutoOCO toggle. Click the drop down arrow to switch between OCO and AutoOCO. When you select OCO from the drop down list, OCO will turn orange. When you select AOCO from the drop down list, A OCO will appear in orange. Image To enter an OCO left click on the OCO option and the color will turn orange. Two blank boxes will be displayed under the order types. One with a L for limit and one with a S for stop. You can now click on the price ladder in the Bid or Offer column next to the limit and then the stop prices you want. The prices will populate in the respective fields then click Submit. You will see both orders in the My B or My O columns. If you get filled on one side of this order the other will cancel automatically. If you want to cancel both orders just click on one of them and both will cancel. Please click here to view an example of how to submit an OCO order Image To enter an Auto OCO left click on the A oco option and the color will turn orange. Then set the number of tics away from the order that you want your limit and your stop to be placed. Now enter your order on the contract window. The limit and stop orders will be held on the server until the original order is filled. You can view these orders in the order book under the all or held tabs. If you cancel the original order the limit and stop will automatically cancel. Please click here to view an example of how to submit an Auto OCO order Image

Image

Image Image

Activation/Queue/MOC Orders Toggle. Click the drop down arrow to switch between Activation Orders, Queue Orders, and MOC Orders. When you select Activation Orders from the drop down list, ACT will turn orange. When you select Queue Orders from the drop down list, Q will appear in orange. When you select Market on Close Orders from the drop down list, MOC will turn orange. See more MOC details by clicking here. Image Activation Orders – can be placed by market mode, time, price, bid or offer. Select the type of Activation order then fill out the corresponding fields, click |OK then enter your order. NOTE for time activated orders if you submit the order during a closed state or the time specified is a closed state the order will trigger as soon as |the market goes into a trading state after the time specified.Click here To see how to use the Activation orders.

Optionally set an Order Cancel Time. The order will be canceled at the specified time.

Market on Close Orders

To place an MOC order, click the dropdown arrow in the toolbar of the contract window and choose “Market on Close.”

Note: The MOC button will not be visible after the market closes or halts for the session until the market enters “PreOpen” for the next session. Note: The close time that is used is the electronic close time, NOT the pit close time.

Image

In the MOC setup box you will be able to choose the following:

The number of seconds before market close that your first order is submitted. The number of seconds before market close that your last order is submitted. The number of orders your MOC will be broken into. In this example it is 3, so if you submit a 6 lot it will be 3 separate 2 lot orders.

After you have your settings configured click OK.

Image

To place the order:

Choose the quantity of each order in the “L:” box. Confirm the MOC settings. The final step which places the orders is to click in the Bid column to buy or the Offer column to sell.

Image

You will not see the orders in the “My B” or “My O” columns as they are held on the server until the specified times. You will see the orders in your order book under the “All” or “Held on Server” tabs.

Image

To see what time each order of the MOC batch will enter the market you can add the “Activation” column to the order book via the properties. In the example below you will see the order is broken into 3 orders and their activation times are 5 seconds apart.

Image

Order Templates

Now you can enter more advanced order types using our New Order Templates. The Order templates can be enabled from the main properties located in the Contract Tab.

Image

All order templates apply to a single account and a single market. A template is defined with respect to one side of the market. If the template is used on the other side of the market the definition or order relationship will be reversed. You can enter multiple combinations up to 16 legs. There are 3 types of order templates. Batch Orders, Multi-Exit OCOs, and Slicer.

Standard Batch Orders The purpose of a batch order is to simplify repeated patterns in order submission. A batch order template defines a relationship of multiple orders with differing relative prices and quantities. Execute a batch order template with a single click. The collection of orders defined by the batch will be submitted to the exchange.

