Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Marketiva Online Forex Trading

Marketiva.com is The Best Place to Learn Forex, Index, and Commodities Trading. With more than 800,000 serviced users, 500,000 unique and live trading accounts, and more than 3.8 million live orders executed each month, Marketiva is one of the most popular over-the-counter market makers in the world providing Forex, Indexes and Commodities trading services.

May I open a test account and try the system first?
Absolutely! Because live and virtual trading desks co-exist within one Marketiva account, you may try our system with a regular account and later use the same account for live trading. In any case, you can open your Marketiva account for free! Open Account now and get $5 Real Money!

How much money do I need to start trading right now?
With its flexible quantity specifications and $5 cash reward, Marketiva allows you to start trading with no money down. Due to strict lot specifications, many other over-the-counter market makers require at least $500 to start with. Open Account now and get $5 Real Money!

Where and how do I start?
Before you can start trading, you need to open an account with us (it is free) and download our trading platform (Streamster). To open your account, please visit Open Account page and to download Streamster please visit Downloads page.


Important:
  1. Please use valid informations such as Real Name, Full Address, Phone Number, Postal Code, City and Country. If you use fake informations, your account will be Automatically Deleted by Marketiva System.
  2. You will need to provide Identification Document and Address Confirmation Document. Your Can use National Identity Card, Drivers License, Passport or any other Official Documents with your Name, Photo, and Full Address issued by Government. If your document does not have address, you will need to provide additional Address Confirmation Document. You can use any official document with your Name (at least family name), Full Address, and Official Stamp. Affidavit Letter, Bank Account Statement, Electric, Phone, Gas, or other Utility Bill will be accepted for address confirmation document, remember that all documents have to be in your own name with your full address.
  3. Identification documents should be uploaded at Identification page.

    Sunday, November 21, 2010

    Streamster™ API Trading Methods

    Once the SOAP object is created, Streamster API exposes a number of methods you can invoke to communicate with Streamster from your script or application. The following section explores available trading methods and related structures.

    SendOrder
    SendOrder method sends a new order. It is an equivalent to clicking a New button in the Orders window in Streamster and then filling out the form and clicking OK. The SendOrder method has one parameter, an "Order" structure which contains details of the new order. The meaning of fields in the Order structure is the same as in the Send Order form in Streamster.


    The following fields in the Order structure are valid and used when calling the SendOrder method:
    • Instrument: Name of the instrument (for example, EUR/USD), a required field
    • Side: BUY (Default) or SELL
    • PriceType: MARKET (Default), LIMIT or STOP
    • Price: Required field when PriceType parameter is set to LIMIT or STOP
    • DurationType: GTC (Default), GTD or IOC
    • Duration: Required when DurationType parameter is set to GTD (Good Till Date)
    • Quantity: Required field
    • QuantityType: FULL (Default) or PARTIAL
    • ExitStopLoss: Optional
    • ExitTarget: Optional
    • Desk: Name of the desk to use for the order, a required field
    • Currency: Required if there is more than one currency on the specified desk
    • Text: Optional

    The SendOrder method has no return value - if an order is successful, it would normally appear in the Orders window shortly. If any parameter is invalid, an exception will be raised (as in all other Streamster API methods).

    Sample - PHP: The following code sends a basic order.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $api -> SendOrder(array(
    "Instrument" => "EUR/USD",
    "Desk" => "Virtual Forex",
    "Quantity" => 10
    ));

    ?>

    The following code creates an order variable, fills out most of its fields and sends an order.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $order -> Instrument = "Dow Jones";
    $order -> Side = "BUY";
    $order -> Price = 8756.24;
    $order -> PriceType = "LIMIT";
    $order -> ExitTarget = 8770;
    $order -> Desk = "Testing";
    $order -> Currency = "EUR";
    $order -> Quantity = 10;
    $order -> DurationType = "GTD";
    $order -> Duration = date("c", time() + 3600);
    $order -> Text = "test order from my script";

    $api -> SendOrder($order);

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code sends a basic order.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim o As Order = New Order

    o.Instrument = "EUR/USD"
    o.Desk = "Virtual Forex"
    o.Quantity = 10
    o.QuantitySpecified = True

    api.SendOrder(o)

    The following code sends an order with lots of optional parameters.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim o As Order = New Order

    o.Instrument = "Dow Jones"
    o.Side = "BUY"
    o.Price = 8756.24
    o.PriceSpecified = True
    o.PriceType = "LIMIT"
    o.ExitTarget = 8770
    o.ExitTargetSpecified = True
    o.Desk = "Testing"
    o.Currency = "EUR"
    o.Quantity = 10
    o.QuantitySpecified = True
    o.DurationType = "GTD"
    o.Duration = DateAdd("d", 1, Now())
    o.DurationSpecified = True
    o.Text = "test order from my script"

    api.SendOrder(o)

    ChangeOrder
    ChangeOrder changes certain parameters of a pending order. The ChangeOrder method has one parameter, an "Order" structure, which specifies the ID of the order to be changed and the new parameters of the order.

    The following fields in the Order structure are valid and used when calling the ChangeOrder method:
    • OrderID: Contains the ID of the order to be changed
    • PriceType: MARKET (Default), LIMIT or STOP
    • Price: Required field when PriceType parameter is set to LIMIT or STOP
    • DurationType: GTC (Default), GTD or IOC
    • Duration: Required when DurationType parameter is set to GTD (Good Till Date)
    • Quantity: Required field
    • QuantityType: FULL (Default) or PARTIAL
    • ExitStopLoss: Optional; when empty, Exit Stop Loss parameter will be reset for the position
    • ExitTarget: Optional; when empty, Exit Target parameter will be reset for the position
    • Text: Sets the Text parameter of the position

    All other fields in the Order structure are ignored when the ChangeOrder method is called.

