Course Overview

Introducing Programming in Amibroker is a basic course about backtesting the effects of trading ideas. It is among the popular courses by Trading Markets to help aspiring traders program their trades. The expected outcomes are to automate your trades and enhance profitability.

Course Outline

AmiBroker from 10,000 Feet

• Charting
• Auto Analysis
• Preferences

Data Sources

• Providers:
  • Norgate Premium Data
  • CSI Data
  • TeleChart
  • Yahoo
• Considerations:
  • Frequency of updates
  • Historically adjusted data
  • Delisted securities and survivorship bias
  • Database speed
  • Index constituents
  • Watch Lists & Groups
  • Price

Auto Analysis Window

• Scan/Explore/Backtest/Optimize
• Settings
• Parameters
• Watchlists
• Why they’re useful
• How to use them
• How to create them

Coding Part 1

• Built-In Editor vs. External Editors
• AmiBroker Help
• Review of the basic AFL Code Template
• Comments
• Controlling the environment with SetOption
• Standard Variables:
• Open/High/Low/Close
• Volume, Open Interest, Aux 1, Aux 2
• Buy/Sell/Short/Cover
• Pricing
• How Arrays Work
• The Ref and MA functions

Coding Part 2

• Common Functions:
• ExRem
• IIf
• MA
• Min/Max
• HHV/LLV
• Ref
• ConnorsRSI
• Plot
• Conditionals
• Loops
• Limit orders
• Stop Losses and Profit Targets
• Delisted securities

Coding: Explorations

• Filter
• AddColumn
• ExRem
• Walk-through of the Exploration template
• Executing the Exploration
• Exporting Results

Coding: Indicators

• Plot
• Param
• The AmiBrokerFormulasCustom directory
• Adding a custom indicator to a chart

Backtesting

• How a backtest works
• Setting the Date Range for the test
• Specifying a Watchlist
• Viewing Results
• All Trades vs. Portfolio tests
• Curve Fitting
• Avoiding the mistakes over 90% of people make when they do backtesting.
• Walk-through of the backtest template
• Using Scan or Explore to troubleshoot

Common Mistakes

• Looking into the future
• Wrong entry/exit prices
• IFF vs IF
• Assignment vs Equality
• Max Positions

What Will You Learn?

• The fundamentals of programming a strategy.
• The generation of trading signals to prepare for the next trading day.
• The best practices and common mistakes of backtesting.
• How to create and add your custom indicators to an AmiBroker chart.
• How to verify backtesting results for the development of robust programs.

Who Is This Course For?

A comprehensive walk-through on backtesting techniques, Introducing Programming in Amibroker is an ideal course for beginners.

Additional Information:

• You should have an interest in learning basic AmiBroker programming.
• You should have the AmiBroker version 5.5 or later installed.

The preparation of a data source configured to work with AmiBroker is a necessary input.