Multi Exit-OCO The purpose of a multi-exit OCO is to create a relationship of orders designed to get an account into a position and then make it flat with a predefined set of profit targets and loss limits. Execute a Multi-exit OCO with a single click. A single trigger order for entering into a position is submitted to the exchange. The trigger order can be any order type (market, limit, stop, etc.) The rest of the orders defined in the template form the OCO scheme. The OCO orders are held on T4 server contingent on the trigger order filling. To successfully define a multi-exit OCO template one must have defined OCO orders above, below and opposite the trigger order. As the trigger order partially fills the OCO orders will be released to the exchange in the appropriate quantities. If either side of the OCO fills the remaining portion of the trigger order is canceled and the OCO remains working with the intention of getting the account out of the position entered into by the trigger order. As OCO orders fill, quantities of the remaining OCO orders are reduced appropriately until the multi-exit OCO completes with a net zero position. Quantities of OCO orders are reduced furthest from the trigger order fill price first. It is possible to exit the position by filling both stop and limit OCO orders.

Slicer The Slicer splits one large order into multiple smaller orders that are submitted over a span of time. The number of smaller orders, or slices, that are submitted is configurable, as is the span of time over which these orders are submitted. Randomization can be applied to both the quantity of and time between each slice to mask the common origin of slices. All orders are considered separate, with separate order IDs, are held on CTS servers until their individual designated submission times.

Click a link below for a walk through on how to use each Order Type.

Multi Exit OCO Orders getting started- Link Batch Orders getting started- Link Slicer getting started - Link

Contract Columns

Image

The following contract columns are always displayed by default. You are able to drag and drop to change the order of the columns and adjust their widths. The two columns that can be removed are the History column and Total Column. These can be removed through the contract properties window, in the Display Tab.

Total The total volume traded at each price for the current trading day. The darker the color is an indication of a more recently traded price. The fade time and Trade/Trade Background fade colors are configurable. History The history column is a graphical display of trades as they occur in the market. The maximum number of trades that can be plotted is 100. Each new trade is plotted to the left or right of the previous trade at its traded price. You can double click the History column to change the graph from left to right to right to left. My B (My Bid) Your working bids. Only working orders for the Current Trading Account are displayed, if you need to see working orders for multiple accounts then you can do so with the Order Book window. Bid Current bid depth displayed. Price & Net Change The market prices are listed vertically as well as the net change for the market for the current trading day. Offer Current offer depth displayed. My O (My Offer) Your working offers. Only working orders for the Current Trading Account are displayed, if you need to see working orders for multiple accounts then you can do so with the Order Book window.

Column Layout

Moving Columns

Image

Move a column within the grid by dragging the column header with your pointer or mouse.

Click and hold the left mouse down on the desired column header. A vertical like will be drawn indicating where the column will be inserted. With the left mouse button still down drag the column left or right. The vertical bar will move between columns indicating where the column will be inserted. Let the mouse button up when the desired location is reached.

Resizing Columns

Image

Resize the width of a column within the grid by dragging with your pointer or mouse.

Click and hold the left mouse down on the right border of the column header you want to resize. With the left mouse button still down drag the mouse right or left. A bar will appear indicating the new width of the column. Let the mouse button up when the desired width is reached.

Sorting Columns

Image

Click on a column header to sort the grid. Click again to reverse the sort.

Note: not all grids can be sorted.

Image Descending order. Image Ascending order.

Splitters

Image

Splitters allow you to resize certain areas of the screen. Some sizeable areas adjust fonts dynamically.

Place your mouse over the splitter until it becomes the Image or Image cursor. Click and hold your left mouse button. Drag the splitter in the desired direction.

View Only

If all you want to do is watch a specific market then you can set it to View Only mode. This is useful in two ways. Unnecessary information is hidden decreasing the amount of screen space taken up, and accidental order submission is prevented. You can set the Contract window to View Only mode in the Contract Properties, Trading tab, Contract Mode.

Image

TIP: Reduces the amount of screen space needed to view the depth of market. Helps to prevent accidental order submission.

Time Order Entry

Allow users access to Pete Steidlmayer's Time Entry screen additional Fee applies. CTS Time order entry allows the user to place an order held on our servers to be executed at a future time. The Time Order entry can be enabled by selecting the add-on in the Market Data setup page. Once the add-on is added you can enable this from the Trading tab of the Contract Properties. Please click here to view the pricing.