    NOTE: If any of the above fields are left empty, a default value will be assumed, not the previous value associated with the order. For example, if ChangeOrder is invoked with ExitStopLoss field left empty, the Exit Stop Loss value will be reset - it will not have the value as it was before the call.

    Sample - PHP: The following code changes an order.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $order -> OrderID = "CR82JA01D";
    $order -> Price = 8756.24;
    $order -> PriceType = "LIMIT";
    $order -> ExitTarget = 8765;
    $order -> Quantity = 10;
    $order -> DurationType = "GTD";
    $order -> Duration = date("c", time() + 3600);
    $order -> Text = "test order from my script";

    $api -> ChangeOrder($order);

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code changes an order.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim o As Order = New Order

    o.OrderID = "K82LVC9DR"
    o.Price = 8756.24
    o.PriceSpecified = True
    o.PriceType = "LIMIT"
    o.ExitTarget = 8765
    o.ExitTargetSpecified = True
    o.Quantity = 10
    o.QuantitySpecified = True
    o.DurationType = "GTD"
    o.Duration = DateAdd("d", 1, Now())
    o.DurationSpecified = True
    o.Text = "test order from my script"

    api.ChangeOrder(o)

    CancelOrder
    CancelOrder cancels an order with a given Order ID. The CancelOrder method has one parameter, an "OrderID" string which specifies the order to be canceled. The CancelOrder method has no return value.

    Sample - PHP: The following code cancels an order.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $api -> CancelOrder("Z4AEVG7Z0");

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code cancels an order.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    api.CancelOrder("Z4AEVG7Z0")


    ChangePosition
    ChangePosition changes certain parameters of an open position. The ChangePosition method has one parameter, a "Position" structure, which specifies the ID of the position to be changed and the new parameters of the position.

    The following fields in the Position structure are valid and used when calling the ChangePosition method:
    • PositionID: Contains the ID of the position to be changed
    • ExitStopLoss: Sets the Exit Stop Loss parameter; when empty, Exit Stop Loss parameter will be reset for the position
    • ExitTarget: Sets the Exit Target parameter; when empty, Exit Target parameter will be reset for the position
    • Text: Sets the Text parameter of the position

    All other fields in the Position structure are ignored when the ChangePosition method is called.

    NOTE: If any of the above fields are left empty, a default value will be assumed, not the previous value associated with the order. For example, if ChangePosition is invoked with ExitStopLoss field left empty, the Exit Stop Loss value will be reset - it will not have the value as it was before the call.

    Sample - PHP: The following code changes a position.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $position -> PositionID = "B2HN72VL3";
    $position -> ExitStopLoss = 3.20;
    $position -> ExitTarget = 3.50;
    $position -> Text = "hello world";

    $api -> ChangePosition($position);

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code changes a position.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim p As Position = New Position

    p.PositionID = "B2HN72VL3"
    p.ExitStopLoss = 3.20
    p.ExitStopLossSpecified = True
    p.ExitTarget = 3.50
    p.ExitTargetSpecified = True
    p.Text = "hello world"

    api.ChangePosition(p)

    ClosePosition
    ClosePosition closes a position with a given Position ID. The ClosePosition method has one parameter, a "PositionID" string which specifies the position to be closed. The ClosePosition method has no return value.

    Sample - PHP: The following code closes a position.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $api -> ClosePosition("B2HN72VL3");

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code closes a position.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    api.ClosePosition("B2HN72VL3")

    Sunday, November 14, 2010

    API Retrieval Methods - GetPositions

    GetPositions
    GetPositions method returns an array of "Position" structures. This array corresponds directly to the Positions window in Streamster. Each Position structure in the returned array contains one position with its associated fields as displayed in Streamster. GetPositions returns an array of Position structures which contain only fields available in Streamster - if you wish to retrieve any fields not currently shown in Streamster's Positions window, you have to add them by clicking the Columns button.


    Sample - PHP: The following sample retrieves all positions and lists them.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetPositions();
    if(property_exists($r, "Position")) {
    foreach($r -> Position as $n => $PositionInfo) {
    echo "\tPosition " . $n . "\n";
    foreach($PositionInfo as $field => $value) {
    echo "\t\tField: " . $field . " = " . $value . "\n";
    }
    }
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following sample retrieves all positions and lists them.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim ap As Position()
    Dim p As Position

    ap = api.GetPositions()

    For Each p In ap
    Console.WriteLine("")
    Console.WriteLine("Position:")

    Console.WriteLine("PositionID: " & p.PositionID)
    Console.WriteLine("Desk: " & p.Desk)
    Console.WriteLine("Instrument: " & p.Instrument)
    Console.WriteLine("Side: " & p.Side)
    Console.WriteLine("OpenPrice: " & p.OpenPrice)
    Console.WriteLine("Currency: " & p.Currency)
    Console.WriteLine("Quantity: " & p.Quantity)
    Console.WriteLine("Points: " & p.Points)
    Console.WriteLine("Profit: " & p.Profit)
    Console.WriteLine("ExitStopLoss: " & p.ExitStopLoss)
    Console.WriteLine("ExitTarget: " & p.ExitTarget)
    Console.WriteLine("Entered: " & p.Entered)
    Console.WriteLine("Exited: " & p.Exited)
    Console.WriteLine("Status: " & p.Status)
    Console.WriteLine("Text: " & p.Text)
    Console.WriteLine("ClosePrice: " & p.ClosePrice)
    Console.WriteLine("Interest: " & p.Interest)
    Next
    GetDesks
    GetDesks method returns an array of "Desk" structures. Each Desk structure in the returned array describes one desk on your account, including the name of the desk, the amount available on the desk, and the currency in which this amount is available.

