Marketiva Review, Marketiva.COM Review, Review Marketiva

Marketiva.Com Review

2011-11-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Marketiva Review. Marketiva has established itself as an industry leader thanks to its advanced trading platform and its highly recommended customer service. Marketiva state they have “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.”.

No minimum deposits are required to open an account with Marketiva. Actually, when you first log in, your account is already credited with $5 in real money, and $10,000 virtual money. The same account and platform are used for practice money and for the real money, so only a click of a button is needed to determine which funds you wish to use. Best of all, a $5 reward is given for opening a new account and if you want to make deposit, the minimum is only $1.

Marketiva’s rates are between 2-4 pips for the major pairs, offering less than 20 pairs all together. The leverage they offer is of 1:100, allowing a minimum trade unit of 1 quantity which cost only 1 cent USD! In addition to FOREX trading, Marketiva also allows trading funds, indexes, and commodities.

The process of opening up a Marketiva account is quick and easy. Registration process is simple, and requires only minimal details for opening the account. No further procedures were required for downloading the software, which is also a quick and easy process. Click here to open an account, the process will take no more than 5 minutes.

Streamster, Marketiva’s software, is known for its ease of use and flexibility. It has a high-tech look & feel, yet it is simple and intuitive enough for a beginner to understand. The software includes advanced charting tools, which are fully customizable, and enable opening positions right from the charts themselves.

Accounts can be managed through the “Account Center” on Streamster or Marketiva’s website, so it is not necessary to actually be logged into the Streamster download software, to follow account balance, open positions and trades.

Deposit and withdrawal processes are executed through the web “Account Center”, and are clear and easy to follow through.

To make a deposit, the following payment methods are available on Marketiva: Wire transfer, Liberty Reserve, E-Dinar, and Web Money. No fees are charged for deposits, however, these payment methods do charges for transfers.

The fee for withdrawing by wire transfer is $14.00 for each withdrawal; while for all the rest it is $7.00 and only for the first withdraw.

Around the clock customer support is available from professionals with any questions that may arise, technical as well as trade related. Marketiva’s support standard is regarded by users as one of the highest in this field. This is despite the fact that support is provided mainly via email, and through the public chat-room, open be read by all clients.

A multitude of additional services and resources are offered the trader. A section of FAQs, dealing with general issues of trade in the FOREX market, as well as specific questions about operating their software, is available on the website. The answers cover lots of ground, although not in the most enticing way.

Market news and alerts are provided from within the system, to aid traders with their decision making processes.

Instrument Profiles are also provided. These profiles contain detailed information categorized in several sections, allowing the trader to make a better decision on which instrument to trade.

Marketiva enables clients to chat online with other traders, so they can discuss market events and trends, and exchange ideas and tips.

To further enhance the community atmosphere, Marketiva runs Marketiva Masters Tournaments. Marketiva posts a list of traders who made the most profits during the last month and during the previous year. The #1 earner is named Marketiva Master of the month or year. Starting from January 2011, Master of the Month is awarded with $100 real money, and of course you could be the next!

The user-friendly software, high quality support, advanced community tools and low risk requirements, all make Marketiva very attractive for a newcomer to the FOREX market.

Interested? Open Account now, and get Free $5 Live Bonuses!

Marketiva Online Forex Trading

2010-11-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

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.

Open Account Now & Get $5 Free Cash Reward
Directly Deposited to Your Account & Ready to Trade!
Open Account is Easy and Takes Only 5 Minutes!!!

Important:

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.
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.
Identification documents should be uploaded at Identification page.

Streamster™ API Trading Methods

2010-11-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

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")

API Retrieval Methods - GetPositions

2010-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

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)

Streamster™ API Retrieval Methods

2010-11-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

Streamster™ API

2010-11-01T03:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Spreads and Market Conditions

2010-10-24T03:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Please check http://www.marketiva.com/index.ncre?page=market-conditions for the current spreads.

Specifics and Facts

2010-10-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

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.

Trading Specifics and Facts

2010-10-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Trading Fundamentals

2010-10-10T02:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Rates, Alerts, News and Sounds

2010-09-24T01:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Marketiva Account Services

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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.

Introduction to Marketiva

2010-09-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

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.

Trading Strategies and Techniques

2010-09-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

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.

Working with Streamster™

2010-08-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

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.

