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87 PFROI User Manual - Copyright (C) 1985-1991, Techserve, Inc.
7 PFROI - Special Situations
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRA's)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Because of their special tax treatment, IRA's and other tax-
protected retirement accounts should generally be kept in a
portfolio file separate from investments subject to normal
taxes.
In general, the first tax rate record in an IRA or tax-free
retirement portfolio should be dated the account opening
date, and should have a tax rate of zero. The holding
period, capital gains rate and loss limit records should
contain entries, preferably rates in effect at the date of
the record. Subsequent tax rate records are not needed as
long as income within the account is tax-free:
Mo/Dy/Yr T Hold Prd CG Rate Max Loss Tax Rate Lng/Sht Loc Rate Index
== == == = ======== ======= ======== ======== ======= ======== ======
02/14/82 6.00 0.500 3000 0.000 0.500 0.000 1.0000
/ /
Contributions to IRA's and other retirement accounts are
classified as "deductible" or "non-deductible" for deter-
mining taxability upon ultimate withdrawal of funds from the
account. "Deductible" funds are earnings on which you have
not yet paid taxes because the I.R.S. has allowed them to be
deducted from reportable gross earnings (e.g. the $2000/year
allowed for those below the IRA maximum earnings "cutoff").
"Non-deductible" funds are those on which the I.R.S. requires
you to pay taxes but which they've allowed you to contribute to
the retirement account so that earnings thereon may accumulate
tax-free.
Generally, you should segregate "deductible" and "non-deduc-
tible" contributions in your retirement portfolio. This may
be accomplished by assigning a unique symbol to "non-deduct-
ible" deposit transactions. For example, you contributed
$2000 to your IRA in 1988, but because of your tax bracket
the I.R.S. only allows you to deduct half of this amount from
your gross earnings. Your IRA account transactions would
appear as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
1/02/88 DPF Deductible contr. 1000.00
1/02/88 DPF XXXXXX Non-ded. contrib. 1000.00
1/02/88 BUY MMF$ Money Mkt Fund 2000 -2000.00
IRA investors may optionally place the notation "=C-" in the
88
description field of "BUY", "BYD" or reinvestment trans-
actions (DRI, IRI, SGR, CGR) so as to suppress cumulation of
cost bases. The reasoning for this is that tax-deductible
contributions have a zero cost basis from a tax standpoint.
On the other hand, some users may wish to retain cost bases
for better visibility of investment gains and losses.
Neither treatment will affect estimated taxes since tax rates
are set to zero.
Upon retirement, tax-deductible contributions and tax-free
earnings within the account are taxed at the investor's tax
rate as the funds are withdrawn from the retirement account.
The estimated tax liability should be entered in the "Est.
Tax" field of such withdrawal transactions.
Withdrawal of non-deductible account contributions (funds on
which you paid taxes before contributing to the retirement
account) are not taxable and thus are treated as a normal
withdraw-funds transaction. We suggest that you enter such
withdrawals with a unique ticker symbol so they may be
isolated with the "Mask" command and reconciled with the
initial deposit transactions.
For example, you are past age 59 1/2 (the minimum IRA with-
drawal age) and you make a quarterly withdrawal of $4000 from
your IRA, comprised of $225 of non-deductible contributions
with the remainder from deductible contri-butions and tax-
free earnings. Your marginal tax rate is 28%. The trans-
actions would appear as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
4/01/91 SLL MMF$ for MMF withdraw -4000 4000.00
4/01/91 WDF Taxable IRA dist. -3775.00 1057 m
4/01/91 WDF XXXXXX Non taxable IRA dist. -225.00
Since WDF transactions normally do not take symbols or
estimated taxes, you will have to manuver the cursor into
these fields vertically from a transaction that does accept
these fields.
If funds are prematurely withdrawn from the account, manual
"estimated tax" entrys should be made to cover estimated
taxes plus early withdrawal penalty.
Mutual Funds
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PFROI "reinvestment" transactions DRI, IRI, CGR and SGR simp-
lify handling of mutual funds which otherwise may be treated
like any stock.
The BYD and SLW transactions may be used for fund deposits
and withdrawals, assuming the funds are deposited/withdrawn
from the portfolio on the same date that shares in the fund
are bought or sold.
89
For simplicity, mutual fund tax treatment should generally be
"first in, first out" (FIFO) or "running average cost" (see
Tax Lot Numbers Chapter 6).
PFROI's "running average cost" calculation implements the
"Average Cost - Single Category" method allowed by the I.R.S.
for mutual funds. This method will generally result in lower
taxes than FIFO in a rising market but higher taxes in a
falling market. Once you select a tax lot method, you must
continue to use that method until you have closed out your
position in that fund.
Many mutual funds levy an annual fee by reducing the number
of shares to your credit. A SLL transaction followed by a
negative FEE transaction of the same amount should be use to
enter reduction in shares to cover fund charges:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/90 SLL MUTFND Mutual Fund @10 -2.5 25.00
01/02/90 FEE MUTFND Annual Fee $25 -25.00
The "FUI" (Fee-UnInvest) transaction combines the "FEE" and
"SLL" into a single transaction which may be alternatively
used as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/90 FUI MUTFND Mutual Fund @10 -2.5 -25.00
Undistributed capital gains declared by mutual fund com-
panies require the shareholder to pay tax on the undistri-
buted gain and adjust their cost basis upward. This may be
accomplished by using the CGR (Capital Gains Reinvestment)
transaction with a zero share quantity:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
12/31/89 CGR MUTFND Undistr. Cap Gain 0 215.29
Stock Options (Puts and Calls)
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Purchases and sales of put and call options may be treated
in a similar manner as the purchase and sale of stock.
Puts
A "Put" is an option to sell a stock at a fixed price over a
set period.
A "buy" (BUY) transaction is used when a Put is bought. The
number of options and the transaction cost are placed in the
Quantity and Amount fields. For example, you buy a Put on
1000 shares Ford Motor at 50, expiration March for a price
90
of 1 1/2 and a $35 commission:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ================== =========== ============ ========
1/ 4/89 BUY F+ 1 Ford @1.5/50 xc Mar 1000 -1535.00
Note that rather than using "10" to indicate ten blocks of
100 as per option trading convention, the quantity entry of
"1000" was used, This is done to ensure that quoted price
($1.50) times quantity will equal the total value of the
option holding.