    Sample - PHP: The following sample retrieves all desks and lists them.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetDesks();
    if(property_exists($r, "Desk")) {
    foreach($r -> Desk as $n => $Desk) {
    echo "Name: " . $Desk -> Name;
    echo ", Currency: " . $Desk -> Currency;
    echo ", Amount: " . $Desk -> Amount;
    echo "\n";
    }
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following sample retrieves all desks and lists them.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim ad As Desk()
    Dim d As Desk

    ad = api.GetDesks()

    For Each d In ad
    Console.WriteLine("Name: " & d.Name & ", Currency: " & d.Currency &
    ", Amount: " & d.Amount)
    Next


    GetBars
    GetBars method retrieves an array of bars for a specified instrument and period. Each bar in the returned array of bars contains price at a specific point in time.

    NOTE: Only bars from any open Charting windows in Streamster can be retrieved. If you wish to retrieve bars from your script for a specific instrument and period, you have to make sure that this instrument/period is shown in one of Streamster's Charting windows.

    The GetBars method has three parameters: instrument, period and a flag for options.

    First parameter of the GetBars method is a string that specifies the instrument for which bars will be retrieved. The second parameter, Period, specifies the required period such as "5 Minutes", "15 Minutes", "30 Minutes", "Hourly", "4 Hours", "Daily", "Weekly", or "Monthly". The third parameter is a string that determines the order in which bars are returned: a blank string if bars are to be returned in descending order or a string "f" (as in "flip") for ascending order.

    Each bar in the returned array of bars has the following fields: BarDateTime, Open, High, Low, Close and Volume.

    Sample - PHP: The following code retrieves 5-minute EUR/USD bars and shows them all.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetBars("EUR/USD", "5 minutes", "f");

    if(property_exists($r, "Bar")) {
    foreach($r -> Bar as $n => $Bar) {
    echo $Bar -> BarDateTime . " " . $Bar -> Open . " " . $Bar -> High .
    " " . $Bar -> Low . " " . $Bar -> Close . "\n";
    }
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code retrieves 5-minute EUR/USD bars and shows them all.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim ab As Bar()
    Dim b As Bar

    ab = api.GetBars("EUR/USD", "5 minutes", "")

    For Each b In ab
    Console.WriteLine(b.BarDateTime & " " & b.Open & " " & b.High &
    " " & b.Low & " " & b.Close)
    Next

    GetLastMessage
    GetLastMessage retrieves the last error or warning message displayed in Streamster, if any. The GetLastMessage method returns a blank string if there were no messages after the previous GetLastMessage call.

    Sample - PHP: The following code shows the last error or warning message.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetLastMessage();

    if($r != "") {
    echo($r);
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following code shows the last error or warning message.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim s As String

    s = api.GetLastMessage()

    If s <> "" Then Console.WriteLine(s)

    Sunday, November 7, 2010

    Streamster™ API Retrieval Methods

    Once the SOAP object is created, Streamster API exposes a number of methods you can invoke to communicate with Streamster from your script or application. The following section explores available retrieval methods and related structures.

    GetQuote
    GetQuote method returns a "Quote" structure for a given instrument name. The Quote structure contains fields equivalent to columns in Rates windows in Streamster. GetQuote returns only fields available in Streamster - if you wish to retrieve any fields not currently shown in Streamster, you have to add them by clicking the Columns button.


    Sample - PHP: The following sample retrieves a quote for EUR/USD, displays the "Last" field and then lists all available fields.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $quote = $api -> GetQuote("EUR/USD");

    echo $quote -> Last . "\n";

    foreach($quote as $field => $value) {
    echo $field . " = " . $value . "\n";
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following sample retrieves a quote for EUR/USD, displays the "Last" field and then displays all other fields.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim q As Quote
    q = api.GetQuote("EUR/USD")

    Console.WriteLine("Last: " & q.Last)
    Console.WriteLine("Bid: " & q.Bid)
    Console.WriteLine("Offer: " & q.Offer)
    Console.WriteLine("Change: " & q.Change)
    Console.WriteLine("High: " & q.High)
    Console.WriteLine("Low: " & q.Low)
    Console.WriteLine("Open: " & q.Open)
    Console.WriteLine("Close: " & q.Close)
    Console.WriteLine("Time: " & q.Time)
    Console.WriteLine("Currency: " & q.Currency)
    Console.WriteLine("Yield: " & q.Yield)
    Console.WriteLine("Ask: " & q.Ask)


    GetOrders
    GetOrders method returns an array of "Order" structures. This array corresponds directly to the Orders window in Streamster. Each Order structure in the returned array contains one order with its associated fields as displayed in Streamster. GetOrders returns an array of Order structures which contain only fields available in Streamster - if you wish to retrieve any fields not currently shown in Streamster's Orders window, you have to add them by clicking the Columns button.

