Frequently Asked Questions about Compu/CHART
I am not clear what $239.95 buys me. Is it the charting software, access
to a server, or what?
Compu/CHART is a technical analysis
(charting) program that runs in DOS. It can also run in a MS-DOS Prompt
window in the last 3 versions of Windows (to NT).
Where do I get the data for the charts?
Compu/CHART includes "The
Retriever", an automated modem program that connects to a data source
which provides historical and end-of-day data. With it, you download enough
historical data (7 months or 2 3/4 years) to create a chart for each of the
equities you wish to follow.
What do you mean by "equities"?
These may include stocks, commodities, funds and indices.
What is the Intra-Day Monitor? Is this real time?
With the Intra-Day Monitor you can put current trading on the historical
chart while the markets are open. Prices are entered manually and open,
high, low and last are recorded throughout the day for each position.
(Meaning that you can come back to the same equity any number of times and
update the price). It starts over the next day. You get the prices from any
of a number of sources (TV, CompuServe, your broker, etc.). If you enter a
price as your broker reads it from his quotron, you may be charting in
"virtual" real time but it isn't a real-time program as such (and you're not
paying the rates of a real time program).
Do I pay for data?
Yes, you pay the end-of-day data source on the basis of how much data you
request during a download session. A session may be to create one or more
market files on an equity of your choosing, or it may be to update all the
market files that already exist on your disk. It should be noted that there
is no free data that is so easily obtained on demand on an historical basis
and for just about any market issue you may wish to chart. If you're serious
about following the market, and your positions in particular, you must accept
paying for the data if you're to do it with reasonable convenience and
accuracy. We haven't yet located a web source that supplies what you need,
when you need it, so immediately and simply.
Does that mean this is not an Internet program?
Correct. Internet programs are written in Java and though you see
charts, they don't provide the great depth of analytic tools that Compu/CHART
does.
What is the main benefit of a program such as Compu/CHART?
It gives you the power to select any equity or index and chart it within
minutes. And, then, to add it to your portfolio, update it daily and apply a
range of analytical tools to give you a better idea of its probable moves
than any "seat-of-the-pants intuitions or "tips" about it. It gives you
a real edge on the market.
Does your software handle options?
While Compu/CHART does not deal directly with
options, option traders use it to analyze the underlying issue or index.
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Email to:faqmgr@variagate.com
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