A "sell" (SLL) transaction is entered whenever a Put held
long is sold or expires. The "Amount" of this transaction
is the sales proceeds if the Put is sold, or zero if the Put
expired. For example, suppose in the prior example the price
of Ford stays above 50 and thus the Put expires worthless:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ================== =========== ============ ========
3/30/89 SLL F+ 1 Ford @1.5/50 expired -1000 0.00
If a Put is exercised, the cost of the put should be
deducted from the sale price of the stock sold using the
Put. The original Put "buy" transaction should then be
modified by zeroing the Quantity and Amount entries. For
future reference, it is also a good idea to place a note in
the Description field that the Put was exercised. An
example of the purchase and exercise of a Put is as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ================== =========== ============ ========
2/ 3/88 BUY XYZ+ 1 200 @ 2.25 xc 5/26 0 -0.00
5/26/88 SLL XYZ 2 XYZ with 2/3/83 put -200 7475.00
Calls
A "Call" is an option to buy a stock at a fixed price over a
set period.
A "buy" transaction should be used when a Call is purchased
"long"; a "sell" transaction should be used when it then is
sold or expires. An example of a Call purchase, followed by
expiration is as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ================== =========== ============ ========
4/21/88 BUY XYZ- 1 200 @ 1.75 xp 6/30 200 -375.00
6/30/88 SLL XYZ- 1 XYZ Call expires -200 0.00
If a Call is exercised, the cost of the Call should be added
to the cost of the stock bought using the Call. The
Quantity and Amount entries should then be zeroed in the
original Call transaction, with a notation added in the
security field that the Call was exercised.
91
"Writing" a Call option is a "Short Sale" transaction
regardless of whether you hold the underlying security. Such
sales thus require the SLS transaction code. If the Call
expires or is excercised by the buyer, a covering BYC TAC
should be used with an amount of zero.
If a Call you've written reaches the strike price and the
buyer of the Call exercises his right to buy at the
specified price, then you must also sell off the underlying
security. If you already hold the security ("Covered Call")
this would be a SLL TAC, else it is a SLS TAC to be followed
by a later covering purchase of the underlying security
using BYC. The sale and subsequent exercise of a "covered"
Call would appear as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ===================== ========== =========== =========
01/02/89 BUY XYZ 1 XYZ corp. 1000 -50000.00
03/01/89 SLS XYZ- 1 XYZ call, @55 May exp. -1000 2500.00
04/21/89 BYC XYZ- 1 XYZ call exercised 1000 0.00
04/21/89 SLL XYZ 1 XYZ corp. to fufill call -1000 55000.00
Note in the above examples that a "+" sign is used with the
stock symbol to indicate a "Put" transaction while a "-"
sign is used to indicate a "Call" transaction. This is a
convenient way to differentiate the option symbol from the
symbol of the underlying stock.
Since the U.S. tax rules for options differ somewhat from
other securities you should check with your tax advisor to
be sure you are properly reporting these transactions to the
I.R.S. You may also need to make separate entries in the
portfolio tax tables to reflect differing tax treatment for
Puts and Calls as compared to other securities.
Employee Stock Options
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Employee stock options should be entered into the portfolio
file only when the options are exercised and converted to
stock. A normal "buy" transaction is then used. The
exercise of employee options may incur additional taxes
under the "Alternative Minimum Tax" provisions of the U.S.
tax laws and may be subject to a special holding period for
long term capital gains. Use a "TAX" transaction code or a
manual "Est. Tax" entry to make appropriate adjustments if
either of these circumstances apply.
Gifts/Inheritance
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Property received as a gift or inheritance is subject to
special U.S. tax rules with regard to determining cost basis
and holding period. PFROI's automatic "estimated tax"
calculation may not accurately reflect these rules in all
92
regards. The user should review and understand these tax
rules or consult their tax advisor before relying upon
PFROI's results.
The following procedure is valid, however, for most cases:
a) Enter a "receive" (RCV) transaction using the market
value of the property in the "Amount" field:
1) Inherited Property - Use the day after the decedent's
death as the transaction date.
2) Gift Property - Use the date the property was
acquired by the donor, unless the market value upon
receipt was less than the donor's cost basis. In
this case use the day after the date of receipt as
the transaction date.
b) Enter a "SLL" transaction upon sale of the property.
Review the tax rules for special provisions which might
affect your situation, necessitating a manual tax entry.
Wash and Short Sale Tax Rules
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The U.S. federal tax code contains "wash sale" and "short
sale" rules which prevent an investor from realizing loss
deductions or long-term capital gain benefits through use of
"wash" sales or certain "short" sales. A summary of the
rules and the proper treatment with PFROI are as follows:
1) Wash Sale Rule - You are a private investor and you
purchase or buy an option to purchase a security within
a period extending from 30 days before to 30 days after
the sale of a substantially identical security. The
rule disallows deduction of any loss on the original
"sell" transaction.
Include the notation "=C-" in the description field of
both the "buy" and "sell" side of the wash transactions
to suppress cost basis accumulation. Also, manually
enter "0" in the estimated tax field of the sell
transaction to suppress capital gains reporting on the
sale.
2) Short Sale Rule - You sell a security short while
holding a "substantially identical security" short-term
or you acquire a "substantially identical security"
before covering the short sale. The rule dictates that
any gain on the short sale is short-term and that the
holding period is suspended on any "substantially
identical security" held during the short transaction.
The net effect of the short sale rule is that short-
sell/cover transactions are considered short-term unless
the covering shares were already held long-term at the
93
time of the short sale. PFROI's autotax treats all
short sell/cover transactions as short-term. A manual
tax entry must be used if your short sale qualifies for
long-term treatment.
Exchanges of Securities (Mergers/Divestitures)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Many corporate mergers are implemented through the exchange
of securities issued by the buying company for the securi-
ties of the purchased company.
Occasionally a company will also exchange one class of
security for another security or will distribute new
securities in a divested subsidiary. These transactions may
or may not be tax-free, depending on the circumstances.