    Sample - PHP: The following sample retrieves all orders and lists them.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetOrders();
    if(property_exists($r, "Order")) {
    foreach($r -> Order as $n => $OrderInfo) {
    echo "\tOrder " . $n . "\n";
    foreach($OrderInfo as $field => $value) {
    echo "\t\tField: " . $field . " = " . $value . "\n";
    }
    }
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following sample retrieves all orders and lists them.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim ao As Order()
    Dim o As Order

    ao = api.GetOrders()

    For Each o In ao
    Console.WriteLine("")
    Console.WriteLine("Order:")

    Console.WriteLine("OrderID: " & o.OrderID)
    Console.WriteLine("Desk: " & o.Desk)
    Console.WriteLine("Instrument: " & o.Instrument)
    Console.WriteLine("Side: " & o.Side)
    Console.WriteLine("Phase: " & o.Phase)
    Console.WriteLine("PriceType: " & o.PriceType)
    Console.WriteLine("Price: " & o.Price)
    Console.WriteLine("ActiveQuantity: " & o.ActiveQuantity)
    Console.WriteLine("TradedQuantity: " & o.TradedQuantity)
    Console.WriteLine("ExitStopLoss: " & o.ExitStopLoss)
    Console.WriteLine("ExitTarget: " & o.ExitTarget)
    Console.WriteLine("Status: " & o.Status)
    Console.WriteLine("PositionID: " & o.PositionID)
    Console.WriteLine("Currency: " & o.Currency)
    Console.WriteLine("Duration: " & o.Duration)
    Console.WriteLine("DurationType: " & o.DurationType)
    Console.WriteLine("Quantity: " & o.Quantity)
    Console.WriteLine("QuantityType: " & o.QuantityType)
    Console.WriteLine("Text: " & o.Text)
    Console.WriteLine("Entered: " & o.Entered)
    Next

    GetTrades
    GetTrades method returns an array of "Trade" structures. This array corresponds directly to the Trades window in Streamster. Each Trade structure in the returned array contains one trade with its associated fields as displayed in Streamster. GetTrades returns an array of Trade structures which contain only fields available in Streamster - if you wish to retrieve any fields not currently shown in Streamster's Trades window, you have to add them by clicking the Columns button.

    Sample - PHP: The following sample retrieves all trades and lists them.

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $r = $api -> GetTrades();
    if(property_exists($r, "Trade")) {
    foreach($r -> Trade as $n => $TradeInfo) {
    echo "\tTrade " . $n . "\n";
    foreach($TradeInfo as $field => $value) {
    echo "\t\tField: " . $field . " = " . $value . "\n";
    }
    }
    }

    ?>

    Sample - Visual Basic: The following sample retrieves all trades and lists them.

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi

    Dim at As Trade()
    Dim t As Trade

    at = api.GetTrades()

    For Each t In at
    Console.WriteLine("")
    Console.WriteLine("Trade:")

    Console.WriteLine("TradeID: " & t.TradeID)
    Console.WriteLine("Desk: " & t.Desk)
    Console.WriteLine("Instrument: " & t.Instrument)
    Console.WriteLine("Side: " & t.Side)
    Console.WriteLine("Phase: " & t.Phase)
    Console.WriteLine("Price: " & t.Price)
    Console.WriteLine("Quantity: " & t.Quantity)
    Console.WriteLine("Executed: " & t.Executed)
    Console.WriteLine("Status: " & t.Status)
    Console.WriteLine("Currency: " & t.Currency)
    Console.WriteLine("Text: " & t.Text)
    Console.WriteLine("OrderID: " & t.OrderID)
    Next

    Monday, November 1, 2010

    Streamster™ API

    The pages referenced below describe how to use Streamster™ API, which can be used to create applications that interface with Novativa Streamster™. Applications using the Streamster API can retrieve various data from Novativa Streamster, execute and modify orders on the market and perform a variety of related actions.

    Introduction to Streamster™ API
    Streamster API exposes its functionality via the industry standard SOAP protocol. SOAP is widely supported on practically every programming platform, including PHP, Visual Basic, C#, C++, Java and many other languages and platforms.

    To use Streamster API, an application connects to the SOAP service which is built into Novativa Streamster. To enable Streamster API and Streamster's SOAP service, log on to your account and click the Settings button. Under "Advanced", tick the "Enable web service API" box and click OK. Windows Firewall will then ask you to allow Streamster to accept connections on port 8018 - click the "Keep Blocking" button, which will prevent other computers on internet or your network from accessing Streamster API.

    Once enabled, Streamster API is ready to service any requests coming from your computer. It is very important to note that requests coming from any computer other than yours will be always rejected, even if you allow Windows Firewall access to port 8018 from internet or any other computer or network. This is to prevent others on internet from accessing Streamster API on your computer and account. Note that there is no option in Streamster allowing circumvention of this protection.

    With Streamster API enabled, you can use languages such as PHP and Visual Basic to run samples shown in the remainder of this document, or your own applications. For each Streamster API function you will see samples in PHP and Visual Basic. If you intend to use another language or platform, conversion of the sample code is usually very straightforward.

    Using API from PHP

    PHP supports SOAP and Streamster API very well. Installing PHP on your computer is simple - download and install the Windows binaries from the PHP.net site. PHP version 5 or later is required. Some PHP versions on Windows do not have SOAP enabled by default - you can enable the SOAP extension by editing the PHP.INI file and uncommenting the extension=php_soap.dll line.

