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Category: Future Trading Platform

A futures trading platform is a single or a group of softwares that it used for enabling Online Futures Trading. The plus point about trading futures is that it enables you as the trading party to leverage both big and small moves. With our future trading platforms you can benefit in a number of ways. Firstly, they provide you with speedy access at any given point of time.

Secondly, they aid you in figuring out which trading method you should use so as to make the best out of the trade. The outcome is that you are able to manage your money, time as well as risk better. Offering futures trading platforms like Ninja Trader, OEC Trader, Shogun Trade Executer. CQG QTrader and more, Cannon Trading can aid you when it comes to commodity and futures trading. Under this particular archive we have detailed the futures trading platforms that we offer.

What we want from you as our trusted users and readers is to read through all the links provided so as to get some idea about how these futures trading platforms function. Although we are always there to advise, being equipped with information is crucial for every person interested in trading.

Benefits of Trading Futures Online

Posted on by Ilan

Full-service walk-in brokerage firms have been the traditional institution trusted within the investment world. Currently, a new way of trading has been edging its way to the forefront – online futures trading. Trading online has provided many new possibilities for would-be investors, and in today’s day and age, there is almost a necessity to find more comprehensive, faster, real-time ways to interact within the commodities markets.

The internet puts any given market and its activity into electronic format, which gives investors quicker access to trading positions. Futures trading, particularly, is a type of trade in which an investor takes a position on a contract with a set price of an underlying commodity, and agrees to either buy or sell the underlying asset in raw or currency form at a set future date. Below is a comprehensive explanation of the specific benefits of trading futures contracts with these added benefits. By taking them into consideration with an investor’s knowledge of various markets, traders can put their strategies into context and take unique positions with their investments.

  • Reduced Commissions: Brokers put a tremendous amount of work into studying market trends, negotiating trades, and processing orders for clients, so it comes as no surprise that their invested time and effort costs the investor a great deal. By trading online, traders can cut commission costs by fifty to seventy-five percent. An investor can expect to pay out five to ten dollars per trade while trading futures online, as opposed to the forty to seventy dollars per trade with a full-service broker. There is also an option for broker assisted accounts in which an investor pays a slightly higher rate of fifteen to twenty dollars per trade with trading advice and broker suggestions. Either way, the savings over time are valuable.
  • Learning Curve: An investor can learn a great deal through online trading by taking more control in day to day decisions. Many brokers can assist a trader with the basics of futures trading, however the ability to take a more proactive approach to trading futures is an investor’s biggest asset. If an investor makes a bad trading decision, albeit costly, the decision can acclimate a trader to market temperaments and provide valuable experience as to the responsibility involved in reaching their trading goals.

Continue reading “Benefits of Trading Futures Online”

How to Trade Copper Futures

Posted on by Ilan

Copper Futures Trading is one of the most popular vehicles in the industrial metals market. Copper is used in a wide variety of markets such as construction, plumbing, manufacturing and architecture. With such a wide array of usages, trading copper offers many opportunities for gain. More and more investors are looking to raw commodities as trading vehicles as they provide more liquidity and volatility within their respective markets. Trading raw commodities as futures contracts also allows for better price transparencies.

Copper is usually a great indicator of economic growth within a region. As the demand for copper rises, the more valuable the commodity becomes given its vital contributions to industrial and urban development. Worldwide copper consumption has been on the steady rise since 2011, with China being the world’s top copper consumer. Industrial copper producing companies use the futures market to hedge against losses and for price mitigation. Investors generally use the copper futures market to leverage their capital against price fluctuations to generate returns on their investments.

A copper futures contract represents 25,000 pounds of copper. Standard trading hours operate from Sunday through Friday beginning at 6:00 p.m. until 5:15 p.m. the following day Central Standard Time, allowing a 23 hour trading platform. The 45 minute break allows for the close out on the previous day’s results. Trading in copper futures requires paying close attention to market fluctuations and remaining active on developing markets. Because copper moves within the market at high volatility, neglecting a position for even a short period of the day can be very costly. Below are a few of the most popular exchanges copper futures trade on:

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How Discount Brokers Work?