If an exchange is taxable (generally the case), it is
implemented in the portfolio by entering a "sell" trans-
action to close out the old security position. This is
followed by a "buy" transaction on the same date to open the
new security position. Typically the "Amount" of both the
"sell" and "buy" transaction will be identical at the
transaction's stated price:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
1/15/80 BUY XYZ 1 XYZ Corp. 100 -2000.00
:
5/22/87 SLL XYZ 1 XYZ bot by ABC -100 2750.00
5/22/87 BUY ABC 1 ABC for XYZ 220 -2750.00
If an exchange is tax-free (infrequent, usually involves
recapitalization), the portfolio entries are a little more
complex. The old position is closed out with a DLV trans-
action on the date of the exchange with a zero manual tax
entry. The new security position is opened by entering a RCV
transaction and using the description field to specify the
original acquisition date and cost base. This approach
maintains a correct cash valuation and also ensures the
correct cost base and holding period on capital gains
reports:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === ================= =========== ============ ========
2/12/78 BUY XYZ 1 XYZ Co. (orig buy) 200 -10000.00
3/14/88 DLV XYZ 1 XYZ Co. -200 -3500.00 0m
3/14/88 RCV RXYZ 1 RXYZ &&2/12/78 $10000 100 3500.00 0m
Security distributions in divestitures are generally treated
similarly to tax-free exchanges. The only difference is
that multiple securities are received instead of the single
security shown in the prior example.
94
Money Market Funds
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Although a money market fund is often used like a bank
account, per the I.R.S. it is technically a mutual fund
requiring share accounting treatment. BUY, SLL, (or BYD &
SLW) and DRI transactions may be used to achieve this as
follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
1/05/87 BYD MMF$ Dep/Buy mmf shrs 20000.00 -20000.00
2/02/87 DRI MMF$ mmf div reinvest 113.25 113.25
3/02/87 SLL MMF$ sell mmf shares -2000.00 2000.00 0m
3/02/87 WDF withdraw funds -2000.00
When you perform valuations, the money market shares are of
course valued at $1/share. Embedding the currency symbol
(e.g. "$") in the symbol enables PFROI to recognize this and
thus speed cost basis computations. Note that since the
money fund doesn't have capital gains, you may omit use of
the tax lot number without concern for transaction matching.
A manual tax entry of "0" however should be made for money
market "SLL" transactions to keep them off the capital gains
reports.
An alternative to using share accounting for your money
market fund is to use cash accounting. This merely involves
depositing funds to the portfolio without "buying" any money
market fund shares. PFROI then treats these funds as a part
of the "cash" in your portfolio. When "interest" is paid on
the fund, simply make an IN+ entry using your money market
fund symbol in the symbol field.
The "cash accounting" approach will provide the correct tax
computation and will also generate a separate interest line
item in the annual interest report. Technically, this
income should be reported to the I.R.S. as a dividend. The
only other disadvantage of this approach is that it does not
permit a meaningful ROI to be separately computed for the
money market fund.
Certificates of Deposit
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The treatment of certificates of deposits depends on whether
interest is reinvested until maturity or is credited to
another account. In the case where a C.D. has interest
reinvested, the IRI transaction is used as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
3/15/88 BYD CD1$ dep/buy CD#1 20000.00 -20000.00
4/15/88 IRI CD1$ CD int reinvest 135.45 135.45
:
95
3/15/89 IRI CD1$ CD int reinvest 144.10 144.10
3/15/89 SLW CD1$ redeem CD -21680.00 21680.00 0m
Note that the last interest payment in the example is
treated as a reinvestment even though it is redeemed the
same day.
If the interest on a C.D. is not reinvested but is withdrawn
in the form of a quarterly check from the bank, the series
of transactions would appear as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
3/15/88 BYD CD1$ dep/buy CD#1 20000.00 -20000.00
6/15/88 INW CD1$ CD interest chk 420.00
9/15/88 INW CD1$ CD interest chk 420.00
12/15/88 INW CD1$ CD interest chk 420.00
3/15/89 INW CD1$ CD interest chk 420.00
3/15/89 SLW CD1$ redeem CD -20000.00 20000.00 0m
Note that in both examples the base currency symbol "$" was
embedded in the symbol so as to bypass the cost basis
calculation. This is possible because it is assumed the
C.D. is to always be valued at $1/share. Note also that the
closing "sell" transaction has a zero manual tax entry so as
to suppress reporting of the sale on the capital gains
report.
Zero Coupon Bonds
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Zero Coupon Bonds do not pay the holder interest, but are
instead issued at a price which is at significant discount
from the bonds' redemption (face) value. For example, a
five-year $10,000 face value bond might be sold at issue for
$6211.20. The I.R.S. does not allow the gain from issue to
redemption to be treated as capital gain income. Instead it
requires the holder to report a portion of the gain each
year as ordinary income. This portion is determined by
computing an imputed interest on the bond.
The PIN or ACR transaction codes must be used to provide
proper treatment of zero coupon bonds. These transactions
do not affect the cash balance in the portfolio but are
recognized in PFROI's income reports and tax computations.
Treatment of zero coupon bonds using the PIN code is as
follows:
1) A BUY transaction is entered upon purchase of the bond.
For the automatic "Calc" command to work, the original
BUY (or BYD) transaction for the bond must indicate the
maturity date in the BUY transaction description field
using the format "##1/15/94". A maturity price of "100"
is automatically assumed unless another price is
indicated by using the format "##1/15/94 $1000". Lot
96
numbers must be assigned to the original purchase
transaction and subsequent PIN (or ACR) transactions if
the same issue of a ZCB bond is purchased on several
different dates.
2) A PIN (or ACR) transaction is entered for each year the
bond is held. The imputed interest for the year is
entered in the Amount field. The bond issuer may
provide you with this figure, otherwise refer to I.R.S.
Publication 1212 for computation. Use 12/31 as the
transaction date, unless the bond was redeemed in the
current year, in which case use the redemption date.
The "Calc" (Alt+C) command may also be used to calculate
the amount for the PIN or ACR transactions. To execute
this command, move the cursor to the start of the Amount
field of the PIN or ACR transaction and key "Alt+C".
You should see the proper PIN amount appear there. This
feature can be a real time-saver at tax time if you have
a lot of bonds.
3) A SLL transaction is entered upon sale or redemption of
the bond. If proceeds do not equal the purchase price
plus phantom interest earned to date, PFROI treats the
excess or shortfall as a capital gain or loss.