    To perform a simple PHP test, create a PHP file named "test.php" and edit it in Windows Notepad. Paste the following code into it:

    SOAP_SINGLE_ELEMENT_ARRAYS));

    $quote = $api -> GetQuote("EUR/USD");
    echo $quote -> Last;

    ?>

    Test the above PHP script by running "php test.php" and it should simply display the last price of EUR/USD.

    To test for critical errors (for example, when Streamster is not started at all, when method parameters are invalid, etc), you can use the standard PHP exception handling.

    Using API from Visual Basic
    Using Streamster API from Visual Basic is simple because it natively supports SOAP web services. There are numerous ways to consume a web service from Visual Basic, but the simplest is to add a "Web Service Reference" to your Visual Basic project. The address of the Streamster API Web Service is http://127.0.0.1:8018/service.wsdl and this is what needs to be specified when adding the web service reference to your Visual Basic project.

    Once the reference is added to your project, using Streamster API is as simple as using any other Visual Basic object. For example, try the code below:

    Dim api As StreamsterApi = New StreamsterApi
    Dim q As Quote = api.GetQuote("EUR/USD")

    Console.WriteLine ("Last = " & q.Last)

    If your Visual Basic project is a Windows Forms application, you can change the last line to Label1.Text = q.Last or similar.

    Depending on your version of Visual Basic, you will need to make sure you add a "Web Service Reference", not a "Service Reference". If you add a "Service Reference", the name of the Streamster API class will be "StreamsterApiClientInterface" instead of just "StreamsterApi" so examples shown in this document would have to be updated accordingly in this case.

    After Streamster API web service reference is added to your Visual Basic project, it is also necessary to add Streamster API web service reference to the list of "Imported Namespaces" in your Visual Basic project. This is necessary so that you will not have to prefix each Streamster API type with a web service reference name, which can be tedious.

    To find out how to add a web service reference to the list of "Imported Namespaces" in your project, please consult the Visual Basic help system.

    Sunday, October 24, 2010

    Spreads and Market Conditions

    Market Conditions
    This page is intended to provide specific details and conditions regarding market instruments available for trading. Due to a constantly changing nature of financial markets, information provided on this page is subject to change at any moment and without prior notice. Portion of the information provided below is updated in real-time.

    Price Spreads
    Spreads between bid and offer (ask) prices are variable. They depend on current market conditions and can change at any time. Below is the list of standard price spreads on the market instruments available for trading. Current price spreads that are different from the standard ones are shown in brackets.

    EUR/USD: 2, USD/JPY: 3, GBP/USD: 4, USD/CHF: 4, USD/CAD: 4, AUD/USD: 4, NZD/USD: 4, EUR/JPY: 4, EUR/GBP: 3, EUR/CHF: 4, GBP/JPY: 8, AUD/JPY: 5, CHF/JPY: 5, GBP/CHF: 8, EUR/CAD: 10, EUR/AUD: 10, AUD/CAD: 10, Constantine: 0.60%, Yangtze: 1.00%, Asiasset: 1.00%, Brasillion: 1.00%, Indiamond: 1.00%, Nippon: 1.00%, Columbus: 1.00%, Eastera: 1.00%, Dow Jones: 475 (19000), Nasdaq 100: 90 (3600), S&P 500: 50 (2000), DAX: 275 (550), FTSE 100: 450 (900), CAC 40: 200 (400), Russell 3000: 35 (1400), Gold: 80, Silver: 55, Platinum: 475 (2375), Palladium: 380 (1900).

    Please note that price spreads often unexpectedly change and greatly increase during weekends, in after-hours trading, in case of market-related announcements or market turmoil.

    Saturday, October 23, 2010

    Specifics and Facts

    If you want to trade you simply have to know what volatility is, how interest rate changes occur and what do they influence. While you chat with traders they will often use slang to express their thoughts in a shorter form: "market is really thin today...". Please click on the links below to read more about the trading specifics and the language used in the trading world.

    Trading Terminology
    Traders often chat with one another about a variety of topics related to financial markets, giving their perspectives and discussing trading ideas and current moves on the markets. While communicating with each other they often use slang to express their thoughts in a shorter form. Some of the most popular slang is listed below.

    Asset Allocation: Dividing instrument funds among markets to achieve diversification or maximum return.

    Bearish: A market view that anticipates lower prices.

    Bullish: A market view that anticipates higher prices.

    Chartist: An individual who studies graphs and charts of historic data to find trends and predict trend reversals.

    Counterparty: The other organization or party with whom trading is being transacted.

    Day Trader: Speculator who takes positions in instruments which are liquidated prior to the close of the same trading day.

    Economic Indicator: A statistics which indicates economic growth rates and trends such as retail sales and employment.

    Exotic: A less broadly traded market instrument.

    Fast Market: Rapid movement in a market caused by strong interest by buyers and / or sellers.

    Fed: The U.S. Federal Reserve. FDIC membership is compulsory for Federal Reserve members.

    GDP: Total value of a country's output, income or expenditure produced within the country's physical borders.

    Liquidity: The ability of a market to accept large transactions.

    Resistance Level: A price which is likely to result in a rebound but if broken may result in a significant price movement.

    Spread: The difference between the bid and ask price of a market instrument.

    Support Levels: When a price depreciates or appreciates to a level where analysis suggests that the price will rebound.

    Thin Market: A market in which trading volume is low and in which consequently spread is wide and the liquidity is low.

    Volatility: A measure of the amount by which an asset price is expected to fluctuate over a given period.

