Commodity Trading Platforms
There is a risk when trading with online trading platforms; loss of connection while trading, misquotation, delayed online trading entry, and platform malfunction are examples of the risks associated with online trading platforms.The risk of loss in trading futures and options is substantial, therefore only genuine "risk" funds should be used in such trading. Futures and options is not a suitable investment for all individuals and individuals should carefully consider their financial condition in deciding whether to trade. Option traders should be aware that the exercise of a long option will result in a futures position.
Barr Futures dedication to producing the premier futures trading software in the industry was driven by our relentless pursuit of satisfying the needs of active traders and developing a trading platform that would truly set us apart in the industry. The result is our LBS Alpha. LBS Alpha is an easy to use application that handles all of the complexities associated with trading and order management. Our latest release offers all of the features you need in your futures trading software, and even some that you might not even know existed:
- Depth of Market
- Enhanced Charting with Auto Backfill
- Block Allocation
- Direct Market Access
- AutoX
- Advanced Orders
- Quotes
- Miscrosoft® Excel DDE
- Communication
- Custom Indicators
- Detailed Trading Reports
- Pit and Electronic Markets
- All Orders Held Server Side
- Volume Histogram
- COM interfare
- More...
Many software providers today charge a monthly fee to use their software regardless of whether or not you actually complete a trade that month. Worse yet, some software providers actually charge a minimum usage fee. This creates an unnecessary and costly expense that traders need to bear.
Barr Futures feels so strongly about the value of our software to traders that we never have, nor do we now, charge a "monthly" or "minimum" usage fee to use the LBS Alpha.
Depth of Market
LBS Alpha's Depth of market tool allows you apply complex trading strategies (OCO, GTC, FOK, IOC STP LIMIT, Trailing Stops, Brackets), launch associated contract charts and customize the display to meet your trading style.
Enhanced Charting with Auto Backfill
Charts
Our built-in charting functionality gives you a rich view of market activity. Choose from ten different chart styles, more that three dozen indicators, and create an unlimited number of alerts to maximize analysis. LBS Alpha cutting-edge technology allows you to trade and monitor your order flow directly from your chart.
Features:
- Historical Intraday Data and Daily Data
- Auto Backfill
- Customizes Layout
- More Than Three Dozen Indicators
- Ten Different Charting Styles
- Unlimited Price Alerts
- Trade Basic and Advanced Orders from Charts
- Histogram button in toolbar.
- Automatic and custom time intervals.
- Optional alignment by start session time.
- Switch between time zones.
- Object list dialog to manage placed drawing objects.
- All line-based drawing tools can be used in Alert expressions.
- Multiple contracts on one chart.
Available Indicators
- Channels
- Channels
- Moving Averages
- Moving Averages
- Oscillator
- Oscillator
- Prices
- Prices
- Trend Followers
- Trend Followers
- Volatility
- Volatility
- Volumes
Drawing Tools
- Fibonacci
- Gann
- Andrew's Pitchfork
Trade from Charts
Barr Futures offers you the functionality to trade directly from our built-in charting module. Use our cutting edge technology to easily monitor your order flow directly from the chart. Our charts provide full ordering capabilities including modifies, cancels, brackets and trailing stops.
Block Allocation
Block Allocation
Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) and professional trade managers can create allocation block accounts directly from the LBS Alpha from their existing list of accounts. The manager can then trade directly into the block account and these trades are automatically allocated to the correct accounts per the managers defined rules. This function eliminates the need to communicate with the back office and ensures accuracy allowing the manager to focus on trading not reconciling out trades.
Allocation Block Rules
The Allocation rules allow Trader Managers to allocate the funds appropriately in the event of partial fill. The order of the accounts in the block can now be set by highlighting the account and using the "Up" or "Down" arrows to move the account up or down the list (the first account in the list will be considered the "lowest" for purposes of the rules defined below). The following rules are available in the LBS Alpha:
- LowAcctLowPrice will allocate the lowest price of the partial fill to the lowest account number (based on account order in the block)
- LowAcctHighPrice will allocate the highest price of a partial fill to the lowest account number (based on account order in the block)
- HighAcctLowPrice will allocate the lowest price of the partial fill to the highest account number (based on account order in the block)
- HighAcctHighPrice will allocate the highest price of the partial fill to the highest account number (based on account order in the block)
Allocation blocks will Automatically Create a "Backfill" account (indicated by a (B) after the account number) in the event the Trader Manager receives a partial fill and wants to complete the fill on the initial block order.
Direct Market Access
We are committed to providing you with the fastest data and trade executions. That's why we provide true direct market access (DMA) to all our offered exchanges.
Including: CME, CBOT, EUREX, NYBOT, NYMEX, KCBT, MGEX, ICE, Euronext.liffe London, and Euronext.liffe Paris
AutoX
Execution:
Route trade signals from TradeStation® through LBS Alpha's fully integrated auto execution module, AutoX. Open E Cry has implemented an extension that provides the full-functionality of the LBS Alpha inside TradeStation®. This extension has 457 functions that reflect all objects, properties and methods of LBS Alpha. The strategy can take into account the user operations and real LBS Alpha positions and prices. The extension will also allow strategies to access the LBS Alpha Average Positions, Account Balances, and real orders. See all order manipulations in real-time.
