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no idea on the effects on etrade and nab.
will be watching their platform.

i would have almost switched to etrade but they have a nobbled version of Sanford Pro - charting is very limited relative to the full version that was available from Sanfords.

having tried the WebIRESS platform this morning - IT SUCKS imho :banghead:

think i will go and eat some worms :rolleyes:
 
have been with sanford few years now,but lately with the trouble with site late in the day when market still trading ,getting fed up with them. have started looking at FPM.they make lots noise about webiress and able to trade CFD's on same platform. would appreciate feed back.or is it a case that at some time they ALL stuff up?
 
yes i noticed the problem with sanford hanging close to 4pm.

Sanford has really gone down hill since IWL took them over.

WebIRESS is really clunky relative to the old Sanford Pro.
Just compare the chart printouts:
Sanford Pro ----



WebIRESS ----
 
This is from an email I just sent to Sanford re their new platform.


My gripe: you guys shutting down the old Sanford Pro

Besides not being happy about you shutting down the old Sanford Pro,
I am now having to put up with bugs in the clunky WebIRESS interface.
WebIRESS is not an upgrade - it is a serious downgrade.

We have lost:
1. historical intraday data (was back 2+ months)
2. historical intraday charting (what is the use of a 60 minute intraday chart without the previous data - for goodness sakes it is a joke).
3. obvious RED/GREEN fading of data changes. You can barely see the changes in WebIRESS
4. the ability to specify a date range in charts
5. the ability to have different headings in depth windows (ie. one set of headings for say a stock and a different set for an option). You can change it but WebIRESS does not remember the change.
6. the ability to actually read the legends along a chart. I mean dark grey border with black writing - what colour blind designer came up with that combination.
7. number of trades is missing
8. dynamic updates of intraday tabular data (ie. on the old pro you bring up a chart then select tabular data which would dynamically update).
9. any decent chart printout. The old pro printouts were exceptional. Clean, easy to read and well formatted. The WebIRESS ones look like a first year computer science student's attempt at writing a graphics program. Have they never heard of thin lines.
10. the ability to resize and/or rename columns. Now its fixed width. Don't like it - well tough - according to the publicity this is an enhancement - bulldust I say.
11. multiple linking of charts to market depth etc. Now all we get is Broadcast that forces everybody to think we should change to this stock. Too bad if you want some windows to have a different stock or option code in them.
12. a decent window manager that you could partition. Now it is a divide by whatever and if you don't like it too bad.
13. full cross hairs on charts (ok old pro could only manage a vertical one) but now we don't even get that - you can't line up price information with an indicator.
14. clean charts without little annoying popups that tell you what the price was. Trouble is you can't see the price data to draw lines or anything because the popup is in the way. You can't even turn them off.
15. multiple workspaces. Now all we get is one.
16. 15 minute interval selection - nope that's gone too. Not much use since historical intraday data is missing anyway.
17. chart scroll back without having what you are trying to look at ripped away in front of your eyes and replaced with what just happened. Don't even try to draw a line study - the software will not give you enough time before it decides you really want to see what it just drew on the screen. No moron I will make that choice not you.
18. being able to select at the money options.
19. any way of scrolling to the right when trying to change the headers in a market depth window. There is no scroll bar - you have to make the window really wide to be able to see the other fields in the header. Say what!?

So from your website you quote:
"We are changing the Sanford Pro application to deliver you a more feature and information rich dynamic platform."

Given the above list how do you justify "more feature and information rich dynamic platform". Horse manure.

You then state:
"Additional new features include but are not limited to: Market Maps, Trade Analysis, ETO & Warrant Calculators, more layout options, platform independence, CFD and international market integration, portfolio monitoring and others."

More layout options! You have to be kidding.

Basically the new platform sucks. Big time.

You have lost a loyal customer.
 
Good on you, I think the New Sanford platform is horrid!!! I'll be closing my account with them also as I simply can't read the thing.

I had an account open with Etrade years ago and I just subscribed to Etrade Pro and it's very similar to Sanfords Pro account. A little dearer in price however they offer it for free if you do 10 trades or more (in a month/quarter)

I really don't like the Web Iress platform and a lot of dynamic data providers are using it now.

Can anyone advise as to whether Comsec's trading platform is web iris? Thanks
 
E-trade bought a nobbled copy of the Sanford Pro software. Some of its better features in charting were disabled.

Funny thing was I spoke to Etrade at a trade expo and noticed they had the software running, so I promptly showed them the bugs that they had bought too :D

Even so I am glad I am not the only one who thinks the new WebIRESS platform is clunky in comparison to the old Sanford Pro one.

At the moment I am having to find a company that can do historical intraday data backdated at least one month that can be uploaded to excel or metastock.