    Margin Requirements
    Margin requirement is only applicable to margin trading. It allows you to hold a position much larger than your actual account value. Margin requirement or deposit is not a down payment on a purchase. Rather, the margin is a performance bond, or good faith deposit, to ensure against trading losses. Trading platforms often perform automatic pre-trade checks for margin availability and will execute the trade only if you have sufficient margin funds in your account.

    In the event that funds in your account fall below margin requirement, most trading systems will automatically close one or more open positions. This prevents your account from ever falling below the available equity even in a highly volatile, fast moving market.

    For example, you may be required to have only $1,000 in your account in order to trade position that would normally require $20,000. The $1,000 (5%) is referred to as "margin". This amount is essentially collateral to cover any losses that you might incur. Margin should reflect some rational assessment of potential risk in a position. For example, if a market instrument is very volatile, a higher margin requirement would normally be justified.

    Overnight Interest
    Overnight interest is only applicable to margin trading. Trading on margin means that a trader borrows money to buy or sell a market instrument using actual account value as collateral. Traders generally use margin to increase their purchasing power so that they can own more market instruments without fully paying for it.

    Considering that trading on margin involves borrowing money, trader has to pay interest on the loan. That interest is referred to as Overnight Interest and is generally charged based on number of days a position on margin was held. Most trading systems will charge daily interest portion at the end of each trading session and charge three times more on Monday or on other preset weekday (if market is closed on weekends).

    In case of Forex, Overnight Interest is calculated as interest rate differential between interest rates for particular currencies that make the currency pair that is being traded. For example, if a trader wants to sell USD/JPY on margin, he or she will have to pay 4.0% (e.g. U.S. interest rate at 5.0% subtracted by Japanese interest rate at 1.0% makes the interest rate differential) of the amount borrowed per year to hold the position.

    Before trading on margin it is highly recommended to get information on exact interest rates charged for borrowing money and how that will affect the total return on investments.

    Sunday, October 17, 2010

    Trading Specifics and Facts

    What is point and position point value?
    Point is the smallest change in a market instrument's price. If a price changed from 1.2000 to 1.2001 or from 201.10 to 201.11, it changed for 1 point. Point value depends on your position size.

    How do I calculate my profit?
    Your profit depends on your position size and difference in prices traded. If you buy a market instrument for 129.38 (quantity of 10000) and later sell it for 129.52, your profit will be (129.52 - 129.38) * 10000 = 1400.

    Are there any restrictions on quantity?
    You can specify any position size in our trading system, as we don't have strict quantity specifications. For example, you can specify: 1, 3, 7, 23, 154, 837, 3497, 10000, 100000 or any other quantity when you send an entry order.

    What is spread?
    Spreads between bid and offer (ask) prices are variable. Price spreads often unexpectedly change and greatly increase during weekends, in after-hours trading, in case of market-related announcements or market turmoil.

    Sunday, October 10, 2010

    Trading Fundamentals

    What is long and short position?
    Long (buy then sell) position and short (sell then buy) position are: a long position is simply one in which a trader buys a market instrument at one price and aims to sell it later at a higher price. In this scenario, the trader benefits from a rising market. A short position is one in which the trader sells a market instrument in anticipation that it will depreciate. In this scenario, the trader benefits from a declining market.

    What is entry limit and stop level?
    A limit order is an order to buy below the current price, or sell above the current price. For example, if a market instrument is trading at 1.2952 / 55 and you believe that price is expensive, you could place a limit order to buy at 1.2945. If executed, this will give you a long position at 1.2945, which is 10 points better than if you had just bought the instrument with a market order. A stop order is an order where you buy above the current market price or sell below the current market price, and is used if you are away from your desk and want to catch a trend. If a market instrument is trading at 1.2952 / 55, you could place a stop buy order at 1.2970. In case the market moves up to that price, your order will execute and open a long position. If market continues in the same direction (trend), the position will bring you profit.

    What is stop-loss and target level?
    A stop-loss order ensures a particular position is automatically liquidated at a predetermined price in order to limit potential losses should the market move against a trader's position. Exit target level is a price level at which you want to close your position, when you reach certain profit. You can set the exit target level when you open your position or at any time while the position is open.

    What is GTC, GTD and IOC order?
    GTC (Good Till Cancelled) order will stay in the market until you cancel it and it is the default order duration type. GTD (Good Till Date) will stay in the market until a date you specify, and IOC (Immediate Or Cancel) order will be executed immediately (if other order conditions are met) or cancelled.

    Friday, September 24, 2010

    Rates, Alerts, News and Sounds

    Why current rates change colors?
    If a rate changes color to green, it means the rate in that cell just updated and is higher than the previous one. If a rate changes color to red, it means the rate in that cell just updated and is lower than the previous one.

    When does the Change column reset?
    Each trading day session starts at 17:00 EST / EDT (New York local time) so the Change columns reset at that time.

    Why # symbols show up instead of rates?
    When there is not enough space for Streamster to show certain value in a cell, # symbols are shown instead. The application does that so if a part of a number is missing you do not see a wrong number. Simply place your mouse on the border of the column heading where the # symbols appear, then click and drag until you see all of the data.


    How can I select which instruments I will see?
    To subscribe to updates for a chosen market instrument: click button in a price window. Under Subscribe section, click the text field and type in the desired market instrument name. You can also specify a part of a name: for example, typing A will display all market instruments that have letter A in their names. Click button. Within the search results box, double-click the name of any market instrument you wish to subscribe to. The name of the market instrument will appear in the box with active subscriptions. Click to confirm your subscriptions.

