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Re: Data Providers & Reuters Data Question



PureBytes Links

Trading Reference Links

TechTools, www.techtool.com has Treasury futures back to 1977.  I don't know
if their spot rates go back that far.  Their charting and downloading
software is pretty good and includes a Developers SDK so you can write your
own studies.  Unfortunately it is Win16 code,  so if you're using a
contemporary 32 bit compiler you're out of luck.  Also I've had some
problems running other network code while downloading--I suspect this is
because their software is 16 bit and so, essentially takes over the machine.
I've never lost data though, even if I've had to reboot before a download
was completed.  I know longer run other network apps while downloading and
haven't had a problem since.  Note, they are currently upgrading to Win32
code, scheduled for completion around June of this year.

Some of its features include: very easy to do side by side comparisons and
spreads.  You can view historical data either as individual contract months
or as continuous.  For contracts with multiple sessions you can get either
the day, night, combined, or for some contracts, electronic sessions.  Data
seems accurate--I also subscribe to MRI's data service (TechTools doesn't
have options) and where there's been a discrepency, TechTools agrees with
the data in the Wall Street Journal. Its also very easy to edit individual
data items and the edit includes the option to send the corrected item back
to TechTools.  Some other features include linear or semi-log (linear time,
log price) data, most of the standard technical indicators, drawing tools,
daily/weekly/monthly data, time shown either as trading days only, trading
days and holidays, or all calendar days.  The data management section of the
software is also good, making it pretty easy to customize how the data is
presented.  You can also export the data into various formats used by the
major trading systems.  You can also export it to ascii and getting it into
Excel is a breeze.

Support is good and quick both on the phone and via email.  However, after
30 days, you have to pay for it, at least if you call on the phone.  I think
email support is free.  The only complaint and this is minor: when I called
to ask about some charges for downloading extra data, the person I talked to
seemed a bit annoyed, as if he was preparing for me to argue with him.  But
he did explain it clearly.  Technical support (mostly questions about the
developers SDK) has been excellent.

The price is pretty reasonable, but you pay by the contract you download
(unlike MRI which gives you access to all their data for one price).  Note
that day and overnight data for the same contract counts as two separate
billable items.  However, you do get all the months for a given contract on
the same billable item.   BTW, MRI's data service is at www.barchart.com and
its used by many of the major Exchanges, including CBOT and CME,  for
displaying data on their sites.

-- Jeff.

-----Original Message-----
From: BL <blee3@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: REALTRADERS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <REALTRADERS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Monday, February 22, 1999 4:03 PM
Subject: Data Providers & Reuters Data Question


>Since I have found the the support staff at Reuters not to be very
>knowlegdeable regarding their own data, does anyone who uses Reuters as
>their end-of-day data provider know of any of their data  series one can
>access regarding interest rates prior to 1994?  As an example, their 5, 10
>and 30 Year Treasury Indeces only goes back to 1994.  Also, I would like to
>hear from individuals who feel their data providers provide not only
>reliable data but top notch service as I may decide to switch.  Thanks -
>Brian
>
>