So far only Quotecentre (Reuters) seems to do that.
Bourse Data has some of what I want - will be doing a free trial of Bourse datafeeds. Still need to find a broker.
Morrison Securites www.morrisonsecurities.com.au is looking good (they still use WebIRESS but their fees are cheaper than other brokers).
 
Just one word of warning re. Morrison Securities

They charge PER ORDER PER DAY; if your order is spread over several days, every day will incur a fee, so not so good for penny stocks or low volume stocks.
 
Thanks for the heads up on that.
I noticed that little note on their website but did not really take much notice of it.

It is a bit confusing until you pointed out purchasing low volume stocks.
So to explain it a bit clearer what they mean is you pay the brokerage fee each day whilst the order is in the order queue and until the order is filled.

So if you placed an order somewhat down from the current trading price of a stock (even a liquid one) hoping it would be filled at a lower price some day in the future you are being charged for having the order just sit in the order queue.

Indeed.

Since I primarily trade options (order good for day only) that is not so much of an issue.

Thanks again for pointing it out.
 
Well I am still at it - trying to find a replacement for my beloved old Sanford Pro :)

So far I have tested:
Bourse Data - not bad. Has links to Trader Dealer (at a reduced access rate to their order processing system - brokerage remains at their standard rate of $44 per trade up to 100 contracts (I wish...)) or Commsec for trading.
Also has long term tick level historical data but you have to request it for each day you want for each stock, so for 30 top ASX stocks for a month that is 600 downloads... Lucky I only need one or two. Currently my front runner as a replacement. Down side is interface is not as intuitive or as configurable as the old Sanford Pro. Historical intraday charting is good.

Market Analyst - interface is good but same remarks about it as for Bourse Data, the old Sanford Pro still out does both of them. Charting is a bit clunky and not as slick as other packages. Studies such as MA are not properly anti-aliased so they appear rather jagged and thick even on the thinest setting. The big killer for this package is no DDE interface. Scratch this one.

Iguana's Vamp - really simple, does not handle streaming data. However, they are releasing a wizz-bang (technical term; used in all the books ) package called Spark in a couple of months. According to the developers it is a totally new approach to trading systems. Will let you know about this one later after a sneak peek ;) .

Phoenix AI - wow! Charting as it is meant to be done. These guys know how to write code for displaying and handling charts. I am impressed. Apparently they were responsible for some of the original Bourse Data code. I would rate their charts as second to none and that is saying something. Found their options map a bit clunky :( . Again not as configurable as Sanford Pro's grids. You can't rename columns (but you can resize them), you can't sort options by just one month and then by strike - you can select columns but beyond that you have to use their map layout (I like to have puts and calls sorted together by strike. Others may have different preferences which you could arrange under Sanford's approach but not with the Phoenix package). Their DDE interface like the Bourse one is good. Works well with both Excel and DDEChartUpdater but and it is a big BUT you can't easily export data history. I have spoken to their support team and they are getting back to me about this. I can't believe this limitation. Surely people go on holidays and not trade for a couple of weeks and want to backfill their intraday data... Maybe not. Ok their charts like Bourse Data will do the intraday backfill automagically when you reconnect but I want to export the data in a form I can manipulate and keep independently of their package. I am paying enough money to obtain the intraday data in the first place. I will keep you posted on the outcome of this one. If they can solve this it is a great front runner. It does not have a link to a broker like Bourse Data does so you will still need to find an inexpensive way to place your orders online.

About to test eSignal and Weblink/BullCharts.
More results to come...
 
eSignal - massive package 22MB. Takes a lot to configure it because it is so configurable... :confused: . Very very clever charting. If you have three charts linked together but using different intraday timeframes the cross-hair cursor will track in sync in each chart when you move into the time range displayed the other chart (even more confused? I did say it has a lot of options and neat features). Overall a very impressive package except...
1. it is expensive; the monthly fees are upwards of $200 - $300 and you have an exchange rate risk because they bill you in $US. Ouch!
2. you have to put up with American style date format (mm/dd/yy). It can't be changed. What a headache.
3. no market depth or options for the ASX :eek: . According to the sales rep "due to issues negotiating royalties with the ASX, these features are not currently available". Down side of using an American data provider.

Such a great platform, but without options and market depth you might as well send it to /dev/null. Scratch eSignal.

Did some more configuring of Phoenix AI's package.
Discovered how to get the options list in a watchlist. Much cleaner than their options market map thingy (well at least imho). Some may find the options market map display useful. Also it would appear that they have listened to their (potential) customers and a new release with the ability to export a full days course of trades for a particular stock is on its way in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to see how that works.

More to come.
 
Thanks Lackmac for the detailed review. I've just been checking out the Phoenix A1 site and it does look very good. Before I sign up however can you assure me that it is dynamic data like Sanford pro?

I've been giving etade pro a whirl and it locks up at least 4 times a day, it seems to be when I click something quickly their software just doesn't like it! :eek: So not impressed and will cancel them also.