Getting started with Streamster

2010-08-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

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:

Download Streamster

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:

Download Active Directory Client

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

Marketiva Chat Channels

2010-08-08T01:43:00.000-07:00

How do I join a chat channel?

If you wish to see all the discussion groups in Streamster, please click the button located at the top of the [Discussions] window.

Why chat flashes and how to save or clear content?
When channel name flashes, it means there is a new and unseen chat content in that chat channel. If you want to save text from a chat channel, simply click on the button and browse to a location where you want to save a log file. If you want to clear text from a chat channel, simply click on the button and the chat content will be deleted.

How to setup Chinese and Arabic letters?
If you want to see Chinese and Arabic letters in the chat instead or replacement squares, you need to open [Control Panel] and go to the [Regional and Language Options]. Select [Languages] tab and click on [Install files for East-Asian languages].

Are there limitations in chat I should be aware of?
Please note that typing in all uppercase letters, repeating question or exclamation marks is considered yelling in chat and is disruptive to the normal flow of chat. We do not allow chat participants to advertise products or services, or to ridicule services provided by us or other companies. Internet links pointing to external sites are allowed only if they have strictly educational purposes. No personal contact information, including e-mail addresses and instant messaging handles, are allowed to be sent in the chat channels. Anyone cursing or swearing will not be tolerated. All problems and issues will be addressed in a civil manner on our support channel.

Marketiva Trading Platform Basics

2010-08-01T01:36:00.000-07:00

Where can I see your software?

Please visit our slideshow at slide page to preview our software platform.

Can I trade through your web site?

In order to trade at Marketiva you have to download and install the Streamster application. There are no other ways to trade. To get the Streamster, please go to download page.

Where can I download the Streamster?

Streamster is an application you need to download and install on your computer in order to use our services. When you download it from download page, you need to install the application on your local computer and run it to access our services.

What Operating System do I need?

We currently directly support Windows 98 / Me / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7. There is a development version that can work through Wine simulator on Linux and some other Unix operating systems, but we do not have a release version at this moment. If you have Mac OS, you may use PC simulator.

How secure is your software?

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.

Where can I find more help on your platform?

To read more details about Streamster, please go to streamster help page.

Download Help

2010-07-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Most problems when downloading files are caused by incomplete or corrupted downloads. There are a number of reasons why this might occur. These can include but are not limited to: problems with your Internet connection, problems with your computer, peak traffic on the server, or a damaged file on the server.

Problems with Your Internet Connection

If you have access to second computer with an Internet connection, try your download there. If you can download to second computer successfully, the first may have a problem with its Internet connection. While the download is in progress, try not to use the computer for any other purpose, as another application's demands on your computers processor might result in this sort of problems.

Problems with Your Computer

If you have consistent problems with downloading files from the Internet, you may be having a problem with your computer. As a file is downloaded, it is written to your computer's hard disk. If there is a disk problem, the file may not be written properly. Try running a disk utility to check for errors. If any are found, they should be corrected before downloading any files. Also check your computer for viruses as these can affect its operation.

Peak Traffic on the Server

The Marketiva.com site receives a lot of heavy traffic daily. The number of visitors soars whenever we place a new product or an upgrade for download. During these peak traffic periods, some of our customers have a difficult time downloading. We will try to accommodate extra traffic, and will offer alternative download sites. If high traffic is the cause of the download problems, your only option is to try one of the alternate download sites, or to wait for an off-peak time to download.

Damaged File on the Server

We verify our files when we post them to make sure that they are valid. That said, it is possible that a file posted on one of our servers can be damaged. If you have downloaded the same file to several different computers and the resulting download is damaged, you should report it to us so we can correct the problem.

Customizing Streamster™

2010-07-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

Streamster allows you to customize it in many ways. You are able to setup sounds, voice and visual notifications, resize and relocate windows, change the way Streamster minimizes and much more.

Setting up sound, voice and visual notifications

Streamster can trigger an audio or visual notification for an alert or a news story. If an alert or news item is of low importance, no notification will be generated. Alerts or news items of normal importance generate a sound.

To disable the sound notifications:

Click the Settings button.
Disable the box next to the Beep when a news item or alert is received.
Click OK to confirm.

Alerts or news items of high priority are pronounced by using the currently active text-to-speech engine (if available).

