General Program Questions

How does Builder work?

Builder automatically generates strategy code based on the performance criteria that you specify. Technically, the program uses a technique called genetic programming, which evolves a population of trading strategies to maximize the so-called fitness, which is based on the performance criteria you select. More information on the build algorithm is provided here. The article library also includes information on genetic programming.

How much do I need to know about strategy design/development to use Builder?

Builder is designed to be user-friendly and easy to use for those with a basic knowledge of trading systems. You don’t need to know how to design or develop trading strategies, and no programming is required. However, you do need to know a good trading strategy when you see one. This is how you select the performance criteria that guide the build process. The program incorporates features such as out-of-sample testing that help insure good strategies are found, but it’s ultimately up to you to decide when the strategies are good enough.

How is the algorithm in Builder different from genetic optimization, such as the genetic optimizer in TradeStation?

Genetic optimizers, such as the one in TradeStation, are designed to optimize parameter values, such as the inputs to a trading strategy. The algorithm in Builder is called genetic programming. By contrast, genetic programming optimizes the rules and logic of a trading strategy. It actually evolves the trading system starting from a set of possible technical indicators, logical operators, inequality operators, and entry and exit order types. In effect, it automates the manual process a strategy developer might go through in trying to develop a new trading strategy from scratch given only the market data and the developer’s knowledge of trading and the trading strategy development process.

Is a trial version available?

Yes, a trial is available. Builder is available as a fully functional trial for 14 days before it requires activation via purchase. A license code will be automatically generated at the time of purchase. This will allow you to activate the trial, which will convert it to a fully licensed version of Builder. The trial is the same as the licensed version; no separate download is required once a license is purchased.

Will Builder work on 64 bit computers?

Yes, Builder will runs on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows. A version specifically for 64-bit Windows is available. This enables the processing of larger price files and larger populations of strategies.

Does Builder take advantage of multi-core processors?

Absolutely. The build algorithm was parallelized starting in version 1.2.0. This means Builder will take full advantage of all available cores on a multi-core machine. Because of this and the implementation of a more efficient strategy evaluation algorithm, version 1.2.0 is up to 25 times faster on multi-core computers than prior versions.

How long does it take to build a strategy?

Here are two examples for a quad-core 3 GHz processor (based on version 1.2.0.2):