Posted on by Ilan

Discount Futures Brokerage is formatted to provide a more cost effective way of trading futures for experienced traders who are comfortable placing trades over the internet , using their personal computer..

Discount Futures Brokers typically offer lower service fees and take a more minimal role in daily trading decisions. What you are essentially using a broker since then, is to place orders and for representation on the exchange floor. It is true that futures trading, or any trading market for that matter, could not operate without market participants and market professionals representing those participants. With commodities markets being so risky, regardless of cost it is clear that qualified brokers are vital to the success of participants of various markets.

What’s The Difference?

The biggest difference with discount brokers is the client’s ability to be more self-directed with their trading profile. The risk associated with futures trading disclaims that there is no guarantee of profit no matter who manages your money. No matter the level of involvement, brokers still represent the interests of every client and are likewise as valuable.  The need for Futures Trading Brokers will never become obsolete, so the emphasis on discount brokerage need be on discounted commissions and fees, not discounted service.

Below is a list of lesser or excluded fees associated with a discount futures brokerage:

  • Account Maintenance Fees
  • Platform Fees
  • DataFeed Fees (Online/E-Trading)
  • Low Margin Investments
  • Broker Support Fees

Another difference with discount brokerage is the type of platform often used for this type of futures brokerage service; online. Online Futures Trading is in some cases synonymous with a discount futures brokerage. The reason this is, is due to lower costs associated with online platforms that allow you to do most of the monitoring of real time market data. A wide selection of online futures companies provide the software you can download to use to trade and build a profile. When one places orders online, he doesn’t need to call his broker and place orders via phone. That saves the time of the broker and allow for lower, discounted fees.

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VIX, Futures Levels & Economic Reports 2-06-2014

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday February 6, 2014

Hello Traders,

For 2014 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading!

The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) Futures Now Available.

Effective February 3, 2014: The VIX futures contract has been added to E-Futures Int’l trading platform

.The contract symbol is VX and trading hours, margin requirement, and contract specification information is available at:

https://www.cannontrading.com/tools/contract-specifications

According to CFE, trading volume in VIX futures totaled 39.9 million contracts for 2013, a fourth straight annual volume record, and surpassing the 23.8 million contracts traded in 2012 by 68 percent. Average daily volume in VIX futures was 158,508 contracts, also a fourth consecutive annual record, and up 67 percent from 2012.

Note:

The CFE exchange does not allow trials. All products are available in the development and live trading environments but are not accessible for demo trading in the simulated environment

Continue reading “VIX, Futures Levels & Economic Reports 2-06-2014”

Ninja Trader Powered by Zen Fire, Trading Levels & Economic Reports 12.20.2013

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Friday December 20, 2013

Hello Traders,

For 2013 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading! 

Ninja and Zen Fire:

A few of our clients contacted us with questions about Zen Fire and Ninja Trader.

It seems that several companies in the industry will NO longer provide Zen Fire as a data feed to Ninja clients. For example, Zen Fire will no longer be available for AMP clients as of Dec. 31st

We are actually EXCITED to announce that we will continue to provide Zen Fire as a data feed to our Ninja clients!

The enhanced ZenFire capabilities delivers the most advanced NinjaTrader user experience in the industry. This will provide our ninja clients with a powerful trading solution.

The update will provide access to new features like server side OCOs, proprietary data distribution to improve performance, seamless connectivity through firewalls, and global network expansion to enhance connectivity in Europe and Asia. More to follow next week.

If you are currently trading on ninja using Zen Fire and your broker will not support Zen Fire soon, please feel free to contact us on how you can continue with Ninja and Zen fire through the award winning service of Cannon trading.