To disable the speech notifications:

Click the Settings button.
Disable the box next to the Pronounce high-priority news and alerts.
Click OK to confirm.

To configure the default voice in which the speech notifications are played back, please consult Windows Help.

Resizing windows in Streamster

In order to resize a window within the Streamster, you need to click and drag the border of the particular window you want to resize. Windows can be resized horizontally and vertically.

Relocating and splitting windows

Streamster allows you to completely change placement and order of its windows. If you click on a window tab (without releasing mouse button) and drag it to a section of an existing window, that window will split into two new windows. You can do the same but in opposite direction: merge all windows into one.

Changing the way Streamster shows in taskbar

You are able to choose which way you want Streamster to behave when minimized. By default, Streamster minimizes to your taskbar, but if you check "Show icon in the taskbar when Streamster is minimized" in the Settings dialog on the Advanced tab, Streamster will minimize to the system tray.

Using descriptive names for Charting tabs

By default, names of Charting tabs are non-descriptive and additional charts contain respective order numbers only. In order to see tabs with instrument and chart range shown in Charting tabs, you need to do the following:

Click the Settings button.
Enable the box next to the Use descriptive names for Charting tabs.
Click OK to confirm.

Using Charting Application

2010-07-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

Chart is a graphical representation of movements of the instrument's price in time.

The Streamster charting application allows you to analyze past behavior of certain instruments, which can significantly help in making trading decisions.

Reading a chart

In the top-right corner of the Charting window stands the Market Instrument ID and the Timescale. The x-axis refers to the date and time while the y-axis refers to the selected instrument price. Movement of the instrument's price can be displayed in various forms, like curve, bar chart and candlestick that spread left-to-right of the window.

Changing a style of a chart

To change the form how the instrument's price is displayed:
Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Style
Select one the offered styles, i.e. candle stick

Changing an instrument

To change the instrument displayed:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Instrument
Select one the offered instruments

Changing a range on the chart

Range displayed on the Charting window can be changed in two ways:

Changing the time interval displayed:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Timescale
Select one the offered intervals

Using the zoom:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Zoom
Select one the offered percentages

Working with "My Charts"

If you are using specific Instrument, Timescale etc. with specific indicators more often than others, Streamster may save your time to adjust the Charting windows to suit your needs.

Adding new chart layout

To add a new chart layout:

Choose Instrument, Timescale, Zoom, Style and Indicators
Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Save Chart...
Add name for the chart
Click OK

Choosing an existing chart

To choose a chart that was previously saved:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click My Charts
Choose one of the existing chart layouts

Organizing "My Charts"

To organize existing charts:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click My Charts
Click Organize...
You are able to Delete and / or Rename any of existing charts
When finished, click Close

Working with indicators

Streamster is offering a number of indicators to rise your trading to a higher level. You could easily combine indicators based on different mathematical models to get the best trading results.

Adding a new indicator

To add a new indicator on a Chart:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Indicators
Click on one of the indicators offered
On the left of the Charting window you are offered to change default settings for added indicator, link to find out more about it and to remove it immediately
Place cursor within the Charting window and click or wait for few seconds for Settings pane to hide.

Removing an indicator

To remove an indicator:

Click on the curve of the indicator you wish to remove
Settings pane opens on the left of the Charting window
Click Remove this indicator

Removing all indicators

To remove all indicators from a Chart:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Indicators then Remove Active Indicators

Editing settings of an indicator

To edit an indicator:

Click on the curve of the indicator you wish to edit
Settings pane opens on the left of the Charting window
Edit colors, periods etc. of an indicator
Place cursor within the Charting window and click or wait for few seconds for Settings pane to hide

Showing and hiding open positions

Streamster offers possibility to visually monitor OPEN positions. The positions are represented as a light square (yellow: LONG; blue: SHORT) on the chart. Clicking on the square displays a menu to Change... or Close... selected position.

To show or hide OPEN positions on a Chart:

Right-click within the Charting window
On context menu click Show positions

Working with Orders, Trades, Positions and Portfolio

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Streamster™ provides powerful and easy-to-use tools for trading and detailed view of your portfolio and all past trading actions. All trading options are accessed from the Orders, Trades, Positions, Portfolio and Charting windows in the Streamster.

Orders

The Orders window is used for placing and organizing orders. You are offered to work with Market, Limit and Stop orders, depending on when you want its life on the market to begin.