Image

1 Pull Orders Pulls Time activated orders 2 Go to current market time Click to take you to the current market time. 3 Selected bid and offer price Tells you what bid and offer price is selected on the ladder. 4 Columns D/T: The Time column displaying one minute increments (Default is set to display 30 time increments). {: Time Bracket column displaying Market Profile brackets(default is 30 min brackets) MY B: My Bid column displays your scheduled working bids. Only working orders for the Current Trading Account are displayed. B: Bid column is the order entry allowing the user to enter a scheduled bid. S: Sell column is the order entry allowing the user to enter a scheduled offer. My O''': My Offer column displays your scheduled working offers. Only working orders for the Current Trading Account are displayed. 5 Change view Allows you to display just the bids and offers in time entry window. 6 Auto size columns Allows you to size the Columns

Click the link below to view the properties.

Time Entry Properties

Contract Properties

Some Contract properties can be configured in the Contract Tab in the Main Properties window Contract properties allow you to configure how the Contract window is displayed. They only affect the current Contract window and may override global settings configured in the Contract Tab in the Main Properties.

Image Click the Properties button in the upper left corner of the Contract Window to open the Contract Properties.

The Display Tab contains properties that affect the display of information in a Contract Window.

Image

Name Changes the name of the contract on the contract window Set- Sets the name to be displayed. Clear- removes displayed name. Layout When clicked, the layout and settings of the current Contract Window will be saved as default and used to create all new Contract windows. Save This will save a copy of the current Contract Window layout and the saved layout can be found in the Window Management. Grid Font Settings for the grid font + - Increase or decrease the grid font size. This font size overrides the default. Changes to the default grid font size in the Main Properties Window’s Main Tab will now update this Contract window. Reset Reset the middle font size to the default font. Changes to the default grid font size in the Main Properties Window’s Main Tab will now update this Contract window. Middle Font Settings for the middle font + - Increase or decrease the font size of the middle column. This font size overrides the default. Changes to the default grid font size in the Main Properties Window’s Main Tab will not update this Contract window Reset Reset the middle font size to the default font. Changes to the default grid font size in the Main Properties Window’s Main Tab will now update this Contract window. Auto Track The Contract window is able to automatically track the market. Auto Re-centered - This will make the ladder remain static while the best bid and offer are on the screen. If either the best bid or offer is not visible (e.g due to a wide market or market movement) then the ladder will automatically shift instantly to the center of the market. Smooth - The market scrolls up and down to constantly center itself. Centered - Stays centered on the current market best bid. Depth - This shows the bids and offers as a list instead of on a ladder. Prices where there are no bids/offers are hidden. This can be helpful in wide or thin markets Mouse Follow Ensures that the mouse remains in the row that contains a specific price. If this is enabled then resting the mouse pointer over a bid or offer price will cause the system to automatically move the mouse pointer when the market moves so that the mouse remains over the same price row. Having the mouse remain over the same price row lowers the risk of submitting an order at the incorrect price. Fade Time The time taken in minutes for the Total column to fade from the Trade color to Trade Background color. The fading colors provide a sense of where the market has been and when. Prop Scale The depth color bars in the Bid and Offer columns are scaled using this value. This provides a visual indication of the relative volume available in the market at different prices. Adjust this value to provide a meaningful ratio or bar width. The Bid and Offer colors will appear as a bar against their corresponding Background colors. note the button to the right of the prop scale. You can click the button to manual or change it to auto which will auto-adjust the scaling for the gradients that display or manual Total Trade Volume If enabled the Total Trade Volume by Price column displays the total volume traded at each price for the current trading day. Trade History If enabled the Trade History column provides a graphical display of trades as they occur in the market. Each trade will be plotted horizontally to the left or right (configurable) of the previous trade, and vertically at the price traded. Max History The total number of trades to display in the History column. The maximum value allowed is 100. Order Counts This will add a second column of Bids and offers that display the number of distinct orders that comprise the bids and offers. Order Scale The depth color bars in the Bid Counts and Offer Counts columns are scaled using this value. This provides a visual indication of the relative volume available in the market at different prices. Adjust this value to provide a meaningful ratio or bar width. The Bid and Offer colors will appear as a bar against their corresponding Background colors. note the button to the right of the prop scale. You can click the button to manual or change it to auto which will auto-adjust the scaling for the gradients that display or manual

The Trading Tab properties only effect trading behavior of the Contract window.