On a different note, it is almost this time of the year! Holiday schedule for Christmas is now posted on our site:

https://www.cannontrading.com/tools/support-resistance-levels/christmas-holiday-futures-trading-schedule-2013/

Continue reading “Ninja Trader Powered by Zen Fire, Trading Levels & Economic Reports 12.20.2013”

3 Risks of Using a Discount Futures Broker

Posted on by Ilan

With the advent of technology, the means to communicate clear objectives, or with any human, drives most people to ignore full-service futures brokers. Why? It is a spirit of independence. Computers have created a superhighway of trading, and accelerated the pace at which commodities, stocks, in short the financial market operates. These various methods have raised barriers between clients and full-service brokers, but given rise to- discount futures brokers. In reality, what the future of the financial markets beckons, is a direct and honest appraisal of the quick and easy model, versus the client and broker relationship. If the “Great Recession” taught us all anything, if you are not vigilant, or the means to track your investment, there is an inherent risk.

Knowledge vs. Education

Brain to Understanding is to hat on a head, both are useful, if absolutely used for maximum benefits to create larger profits to debt losses. Most experienced futures brokers understand the full scope of the financial market, and this long range vision gives insight into the behaviors of certain commodities. Conversely, when opting out of choosing a full-service futures broker, you are presented with limited tools, vision and insight.

Vision, in the entrepreneurial sense, is the act or power of anticipating what will come to be. If you are a newcomer, choosing discount futures brokers, may lead to a lack discernment or experience to sell or buy at appropriate times to gain the maximum profit, while minimizing the loss. This vital quality reigns supreme on experienced traders in the financial sector. However, the key to having a strong vision is insight.

Insight varies to vision, in that you see both near and far and eventually the end result of a business decision. Good judgment plays an integral part in evaluating leverage metrics, whether using gold as a hedge, or evident world events that will signal either a sharp decline or increase in the markets.

Overall, vision and insight, help with the learning curve in the futures market. In addition, being green in this market can cost you a great deal of time and money. Adding vision and insight to your expansive market toolbox can aid in shortening common investment mistakes, with the aid of the seasoned futures broker as your guide. Conversely, selecting a discount futures broker, they may not have the ability to reign in your decision making. Bad decisions – loss of profit. Consequently, bucking traditional wisdom, you could lose larger returns, and run into dangerous investment decisions.

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ROLLOVER + Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports 12.12.2013

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday December 12, 2013

Hello Traders,

For 2013 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading! 

Rollover Notice for Stock Index Futures

Important Notice: For those of you trading any stock index futures contracts, i.e., the E-mini S&P, E-mini NASDAQ, E-mini Dow Jones, the “Big” pit-traded S&P 500, etc., it is extremely important to remember that tomorrow, Thursday, December 12th, is rollover day.

Starting December13th, the March 2014 futures contracts will be the front month contracts. It is recommended that all new positions be placed in the March 2014 contract as of December 13th. Volume in the December 13 contracts will begin to drop off until its expiration on Friday December 20th.

The month code for March is H4.

Traders with electronic trading software should make sure that defaults reflect the proper contract as of Thursday morning.

Please close any open December Currency positions by the close on Friday the 13th.Should you have any further question please contact your broker.

Continue reading “ROLLOVER + Futures Trading Levels & Economic Reports 12.12.2013”

5 Mistakes of Commodity Trading & Futures Levels & Economic Reports 12.05.2013

Posted on by Ilan

Connect with Us! Use Our Futures Trading Levels and Economic Reports RSS Feed.

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterView our profile on LinkedInFind us on Google+Cannon Trading Futures Trading Resistance & Support Levels and Economic ReportsFind us on Yelp

1. Market Commentary
2. Futures Support and Resistance Levels – S&P, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell 2000, Dollar Index
3. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Gold, Euro, Crude Oil, T-Bonds
4. Commodities Support and Resistance Levels – Corn, Wheat, Beans, Silver
5. Futures Economic Reports for Thursday December 5, 2013

Hello Traders,

For 2013 I would like to wish all of you discipline and patience in your trading! 