Placing a new order

To place a new order:

Click on the New button within the Orders window
You are able to enter or change parameters of the order: Price, Price Type, Duration Type (Duration), Quantity, Quantity Type, Exit Stop-Loss, Exit Target and Text
Click OK

The order will be placed in the Orders window with status ACTIVE if it waits to be executed, and with status EXECUTED if it is executed immediately.

Editing an order

To edit an order, it must have the status ACTIVE:

Within the Orders window click on the row of the order you wish to edit
Click on Change...
You are able to enter or change parameters: Price, Price Type, Duration Type (Duration), Quantity, Quantity Type, Exit Stop-Loss, Exit Target and Text
Click OK

Viewing and reordering columns

Streamster allows you to add, remove and reorder columns in the Orders window to suit your needs:

Click on the Columns button within the Orders window
Select the columns you wish to see and use Move Up and Move Down buttons to move columns left and right in the Orders window, respectively
Click OK

Canceling orders

To cancel one order, it must have the status ACTIVE:

Within the Orders window click on the row of the order you wish to cancel
Click on Cancel...
Click Yes

To cancel orders that have status ACTIVE, click on the Cancel All button in the Orders window. You will be asked to cancel Buy, Sell or All orders. Make your choice and click OK. Orders you choose to cancel, if active, receive status CANCELLED.

Clearing Orders window

To remove all EXECUTED and CANCELLED orders from the Orders window click on Clear button within the Orders window.

Trades

The Trades window gives you a complete view on trading actions you preformed. You can customize view on the window to achieve the best ground for analysis of your past trades.

Viewing and reordering columns

Streamster allows you to add, remove and reorder columns in the Trades window to suit your needs:

Click on the Columns button within the Trades window
Select the columns you wish to see and use Move Up and Move Down buttons to move columns left and right in the Trades window, respectively
Click OK

Clearing Trades window

To remove all CONFIRMED trades from the Trades window click on Clear button in the Trades window.

Positions

When you want to open a position you need to place an "entry" order. If and when the entry order executes, the position becomes OPEN and starts its life on the market. For a previously opened position an instruction to close it may be entered at any moment.

Editing a position

To edit a position, it must have the status OPENED:

Within the Positions window click on the row of the position you wish to edit
Click on Change... button
You are able to enter or change parameters: Exit Stop-Loss, Exit Target and text written in the Text column
Click OK

View and reorder columns

Streamster allows you to add, remove and reorder columns in the Positions window to suit your needs:

Click on the Columns button within the Positions window
Select the columns you wish to see and use Move Up and Move Down buttons to move columns left and right in the Positions window, respectively
Click OK

Closing a position

To close an OPEN position:

Within the Positions window click on the row of the position you wish to close
Click on Close... button
The position will be set to status CLOSED

Closing multiple positions

To close multiple positions:

Click on Close in the Positions window
You can chose to close All, Short or Long positions

Removing closed positions

To remove all CLOSED positions from the Positions window click on the Clear button.

Portfolio

The Portfolio window displays your current Cash and Market Instrument positions for live and virtual trading desks.

Trading Techniques

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Experienced traders will often say "trend is your friend" or "do not overtrade". What does it mean? The links below will lead you to pages where you can read more about basic trading guidelines, general information about the technical and fundamental analysis, and some simple ideas about risk management. These are just basics - you will need to read much more related literature to become a successful trader.

General Trading Guidelines

Plan your trade and trade your plan: You must have a trading plan to succeed. A trading plan should consist of a position, why you enter, stop loss point, profit taking level, plus a sound money management strategy. A good plan will remove all the emotions from your trades.

The trend is your friend: Do not buck the trend. When the market is bullish, go long. On the reverse, if the market is bearish, you short. Never go against the trend.

Focus on capital preservation: This is the most important step that you must take when you deal with your trading capital. You main goal is to preserve the capital. Do not trade more than 10% of your deposit in a single trade. For example, if your total deposit is $10,000, every trade should limit to $1000. If you don't do this, you'll be out of the market very soon.

Know when to cut loss: If a trade goes against you, sell it and let go. Do not hold on to a bad trade hoping that the price will go up. Most likely, you end up losing more money. Before you enter a trade, decide your stop loss price, a price where you must sell when the trade turns sour. It depends on your risk profile as of how much you should set for the stop loss.

