The data game

摘要

There used to be a time when technical analysts believed that all data providers were created equal. There also was a time when they believed that all technical analysis software packages provided the same predefined indicators. That time has past. Back in the day when there were very few data vendors from which to choose, technical analysts and traders simply accepted what was given to them in terms of market data and technical analysis tools. But as competition grew and computer power increased, the need for "clean" data as well as the ability to build signals, test systems and manipulate data became more important. Today, speed of execution has been thrown into the mix, but the question remains, are technical analysts and traders getting the same price information or are certain data vendors more reliable than others?