Excel / learning and resources for traders

[MrMiyagi]

Can anyone point me to any sites / books that would cater solely for traders learning excel. I have never really ever had to use excel, so the discussion of Macros and the like is over my head (for now). I just need a few specific things.

Things I want to be able to do:

1. retrieve only specific data fields from web query tables
2. create spreadsheets with data that refreshes daily, and have the old data store somewhere. (question posted often on forums, but never answered)
3. charts overlaid on other charts

Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[MrMiyagi]

Or if anyone knows of an excel plugin that'll retrieve the data I want (index option data, and closing prices) and store it in a database, so that I can chart all sorts of weird stuff over time?
Cheap or free preferred.

 

[swandro]

These two Yahoo groups will help you, without doubt. Free to join of course.

smf_addin : EXCEL Stock Market Functions Add-in

xltraders : XLtraders

 

[MrMiyagi]

Cheers Swandro, those are definitly helpful, I'm clearly gonna have to get my VBA on... Was thinking of downloading "Build an Automated Spread Trading System"
It looks like it'll teach me a load of things relating to what I'm on about.. Anyone any experience with it, is it balls? or good? anyone know of a good torrent link to it?
cheers

 

[MrMiyagi]

Excel Macro

"to move web query values to another location for long term storage and use"

Can anyone offer any insight into how I do this? For example I want to store daily data for FTSE options. Using web queries from Yahoo, my data refreshes, but overwrites the early stuff. On refresh I want the old stuff to go somewhere else and progressively stack up so that I can marvel at it as a graph.

Again, any help greatly appreciated.

 

[anley]

I don't know if the site will help you directly with your problems but nevertheless check it out, it's an excellent Excel based site -

Excel | Microsoft Excel | Excel Tips from MrExcel

 

[MrMiyagi]

I don't know if the site will help you directly with your problems but nevertheless check it out, it's an excellent Excel based site -

Excel | Microsoft Excel | Excel Tips from MrExcel

Cheers Anley, great recommendation, thanks

 

[DT]

Reading Walkenbach wouldn't do you any harm either.

 

[MrMiyagi]

Reading Walkenbach wouldn't do you any harm either.

Good idea, just found his website.. I've been foolish to think I can do this without at least some knowledge of VBA

 

[charles_au]

Mate, ask yourself do you want to be a programmer or a trader. Excel + VBA + cheap data = Massive management problem - before you acheive anything. Sure it can be done, but its a hard, complex, difficult option - especially if you have zero experience.

But somethink like Amibroker [say 200US], and a good data EOD data feed for your chosen market - and your away.

There is a steep Amibroker learning curve, but its nothing compared to what your contemplating.

 

[MrMiyagi]

Mate, ask yourself do you want to be a programmer or a trader. Excel + VBA + cheap data = Massive management problem - before you acheive anything. Sure it can be done, but its a hard, complex, difficult option - especially if you have zero experience.

But somethink like Amibroker [say 200US], and a good data EOD data feed for your chosen market - and your away.

There is a steep Amibroker learning curve, but its nothing compared to what your contemplating.

Fair points.. I'm trading away quite successfully but simply wish to play around, on the cheap with some ideas I have. you're right, I certainly don't wish to head down the programmer road if I can help it ... was lucky to stumble upon a site called gummy-stuff.org with loads of great excel templates and macros that can easily be tweaked to what I need exactly.. cheers