In the case of the bond described above, the appropriate
transactions are as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
4/ 1/85 BUY ZCB 1 ZCB ##4/1/90 1 -6211.20
12/31/85 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB phant int 465.05 130
12/31/86 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 667.70 187
12/31/87 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 734.48 206
12/31/88 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 807.92 226
12/31/89 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 888.72 249
4/ 1/90 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 224.93 63
4/ 1/90 SLL ZCB 1 Sell ZCB -1 10000.00
If the bond is sold before maturity the transactions look
somewhat different as follows:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
4/ 1/85 BUY ZCB 1 ZCB ##4/1/90 1 -6211.20
12/31/85 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB phant int 465.05 130
6/30/86 PIN ZCB 1 ZCB pin 333.85 93
6/30/86 SLL ZCB 1 ZCB pin -1 7410.10 37
Note in this latter case the bond was sold at a premium over
the cost basis plus phantom interest. Zero coupon bonds
should be valued using market prices. If these are not
readily available, the bond can be valued at its purchase
price plus "phantom interest" earned to date as indicated by
the Cost field on the "Position" record display.
97
Premium Amortization
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
I.R.S. rules allow optional amortization over a bond's life
of a purchase premium paid in acquiring the bond. In the
case of a bond with taxable interest the amortization amount
is deductible from current year income, with the bond's cost
basis reduced accordingly. In the case of a tax-free bond,
the I.R.S. requires the amortization of the premium
(reduction cost basis) but does not allow deduction of the
amortized amount.
AMT transactions may be used to accomplish amortization.
The amortization amount may be calculated using the Alt+C
command in the same fashion as for the PIN transaction used
for zero coupon bonds (see above). If the bond is tax-free,
enter a zero in the "Est. Tax" field.
Split Shares Received After Sale
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Occasionally a security is sold after a split is declared
but before the split shares are received. This may be
handled as follows so as to get correct valuations and cost
bases for capital gains:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
1/01/87 BUY XYZ 1 xyz corp. 200 -4000.00
6/02/87 SLL XYZ 1 xyz corp. -100 3000.00
6/05/87 SP+ XYZ xyz 3/2 split 50
6/05/87 RCV XYZ 2 xyz shrs rec. 50 0.00
6/12/87 DLV XYZ 2 xyz shrs ret. -50 -0.00 0m
Split shares received for a security already sold are indi-
cated by the RCV transaction, their return are indicated by
the DLV transaction.
Depreciable Assets/Real Estate
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Five transaction codes, DPR, BRW, RPY, RNT, and EXP
(depreciate, borrow, repay, rent, expense) support the
inclusion of depreciable assets in PFROI portfolios. Use of
these transactions is shown in the following example
involving the purchase of a building using a mortgage,
98
receipt of rent, incurrance of expenses, and subsequent sale
of the building:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/80 BRW BLDG 1 Mortgage -85000 85000.00
01/02/80 BUY BLDG 2 Buy Bldg 1 -100000.00
02/01/80 RNT BLDG rent receipts 800.00
02/01/80 EXP BLDG maint. exp. -100.00
02/01/80 DPR BLDG Depreciation -550.00
02/01/80 RPY BLDG 1 Princ. pmt. 24.75 -24.75
02/01/80 IN- BLDG interest pmt. -675.25
:
05/01/85 RNT BLDG rent receipts 950.00
05/01/85 EXP BLDG maint. exp. -135.55
05/01/85 DPR BLDG Depreciation -550.00
05/01/85 RPY BLDG 1 Princ. pmt. 68.75 -24.75
05/01/85 IN- BLDG interest pmt. -631.25
05/02/85 SLL BLDG 2 Sell Bldg -1 104000.00
05/02/85 RPY BLDG 1 Loan Payoff 83028.78 -83028.78
Note that IN- transactions are used to indicate the interest
portion of mortgage payments.
Margin Accounting
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Portfolios with margin purchases may be handled in two ways.
The first is to merely make BUY transactions without full
matching DPF transactions to compensate for the purchase
amounts. Margin interest payments are entered using the IN-
transaction:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/87 DPF Open Mrgn Acct 10000.00
01/05/87 BUY IBM 1 Buy IBM on mrgn 100 -15000.00
01/31/87 IN- BRKR Broker Mrgn Int. -33.50
This will cause "CASH" in the position records to go
negative to the extent margined as follows:
12/31/87 Position : SMITHPF
Esc Arws Pg ^Pg Alt + Tot Prn Dspl Import Help Bat dLnk
T Symbol Descrip Position Mkt Price $ Value $ Cost Gains Val %
= ====== ========= ========== ========= =========== =========== ======= =====
*CASH* -5033.50 -5033.50 0 -51%
IBM IBM 100 150.0000 15000.00 15000.00 0 151%
Gr. Total 9966.50 9966.50 0 100%
99
The second method is to use the BRW transaction along with
"short" IRI transactions:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/86 DPF Open Mrgn Acct 10000.00
01/05/86 BRW MRGN$ 1 Borrow frm Broker -5000 5000.00
01/05/86 BUY IBM 1 Buy IBM on mrgn 100 -15000.00
01/31/86 IRI MRGN$ 1 Broker Mrgn Int. -33.50 -33.50
Automatic sign assignment must be turned "Off" to enter the
IRI transaction with negative signs. The base currency
symbol "$" is embedded in the security symbol "MRGN$" so as
to deactivate cost basis calculations on the margin account.
This is possible because by definition the unit quantity and
amounts are always equal. The resulting position screen will
appear as follows:
12/31/87 Position : SMITHPF
Esc Pg ^Pg Alt + Prn Tot Aux Dspl Qprc Sprc dLnk Mst Grph Cxr Xml Inc Hlp
T Symbol Descrip Position Mkt Price $ Value $ Cost Gains Val %
= ====== ========= ========== ========= =========== =========== ======= =====
*CASH* 0.00 0.00 0 0%
IBM IBM 100 150.0000 15000.00 15000.00 0 151%
MRGN$ Borrow fr -5033.5000 1.0000 -5033.50 -5033.50 0 -51%
Gr. Total 9966.50 9966.50 0 100%
GNMA's/Mortgage Loans
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Return of principal on GNMA's (a security consisting of
pooled home mortgage loans, backed by government insurance)
and on individual mortgage loans should be treated as
separate SLL transactions from accompanying interest
payments. Usage of first-in first-out tax lot accounting is
recommended.