5 Common Mistakes of Commodity Trading by Joe Easton Senior Commodity Broker with Cannon Trading

As a broker who serves different types of clients with different backgrounds, risk capital and risk appetite, I have observed the following 5 common mistakes traders make, in hopes you can learn and avoid!

  1. Trading with lagging indicators. As a Broker, I get to see the whole range, from traders making their first trade, to traders making their last trade, and everything in between. The beginner traders almost always start along the same path. Using MACD, Williams %R, Stochastic, RSI and most other indicators you can find to predict price is a very common mistake. These indicators often follow price movement, not predict future price movement. Sure when looking at a chart in hindsight, they match up great, but in real time they are lagging. This style of trading will more than likely lead to losses.
  2. Trading Undercapitalized. This mistake should be placed in the premarket (before opening an account) because an account shouldn’t even be opened without proper capitalization. Assuming you did open an account, trade within limits. Each Trader has different risk tolerance, but across the board, no one should be trading with funds they cannot afford to lose. When trading with limited funds or overleveraged 1 day can end your trading career before it began. Cannon offers aggressive day trading margins, as do our competitors, but by no means do we endorse taking advantage of all that leverage. In futures trading some markets are leveraged 100:1 or even more. Meaning you are controlling a lot more capital then you may think. For example: The ES is trading at 1695 right now. You are controlling 1695*50= $84,750.00 with a mere $500 or approximately 170:1 leverage. With all that leverage account balances can fluctuate rapidly. When Trader’s take losses psychology shifts, when a shift in psychology meets lack of funds or overleveraged trading decisions are affected. Trading on low balance or outside reasonable limits is a sure recipe for losses.
  3. Overtrading. This mistake is common among beginner and advanced traders. Until it is overcame, significant profits will be lost to commissions. More importantly, your trading profit potential will be limited. Whether trading 1 lot or 1000 lots per order there is still only so many moves a market can make in a given trading period. Intraday trading typically results in three moves or less. Sure there are days that bounce between the high and the low all day, but that is one move, sideways. Other days include trend days (one direction), or 3 move days, which I believe to be most common. A 3 move day is up then down (usually a retracement) then up, or down then up then down. A two move day would be up then down or down then up. If most days fall under these formats, what reason would a 1 lot trader have to make 100 trades? Not a good one, I’ll tell you that.
  4. Losing Days. About every Trader has losing days, it is part of the business. The key is to limit losses, similarly to trading. You should monitor your account balance like you monitor your trades. When you see it going the wrong way, you should become impatient and look to cut it short. There are infinite factors why you are having a losing day, the fact is you are and you need to know in advance where the bleeding stops. Many skilled and professional traders regularly take profits from the market day in and day out only to blow the account up the one day the market doesn’t react the way they expect. Often ego or anger can block rational thoughts and averaging in and reversing is all too easy. Having hard rules like maximum lot size and maximum daily loss can preserve your capital and prevent losing days from burying your account.
  5. Chasing the market. There are so many mistakes, it is hard to only choose five, but chasing the market will conclude this list. Markets do not move in straight lines. Aside from major news there are very few large moves without retracements. Depending on the market a “big” move can be calculated by taking the average daily range and multiplying by 2 or 3. Market conditions are constantly changing, but in all circumstances, when a market makes a big move, it is more likely to retrace or reverse before continuing. Traders that buy the ES after 15 points up or sell gold after a $50 move down are behind the ball and more times than not will be stopped out with a loss. Wait for the retracement or play the other side, this will help limit loses by chasing.

Continue reading “5 Mistakes of Commodity Trading & Futures Levels & Economic Reports 12.05.2013”

RISK DISCLOSURE: Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss in futures trading can be substantial, carefully consider the inherent risks of such an investment in light of your financial condition.