home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Merciful 2
/
Merciful - Disc 2.iso
/
software
/
s
/
snapstockv2.11.lha
/
SnapStock2.11
/
QuickStart.doc
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-12-01
|
7KB
|
133 lines
QUICK START
Click the SnapStock program icon to start the program. (If you get a crash, you
have an accellerated machine - and you need to read the SETUP.DOC file.)
If you get a "Cursor Set Out Of Bounds" message, visit preferences and choose
an 8-point font as your "system default text".
First, we'll do a sample update of our chart files, check out some reports, and
draw a few charts. Run SnapStock by double-clicking it's icon. Test that the
SNAPSTOCKCHARTS: assign works by hitting "c" on the keyboard (this assign is
made automatically by the SnapStock script.) When asked for the issue to chart,
type CBU and hit return. After a few seconds you should see the death chart of
your favorite mismanaged computer company (and now a moment of silence...)
If you would prefer a file requester, click "CHART" on the options panel instead
of typing "c" in the above example. SnapStock has more than one way to do just
about everything. (I'll be putting the keyboard equivalents in parentheses, just
like this.)
On a 68000-only computer, CBU may take a minute or more to display. You can
speed the program up by selecting WEEKLY as your DATE FREQUENCY. This should
cut the display time to less than 40 seconds. Display times will vary based on
the amount of data in the chart file, length and type of moving average and your
hardware, of course. Most accellerated machines will display CBU in about 5-10
seconds.
Update all the example chart files now by clicking "UPDATE ALL" on the menu.
Choose the file QUOTES.GEN from the requester (or press "u" and specify the
full path instead.) Wait now for a couple of minutes while the chart files
update. When done, press a key to get back to the main menu.
Check out the performance report available now by clicking "PERFORMANCE" ("j"
on the keyboard.) This report is available every time you update your issues.
Next, click "PORTFOLIO" under REPORTS (or type "v" instead.) You will see two
sample portfolios, named TOTAL and TEST. When you set up your own portfolios,
you will get a summary just like this. Finally, clicking "QUOTES" will display
the most recent quotes you have updated from.
Exit from this screen and look at a chart of one of these portfolios by charting
"TOTAL" (type "c" again and enter TOTAL as the name of the chart file.) Try a
zoom now by dragging a box (while holding down the left mouse button) around the
last half of the chart. Zoom in even tighter, if you wish, by dragging another
box (always on screen bottom - zooms don't work on screen top.) Get your options
menu back by clicking on OPTIONS on the screen bottom (or by typing "o".) To
return to a full view of this chart, click on the ZOOM button twice (or hit ZZ),
then type "k" - the auto re-chart key. By the way, another way to get your full
view back is to drag a box around the ENTIRE chart.
**********
Now, here's a quick tour of the cycle analysis features of SnapStock. I'll show
you how the program helps you trade at all the right times to make a profit.
All the numbers is this example assume that SnapStock is set for ALL data.
If you're running this on a slow computer, enter the numbers while DATE FREQ
is set for ALL, then click it to WEEKLY. All the numbers will be translated
for you. (The program will run lots faster set for WEEKLY charts.)
Click on FILTER, on the bottom menu strip (or type "F".) The numbers in the
FILTER section of the graphic menu turn green. Click in the little window
labeled "CENTER" and enter "130". Click in the "BANDWIDTH" box and enter "100".
Click on CHART, (or press "C"). If you clicked the CHART on the graphic menu,
you'll get a requester. If you clicked CHART on the screen bottom or pressed
"C", you'll simply be asked for the name of the chart file. Enter FDPMX (This
is the Fidelity Precious Metals mutual fund.)
Wait a few seconds (or longer, on a slow computer) while the filter output is
calculated. When the chart is drawn, observe how the regular, periodic shape of
this waveform might make it easy to predict future peaks and troughs.
Click on the CENTER window again, and enter 33. In the BANDWIDTH window, place
33 also. Don't click CHART yet.
On the keyboard, type "E" (that is, hold down SHIFT and hit "e"). The word ERASE
on the bottom menu strip will go from red to green, indicating that the screen
will no longer automatically erase with each new chart. (If you goofed and hit
"e", your chart will erase. just hit "r" to redraw it.)
Now, hit (lower case) "k" on the keyboard to re-chart FDPMX.
A new, faster cycling waveform is now drawn on top of your old one. Click
REDRAW several times ("r" on the keyboard) until you get a contrasting color
to your liking for this new display.
Turn FILTER off now. Click FILTER on the bottom menu strip (or type
"F".) Both FILTER and INVERT should now be displayed in green.
Note where both the fast and slow waves are DOWN at the same time. Mark these
spots as buy points. Note also where both waves hit peaks at about the same
time. Mark these as sell points.
If you want to make real marks on the charts, use the trendline function.
Position your mouse pointer and hit "t" on the keyboard to start drawing a line.
Move the mouse a little and hit "t" again to stop drawing. (Don't hit the mouse
button - it won't do what you want!)
Time to find out how you did. Hit UPPER-CASE "K" (the RECHART key) on the
keyboard. Your filter chart goes to screen top, and a new price/date chart
of FDPMX is drawn on screen bottom. Compare your buying and selling decisions
with the price chart.
Did you make money? Hopefully you did well. If not, study how these charts
correlate with each other and try again with a different chart file.
$$$ That's how it works! $$$
********************************************************
* *
* CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! *
* *
* SnapStock's FILTER charts will rarely show you the *
* exact moment of a price reversal. Your judgement is *
* still crucial! The very end of the chart, the part *
* drawn in a different color, CANNOT be drawn in an *
* accurate manner, since a portion of the data needed *
* to do this does not exist yet! You must learn to *
* interpret your data... look at the regularity of *
* the cycles, and the degree of excursion from the *
* baseline to decide if a buy or sell should be made. *
* *
********************************************************
See also the SNAPSHOT section in the main DOC file for a demonstration of
SnapStock's SNAPSHOT ANIMATION features.