For example, you have purchased $10000 of a GNMA consisting
of 30 year loans averaging 11%. It is held in a brokerage
account with the proceeds of interest and principal payments
credited to cash. Your transaction entries would appear as
follows (figures approximate):
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
01/02/90 BYD GNMA 1 Buy GNMA 10000 -10000.00
:
03/31/90 SLL GNMA 1 GNMA Princ. redeemed -3.20 3.20
03/31/90 IN+ GNMA 1 GNMA int. pmt. 92.60
:
Upon receipt of the last mortgage or GNMA payment the
"quantity" held should go to zero.
100
Safe Deposit Box Shares
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Often investors keep all or part of their investments in the
form of certificates held in a safe deposit box. You may wish
to define the "Box" as a separate portfolio from your
brokerage accounts. In this case you buy and sell securities
in your brokerage portfolio and use the RCV and DLV trans-
actions to move shares to and from the "box" portfolio. A RCV
transaction may be entered in a brokerage portfolio up to one
month after a sell transaction to signify receipt of a
security into the portfolio from the safety deposit box.
Assigning the same lot number to the RCV transaction as the
SLL transaction will force cost matching.
Reverse Splits
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Use the SP+ transaction code for reverse splits, but enter a
negative quantity (use Alt+G to toggle automatic sign
assignment "Off" for this input, but don't forget to turn
it back "On"!). See Chapter 6, SP+ transaction code for an
example of a reverse split.
Same-Day Trades
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Active traders occasionally will buy and sell a security on
the same date. Even if you are an inactive trader you may
find yourself selling mutual fund shares on the same date
that dividends or capital gains are being reinvested.
PFROI calculates the cost basis of same-date purchase (BUY,
BYD, BYC, DRI, IRI, etc) and sell (SLL, SLW, SLS, etc)
transactions in the same security in a given lot in the
order that the transactions occur in the portfolio file.
Thus to obtain correct cost bases, a SLL transaction must be
preceded by sufficient BUY transactions to accumulate enough
shares to facilitate the SLL. However, if in fact a sell
occurs earlier in the day than the purchase of covering
shares then SLS and BYC transactions should be used instead.
Dividends/Interest/Splits Same Day as Sale
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Dividends or splits which occur on the same day of a sale of
stock, bond or mutual fund should be placed BEFORE the sell
transaction in the transaction listings.
Commodities
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Commodities and commodity futures and futures options may be
handled like any other security. However, the value used in
the Quantity field of transactions must be consistent with
the pricing entered in the Mkt Price field on position
101
records. E.g., if corn is to be priced at $2.50/bushel,
corn future contracts valued at $100,000 must have a
quantity of 40000 (bushels). For example, a sequence of Buy/
Sell transactions in corn futures would appear as follows,
assuming $400 commission per transaction:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =============== =========== ============ ========
10/03/88 BYD CORN5 1 5/89 Corn @2.93 10000 -29700.00
:
01/31/89 SLL CORN5 1 5/89 Corn @2.88 -10000 28400.00
You may need to modify tax rate records to specify different
tax requirerates for commodities. Consult with your tax
advisor on these requirements.
Corporate Dividend Reinvestment
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
If you reinvest dividends under a company reinvestment plan,
you may be liable for tax on trading commissions if these
are absorbed by the company rather than being passed through
to you. Ordinarily you will be notified by the company if
this is the case. If so, use the CBA TAC to reduce the cost
basis of your shares by the amount specified by the company.
This will result in your paying the tax on the implied
commission upon sale of the shares.
For example, you reinvest a $425 dividend from a utility at
$30/share, with commissions of 0.25% absorbed by the
company:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== == =============== =========== ============ ========
04/15/90 DRI UTIL 1 Util Div Reinv. 14.1667 425.00
04/15/90 CBA UTIL 1 Absorbed Commis -1.06
Employer Contribution Retirement (401K) Plans
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Employee and matching corporate contributions to 401K
retirement plans and other similar plans are best handled by
using a BYD transaction for the contribution in which both
the quantity and amount are identical. You may use separate
lot numbers to identify your contributions versus your
employer's contributions. For example, starting in January
1990 you contribute $250 per month with an equal amount
matched by your employer:
Mo/Dy/Yr TAC Symbol Lot Description Quantity Amount Est. Tax
== == == === ====== === =================== ========== =========== =========
01/02/90 BYD 401K 1 401K Plan, My contr. 250 -250.00
01/02/90 BYD 401K 2 401K Plan, Their contr. 250 -250.00
:
102
In this example, at the end of the year you and your employer
have contributed a total of $6000. If the plan trustee
reports that your holdings in the plan are now worth $6750 on
12/31/90. You enter the "6750" in the "$ Value" field on the
Position screen resulting in the "Mkt Price" being
automatically calculated as follows:
12/31/90 Position : MY401K
Esc Pg ^Pg Alt + Prn Tot Aux Dspl Qprc Sprc dLnk Mst Grph Cxr Xml Inc Hlp
T Symbol Descrip Position Mkt Price $ Value $ Cost Gains Val %
= ====== ========= ========== ========= =========== =========== ======= =====
*CASH* 0.00 0.00 0 0%
401K 401K Plan 6000 1.1250 6750.00 6750.00 0 100%
Undistributed Capital Gains
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Occasionally a mutual fund will report an
"Undistributed Capital Gain". Use a CGR TAC code for
undistributed capital gains, but specify a very small
non-zero number for the quantity, e.g. "0.0000001" so
that the cost bases is correctly calculated for open
lot reports.
Capital Loss Distribution
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Occasionally a mutual fund will report a capital loss
distribution. Use a CGR (or SGR) TAC code,
temporarily turn "siGn=Off" and enter negative
quantity and amount. Place the notation "=L+" in the
description field to force the transaction to be
treated as a "Long" position transaction rather than
a "Short" position transaction.
103
8 PFROI - Understanding ROI & Beta
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Return On Investment
Return on investment (ROI) is true measure of investment
performance. ROI is properly computed using the "internal
rate of return" method. This method takes into account both
the timing and the amount of cash flows into and out of an
investment.
On a layman's level however, it is easiest to think of
"return on investment" as the effective annual interest rate
on an investment. The effective annual interest rate you
receive on a savings account or money market fund is in fact
the ROI on that account or fund.
PFROI computes the return on investment on a portfolio by
determining the annual interest rate which would generate an
identical ending value in a savings account with the same
history of deposit and withdrawal of funds as the portfolio.