    How do I interpret market alerts?
    Market alerts notify you about a current or future event on the market. Alerts are triggered 5 minutes before the scheduled event is about to take place. There are many different abbreviations used in language that describe alert notifications. These are abbreviations for economic institutions, instruments, businesses, reports, processes, etc. You can find detailed information on these and similar terms and abbreviations at http://www.wikipedia.org/ web site.

    Who provides news in the Latest News window?

    Marketiva collects news articles from various sources on the internet, extracts summaries and provides links to external web sites where the news articles were originally published.

    How to setup sound, voice and visuals?
    To setup sound, voice, chat features, and other Streamster settings, please click on the button located at the top of the application window.

    Sunday, September 19, 2010

    Marketiva Account Services

    How can I deposit funds to my account?
    There are several deposit options we provide for our clients. Please check payment options page for more information. Digital currency deposits are automated so you see funds in your Marketiva account instantly. Please make sure you follow online deposit procedures until their full completion so these systems correctly provide us with information on your deposits.

    Where can I see my account information?
    To see your account information, username and account number, you can login to your Account Center page.

    Where are my billing transactions?
    A detailed summary of your Marketiva billing transactions can be viewed at billing page.


    How can I change my contact information?
    To change your contact information, please go to the change contact info page.

    I forgot my password. What can I do?
    If you forgot your password, you can recover it by filling out a password recovery form at recover password page. If you cannot remember some of the information there, you can join our live support channel where we will be able to ask you additional questions about your account, and reset your password.

    How can I change my password?
    Please go to change password page where you can change your password. For security purposes, we recommend you to change your password once per month.

    How can I withdraw my funds?
    We provide several methods for clients to withdraw funds. Please see withdraw funds page for more details on these methods. We also allow withdrawals to digital currency accounts that you have previously deposited from. Withdrawal process is never automated, for security purposes, but it usually takes 6 to 24 hours to clear.

    Sunday, September 12, 2010

    Introduction to Marketiva

    What is Marketiva?
    Marketiva is a financial services corporation specialized in providing traders with high quality online trading services.

    Where and how do I start?
    Before you can start trading, you need to open an account with us (it is free) and download our trading platform (Streamster). To open your account, please click here and to download Streamster please visit download page.

    Can I test your system first?
    We strongly encourage users to practice with virtual money, for at least several weeks, before starting to trade on live trading desks. Each user gets virtual $10000 on account opening and this virtual money can be used for practicing. There is no limitation on how long a user can trade virtual money only.


    What if I do not understand legal statements?
    Do not become a Marketiva client until you have completely read, understood, and acknowledged the legal information on Marketiva.com web site. If you do not completely understand some of the information, you may consult a competent legal advisor or contact us with specific queries at our contact page.

    How much money do I need to start?
    We have no requirements for initial deposit. When you open an account you get real $5 reward and virtual $10000 for training. If you want to open an account please click here and fill out the form there.

    Can I open two accounts?
    Marketiva has very strict one person one account policy. No matter if an account is in good standing or is cancelled or closed, we do not allow same person to hold two different accounts. If our administration system detects there are multiple accounts registered by the same person, such account holders will be required to provide supporting documentation. In case there are severe violations of this policy, Marketiva may block any access to such users. This policy was introduced as a response to many related misuses Marketiva has experienced in the past.

    Saturday, September 4, 2010

    Trading Strategies and Techniques

    How do I manage risk in trading?
    The limit order and the stop-loss order are the most common risk management tools in trading. A limit order places restriction on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. A stop-loss order ensures a particular position is automatically liquidated at a predetermined price in order to limit potential losses should the market move against a trader's position.

    Controlling Risk
    Controlling risk is one of the most important ingredients of successful trading. While it is emotionally more appealing to focus on the upside of trading, every trader should know precisely how much he or she is willing to lose on each trade before cutting losses, and how much he or she is willing to lose in trading account before ceasing trading and re-evaluating.

    Risk will essentially be controlled in two ways: by exiting losing trades before losses exceed your pre-determined maximum tolerance (or "cutting losses"), and by limiting the "leverage" or position size you trade for a given account size.

    What kind of strategy should I use?
    Traders make decisions using business reports, economic fundamentals, technical factors and other relevant information. Technical traders use charts, trend lines, support and resistance levels, and numerous patterns and mathematical analyses to identify trading opportunities, whereas fundamentalists predict price movements by interpreting a wide variety of economic information, including news, business reports, government-issued indicators and reports, and even rumors. The most dramatic price movements, however, occur when unexpected events happen. The event can range from a central bank raising domestic interest rates to the outcome of a political election or even an act of war. Nonetheless, more often it is the expectation of an event that drives the market rather than the event itself.

    How long are positions maintained?
    As a general rule, a position is kept open until one of the following occurs: 1) realization of sufficient profits from a position; 2) the specified stop-loss is triggered; 3) another position that has a better potential appears and you need these funds.

    Sunday, August 22, 2010

    Working with Streamster™

    Working with Streamster is easy. You just need to learn few basics and you are ready to go.

    Creating a new alert
    To create a new alert:
    • Within the Alerts window, click New.
    • Click Next, and then select the strategy to use with the newly created alert. Click Next.
    • Select the conditions for the alert: double-click each parameter, enter the desired value for the parameter and click OK. Click Next when all necessary parameters are set.
    • Type in the name of the alert and select the alert priority. Click Next.
    • Click Finish to create the alert.