Features:
- Route trade signals from TradeStation through LBS Alpha's fully integrated auto execution module.
- View and manage trades.
- Advanced order entry functions including allocation blocks.
- Access to the real-time allocation blocks to leverage multiple account execution.
- Full email notification capabilities.
- 'Simple' and 'Extended' symbol mapping for ultimate flexibility.
Advanced Orders
Advanced Orders
The LBS Alpha provides a full suite of advanced orders that can be used to execute and preserve your trading strategy.
Select from the following list:
- Brackets
- Trailing Stops
- OCOs
- MOO and MOC for both pit and electronic
- Iceberg
- Time conditioned orders
- Park orders
- Upload basket orders
- Different symbols and sides for OCO orders.
- Advanced orders, like Trailing Stop, can be a part of OCO.
- MIT (Market-if-Touched)
- OSO (One Sends Other)
Scale In / Scale Out
The Scale Function allows traders "single click" functionality to adjust positions, protective stops and limits. Active traders can scale in and out of positions using the LBS Alpha's "Scale" functionality and not worry about having to manually adjust stops and limits. This customizable feature automatically adjusts your working protective stop orders and limit orders as you scale in and out of your core position.
Park Orders
Enter Orders 24 hours a day even for pit markets. These orders will be held server side until they are released at market open. OR Enter as many orders as you like, park the orders, un-park and release the orders when you want them to begin working. Enter buy AND sell orders in anticipation of news or events and release the appropriate set based on resulting market reaction to the news.
Upload Basket Orders
Upload multiple order details across any contracts from Excel in one bulk load right into the LBS Alpha for easy order generation and execution.
CTAs and professional traders who generate large baskets of system orders now have a way to easily and efficiently manage this order flow and ensure the accuracy of large batches.
Quotes
Streaming Quotes
Access to timely market information is important. Our quote module comes with our application download and requires no other subscriptions to external data vendors.
Quotes are streamed in and can be configured to show every market tick. The quote display is fully customizable. Include any contract and define your column setup and order. Set Customized price alerts based on your trading strategy.
Enhanced Pricing Engine
Barr Futures, LLC is continually enhancing our pricing engine to increase the speed , reliability and accuracy of the data we provide for the LBS Alpha Charts, quotes and to our 3rd Party Interfaces.
Microsoft® Excel DDE
Microsoft Excel can be linked to a value or data point in the LBS Alpha. When the value or data point changes, it is automatically updated in the Excel spreadsheet. All of the functions available in the API are now directly accessible in Excel.
- Drag-n-drop values from LBS Alpha to Excel
- Drag-n-drop DDE links from LBS Alpha to Excel to complement DDE functionality and support advanced commands in 'electronic table' manner.
- Easily Add Streaming Quotes
- Easily Create Charts
- Leverage all of the Advanced Order Functionality from the LBS Alpha
Communication
Communicate with your Broker via Instant Messenger
Communication can be a key element in a successful trading session. That's why we put instant communication with our broker desk at your finger tips.
LBS Alpha's built in Instant Messenger function allows traders to communicate instantly with our brokers questions about trading our or software can be handled seamlessly without ever leaving the trading software.
Receive real time research feeds and setup your application for audio and visual alerts.
Custom Indicators
EasyLanguage, Sophisticated Function.
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicators gives you the power and compatibility of TradeStation's EasyLanguage and the resources and function of Technical Analysis Library. Whether you are just beginning to explore custom indicators or you have been creating and writing code for awhile, LBS Alpha's Custom Indicators gives you the tools and functionality to take your trading to the next level!
Technical Analysis Library (TA-Lib)
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicators plug-in connects the TA-Lib to LBS Alpha's Charts. TA-Lib provides common functions for the technical analysis of financial market data. Find more than 150 technical analysis indicators such as ADX, MACD, RSI, Stochastic, and Bollinger Bands. TA-Lib also includes candlestick pattern recognition.
Simple Custom Analysis Techniques
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicators gives you simple tools to customize indicators without programming. Just type your formula in the appropriate property dialogue window.
Simple Indicator
Select 'Expression' in the property box and write your formula in the dialogue box.
Then you can choose to customize your indicator's appearance and even give it a "nickname" or short name.
Drag-n-Drop
Select a function directly from the indicator tree and drag and drop it into the ‘Expression' editor.
Show Cases
This analysis technique highlights the occurrences or points in history that reflect your criteria or meet the specified conditions of your indicator.
Rapid Custom Indicators
Write your own custom indicator in the Rapid Custom Indicator Wizard. The parameters, names, style of lines, expression and other properties of Rapid Custom Indicator can be modified any time via Custom Indicator Library window.
