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[dastrader]

DAS Trader Pro - Using Multiple Layouts

Do you have multiple layouts you need for trading? Have different setups for equities trading and options trading? Or different configurations for when you are scalping and when you are position trading? DAS Trader Pro has two features that allow you to switch between these layouts with just a single click or keystroke.

The first way you can setup multiple desktop screens on DAS Trader Pro is by using our tabs feature, located at the bottom of your window.

As you can see, when you right click on the bottom bar, you have the option to add a new tab, remove a tab, or rename a tab you already have. I have different tabs for my equity trading (I left the name Default), my charts, options trading, and the admin features I need to use from time to time. The tabs pretty much work the same way as your web browser, so you can switch between them whenever you want. There’s an important detail about this tabbed trading though: it is streaming data for all tabs all the time! This feature is great when you need to switch between your layouts on the fly; however, this feature is not for you if you do not have a fast internet connection. Also, this setup keeps all of your tabs in one desktop file (the file ending .dsk that you use to save your layout).

If your internet connection isn’t very fast, you can use our hotkey feature to load a different desktop file. This hotkey will require you to have multiple desktop files. The advantage of this setup is that it does not stream in data for the multiple layouts you have, that way you will not be wasting bandwidth on symbols you are not currently watching. To use this feature, click Setup (or Settings) and then click Hot Key. In that window, click the “Add New Item” button. In that next window that appears, you can look under the Window Configuration command category for SwitchDesktop or you can type it yourself into the Script field. After SwitchDesktop, put one space and type in the name of your layout file (leaving out the .dsk portion). For example, one of my hotkey scripts is SwitchDesktop SeansLayout. Then assign a hotkey and click Commit at the bottom of the window. You’ll have to set up different hotkeys for each layout file you use. Once you have all of these keys setup, you’ll be able to switch layouts without having to do all of the clicking previous involved.

But here’s a third alternative: get a bunch of giant monitors and have it all in front of you at once!

[dastrader]

Trading at an offshore broker dealer

Many traders are now looking at foreign financial institutions (FFI) such as offshore broker dealers in order to trade with new prospective. There are few noted reasons why someone would consider trading outside their country of domicile. For example, there may be trade restrictions which are not impose in certain countries and the tax benefits on income earned outside the country of domicile. However for an US person, trading at a Foreign Financial Institution does not offer much tax benefits. A US person is taxed on his worldwide income so he or she must report all earning even if it was not earned in the US. But despite that drawback, he or she will still consider going offshore because of the higher yield offered in buying government issued bonds which settles in a currency other than USD and is often only offered by firms outside the US. The highest returns are not offered to countries whose S&P rating is in the A’s such as the US government bonds. Countries with a S&P’s rating in the B’s often pays a higher yield than US products and with some as high as 15% yield. If you are receiving yield in that range it is worth the amount you would pay in taxes on that income.

Another incentive is that most FFI has competitive transaction fees and offers the same support and services you would get if you traded at a firm in your own country.

And then there is the benefit of not having certain restriction imposed on leverage and capital requirement. Some FFI offers leverage on small cap securities which are not normally marginable in the US Firms. There are firms that offer higher leverage based on capital deposit which is similar to the US Firms. And then there a few firms that offer higher leverage regardless of capital deposit or securities price requirement.

So why aren’t more people trading at FFI? I believe the answer is that most people like the idea that their money in under their mattress or resides in the same country. There is also the fear that the money is not safe at a foreign institution. And then there is the question of whether there is any insurance or security offered by the FFI that properly protects the investor.

But despite these concerns, the few who invests outside their country do it because the reward outweighs their concerns. And once they do the research on the FFI, it become apparent that facts are not always as tangible as looking at what your neighbor is doing from your backyard.

It is actually a misconstrued fact that Foreign Financial Institutions are more risky than a domestic financial institution. They have similar practices to most US firms regarding anti-money laundering and are often directly regulated by a central banking system. 

Foreign Financial Institution were one of the first to implement know your client (KYC) practices and are less prone to identity thief.

The requirement to establish an account at a FFI is often more stringent in requiring the individual to provide a written recommendation from professional individuals such as Accountants, Attorneys, Law enforcers and Bankers.  And as long as you invest at a FFI that has a good history of integrity, registered with a regulatory body and published updated financials information your money should be relatively safe.