hi SUthanks for that info (and the well wishes) ... I use IG for...

hi SU
thanks for that info (and the well wishes) ... I use IG for discretionary trading but havent looked at their ProRealTime charting etc.

My direction (or preference) in Algo trading is to steer clear of conventional TA - I dont intend to ever emulate my discretionary rules in the algo form ... the PC is good for some types of calculations and the human brain good for others ... IMO its a clear line. The majority of retail platform providers are fixated with providing their users with the ability to capture their discretionary trades and automate them ... I agree with you in thats its high risk - very high risk. I'm not saying it can never be done - I'm saying the risk is too high for me and therefore not worth pursuing (IMO!).

From my perspective a good algo platform will allow you to develop right from the tick level at millisecond time intervals. Again this is dependent on the trading strategy's style (and time frame) amongst other things.

Anyways we'll see how we go ;-)