Take profit when the trade is good: Before entering a trade decide how much profit you are willing to take. When a trade turns out to be good, take the profit. You can take profit all at one go, or take profit in stages. When you've recovered your trading cost, you have nothing to lose. Sit tight and watch the profit run.

Be emotionless: Two biggest emotions in trading: greed and fear. Do not let greed and fear influence your trade. Trading is a mechanical process and it's not for the emotional ones. As Dr. Alexander Elder said in his book "Trading For A Living", if you sit next to a successful trader and observe him or her, you might not be able to tell whether he or she is making or losing money. That's how emotionally stable a successful trader is.

Do not trade based on tips from other people: Trade only when you have done your own research. Be an informed trader.

Keep a trading journal: When you buy a market instrument, write down the reasons why you buy, and your feelings at that time. You do the same when you sell. Analyze and write down the mistakes you've made, as well as things that you've done right. By referring to your trading journal, you learn from your past mistakes. Improve on your mistakes, keep learning and keep improving.

When in doubt, stay out: When you have doubt and not sure where the market is going, stay on the sideline. Sometimes, doing nothing is the best thing to do.

Do not overtrade: Ideally you should have 3-5 positions at a time. No more than that. If you have too many positions, you tend to be out of control and make emotional decisions when there is a change in market. Do not trade for the sake of trading.

Technical Analysis

Technical analysis differs from fundamental analysis in that technical analysis is applied only to the price action of the market, ignoring fundamental factors. As fundamental data can often provide only a long-term or "delayed" forecast of market price movements, technical analysis has become the primary tool with which to successfully trade shorter-term price movements, and to set stop loss and profit targets.

Technical analysis consists primarily of a variety of technical studies, each of which can be interpreted to generate buy and sell decisions or to predict market direction.

Support and Resistance Levels

One use of technical analysis, apart from technical studies, is in deriving "support" and "resistance" levels. The concept here is that the market will tend to trade above its support levels and trade below its resistance levels. If a support or resistance level is broken, the market is then expected to follow through in that direction. These levels are determined by analyzing the chart and assessing where the market has encountered unbroken support or resistance in the past.

Popular Technical Analysis Tools

Moving Averages (MA): Indicators used to smooth price fluctuations and identify trends. The most basic type of moving average, the simple moving average, is the average of the past x bars ending with the current bar;

Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD): Indicator that utilizes moving averages to identify possible trends and an oscillator to determine when a trend is overbought or oversold;

Bollinger Bands: Bands that are placed x moving average standard deviations above and below a simple MA line;

Fibonacci Retracement Levels: Indicator used to identify potential levels of support and resistance;

Directional Movement Index (DMI): A positive line (+DI) measuring buying and a negative line (-DI) measuring selling pressure;

Relative Strength Index (RSI): Momentum oscillator that is plotted on a vertical scale from 0 to 100;

Stochastics: Momentum oscillator that measure momentum by comparing the recent close to the absolute price range (high of the range minus the low of the range) over a period of x bars;

Trendlines: Straight line on a chart that connects consecutive tops or consecutive bottoms of prices and is utilized to identify levels of support and resistance;

Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis is the evaluation of non-visual information to evaluate trading activity and make trading decisions. Whereas technical analysts utilize charts and mathematical indicators to quantify price activity, fundamental analysts utilize market news and market forecasts to qualify price activity.

There are numerous market events that move financial markets every week. Some affect every market instrument while others affect specific instruments. If the outcome of a market event has been fully discounted by the market, traders will not notice any discernible impact on their charts. If the outcome of a market event has not been fully discounted by the market, the result is either price appreciation or price depreciation and traders will see this activity on their charts.

Every week, there are fundamentally-important market events that are scheduled in every country at specific times. Similarly, there are fundamentally-important market events that may not be scheduled for specific times. Some countries (Germany, for instance) often do not schedule market events for specific times. The outcome of market events is sometimes leaked in advance in certain countries (Germany, for instance) for different reasons.

Market events include the release of economic data, speeches and testimony by government officials, interest rate decisions, and others.

Controlling Risk

Cutting Losses

Too often, the beginning trader will be overly concerned about incurring losing trades. Trader therefore lets losses mount, with the "hope" that the market will turn around and the loss will turn into a gain.