The ROI on an individual security is computed in a similar
fashion except that in lieu of deposits and withdrawals,
security transactions are reduced to "cash flows" and the
resulting cash flows (plus starting valuation and ending
valuation) are used to compute the ROI. One concept that
some persons have difficulty with is that, for individual
security ROI's, dividends, interest, return of capital and
like payments are classified as "removal of funds" on the
ROI summary. This is because unless the recipient of such
payments reinvests the payments his or her equity interest
in the security is effectively reduced. That this is a real
effect can be seen by observing that on average the price of
a security drops by the amount of its dividend on the date
that it sells "ex-dividend.
ROI Annualization
On PFROI's performance screen ROI is reported on an
annualized basis to permit easy comparison between ROI
results. This means that even if the ROI period is for just
3 months the reported result is converted to what it would be
if the same performance continued over a full 12 months.
Thus if your portfolio advances 10% over 3 months without any
deposits or withdrawals the reported ROI will be about 46.4%
( (1.1 x 1.1 x 1.1 x 1.1 - 1.0) x 100). In making the
annualization conversion it is assumed there are 365 and 1/4
days per year to take into account leap year.
104
In reviewing ROI results you should be aware that over short
periods (e.g. a day, week, or month), seemingly small price
movements (e.g. $2 on a $20 stock) can result in a large
absolute ROI values due to annualization. This will be
particularly evident in the ROI of individuat securities in
cases where all or the majority of a holding are either sold
shortly after the beginning of an ROI period or are added to
a portfolio shortly before the end of an ROI period. The
effective holding period for a security in these cases is
short, thus causing normal "small" price movements to have a
large effect on annualized ROI.
Such ROI's may be suppressed from the ROI by Securities report by
placing the notation "/*=30" at the end of the ROI by Security
report customization specification where "30" (or some other
number) is the maximum negative ROI/Yr which will be reported
and 100 / (1-.30) is the maximum positive ROI/Yr which will be
reported for a partial period security. If the limit is exceeded,
an estimated non-annualized "partial period" ROI will be computed
and reported with a following asterisk, e.g. "3.5%*". If no
meaningful non-annualized ROI can be computed "*****" will be
reported.
Short Sale ROI's
A meaningful ROI cannot be computed for individual securities
involved in short sale transac-tions, and an attempt to do so
may result in a "Convergence failure" message. This is
because short-sale transactions have open-ended investment
risk. Short-sale transactions contained within a larger
portfolio generally however will not impede the computations
of ROI for the portfolio as a whole.
Time-Weighted ROI's
In reading the investment literature you may also encounter
the terms "Dollar-Weighted ROI" and "Time-Weighted ROI". The
"Dollar-Weighted ROI" is the same as the internal rate of
return computation described above. The "Time-Weighted ROI"
is the mathematical average of a series of "Dollar-Weighted
ROI" calculations and can be implemented by setting the
Twtd switch to "On" on the Configuration menu and on the
Performance screen.
The "Time-Weighted ROI" tends to be more often used by
investment professionals quite frankly because it makes
their record look better. The individual investor is best
advised to stick with the "Dollar-Weighted ROI.
Beta Statistic Calculation
Beta is a statistical measure of the price volatility of a
security or portfolio of securities versus the price
volatilty of a market index such as the S&P500 index. Beta is
105
often used by investors as a measure of the market risk of
their investments. A Beta of "0" indicates an investment with
no market risk. An example of such an investment is cash or
short-term Treasury Bills. A beta of "1.0" indicates an
investment of equal risk as compared with the target market
index. A beta of "2.0" would indicate double the risk.
The Beta statistic is often reported for individual
securities in reports issued by investment analysis firms
such as Value Line, Inc. and Standard & Poors, Corp. These
reported values may be used for input in the Beta field on
PFROI's Master Security List or on PFROI's Position Screen.
The value-weighted average of beta reported at the bottom of
the Position Screen can then be taken as a measure of the
riskiness of the portfolio as of the date of the position
record. We call this Beta the "Static" Beta.
If PFROI computes an ROI which spans at least twelve
valuation periods and the Twtd switch is set to "On", then
PFROI will also compute and report a Beta for the portfolio
or securities specified by the ROI mask record. Unlike the
Beta computed on the position screen which represents a
single, static point in time, the Beta computed in conjunc-
tion with the ROI is a dynamic measure of Beta. This measure
takes into account not only the beta's of the individual
securities which comprise the portfolio, but the change in
the portfolio composition and weighting over time as
securities are bought and sold and increase or decrease in
value.
The "Dynamic" Beta thus reflects not only the riskiness of the
individual securities comprising the portfolio, but also
reflects the risk level contributed to the portfolio due to
the timing of the portfolio manager's Buy/Sell decisions. In
general, a portfolio manager who is able to keep his or her
dynamic Beta below his portfolio's static Beta is reducing
portfolio risk and increasing portfolio returns due to good
timing decisions.
PFROI also reports an "Alpha" and "Correlation" in connection
with the "Beta" reporting. We don't have room to cover these
here, however we refer the user to a good MBA level financial
textbook.
106
(page intentionally blank)
107
9 DATALINK Communications
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DataLink Overview
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The DataLink communication module may be used to download
security price data into PFROI portfolio and batch valuation
records and into PFROI Price History records. The DataLink
module may also be used in its "SmartTerm" mode for manual
interactive communication with electronic bulletin board
services.
The DataLink module is designed to be flexible so as to
allow it to be configured to interface with many different
data services and so as to allow the user to make minor
modifications in its communications "script" to accomodate
data service format changes. As such, the contents of the
as-shipped DLINK.STD communication script file may differ
somewhat from some of the examples shown in this chapter. In
these cases you should treat the script in the "as-shipped"
DLINK.STD as the most current.
DataLink requires a Hayes-compatible 300/1200/2400 autodial
type modem. Other modems may be usable provided you modify
the standard DataLink log-on scripts to conform with your
modem's command language.
DataLink Access
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The DataLink module may be accessed from a PFROI Portfolio
Position screen, or from a Price History record screen by
executing the "dLink" command (Alt+L). When entered in this
manner, the DataLink "Autoquote" command may be used to
price the record from which it was accessed.
