Brokerage Plus User Guide

Function
Brokerage Plus is a Premium add-on to the Trade Ideas Pro downloadable application. At the time of
this writing, Brokerage Plus (“B+”) connects exclusively to Interactive Brokers (“IB”) Trader Workstation.
It is required to have an active IB account to use the B+ functionality. B+ add multiple execution
functions to Trade Ideas Pro including the ability to automate any alert strategy so that signal’s
appearing in an alert window will automatically send an initial order, a stop order, profit target and its
respective time stop. In addition, when B+ is connected to IB, additional execution functionality is
available to the user from any Trade Ideas window by use of the right-click Trade this menu item.

Connecting Brokerage Plus to Trader Workstation

Several configuration adjustments to Trade Workstation are often required to properly connect the two
applications. From the Trader Workstation menu, select File  Global Configuration…

Confirm you have selected and unselected the appropriate checkboxes shown in the image below. You
will also need to make sure the Socket port matches the port indicated when Connecting B+. Typically,
demo mode uses port 7497 and live mode uses port 7496.
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Brokerage Plus Menu
The main B+ menu has three (3) options.

1. Connection
a. Connects B+ to Trader Workstation API via selected port
2. New
a. Opens a tabbed or free-floating windows displaying Strategies, Positions, Orders, Order
Entry, Messages Executions and/or Accounts
3. Windows
a. Restores the minimized B+ free-floating windows
b. Minimizes the open free-floating B+ windows
c. Displays the open free-floating B+ windows
d. The pinned selection allows for a window to remain visible on the desktop when loading
other channels and/or layouts. It is recommended that the B+ window remains pinned
e. The Save to Cloud… option allows you to save the current configuration of B+ to your
cloud for future retrieval

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Strategies Tab / Grid
The Strategies view is where you define the various automated strategies and their respective entry and
exit rules. This is also where you add the various order types for use in the right-click Trade action. The
columns can be customized by right-clicking on the header row to spawn the column chooser.

Adding an automated trading strategy

1. Right click in the grid to bring up the right-click menu. To start from scratch, select New
Trading Strategy. The Trading Strategy window will open without a defined strategy. You
can either copy a collaboration link from an existing strategy or build it from scratch. To
build it from scratch, select the Configure Button, otherwise copy using Collaborate.
2. To load a strategy from the cloud, select the Load from Cloud… option from the right-click
menu

3. Complete the various sections of the Trading Strategy window.

a. Initiate Trades Between allows you to specify when you can possibly initiate an
order with the strategy entered. Choose a start time and an end time.
b. Position sizing allows you to set your trade default to a fixed dollar value or fixed
share size per order.
c. Entry Order allows you to define the order type in addition to limit delta values for
limit orders which allow you to place orders above or below the last price. There is
also a time in force for Good for Seconds.
d. Stop Loss accommodates $, % or any Trade Ideas filter like the Smart Stop

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 e. Target defines your profit exit. When this value is achieved, an order to
automatically exit the position will be sent.
f. Trailing Stop is not presently available.
g. Timed Exit defines how long to hold the position once it has been initiated. Each
strategy has a predefined time exit from minutes to days.

Adding a right-click Trade order type

1. Setting up your right-click Trade order is quite easy and like that of an automated trading
strategy except there is no need to define a strategy in the Strategy Configuration section.
Only a Name is required which is what will be displayed in the right click menu. To enable
Advanced Exits which include Profit Save and Reduce Risk rules, right click on the strategy
and select Advanced Exists. You can also highlight one or more rows and use the Enable Adv
Exits button at the bottom of the window.
Profit Save – Profit save is an algorithmic risk management rule-set that works to help
investors preserve profits in open position.
Reduce Risk – Reduce risk is an algorithmic risk management rule-set designed to avoid
further losses.

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Positions Tab / Grid
The Positions view has two options; Tab and Grid. The Positions Tab is contained in the main B+ window
while the Positions Grid is a free-floating window. The window pinning option is located on the Window
menu item for main B+ window and is located on the Position Filters row of the Grid windows.

POSITIONS TAB

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POSTIONS GRID

Configuration
Select which panels to make visible

Filtering
 Accounts - Select which account(s) to view
 Strategy - Filters the view based on the Strategy(ies) used to enter trade
 Type - Filter the view based on Open, Closed, Long or Short

P & L Chart
Display graphic analysis of portfolio profitability from start of connection. Additional execution
statistics are available such as Profit Factor (sum total of winning trades over losing traders),
Total Trades, Winning % and Average Win / Loss

Order Entry Panel

The order entry panel allows you send specific order details to the market.

To change between Shares and Dollars per trade, click on the Shares text above the shares field.
Clicking this heading with toggle between Shares and Dollars per trade. By clicking in the shares
field, you will be presented with default options from which you can select. Alternatively, you
can simply type in your desired share count. Selecting the price field will present limit choices
based on the current price of the stock. You can also type in the desired price. The Stop Price
field allows you to set a stop price at the same time as your initial order. Pressing the Sell or
Buy button will initiate the order.

Rapid Order Buttons

Use the rapid order buttons to execute one or more orders very quickly.

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Right-click menu on Positions
Use the context sensitive right-click menu to bring up various execution options.

 Trade this provides quick trade options based on the strategies present on your
Strategies tab/grid. Each trade will have the time-stop that was assigned to the
strategy.
 Add Stop Order… will be selectable if the position that is right-clicked on does NOT have
a current stop order active. This will allow you to add a Stop Order.
 Modify Stop Orders… can be chosen if there is currently a stop order placed for the
position that is selected.
 Add Time Stop… allows you to place a time-based stop on a position that does not
currently have a time stop in place.
 Modify Time Stops… Use this option to change a currently set time stop.
 Add Target Order… sets a profit target for the position. When achieve, the position will
automatically close.
 Modify Target Orders… will change a profit target that has already been set.
 Assign to Strategy allows a position that was not initiated by a strategy to be tagged
with a specific strategy for filter purposes.
 Advanced Exits Enabled will turn on the Profit Save and Reduce Risk algorithms.

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Orders Tab / Grid
The Orders view with filter and sorting.

Messages Tab / Grid

API messages sorted by Time Stamp.

Executions Tab / Grid

A view of B+ executions.

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Accounts Tab / Grid
The accounts tab displays account related information. It also allows you to select the default account
to be used. Select the row of the desired account, right click and choose mark as default.

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