    Modifying alerts
    To modify an alert:
    • Within the Alerts window, click Subscriptions.
    • Double-click the alert you wish to modify.
    • Use the General and Strategy windows to modify the alert.
    • Click OK.
    • Click OK to confirm changes to any modified alerts.

    Deleting alerts
    To delete an alert:
    • Within the Alerts window, click Subscriptions.
    • Click the alert you wish to delete.
    • Click the Remove button and confirm the removal.
    • Click OK.

    Managing market instrument subscriptions
    Streamster allows you to monitor any number of market instruments at once and choose the information you wish to see for each of the market instruments.

    Subscribing to market instruments
    To subscribe to updates for a chosen market instrument:
    • Click Subscriptions in a price window.
    • Under Subscribe, click the text field and type in the desired market instrument name. You can also specify a part of a name: for example, typing ABC will display any market instruments with ABC in its name.
    • Click Search.
    • Within the Search Results box, double-click the name of any market instrument you wish to subscribe to. The name of the market instrument will appear under Active Subscriptions box.
    • Click OK to confirm your subscriptions.

    Removing market instrument subscriptions
    To unsubscribe from updates for a market instrument:
    • Click Subscriptions in a price window.
    • Under Active Subscriptions, click the market instrument you wish to unsubscribe from, and click Remove.
    • Click OK to confirm your subscriptions.

    Selecting market update filters
    Streamster allows you to select which columns you wish to see for market instruments you are subscribed to.

    To choose columns to be displayed in a price window:
    • Click Columns in a price window.
    • Check or uncheck the box next to the column name. It is also possible to change the order in which columns are shown by using the Move Up and Move Down buttons.
    • Click OK.

    Joining and leaving discussion groups
    By default, you are subscribed to a number of discussion groups. However, you might want to leave or join specific groups depending on your interests.

    To leave or join a discussion group:
    • Click Groups in the Discussions window.
    • Check or uncheck the box next to the group name, depending on whether you wand to join or leave the group.
    • Click OK.

    Selecting news categories
    Streamster displays the incoming news stories in the News window depending on your selection of news categories of interest.

    To narrow down a set of news categories you are interested in:
    • Click Categories within the Latest News window.
    • Check or uncheck the box next to the name of the desired news category.
    • Click OK to confirm the selection.

    Wednesday, August 18, 2010

    Getting started with Streamster

    Streamster basics, download and installation
    Novativa Streamster™ is the proprietary software utilized by Marketiva to deliver financial information and trading services to its clients. Streamster was designed and developed by Novativa Corporation.

    Streamster can be used on Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP and Vista. Please check the download section for a detailed information as the list of operating systems changes. All of the information and service provided by Marketiva is delivered via Streamster software that can be downloaded from:


    In order to install Streamster, you need to double click on the executable downloaded from the link above and follow an easy to use installation wizard. Streamster icon will then be placed on your desktop, which you can double-click to launch this program.


    Connecting to the Streamster Server
    To use Streamster, you must be connected to the Internet. You can use either a dial-up connection with a phone-based modem, a broadband connection such as DSL or cable modem, or a LAN (local area network) with Internet access. Streamster is capable of connecting to the Streamster Server whenever there is an Internet connection present. If your Internet Explorer works properly, Streamster should work as well.

    To connect to the Streamster Server:
    • Double-click the Streamster icon on your desktop or start menu.
    • Type in your user name.
    • Type in the password.
    • Click Connect.

    Upon connecting, Streamster will take between 5 and 60 seconds to download the start-up data.

    Understanding security
    Streamster uses industry-standard 128-bit SSL (secure sockets layer) to encrypt the communication between you and the Streamster Server. Streamster protects your privacy by encrypting any and all data received and sent between Streamster and the Streamster Server, and by verifying the identity of the Streamster Server prior to any communication.

    Troubleshooting connectivity
    Because Streamster uses SSL (secure sockets layer) to communicate with Streamster Server, it is necessary that your Internet connection supports SSL. If you are using a dial-up or a broadband connection, you will be able to use SSL. However, if your computer is behind a company firewall, it might be possible that network administrators have disabled SSL. If you are unable to connect to the Streamster Server, please ask your network administrators to enable SSL by allowing TCP communication on port 443.

    Streamster will work with a proxy server if your Internet Explorer is configured to use one. To check or configure your proxy settings, please open Internet Explorer, select Internet Options from the Tools menu and then click Connections.

    Common connection errors in Streamster
    Error: Please check your network connection and server address, and try again. (0x80342af9).

    This error message is usually seen if the user has installed a download accelerator or a newer version of Norton Antivirus application on his computer. To resolve this issue and enable connection to the Streamster server, simply disable the download accelerator application before connecting to the Streamster server.

    IMPORTANT: This or similar error messages can also be seen if the user is sitting behind a personal or corporate firewall that does not let communication on SSL port (number 443). Please contact your security administrator, as this port should normally be open for outbound traffic.

    Error: Server security certificate is invalid or expired.

    This error message is usually seen if the system date and time are not correctly set (due to BIOS upgrade or battery failure) on your computer. To resolve this issue and enable connection to the Streamster server, simply update your system date and time.

    Special Windows 98 requirements
    Microsoft Windows 98 is an older operating system that does not support a high level of encryption and related services by default. You will need to download and install the so-called "Active Directory Client" (dsclient.exe). This program adds necessary components to Windows 98 installation and can be downloaded from many web sites, including:


    After downloading this file, please run and install it and proceed with the installation of the software as usual.