Almost all successful trading strategies include a disciplined procedure for cutting losses. When a trader is down on a position, many emotions often come into play, making it difficult to cut losses at the right level. The best practice is to decide where losses will be cut before a trade is even initiated. This will assure the trader of the maximum amount he or she can expect to lose on the trade.

The other key element of risk control is overall account risk. In other words, a trader should know before start of trading endeavor how much of trading account he or she is willing to lose before ceasing trading and re-evaluating strategy. If you open an account with $2,000, are you willing to lose all $2,000? $1,000? As with risk control on individual trades, the most important discipline is to decide on a level and stick with it. Further information on the mechanics of limiting risk can be found in trading literature.

Introduction to Markets

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Buying and Selling
Financial market is a mechanism that allows people to easily buy and sell (trade) market instruments at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect efficient markets. Financial markets have evolved significantly over several hundred years and are undergoing constant innovation to improve liquidity.

If you believe value of a market instrument is going to increase, then you would buy the instrument and at one point in the future you would sell it for a higher price. This is the basic motivation for trading on financial markets.

Orders and Positions
When you want to open a position you need to place an "entry" order. If and when the entry order executes, the position becomes "open" and starts its life on the market. At some point in the future, you will place an "exit" order to "close" the position. A position can be "long" (entry order is to buy and exit order is to sell an instrument) or "short" (entry order is to sell and exit order is to buy an instrument).

At the point when you place your entry order, you need to define price level at which you want to buy or sell certain instrument. You also need to specify type of the order and quantity of the instrument you want to trade. There are 3 order types:

Market Order
Placing a market order means that you will buy at the current "ask" (or "offer") price, or sell at the current "bid" price, whatever that price currently is. For example, suppose you are buying a market instrument and its current market price is 129.34 / 129.38. This means a participant in the market is willing to buy the instrument from you at 129.34 and / or sell it to you at 129.38.

Stop Order
Initiating a trade with a stop order means that you will only open a position if the market moves in the direction you are anticipating. For example, if an instrument is trading at 129.34 / 129.38 and you believe it will move higher, you could place a stop order to buy at 129.48. This means that the order will only be executed if ask price in the market moves up to 129.48. The advantage is that if you are wrong and the market moves straight down, you will not have bought (because 129.48 will never have been reached). The disadvantage is that 129.48 is clearly a less attractive rate at which to buy than 129.38. Opening a position with a stop order is usually appropriate if you wish to trade only with strong market momentum in a particular direction.

Limit Order
A limit order is an order to buy below the current price, or sell above the current price. For example, if an instrument is trading at 129.34 / 129.38 and you believe the market will rise, you could place a limit order to buy at 129.28. If executed, this will give you a long position at 129.28, which is 10 pips better than if you had just used a market order. The disadvantage of the limit order is that if the instrument moves straight up from 129.34 / 129.38 your limit at 129.28 will never be filled and you will miss out on the profit opportunity even though your view on the direction was correct. Opening a position with a limit order is usually appropriate if you believe that the market will remain in a range before moving in your anticipated direction, allowing the order to be filled first.

For both entry and exit orders you can specify price levels at which you want them to be executed. You have to specify entry levels when you place you entry order, while most trading systems would allow you to specify exit levels at any time.

Calculating Profit
The objective of trading is to buy a market instrument and later sell the same market instrument for a higher price. In case of margin trading, trader can also sell a market instrument first and later buy the same market instrument for a lower price. Either way, trader has to close position in order to lock in the profit.

Let us assume that you open a long position by buying a market instrument for 129.38 (quantity of 10000) and few hours after that, you close the position by selling it for 129.52 (same quantity of 10000). These two trades would bring you profit of (129.52 - 129.38) * 10000 = 1400.

We can also say that these two trades would bring you 14 "points" profit. A "point" is the smallest increment in an instrument's price. For the instrument in the above example, one point is 0.01 and for an instrument denominated with 4 decimals, one point would be 0.0001. Expressing position profits in points is often very useful for quick calculations and estimates.

One point, from the example position above, would bring you 0.01 * 10000 = 100 profit, denominated in the same currency the market instrument is denominated in.

In case of Forex, currency pair denomination will be in the counter currency (JPY is the counter or quote currency in the USD/JPY pair) and you may need additional currency conversion to get profit calculated in the currency your trading account is denominated in.

What Is Marketiva?

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What is Marketiva?

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?

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!

How much money do I need to start trading forex right now?