DataLink Record
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Upon entering the DataLink module, the default DataLink
specification file DLINK.STD is loaded. The screen will
then display the first of a number of DataLink access
108
records. The DataLink record for connection to Dow Jones
through Tymnet appears as follows:
╔═══════════════════════════ DLINK.STD Log-On Specs ══════════════════════════╗
║ Service Name : Dow Jones NR (Tymnet Access) call: 609-452-1511 ║
║ Phone <PH> : Tymnet Phone # ║
║ User ID <USR> : ║
║ Password <PW> : Your DJNR Password ║
║ Com. Specs. : COM2:1200,E,7,1 ║
║ Dial Script : ATDT<PH>^R^WCONNECT ║
║ Log-On Script : ^P^PA^W: DOW1;;^W?? DJNS^R^W@@ <PW>^R^WQUERY ║
║ Log On (contd) : ║
║ Log-Off Script : ^PDISC^R^P+++^PATH^R^P ║
║ Log Filespec : DJNRS.LOG ║
╠═══════════════ Retrieval Specs - DEMOPF 03/31/90 to 04/01/90 ═══════════════╣
║ 1) Portfolio Quotes, Cur. Date ║
║ 2) Portfolio Quotes, Spec Date ║
║ 3) Price Record Quotes, Single Date ║
║ 4) Price Record Quotes, Multi-Date ║
║ 5) Fundamental Data Retrieval ║
╠════ Pg ^Pg Ins Del Alt + File Edit Sterm Aquote Cspecs Range Dup Help ═════╣
║ ║
║ > ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
As previously noted, the above example is just one of several
communication records in DLINK.STD. Each record contains
communication "scripts" for a different data source or
telephone access network. Use the PgDn and PgUp keys to view
these other records. These records may differ somewhat from
examples in this chapter. In these cases assume that the
DLINK.STD disk file record is more current than the example.
The "scripts" in the communication records replace manual
keystokes. This permits you to flexibly configure modem
setups, dial-up/log-on scripts, and quote requests to fit the
online service with which you are working.
Available DataLink record commands operate as follows:
Pg - PgUp and PgDn key move you to preceeding and
following records respectively.
^Pg - Ctrl+PgUp moves to first DataLink record. Ctrl+PgDn
moves to last DataLink record.
Ins - Inserts a blank DataLink record. This may be edited
to add your own communication scripts.
Del - Deletes the displayed DataLink record.
^F5 - Ctrl+F5 duplicates existing record. The duplicated
record may be edited to create a modified script
without losing the script in the original record.
109
^Home - Ctrl+Home moves the currently displayed DataLink
record to the head of the DataLink file. This
record will be the first to appear the next time
DataLink is accessed.
Alt+E - Initiates "Edit" mode, permitting editing of the
record scripts (e.g. "Comm. Specs.", "Log-On
Scripts", etc.).
Alt+S - Initiates "Smart Terminal" communications using the
scripts in the current record.
Alt+A - Initiates automatic quote retrieval using the
scripts in the current record. You must have
accessed DataLink from a Portfolio or Batch
Position screen or from a Price History record
screen for this command to be operative.
Alt+C - Accesses communications default parameters. For
details on how these operate see Communication
Defaults later in this chapter.
Alt+R - Enables you to reset the "End Date" of the Date
Range for price history quote downloads, quote
request type "4".
1..5 - Accesses data Retrieval Spec. records.
The DLINK.STD file as provided on the distribution diskette
contains records to allow you to connect with Compuserve, the
Dow Jones News Retrieval Service, and plus some other
services. To make operative for current quotes, in most cases
you should only need to insert the local access phone number
of the service and your password using the edit (Alt+E)
function. Some modems may also require a change in the Com.
Specs.
Log-On Specifications
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The first part of the DataLink record contains the Log-On
specifications. These are used to automatically log onto a
service when invoking the "Autoquote" (Alt+A) or "SmartTerm"
(Alt+S) commands.
110
An example of the Log-On Specifications is shown below,
followed by explanations of field contents.
╔═══════════════════════════ DLINK.STD Log-On Specs ══════════════════════════╗
║ Service Name : Compuserve Info. Services, Call 614-457-8600 ║
║ Phone <PH> : CIS Phone # ║
║ User ID <USR> : Your CIS User ID ║
║ Password <PW> : Your CIS Password ║
║ Com. Specs. : COM2:1200,E,7,1 ║
║ Dial Script : ATDT<PH>^R^WCONNECT ║
║ Log-On Script : ^P^C^W: <USR>/GO:MQUOTE\<PW>^R^W! ║
║ Log On (contd) : ║
║ Log-Off Script : ^C^W! /OFF^R^P^P+++^PATH^R ║
║ Log Filespec : CIS.LOG ║
╠═══════════════ Retrieval Specs - DEMOPF 03/31/90 to 04/01/90 ═══════════════╣
║ 1) Portfolio Quotes, Cur. Date ║
║ 2) Portfolio Quotes, Spec Date ║
║ 3) Price Record Quotes, Single Date ║
║ 4) Price Record Quotes, Multi-Date ║
║ 5) Fundamental Data Retrieval ║
╠═════ Pg ^Pg Ins Del Alt + File Edit Sterm Aquote Cspecs Range Dup Help ════╣
║ ║
║ > ║
║ ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Service Name - This field is purely informational.
Phone <PH> - Telephone number to reach the service.
DataLink substitutes this number where "<PH>" appears in
the Dial Sequence.
User Ident. <USR> - Some services require both a user
identification and password for access. This field accepts
the user identification. DataLink substitutes this
identification into the Logon Script (below) wherever
"<USR>" appears in that sequence.
Password - This is the service's logon password. DataLink
substitutes this password into the logon script (below)
wherever "<PW>" appears in that sequence.
Com. Specs - This specification is used by DataLink to set
up the communications port which connects your PC with your
modem. The same format as DOS's "Mode" command for serial
ports is adhered to in this field:
COM2: - Indicates serial port #2 is used. You may have to
change this to COM port #1, #3 or #4 if those
ports are used by your modem.
1200 - The baud rate. You may use 300, 1200, or 2400 baud.
E - Parity (N=None, E=Even O=Odd)
111
7 - Data bits per byte (usually 7 or 8 depending on
the system with which you are communicating)
1 - Number of stop bits (1 or 2) (Note: if Parity=N &
Data Bits=7, then stop bits must be 2)
+ - If the com. spec. is terminated by a "+", echo is
set "On". "Echo" can be toggled during
communications with the Alt+E command.