Thanks for bringing phoenix to my attention. Live dynamic? Julles
 
Hi Julles,

Yes Phoenix AI is definitely live and dynamic.
And certainly the closest thing I have found to the old Sanford Pro.

So far it is my front runner as long as they can make the change so intraday tick data (or even 5min data) can be exported from their platform. The guys I have spoken to in support are really great and very helpful.
They do have a one month money back guarantee if you are not sure.
You initially pay for 3 months (and get one month free so it is really only two months). If you don't like the service, let them know before your 30day grace period and they claim they will refund your money.

It is a bit confusing at first setting up and understanding how their layouts, watch lists and market depth panels all hang together (Sanford Pro was much more intuitive imho), but all in all it certainly works well.
 
Almost lost my temper today with Nab Online trading.

Rang the dopey call centre, on hold for what seemed like a lifetime.

Having problems on a daily basis with the system crashing at around 3:30EST and crashing on and off throughout the day.

Techs said...yeah we know of the problem, and its been going on for 6 months, and it will be fixed in about 3 months.

Was told the Whole system needs to be upgraded and it crashes at busy periods.

FARRRRRRRRRRRRRK I cannot believe how much they couldn't give a toss about the problem and treated my like a piece of cr_ap today. How many dough brains does it take to upgrade a server?

I told them on a daily basis that NAB was getting a bad wrap on many stock discusssion forums and many members had simply left the Nab and gone elsewhere. Massive loss in profits!

How much is Nab's reputation worth?

Surely the system needs urgent attention. TODAY, NOT IN 3 MONTHS.

WHAT A FILTHY COMPANY IS NAB, IT COULDN'T GIVE A TOSS!:banghead:
 
one thing to remember though - Phoenix AI is only a data/charting platform - they are not brokers. You will still need to find a low cost broker to handle order execution.

This is one area the Bourse Data system has an advantage - they have a back office link to either commsec or trader dealer (with them offering a reduced $11/m access fee for just order execution).
 
Almost lost my temper today with Nab Online trading.

Rang the dopey call centre, on hold for what seemed like a lifetime.

Having problems on a daily basis with the system crashing at around 3:30EST and crashing on and off throughout the day.

Techs said...yeah we know of the problem, and its been going on for 6 months, and it will be fixed in about 3 months.

Was told the Whole system needs to be upgraded and it crashes at busy periods.

FARRRRRRRRRRRRRK I cannot believe how much they couldn't give a toss about the problem and treated my like a piece of cr_ap today. How many dough brains does it take to upgrade a server?

I told them on a daily basis that NAB was getting a bad wrap on many stock discusssion forums and many members had simply left the Nab and gone elsewhere. Massive loss in profits!

How much is Nab's reputation worth?

Surely the system needs urgent attention. TODAY, NOT IN 3 MONTHS.

WHAT A FILTHY COMPANY IS NAB, IT COULDN'T GIVE A TOSS!:banghead:
I feel your pain Stop_the_clock :(
NAB uses the Sanford/IWL platform and yes they have had lock issues around the 3.30pm time since that major correction a few months ago. Like NAB the Sanford support people just have given up.

Similar things appear to be affecting E-Trade too as they also rely on the IWL platform. Something is rotting in IWL/Sanford from the sound of things. :2twocents
 
I think more and more people are trading on-line from the comfort of their own homes, offices, uni's, internet caffe's etc

Its about time the blo_oody banks caught up with what is already public knowledge that Australian's love to gamble/trade on the stock market.

ALL BANKS MUST URGENTLY UPGRADE ALL SERVERS FOR THIS MASSIVE INFLUX OF TRADING ACTIVITY.

Not to mention this amazing bullish run we are having on the stock market and the squillions of dollars from cashed up baby boomers and super funds entering the market.

Banks are still in the 80's using comodore 64 block graphic computers, its a bloo_dy discrace!

Insert disc, 8,1 computer geeks:banghead:
 
It's all good, I've not traded with Sanford for about 3 years even though I could of had cheaper brokerage with them. I found them slow in excution of trades (sell or buy) I've stayed a client simply for their platform and have payed the monthly fee.

Paying for the Tools of the Trade does not bother me.

I am going to enjoy telling Sanford that I'm going to pay 80% more for a platform just because it works! lol

I've already told them what I think of the new iris platform and I recieved a gracious letter outling how they think I'm wrong. Most clients (apparently) are happy and want to see Sanford move forward with the times.

I want to point out that it's actually the first response I've ever recieved from them via enquiries through email.

Good luck to them I say! I'll be signed up and using the Pheonix platform by next week.


Have a good day all.. Julles
 
I use etrade.
The problems seem to of eased a bit with their site.
Bonus with them is that once or twice a week and extra 40k or so appears in my account.
Now thats service!
Apart from that and the occassional 20c stock appearing on screen at $6.00,
all is good.
Now thats performence!
 
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