Image

Contract Mode Switches the Contract window between trading and view only mode. Trading Enabled Allows order submission and displays working orders, position and P&L information. View Only Does not allow order submission and reduces the amount of screen space used by the window. Contract Ticket Hides or displays the Contract Ticket on the Contract Ladder. Volume Bar Hides or displays the Volume Bar on the Contract Ladder. Right Click Vol Enables right click trading. Vol The Right Click Volume Picker will behave just like the Left Click Volume Picker. Net Right click submission will result in an order being submitted for a volume equal to your current net position in the market. It is a useful feature for the ability to enter positions with a left click and exit positions with a right click. Buy/Sell Bar Hides or displays the Buy/Sell Bar. The Buy/sell Bar submits orders a specified number of ticks off the market. Right and left click volumes are supported. Order Tag A user specified string that gets passed with the order. This string will be visible in the Tag column in the orderbook or order details. Mini Market Adds the Mini Market screen to the contract window. Market History Adds the Market History screen to the contract window.

The Ticket Tab contains properties that affect the Contract Ticket if it is enabled.

Image

Reset Price Tracking After an order is submitted the Contract Ticket will begin to automatically track the best bid and best offer. Trading Volumes Adjust the Contract Ticket volume buttons by clicking their up and down arrow buttons. Show Working in Ticket Displays your working orders in the Contract Ticket. Show Order Summary Only Working orders displayed in the Contract Ticket can be displayed individually or as a summary aggregated by price.

Image

The Accounts Tab enables you to hide or show additional Account Position details.

1 Net Position Hide or display various account position details on the Contract window. Account position details correspond to the market and Currently Trading Account. The fields are listed in the order in which they are enabled. 2 Format The market net position. You can choose to either display or remove the net position from the contract window. Three formats can be chosen to reduce screen space. Net- Net Net (Buys – Sells)- Net (Buys – Sells) (Buys – Sells) Net- (Buys – Sells) Net 3 P&L Profit and loss. P&L factors in unrealized and realized profit and loss. 4 Unrealized P&L The time taken in minutes for the Total column to fade from the Trade color to Trade Background color. The fading colors provide a sense of where the market has been and when. 5 Realized P&L Unrealized profit and loss. 6 Total Buys The total number of contracts bought. 7 Total Sells The total number of contracts sold. 8 Alt Account The user can select an account different to the one selected on the main application window.

To enable the linking you need to go to the properties button located in each window.

Image

Once in the properties, you need to navigate to the window tab and enable the linking for each window you choose to link. Click in the value area to enable the linking. You need to do this in every window you want to link. You can click on the color bar in the value area to set a color, this allows you to easily differentiate which windows are linked to. You can also set a shape that will show up just to the right of the properties as another way to differentiate which windows are linked. The acct info direction allows you tie the Quote Board alternate account to the trading ladders alternate account. You can set the window to send only, send and receive, or receive. The market info direction allows you to tie the Markets between the Quote Board, Trading ladder, and chart. You can set the window to send only, send and receive, or receive. In the above example send and receive is selected for all three windows now any change I make will be made between all three windows.

Time Entry Tab

Image

1 Time Display How the time intervals are displayed. 2 Time Format Time can be displayed in 24hr or 12hr format. 3 Bracket Mode Select a tiem bracket display mode. 4 Exclude Select 4 brackets to exclude from the display. 5 First Bracket Set the time at which the first bracket will be displayed

Please click the links below to access the user guide.

Time Order Entry

  • desktop/add_a_contract.txt
  • Last modified: 2023/12/22 14:01
  • by rob