In this issue:
I. Announcing NeuroShell Trader and DayTrader Professional 6.0
II. Announcing NeuroShell Trader and DayTrader Power User 6.0
III. Update prices for rel 6.0 – available now
IV. Prices for the new Power User versions – available now
V. Considerations for converting to release 6 and/or Power User versions
VI. One way to stop this newsletter
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I. Announcing NeuroShell Trader and DayTrader Professional 6.0
Ward Systems Group is announcing major new releases of its award winning NeuroShell Trader Professional and NeuroShell DayTrader Professional software. Changes include faster model optimization through the use of multiple computer cores and hyper threading, additional biologically inspired optimization types, and more optimization goal functions (such as Maximize K-Ratio, Minimize Ulcer Index, and Maximize Lake Ratio). FOREX enhancements make it possible to convert profit and statistics into your home currency, and to set commissions in pips. Integrated trading of FX allows you to send trades in amounts of your home currency or quote currency rather than shares, contracts or lots. An innovative optimization tree makes it easier to select some model parameters for optimization while holding others fixed. You can also mix rule/input selection with parameter search. NeuroShell DayTrader Pro users can now build models customized to a specific time trading range of the user’s choosing, e.g. from 11 AM to 2 PM, without the use of time rules. There is also a time range data filter, useful for excluding off-hours trades from data.
Release 6.0 requires a live internet connection at startup, when charts are loaded, or optimization begins.
More details will be coming soon to Ward.net and NeuroShell.com
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II. Announcing NeuroShell Trader and DayTrader Power User versions
Ward Systems Group Inc. is also announcing two ground-breaking new products: NeuroShell Trader Power User and NeuroShell DayTrader Power User. Power User versions include everything in the Professional versions plus a number of advanced features. Both Power User products can mix and match multiple time frames in data streams, indicators, predictions and trading strategies on a single chart. The mix may also include data from instruments other than the one being charted. The NeuroShell Trader Power User mixes daily, weekly, and monthly timeframes, while the NeuroShell DayTrader Power User mixes intraday timeframes including range, volume, and tick bars as well.
The Power User products offer powerful new features for trading strategies. If you don’t know how many shares or contracts to buy with each trade, you can select from 14 different sizing methods including optimal F and Kelly formula. The pyramiding/scaling options add the ability to either enter or exit trades with more than one order. If you’re uncertain which of the position sizing or pyramiding methods to use, the Trader’s optimizer can assist in your decision process. If you want to evaluate your model’s out-of-sample performance on a trading strategy that is re-optimized regularly on newer data, you’ll want to learn about the Power User multiple optimization walkforward feature for trading strategies. One of the most practical features of the Power User products is the ability to optimize and backtest multiple trading strategy templates on multiple instruments in one continuous process.
More details will be coming soon to Ward.net and NeuroShell.com
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III. Update prices for rel 6.0 – available now
NeuroShell Trader Professional update from 5.x to 6.0 — $250
NeuroShell DayTrader Professional update from 5.x to 6.0 — $390
From release 4.x add $120 to the prices above
From release 3.x and below, add $240 to the prices above
Any user who purchased a full version NeuroShell Trader Professional or DayTrader Professional for the first time on or after September 1, 2010 is eligible for a free update to release 6.0. You must enter an order to receive this update, but it may take some time to process them all, due to the volume.
There is a 30 day money back guarantee (less a credit card processing fee) on release 6 updates.
To order your update online visit our special site http://www.ward.net/60.asp
Release 5.7 will be fully supported until January, 2012.
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IV. Prices for the new Power User versions – available now
The NeuroShell Trader Power User and DayTrader Power User versions list for $800 and $1000 more respectively than the NeuroShell Trader Professional and DayTrader Professional, so the upgrade prices below include the update fees above:
NeuroShell Trader Professional 5.x to NeuroShell Trader Power User 6.0 — $1050
NeuroShell DayTrader Professional 5.x to NeuroShell DayTrader Power User 6.0 — $1390
From release 4.x add $120 to the prices above
From release 3.x and below, add $240 to the prices above
Note that you can update to release 6.0 Professional and upgrade later to a Power User version. Videos for the Power User versions are included in the Professional versions.
There is a 30 day money back guarantee (less a credit card processing fee) on Power User upgrades.
To order your update/upgrade online visit our special site http://www.ward.net/60.asp
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V. Considerations for converting to release 6 and/or Power User versions
Although release 6.0 and the Power User versions will load release 5.x charts and templates, and they run on the same operating systems (XP, VISTA, WIN7), there are several other considerations when you update:
1. New versions do some of their calculations as web services on our dual, geographically separate websites. This means that a live internet connection is required for loading NeuroShell, loading charts, and for optimizing. For all practical purposes, you will need to be connected whenever you use the new versions.
2. Because of consideration 1 above, virus detectors and firewalls must permit NeuroShell access to the Internet. It is beyond the technical capabilities of our technical support personnel to assist with firewall and virus program settings. If you are behind a strong corporate firewall, you should make sure your IT personnel are willing and able to assist you should NeuroShell fail to be able to access our servers.
3. The old 16 bit Dial Data feed which was built into previous releases has been removed.
4. New versions are stored in their own separate folder, C:\NeuroShell Trader 6. This means you can copy over charts, templates, and data from the old release 5 folder (See item 11 below). We make no guarantees about running charts and templates from releases before 5.0. The reverse is not true – new 6.0 version charts and templates will not run in release 5 and below.
5. There are a new set of videos, much changed from release 5. The 25 examples are updated too. It is highly recommended that you study the new videos and examples.
6. IBFeed, MYfeed, and IQFeed data feeds will need to be reinstalled to the release 6.0 folder. Contact those companies for exact details.
7. eSignal is still built into the new versions, but initialization takes longer to assure that a good first connection is established.
8. New versions have a new “Initial Account balance” setting, which defaults to $250,000. If your backtesting or trading requires more money than you have set, trade sizes may be reduced or trading may even be prevented. This is so that you know you are always backtesting a realistic strategy.
9. Your old release 4.x or 5.x will be automatically disabled when you first enable a new version. If you own multiple licenses, you should specify by serial number which older release is to be replaced by the new version you order.
10. Power User versions are for power users. Power users are those who have a strong understanding of NeuroShell concepts and an ability to use them with little help. There are currently no examples specific to Power User concepts, only help files and a few videos. Because of the complexity of Power User features and the myriad of possible interactions between them, Power User versions should be considered appropriate for people who relish more power to experiment.
11. Ward Systems Group add-on files are stored in the Template sub folder of “C:\NeuroShell Trader 5” and may be manually copied to the Template sub folder of “C:\NeuroShell Trader 6”. All custom templates you have created are also stored in the Template sub folder, so they may be copied at the same time. Many third party add-ons can probably just be copied as well. Contact the vendor if in doubt.
12. It is unlikely that the new versions will produce the same results after optimization that release 5 did. Even the GeneHunter optimization method, which was used in releases 5 and below, has been improved in release 6.
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VI. One way to stop this newsletter
It is really easy. Just change your email address and don’t tell us.
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