.NET Custom Indicator Framework
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicator framework is a .NET library that provides full access to LBS Alpha's Charts indicator infrastructure. This allows you to write a single-line indicator, as well as an advanced analysis tool with complex custom drawing functionality. To support developers, the plug-in contains integrated development environment, developer documentation and samples.
Custom Indicator Library Manager
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicator plug-in also manages a source code library of advanced custom indicators.
EasyLanguage ™ Compatibility
LBS Alpha's Custom Indicators plug-in allows you to use and develop EasyLanguage analysis techniques.
Library of EasyLanguage Functions
You can create your own library of EasyLanguage functions. Just save your EasyLanguage file with extension ".lib.el" (for example, MyFunctions.lib.el), and your indicator is placed in a common library.
Detailed Trade Reports
Barr Futures provide each trader with a detailed reporting of their activity through a reporting suite that is fully integrated into the LBS Alpha.
- Daily Fills
- Daily Activity
- Working Orders
- Rejected Orders
- Order Statistics
- P&L Summary
- Chat History
- News History
- Order Details
- Daily Positions
- Trade Logs
- Open Orders
Any of the reports can be viewed online, generated in PDF format or exported to Excel.
Initial/Maintenance Margin
Margin in the Positions window allow traders the ability to view their necessary margin in relation to their open positions. The following Margin Types have been added to the position window as column choices:
- Initial Margin Requirement - The funds required in a commodity account when a position either long (bought) or sold (short) is established.
- Maintenance Margin Requirement - The equity point at which a margin call is issued to bring the account back to the initial/original margin level.
Sub Accounts
Are you trading multiple systems?
Do you need separate account or tracking?
Barr Futures provides the ability for Master and Sub Accounts either separate or Co Managed with the master account to leverage funds based on our traders requirements.
Sub accounts can be traded from the same login as the master account or separate logins can be created.
Pit and Electronic markets
In addition to the direct access we enable to the major electronic markets, we also provide access to most major traditional commodity markets. Many brokerages simply don't have the infrastructure or the technology to allow you to trade the traditional open-outcry futures markets, even though many important commodity futures continue to trade in the pits.
Barr Futures manages this complex routing to supply you with the best executions. Most of our pit orders are routed directly to electronic devices like handhelds and touch screens used by floor brokers in the trading pits. These devices help ensure the timeliest execution of your order. The broker keys your fill into the device, and you'll see it on your LBS Alpha screen just moments later.
Institutional Clients, if you require special needs, LBL can route orders by trader, by commodity or by both to a specific broker.
Inter-Product Spreads
Barr Futures has added support for the following Spreads:
- Calendar Spreads
- Commodity Spreads
- Currency Spreads
- Index Spreads
- Inter Product Spreads
- Rate Spreads
The buyer of an Inter-product Spread buys the first and sells the second component but the components refer to different underlying contracts, usually with the same expiration month. Inter-product Spreads are treated as separate products. If an Inter-product spread is executed there will be 2 separate positions for two different products located in the Positions window.
All Orders Held Server Side
One of the keys to our speed and reliability is the fact that all of the data critical to trading success is kept on our server rather than on your PC. This protects you from the unpredictable nature of connectivity from your PC to the server and eliminates storage requirements on your PC. In the event that a connection from your PC to the server is lost, any working orders will continue to work on the server.
Volume Histogram
The LBS Alpha now supports a volume histogram on the DOM and Charts. The histogram graphically offers the ability to help determine price levels of both support and resistance.
- Can be easily enabled/disabled by clicking a button in the DOM toolbar
- Can be fully customized to meet your unique requirements and style
COM Interface
Barr Futures now offers the ability to leverage the full functionality of our API and technology through the use of standard COM technologies such as C++. Now programmers wishing to write to the API are no longer constrained to using only .NET technologies to leverage the speed, functionality and reliability LBL offers.
More...
No Software Fees
Many software providers today charge a monthly fee to use their software regardless of whether or not you actually complete a trade that month. Worse yet, some software providers actually charge a minimum usage fee. This creates an unnecessary and costly expense that traders need to bear.
Barr Futures feels so strongly about the value of our software to traders that we never have, nor do we now, charge a "monthly" or "minimum" usage fee to use the LBS Alpha.
Fast Execution
The LBS Alpha was built with speed and reliability in mind. Everything we do takes these two basic guiding principles into account.
Our Direct market connections ensure the timeliest supply of quote and chart data. These connections, along with the philosophy of holding all trades server-side ensure the fastest fills possible. In the event that the primary server and all redundant servers are not accessible, this information may be delayed.
You will see your end to end execution times detailed for every order.
Simulation
Not sure if the LBS Alpha is for you?
Interested in testing out a new strategy?
Barr Futures offers a full, wholly separate simulation environment with full streaming quote data and chart feeds.
In simulation you can:
- Explore the full functionality of our advanced ordering module.
- View complete details about your working, filled, cancelled or rejected orders.
- View depth of market, real time charts and streaming quotes for all electronic contracts.
- Practice your trading strategy using LBS Alpha's rich functionality.
- Give us feedback and comments about the trading system and how it worked for you.