Systems, page-18

Sci the cost of Amibroker depends on the particular product version you purchase.  The product versions are as follow:

 

Standard Edition  - US$279

Professional Edition -  US$339

Ultimate Pack Pro -  US$499

 

The Ultimate pack Pro includes the Professional Edition as well as AmiQuote, which is a data downloader for free quotes that are available on the Internet, and the AFL Code Wizard, which is an intuitive user interface for generating trading system code.

 

Each Edition provides a single-user license.  The software can be installed on multiple PC/Laptops etc.  The license is also non-expiring, i.e. no ongoing fees, although you can purchase 2 year maintenance packs which gives you access to ongoing support and upgrades.  I think the original purchase gives you 2 years of maintenance.

 

I purchased the Ultimate Pack Pro many years ago.  I don’t know why but I was probably thinking that the Ultimate Pro version would improve my systems development efforts above that of the Standard version, but to date I haven’t used anything more than what is available in the Standard Edition. There’s lots of info on the Amibroker site re the differences between the various licenses.

 

The ASX data that I use is provided by Paritech.  It’s EOD data that is available for download each hour of the trading day, i.e. hourly data snapshot downloads during the day.   It costs AUS$415 p.a.

 

The US data that I use is provided by Premium Data.  It’s EOD data that’s only available once the markets are closed.  It cost AUS$462 p.a.

 

I wouldn’t even consider using the free data that is available as the manual maintenance work that would be required to keep it in sync with the actual markets would be horrendous.  I download all the data into Metastock format databases, which Amibroker is happy to read.  There is an Amibroker specific format that some RT data feeds support and that Premium Data supports as well.   I believe that Premium Data also now provides FA data via their Amibroker specific data down load so you could if you wanted to include FA data in all of the Amibroker scans and backtests you develop.

 

I had a VectorVest subscription for 3 or 4 years and wanted to use VV to develop-some FA related market filters that I could incorporate into my TA systems.  Although I tried I didn’t really ever get to the stage where I found VV all that useful.  I think I was paying something like AUS$1,200 p.a. for the basic VV which included AUS and US data, and that was when the $AUS was close to par with the $US.  And I didn’t have access to the VV Real Time stuff or even the basic TA stuff like moving average crossovers etc.  So when the $AUS fell I decided it was time to ditch VV.  To get anything like the TA functionality provided by Amibroker I think you would have to purchase VV RealTime which I think is currently about US$1295 pa (about AUS$1800 pa).  My view, correct me if I am wrong, is that VV is focussed on FA analysis and medium to long term Investment strategies.  I could never really understand why HC members who are active on the STT thread would ever be interested in using VV.   I worked through all of the VV training stuff and the one rule that I can remember from Dr Bart DiLiddo, the original developer of VV, is that if a stock isn’t making money, i.e. has positive earnings, then don’t go anywhere near it! And I mean to say, how many stocks mentioned and discussed on the STT thread have positive earnings?

 

I’d be keen to hear how you use VV Sci.  I know they were in the process of upgrading the TA type functionality when I left.