Problem with Multicharts minute bars

KamiCrazy · Feb 4, 2016

This might sound like a platform issue but I think it is more of a feed issue.

I've recently switched to Multicharts from Sierra Chart because I am trying to learn the Jigsaw tools.

Problem I am having is whenever I re-open multicharts all my bars change. It re-downloads all the data from somewhere and this data is different.

I compare freshly loaded charts between multicharts and sierra chart and they are different. I know multicharts is the one thats wrong because I login to marketdelta cloud and the one in MDC is exactly the same as sierra.

If I leave Multicharts running continuously it produces almost identical charts as Sierra, albeit with very small differences. I'm not sure why because when I check the time and sales for both platforms its exactly the same so I assume its getting the same tick information. I have the same CQG FIX feed for both platforms.

I'm not too worried that real time charts are only slightly different, I can live with that but what really bothers me is when I close and re-open the program the chart changes completely.

Does anyone happen to know why this is the case?

i am nobody · Feb 4, 2016

Can you check if the difference is exactly 1 minute? I had the same problem between two of the big trading programs 2 years ago, althought they used the same datafeed. After analyzing it a few days I found the error, the two programs interpreted the opening and closing of the 1 min bars differently. So one program was 1 minute behind I found out. And because the data was part downloaded and part in real time, parts of the data were identical between the programs and parts where not. And when you closed everything and opened it again everything was wrong. So the timestamp of the data changed. It took a week before they believed me. They had to correct the closing of the 1 minute bars and then the problem was solved. Thousands of users apparently never saw this problem. Which was the reason they did not want to believe me at first.

So you should compare open, high, low and close. There should be a 1 min difference between the two programs.

Frederick Foresight · Feb 4, 2016

KamiCrazy said:
I'm not too worried that real time charts are only slightly different, I can live with that but what really bothers me is when I close and re-open the program the chart changes completely.

Consider installing an atomic clock synchronizer and setting it at very short intervals. If the disparity persists then it is very likely an issue at their end and not yours.

i am nobody · Feb 4, 2016

Frederick Foresight said:
Consider installing an atomic clock synchronizer set at very short intervals. If the disparity persists then it is very likely an issue at their end and not yours.

This will not help as he uses the same datafeed for both programs. The problem is in the way the programs handle the data they receive. Datafeed is identical but charts are not.
The fact the the charts change after re-opening the program indicates that the timestamp of the data changes.

Frederick Foresight · Feb 4, 2016

i am nobody said:
This will not help as he uses the same datafeed for both programs. The problem is in the way the programs handle the data they receive. Datafeed is identical but charts are not.
The fact the the charts change after re-opening the program indicates that the timestamp of the data changes.

Good point. I just skimmed the opening post and missed the part about the same data feed. However, if one of the programs changes the chart because of time stamp changes, then it is ~possible that it time stamps in alignment with local computer time. I'm not suggesting a synchronizer would necessarily solve the problem, but it is worth trying if only to advise the platform's tech support people of the effort if the problem persists. Anyway, it's what Mike Hammer would do to eliminate suspects.

damnpenguins · Feb 4, 2016

You probably already know this but MC uses the bar end time as the bar timestamp. So the hourly Bar that starts at 0400GMT is actually referenced as 0500 if that makes sense(I think that's right, but you get the gist of it).

I'm not sure about Sierra, but could that be the issue? Some conflict between timestamps?

Are the bars on the charts completely different? Or is it an offset issue?

The only other issue could be the timezone of the data feed and the timezone settings on the instrument/chart itself?

KamiCrazy · Feb 8, 2016

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the comments, I've checked and I believe the difference between how multicharts handles minute bars is the reason why as the chart develops during the trading day there is a slight difference between MC and Sierra.

However when I "Reload All Data" or re-open MC the chart changes and there is a large difference between the two charts. So I am lead to believe there is some sort of backfill which is incorrect?

i am nobody · Feb 8, 2016

i am nobody said:
And because the data was part downloaded and part in real time, parts of the data were identical between the programs and parts where not. And when you closed everything and opened it again everything was wrong. So the timestamp of the data changed.

Kami,

that's what I told from start.

You can check this if you do the following:

open your charts in MC and let them run a few hours
export the open high low and close to excel
close the program and reopen it
export again the open high low and close to excel
compare the two sets of data (before and after reopening)
if you see a difference it means that the data is saved wrong

So you should compare data only in MC; before and after reopening.
What I experienced is that the quotes that come in realtime are correct, the back fill is wrong (because data was saved with wrong timestamp).