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By Ian Zakovorotnyi, Zimtra Asset Management
January 17, 2024
Choosing the right trading software can be a daunting task. There are dozens of existing trading platforms on the market, all touting killer features and unbeatable performance. Some are desktop-only, some are online-only, some are hybrid, but only a few are designed for professional Direct Market Access trading in Equities. And of those, only a handful have the full feature set, robustness and dependability required in today's market.
In this series of articles we will attempt to help current and prospective traders make the best choice for their trading style and showcase some of the main features of the trading platforms that we offer.
Zimtra is proud to have a long-standing partnership with the Sterling team, contributing to mutual growth and success. In today's spotlight, we will discuss what makes Sterling Trader ® Pro one of the most popular choices for professional traders.
Sterling Trading Tech is one of the oldest and most respected players in this space, enjoying the dominant market position. While they provide a wide range of solutions for the financial sector in general, Sterling's flagship trading software, Sterling Trader ® Pro is used by traders of all walks of life - Professional, Institutional and Retail, around the globe.
Refined over two decades of collaboration with professional users, Sterling is one of the few truly mature platforms, where most "I wish I could simply click here and it would know that I also want to do this and this" moments… work exactly as you would hope, and the most demanding traders' needs are met. Let's review the main features of this excellent trading platform, and why so many stock traders may prefer it to others.
Professional trader layouts range from simple and focused to obscenely complex, depending on the trader's strategy and workflow. To streamline traders' workflow, professional platforms are mostly built in a modular approach - and Sterling does this exceptionally well.
All feature groups live in separate windows, which snap together to form a layout
Window collections can form linked workflows - simply add desired windows to a group, and actions in one window will affect the whole group
Target linked windows, click on target window to instantly update data in all the linked windows
Save & Load layouts to support different strategies on the fly, or share with colleagues
Save & export data from stock watch windows allows for easily organizing, populating and sharing stock watch windows
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Click to enlargeCharts, Indicators and Studies are a backbone of trading analysis. Sterling offers a rich charting environment to meet demanding needs.
Charts are available in a broad variety of timeframes (1m to 1d) and styles (line, candle, etc)
Over 90 popular indicators and studies for the most technical trader
Virtually unlimited number of simultaneous charts supported - limited only by your hardware
Click to enlargeEvery millisecond counts when it comes to issuing orders, and optimized tools for order entry can make or break a platform. Sterling combines advanced order entry with ease-of-use and workflow optimization features that streamline professional workflows.
Basic order entry for simplified use - symbol, quantity, price, TIF (Time in Force) and Route selection
Access to ALL primary exchange order types (NYSE, NSDQ, ARCA, BATS, EDGA, EDGX, etc), plus all the major dark pool strategies and providers
Advanced Level 2 order entry - Full order book depth with customizable color coding, hidden order options, advanced order types, basket and conditional orders
Advanced Hotkey functionality - common operations & custom operation mapping
Time & Sales window
Combined trading block - Chart, L2 Order Entry and Time & Sales grouped together form a responsive order entry block
Complete Locate monitor for Hard to Borrow symbols, as well as Easy to Borrow indicators
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Click to enlargeProfitable trading depends on quick decision making, and that requires timely information that is quickly and easily accessible at all times, enabling snap decisions and quick action.
Detailed Position Manager window lists all open and closed positions, with a large list of customizable columns
Double-click to quick-fill an order that closes your position, right-click options for more quick position management options
Robust Order Manager window list all open, executed and canceled orders, as well as historical order logs (30 days)
One-click cancel, right-click replace for straight-forward order management
Click to enlargeAll trading decisions are made based on market information, and the better a trader's info, the better equipped they are to make better decisions. Sterling offers unmatched data infrastructure and options as a certified third-party Real Time Market Data distributor. Sterling is the only provider that runs an extensive global network of data rebroadcast servers on its own infrastructure, with a central ticker plant collocated at the NYSE and Equinix data centers, ensuring unparalleled data quality and reliability.
Wide selection of L1 and L2 market data feeds from all exchanges
Market Imbalances Monitor
Fundamental Data Monitor
Ticker Watchlists, customizable with custom logic and over 60 data points per symbol
Exchange Alerts
Market Scanner
News feed and customizable RSS feeds window
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Click to enlargeIn addition to manual trading, Sterling supports integration through an ActiveX API to enable external order entry and position management, with support for developers writing code to integrate with their system.
While most platforms offer some combination of the above features, Sterling Trader ® Pro sets itself apart with industrial performance and reliability behind its robust feature set.
High performance engine supports an extreme amount of windows (limited by trader's hardware) with low latency
Redundant in-house market data and connectivity infrastructure enables reliable trading conditions anywhere in the world
Outstanding live support desk enables Zimtra to action trader requests within minutes
Click to enlargeThe Direct Market Access software market is full of offerings, but not all are created equal, and not all are suitable for every type of trader. Sterling Trader ® Pro distinguishes itself by offering a highly customizable experience to suit every kind of trader, from beginner to institutional professional, and backs up its offering with unparalleled performance, reliability and support. Zimtra is proud to have partnered closely with Sterling for many years to serve thousands of professional traders from every walk of life and almost every corner of the planet.
Here at Zimtra we handle all of your support needs in order for you to stay focused on your trading. However, Sterling Trader ® Pro has very good and extensive documentation and Video Tutorials on their Youtube channel.
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