The baud rate, parity, data bits and stop bits must be
compatible with both your modem and the system with which
you are communicating. If you hear no dialing when
attempting the Alt+S or Alt+A commands, try changing the
port specification to "COM2:" (or vice versa from COM2 to
COM1). If dialing occurs but "gibberish" appears on the
screen upon making the connection, try changing baud rate,
parity, data bit and stop bit parameters ("1200,E,7,1" or
"1200,N,8,1" suggested).
Dial Script - DataLink uses this script to send characters
to your modem to cause it to dial-up and establish a link
prior to trying to log onto an on-line service. The numbers
specified in the Phone field are substituted for <PH>. The
exact characters to use prior to <PH> depend upon your
modem, the ones shown work for a Hayes compatible modem.
The character sequence ^WCONNECT indicate that PFROI should
"wait" to receive the message "CONNECT" before proceeding.
(Note: Some modems, particularly in non-English speaking
countries are set to respond with the character "1" in lieu
of the word "CONNECT". Change your modem settings to
generate "CONNECT" or modify the script to replace "CONNECT"
with "1".)
IMPORTANT: If you have an "MNP" type modem you may have to
modify the Dial Script to put the modem in the "normal"
mode. Try the following: AT\N DT<PH>^R^WCONNECT
Log-On Script - This character sequence is transmitted as
soon as your modem indicates a successful connect with the
service. The exact sequence used depends upon the log-on
protocall of the data service you are using, however the
sequence will usually require "^W" and "^P" flow control
characters as discussed in the next section.
Log-Off Script - This sequence is transmitted on the
termination of an autoquote session. It should contain the
service log-off command, (e.g. DISC, OFF or BYE), a command
to return to the modem command level (e.g. ^P+++^P) and a
command to tell the modem to hang-up (e.g. ATH^R).
Log Filespec - This is the filename to which communications
are saved if the "Record" or "Save" functions are activated.
The DataLink Log-on Specifications may be edited by execut-
ing the the Alt+E (Edit) command.
112
Script "Flow Control" Characters
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
In general, in the DataLink Log-On and Retrieval Specifi-
cations characters preceeded by a '^' are converted to ASCII
control characters before being sent (e.g. "^^"=ASCII 30 &
"^Q"=ASCII 17 in the preceding script example).
Exceptions are the ^P, ^R, and ^W characters, which are used
for communication "flow control" as follows:
^P - Causes a pause for the number of seconds specified in
the DataLink Communication Parameters (Alt+C cmd).
^R - Transmits a "carriage return" character (ASCII 13).
^W - Initiates a "wait" until the character sequence
following the ^W is received. This sequence must be
ended by a "space" character, for example, the
sequence "^WENTER: 1^R" means "wait for the prompt
"ENTER:" then send the character "1" followed by a
carriage return.
If the specified character sequence following ^W is
not detected after the "Wait Time" specified in the
DataLink communication specifications (i.e. it "times
out"), then DataLink proceeds with the remainder of
the communication string.
HINT: If you find that DataLink "times-out" too quickly at
specified "wait" points, try increasing "Receive Wait" and/or
"Connect Wait" on the Communication Parameters (Alt+C).
If you wish to enter the actual ^P, ^R or ^W in scripts
without them being interpreted as a flow control character,
enter the ASCII values on the number pad by keying in the
ASCII value (^P=16, ^R=18, ^W=23) while holding down the Alt
key. The icon representing the ASCII value will appear on
the screen.
Retrieval Spec. Records
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The second part of the DataLink record provides access to
DataLink's quote retrieval specification records. These
records contain specifications and scripts which are used to
113
retrieve price quotes and other data whenever the AutoQuote
command is invoked.
╠══════════════ Retrieval Specs - DEMOPF 03/31/90 to 04/01/90 ═══════════════╣
║ 1) Portfolio Quotes, Cur. Date ║
║ 2) Portfolio Quotes, Spec Date ║
║ 3) Price Record Quotes, Single Date ║
║ 4) Price Record Quotes, Multi-Date ║
║ 5) Fundamental Data Retrieval ║
╠════ Pg ^Pg Ins Del Alt + File Edit Sterm Aquote Cspecs Range Dup Help ════╣
║ ║
║ > ║
║ ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Note that the filename and dates of the records from which
DataLink was accessed are indicated on the DataLink record.
The second date may be modified by using the Alt+R command
if this record was accessed from the Price History records.
Separate retrieval specifications are provided for each data
destination as follows:
Portfolio Quotes, Current Date - Used for retrieving
"current" quotes into PFROI portfolio or batch position
records. Use this selection whenever you want to retrieve
the latest market quotes into current position records,
irrespective of the date of the position records.
Portfolio Quotes, Spec. Date - Used for retrieving quotes
for a specified date into PFROI portfolio or batch position
records. Use this selection whenever you want to retrieve
market quotes into prior-dated position records. The date
of the position record will automatically be used in lieu
of "<DT1>" in the quote retrieval spec. when the date of
the quote is requested by the quote service.
Price Record Quotes, Single Date - Used for retrieving
quotes into Price History records for a single record date.
The date used is the same as the first date shown following
the destination record filename. See Price Quote Retrieval
later in this chapter for more detail on retrieving price
quotes.
Price Record Quotes, Multi-Date - Used for retrieving quotes
into Price History records for multiple record dates. The
"start" date used is the same as the first date shown
following the destination record filename. The "end" date is
the second date shown. Upon entering DataLink this second
date is initialized to be the same as the start date, but
may be edited to another value by executing the "Range"
command. See Price Quote Retrieval later in this chapter for
more detail on retrieving price quotes.
Fundamental Data Retrieval - This selection is currently
active in CAPTOOL for downloading fundamental financial
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data (revenues, earnings, etc.) from Compuserve into
CAPTOOL's Stockpar records.
Although most users should have no need to do so (existing
records as provided in DLINK.STD should be adequate),
retrieval specification records may be viewed and edited by
selecting the applicable record type (1..5) at the DataLink
prompt.
Example specifications for Portfolio Position quotes and
Price History quotes from Compuserve are as follows:
Current Date Portfolio Quotes
1) Retrieving 03/07/91
Esc Pg Ins Del Alt+ Prn Aquote Cspecs Range Help
R T Specification
= = =======================================================
! Compuserve Portfolio Current Date Quotes
1 * go mqint^R^Wce: 100^R^W:
2 * <SYM>^R^W:
3 * <SYM>^R^W: