CSI® Support Blog

ANY OTHER TOPIC TO DISCUSS?

2010-01-01T20:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Customer,

this blog is not updated anymore.
Please use the new CSI Knowledge Base.

http://csisupport.weebly.com/

Regards,
CSI TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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REMOTE SUPPORT INSTRUCTIONS

2010-01-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

Remote Support Instructions

Please download the file from the link below, and SAVE it to your desktop.

http://www.csidata.com/custserv/updates/svcpack/TeamViewerQS.exe
Execute the file "TeamViewerQS.exe".
Click the "RUN" button at the "Open File - Security Warning" window.
Call CSI Tech Support at

(561) 392-8663

and tell the Tech Support Representative the ID (xxx xxx xxx) and Password (xxxx).
KEEP TEAMVIEWER OPEN.

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DELAYED DATA DOWNLOAD

2010-01-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

Delayed Data Download

The delayed data download feature allows UA subscribers to download as soon as the chosen release is available.

Version 2.9.3 and below.

Double click LAUNCH UA on your desktop.
Navigate to the main icons and click the DOWNLOAD DATA / GET DATA button.
Open the DELAYED DATA DOWNLOAD drop down list and make your selection.
Press the DOWNLOAD button, and UA will then automatically download when the data is available.

Version 2.10.7 and above.

Double click LAUNCH UA on your desktop.
Navigate to the main menu and select DATABASE from the main menu.
Select SCHEDULE DOWNLOAD/DISTRIBUTION from the list.
Open the DELAYED DATA DOWNLOAD drop down list and make your selection.
Press the DOWNLOAD button, and UA will then automatically download when the data is available.

Keep in mind: For a manual download you need to change the Delayed Data Download drop down box to DOWNLOAD NOW.

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LIGHT SWEET CRUDE OIL (SYMBOL CL)

2010-01-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI Client,

our price reporting follows the exchange defined times:

http://www.nymex.com/CL_spec.aspx

The settlement price for Monday is established by the exchange at 2:30 PM Monday, at the close of pit trading.

Our pit session is 9 AM - 2:30 PM. The close field is the settlement price.

The Open-High-Low for our combined session is 6 PM the night before (Sunday evening in the example) to 5:15 PM the following day (Monday evening). The close field is the settlement price, established at 2:30 PM Monday. Highs and lows may be established in either the pit or electronically.

The Open-High-Low-Close for the electronic only session is 6 PM the night before (Sunday evening in the example) to 5:15 PM the following day (Monday evening). The close field is the last trade price of the session. If a particular month did not trade electronically for the session, the close field will have the 2:30 PM settlement price.

For Tuesday's data, the new trading day for electronic and combined starts at 6 PM on Monday, and the close fields are established at the same time on Tuesday as described above for Monday.

There are no midnight cutoffs of any kind.

Sincerely,

CSI Database

HOW TO SETUP/EDIT A PORTFOLIO?

2010-01-01T19:05:00.000-05:00

HOW TO SETUP A PORTFOLIO?

To create a portfolio, click the "Portfolio" menu at the top of your UA screen, and then click "Create new Portfolio".
A screen much like this example displays:

The first thing you'll do is name your new portfolio. Simply type a description or whatever nomenclature you prefer into the "Name" text box. (We used "Portfolio" in the example above). The default location is a directory whose name matches the portfolio name within the C:\UA\Files subdirectory.
The Selecting Data Series screen appears (this example is for Symbol C2, Cash contract, CSI File Format).

Of special interest will be the Contract Selection tabs (Futures, IFG, Nth Nearest, Back-Adjusted, Gann, Cash, Option), which describe the available contracts.

You could also click the "Markets" button (near to Symbols) to display a list for market selection.
Accept to build the hard disk files.

You'll find the created files within the C:\UA\Files subdirectory.
You should be able to see your created portfolio, and also the created contract.

At the bottom of your UA chart is a pair of tabs offering "Chart" and "Table". The default presentation is of a chart, but you can easily view a numerical table of the data on your screen by clicking the "Table" tab.
To add more symbols to an existing portfolio first open the "Select Portfolio" drop down menu and choose the portfolio.

Than click "Add File to Portfolio" in the Portfolio Manager panel, or click the "Add Market" button on the UA toolbar to get to the Selecting Data Series screen (step 3).

________________________________________________________________

HOW TO EDIT AN EXISTING PORTFOLIO?

To edit a portfolio right click the symbol description and select "Edit File Settings" from the menu.
Make any changes to the symbol and click the "OK" button.

HOW TO EDIT A GROUP OF SYMBOLS IN A PORTFOLIO?
To make changes to a group of symbols (must be the same type, e.g. Futures, Stocks, etc.), select the first symbol, press and hold the SHIFT key, click the last symbol from the portfolio and you should see the highlighted symbols.
As mentioned in Step 1, right click the highlighted area, and select "Edit File Settings" from the menu.

(Another way of selecting a group of symbols is:
select PORTFOLIO from the main menu,
navigate to SELECT ALL.)
Make any changes to the symbol and click the "OK" button.

________________________________________________________________

HOW TO OUTPUT SPECIFIC DATES?

Add/Edit a symbol into/in a portfolio.
Click the 'ADVANCED' button.
Change the start and end 'DATE RANGE' (i.e. 19990101 - 19990501).
Select the output method by ticking the FILE FORMAT.

________________________________________________________________

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HOW TO BACKUP/RESTORE A PORTFOLIO?

2010-01-01T19:00:00.001-05:00

How to move a portfolio from one version to another?

Steps:

Navigate to the START button and select MY COMPUTER (Windows XP) or COMPUTER (Windows Vista).
Select the drive where you installed Unfair Advantage.
Go to the folder Y:\ua\archives (Y represents your specific hard drive letter).
Backup the file PORTFILE.ADM to your desktop.
You could also make a backup of the files portfile.b1 ..., portfile.d1 ..., portfile.m1 ...
These files are backup files which Unfaire Advantage creates.

(Right click the mouse button, and select COPY | go to your desktop | right click the mouse button again, and select PASTE)
Uninstall your current Unfair Advantage version via Control Panel.

(START | CONTROL PANEL | ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS (Windows XP) or PROGRAM FEATURES (Windows Vista)
Delete the Y:\ua folder manually.
Install the new version of Unfair Advantage.
Do a daily download.
Copy the file PORTFILE.ADM back to the folder Y:\ua\archives.

How to restore a PORTFILE.ADM from a backup file?

Steps if are able to launch Unfair Advantage:

Double click the LAUNCH UA icon on your desktop.
Click PORTFOLIO along the top.
Select OVERWRITE PORTFOLIO WITH BACKUP COPY.
Choose the most recent date with the biggest file size, and click the OK button.

Steps if are NOT able to launch Unfair Advantage:

Navigate to the START button and select MY COMPUTER (Windows XP) or COMPUTER (Windows Vista).
Select the drive where you installed Unfair Advantage.
Go to the folder Y:\ua\archives (Y represents your specific hard drive letter).
Click the VIEWS icon in the Windows Explorer and choose DETAILS.
Navigate to the SIZE column and click it until you get the highest to the lowest file size.
Look for the PORTFILE.ADM file.
Choose a backup file (i.e portfile.r1 ..., portfile.b1 ..., portfile.d1 ..., portfile.m1 ...) which compares to the size of the PORTFILE.ADM file.
Delete the PORTFILE.ADM file and rename the backup file (i.e portfile.r1) to PORTFILE.ADM.
Go back to your desktop and double click LANUCH UA.

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US TREASURY BONDS (US, US2, ZB)

2010-01-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI Client,

US Treasury Bonds from CMEGroup futures (formerly CBT) are changing the minimum tick sizes effective August, 31st 2009. Starting on this date, the minimum tick size will INCREASE from ½ of 1/32nd to full 1/32nd ($15.625 to $31.25).

Affected Futures: csi#44(US), csi#144(US2), csi#801(ZB)

Impact On Received Data: NONE

Since the tick size is increasing to a full 1/32nd, the final digit in the whole number format files will always be zero (from what was 0 or 5 as the final digit). Those receiving decimalized data will still convert as before.

Sincerely,

CSI Database

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CME TO ICE (PART 2)

2010-01-01T18:59:00.000-05:00

ICE has signed an agreement with Russell that gives its US futures subsidiary, ICE Futures US, the exclusive right to use the US Russell indexes as the basis for futures products. Russell futures and futures options contracts at the CME will not be available after the September 08 contract.

Symbols affected:

TO (ICE) --> TO2 (ICE)
ER2 (CME) --> TF (ICE)

Links:

https://www.theice.com/homepage.jhtml
https://www.theice.com/publicdocs/nybot/NYBOT_Russsell_Agreement_FAQ.pdf

Contact:

support at csidata.com

Trading hours for the Russell 2000:

CSI#844 used to represent only floor trading. When floor trading was discontinued, CSI#844 became the entirety of the of the electronic session, from 8PM the prior evening until 6PM of the current day). That is the only dataset that ICE-US currently publishes. The open shown from CQG as the open is from 9:30 in the morning, which is an arbitrary time on the part of CQG to decide on the open. If ICE-US ever starts publishing different data sets for day electronic and night electronic sessions, then #844 will revert to the day electronic session, but as for now it will continue to show the entire electronic session.

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END OF PIT SESSION (PART 1)

2010-01-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI Clients,

ICE-US (formerly NYBOT) will be halting pit trading for most futures at the end of February 2008. The following futures will be among those affected starting with trade date 3 March 2008:

Commodity	Pit	Electronic	Combined
Coffee	10	100145 (UA 1145)	100146 (UA 1146)
Cocoa	3	100147	100148
Orange Juice	12	100149	100150
Sugar#11	20	100139	100140
Sugar#14	42	100141	100142
U.S. Dollar Index	263	100204	100205
Russell 1000	100	100106	100207
Russell 2000	844	100218	100219
Mini Russell 1000	668	100208	100209

The rest of this memo details the CSI policy for reporting once pit trading stops for any given future.

The current “pit only” CSI number assigned to a future will continue to be filled in with the settlement price and open interest only. Open, high, low and volume will all become zero.
The current “electronic only” CSI number assigned to a future will continue to hold the entire electronic session. The close will hold the last activity, which may be the settlement value or the last trade, depending on which happens later in time.
The current “combined session” CSI number will now contain only the electronic data, with the close field always being the settlement price.
All futures option data will continue to appear at the same CSI number as always.

If and when an exchange decides to break out electronic session trading information into separate “day electronic” and “night electronic” sessions, the following will happen:

The “day only” CSI number will be filled in with the daytime electronic session data, with the close field holding the settlement price.
The “electronic only” CSI number will be filled in with the night electronic session data. The close field will contain the last activity for the futures month. If no activity took place for the session, the close will hold the most recent settlement value.
The “combined session” data will hold the composite of the prior night and current day electronic session data, with the close being the settlement price.

Sincerely,

CSI Database

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VANTAGEPOINT TROUBLESHOOTING

2010-01-01T18:57:00.000-05:00

FAQ

Q01: What should I do if CSI doesn't show up as a Data Provider in VantagePoint?

A01: You should download the portfolio for VantagePoint or rewrite the portfolio in CSI's Unfair Advantage.
PERFORM THE STEPS IN THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS.

Q02: What should I do if VantagePoint doesn't load my data?

A02: You should delete the portfolio in Unfair Advantage and redownload the portfolio.

Double click "My Computer" on your Desktop.
Click on your local hard disk drive (usually C:\).
THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP AND NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED!
Delete ALL folders named "CSI XX" (XX stands for your VantagePoint version i.e. the folder "CSI 71" is VantagePoint version 7.1.5).
Make sure there is no other VantagePoint data folder.
Go back to your Desktop and double click "Launch UA".
Select "Portfolio" from the toolbar.
Select "Delete Portfolio and Files" from the menu.
Answer the questions with clicking on the "YES" button.
Select "Portfolio" again.
Select "Download Latest Vendor Portfolio" or "Download Portfolio" from the drop down menu.
Select your VantagePoint version (i.e. Neural 71 for VantagePoint version 7.1.5).
Than select "Portfolio".
Go down to "Select All" and click it.
Select "Portfolio" again.
Click "Rewrite File Immediately".
Note: This may take several minutes to complete.
Close Unfair Advantage, open up VantagePoint and configure the data provider.

Q03: What should I do if I don't have the right data displayed in VantagePoint?

A03: You should refresh the history in Unfair Advantage.

Double click "Launch UA" on your Desktop.
Select "Database" from the toolbar.
Select "Refresh Price History" from the menu.
Click on the second tab "Select by Portfolio".
Click the "Download" button.
The redownload of the portfolio takes about 10 minutes.
Close Unfair Advantage, open up VantagePoint and configure the data provider.
If there is no change in the data, go to Question 01.

Q04: What portfolio should I download for my my VantagePoint?

A04: You should always check for your VantagePoint version before you download a portfolio.

Double click VantagePoint.
Select "Help" from the main menu.
Select "About VantagePoint".

VantagePoint v6.0.x - 6.2.0 --> VantagePoint 6.0-6.2
VantagePoint v6.3.x --> VantagePoint 6.3
VantagePoint v6.4.x --> VantagePoint 6.4
VantagePoint v7.0.x.x --> VantagePoint 7.0
VantagePoint v7.0.xx.x --> VantagePoint 7.0.10
VantagePoint v7.1.5/v7.1.0.9 --> Neural 7.1
VantagePoint v8.0.1 --> VantagePoint 8.0

Q05: What should I do if the VantagePoint portfolio doesn't show up in my UA vendor list?

A05: You should download a new Market List or download the portfolio.

Double click "Launch UA".
Select "Database" from the toolbar.
Click "Download Replacement Fact Files".
Keep only to check boxes checked "Download New VantPnt Market List" and "Download New Vendor List".
Click the "Download" button.
Select "Portfolio" again.
Select "Download Latest Vendor Portfolio" or "Download Portfolio" from the drop down menu.
Select your VantagePoint version (i.e. VantagePoint 8 for VantagePoint version 8.0.1).
Answer the questions with clicking on the "YES" button.
Than select "Portfolio".
Go down to "Select All" and click it.
Select "Portfolio" again.
Click "Rewrite File Immediately".
Note: This may take several minutes to complete.

another way getting the VantagePoint 8.0 portfolio.

Click the following link.
http://www.csidata.com/custserv/updates/index.html#PortfolioUpdates
Check VantagePoint 8.0 and select the Unfair Advantage version you have.
(To verify the Unfair Advantage version just click "Help" along the top and select "About Unfair Advantage...".)
Click the "Download" button.
Save the portfile.adm to the folder C:\ua\archives and overwrite the existing file.
Go back to your Desktop and double click "Launch UA".
Than select "Portfolio".
Go down to "Select All" and click it.
Select "Portfolio" again.
Click "Rewrite File Immediately".
Note: This may take several minutes to complete.

Q06: I am using UA version 2.9.3 and I am not getting all markets. What should I do?

A05: You should upgrade to the latest build 12 for UA version 2.9.3.

Click the link below and follow the instructions.
http://csisupportblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/newest-build-for-ua-293.html

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REPLACE THE DATABASE (v2.10.6 OR ABOVE)

2010-01-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

Issue:

gap in the data
history missing
the chart doesn't look right
data missing

Versions affected:

version 2.10.6

Solution:

Click on the following link to download the database file and SAVE it to your DESKTOP.
www.csidata.com/ua/setup/uncdb/uncdb.zip
Unzip the file "UNCDB.ZIP".
(if you don't know how to unzip a file, click here)
Open the folder "UNCDB" and double click the file "INSTALL.EXE".
Check the UA Directory and click the "Install" button.

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SETUP TRADESTATION WITH UA

2010-01-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

Building a Portfolio in Unfair Advantage

Let’s say you’re a spread trader with positions in multiple commodity markets: March and May corn, March and May soybeans, and February and April gold, for example.

Follow these simple steps to create such a portfolio:

Click UA’s Portfolio Menu and then click “Create New Portfolio.” Type a portfolio name, such as, “MyFutures” and click [OK]. Unfair Advantage will proceed to the market selection screen.
At the “Selecting Data Series” screen, make sure the “Market Type” says “Futures.” In the “Symbols” box to the right of market type, enter the symbols for each of these commodities. For our example, the input would be “C, S, GC.” (If you prefer to use CSI numbers, go ahead and enter them as 9, 17, 30.) Or, if you don’t know either, you can choose from a list by clicking the [Mkts] button next to the “Symbols” box.
Since the delivery months you trade are fairly nearby, it would be easy to view them as part of an “Individual Futures Group” (IFG). Simply click the “IFG” tab in the center section of the screen where contract types are selected. Click [OK] to accept that the nearest three contracts will be included for each of your markets. (This will encompass the required contracts, plus a few more).
If you’ll be analyzing this data with another software program when you’re finished with UA, chances are good that you’ll need to export the files into CSI format. You’ll see the choices at the right side of the data selection screen. Check all desired formats by clicking the appropriate boxes. Click [OK] and your quick-and-easy portfolio will be created, with the contents listed in the Portfolio Manager panel.

The following instruction will help you to open Unfair Advantage data files with Trade Station after you set up and write the files through Unfair Advantage.

Run Omega Research Trade Station.
Select "Open New Workspace".
Select the "Create a Trade Station Chart Window".
Select the 3rd Party Directory.
Click "New Dir".
In the Data Type list, select the format in which the data is stored.
In the Directory box, enter the exact path for the directory.
To select the directory, click Browse. Navigate through the data tree by clicking on the appropriate path until you find your directory.
Click the "OK" button. The specified directory is placed in the Directory box.

If you don't know the path, or you want to add multiple directories at once, you can use the Scan feature.
See the instructions below.

Click the "OK" button.
The directory is added to the drop-down list.
Select the commodity or stock and click the "Plot" button.

To add multiple directories at once using the Scan feature:

Select the 3rd Party Directory.
Click "New Dir".
In the Data Type list select the format in which the data is stored. CSI Format.
Click "Scan".
Enter the drive letter you want to scan for data directories (e.g., C:\).
Click the "OK" button. Once the scan process is finished, any directories containing data in the specified format will be listed in the Directory drop-down list.

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SETUP AMIBROKER WITH UA

2010-01-01T18:45:00.002-05:00

To setup AmiBroker with Unfair Advantage you will need
the following requirements:

CSI's Unfair Advantage version 2.10.6 build 53 and above
Amibroker version 4.8 - 5.2
(as of yet not compatible with Amibroker version 5.3)

Amibroker Troubleshooting

If AmiBroker doesn't open, it is probably because you are not running in an Administrator account.
AmiBroker must be run at least one time in an Administrator account in order for UA to find it.
Doing this may require rebooting in Safe Mode. Please contact AmiBroker's Technical Support if you need assistance.

Click on "My Computer" on your desktop and go the folder C:\ua.
Select the file "broker.MARKETS".
Right click the file and select "Copy" from the menu.
Go to the default folder of Amibroker (i.e. C:\Amibroker).
Right click in the folder and select "Paste" from the menu.
Go to your Desktop and double click Amibroker.
Select "File" from the main menu and go down to "New database...".
To create a Database Folder, type in a folder location (i.e. C:\Amibroker\CSIdata) and click the "Create" button.
Than click the "OK" button
Minimize the Amibroker window.
Go to your Desktop and double click "Launch UA".
Select "Preferences" from the main menu.
Select "Amibroker" from the left hand side menu.
Check the box "Export daily updates to Amibroker".
Select the created Database Folder (step 8).
Check the box "Portfolio ( stocks & futures).
Click on the "OK" button.
Click in the Unfair Advantage interface on "Download Data".

You should see UA exporting the data to Amibroker.
Amibroker displays the charts.

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REFRESH THE T-BONDS & T-NOTES

2010-01-01T18:45:00.001-05:00

Refresh the T-Bonds & T-Notes

If you are experiencing problems with 30 Year T-Bonds or 5 Year T-Notes, please do the following:

1. Launch UA.

2. select "DATABASE" from the main menu bar.

3. select "Refresh Price History" from the "DATABASE" menu.

4. select "Select Markets" or "Select by Market Directory" from the Refresh History window.

5. copy/paste, or type in, the following numbers: 44, 144, 251, 293 (including commas) where it says "Enter Symbols Here".

6. click "Download" button.

7. wait for the program to finish updating.

THE NEXT STEPS ARE ONLY FOR VANTAGE POINT USERS

8. select "Portfolio" from the main menu bar.

9. select "Download Portfolio" or "Download Latest Vender Portfolio" from the "Portfolio" menu.

10. from the sub-menu select the Vendor software version you are using. (if you are unsure of the version, try looking in the "About" under the "Help" menu in your vendor's software). If you vendor isn't listed, then you can skip this and all remaining steps.

11. click "Yes" if it asks "Are you sure you want to update?".

12. wait for the program to finish updating.

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ADD SYMBOL TO THE DELTA (ODAT) PORTFOLIO

2010-01-01T18:42:00.000-05:00

To add one or more symbol(s) to the Delta (One Day At A Time) portfolio via Unfair Advantage;
you will need the following requirements:

CSI's Unfair Advantage
Delta software

Go to your Desktop and double click the icon "Launch UA".
Click the drop down box "SELECT PORTFOLIO" and select the Delta-Futures portfolio.
Click the button "Add File To Portfolio".
That opens a window called "Selecting Data Series".
Click the IFG tab, select the number of contracts you wish to observe, type in the symbol or csi number (i.e. PA2) and click the "OK" button.

Click the "YES" button to build the hard disk files.

Follow STEP 3 to add the same symbol with a Nth Nearest contract.
Click the Nth Nearest tab, type in the symbol or csi number (i.e. PA2) and click the "OK" button.

Click the "YES" button to build the hard disk files.

Follow STEP 3 to add the same symbol with a Back Adjusted contract.
Click the Back Adjusted tab, type in the symbol or csi number (i.e. PA2) and click the "OK" button.

Click the "YES" button to build the hard disk files.
Close Unfair Advantage.
Go back to your Desktop and double click the icon "Delta Commodities".
Click "FILE" along the top and select "Data Type..." from the "File" menu.
Select "CSI Data Format" from the "Select data Type" window.
Click the "OK" button.
Select the folder "Delta-Futures" from the "Browse for Folder" window.
Click the "OK" button.
Click the "All" button to import all symbols to Delta.
Click the "OK" button.
Select the contract from the drop down box.

...

SETUP DELTA (ODAT) WITH UA

2010-01-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

To setup Delta (ODAT) with Unfair Advantage you will need:

the CSI's Unfair Advantage software,
the Delta software.

NOTE:
We provide two Futures portfolios for ODAT.

The first portfolio is called Delta-Commodities, and shows up in the root directory (C:\) as Delta-Futures. This portfolio contains Pit, Electronic and Combined (Pit & Electronic) sessions.
The second portfolio is called eDelta-Commodities and shows up in the root directory (C:\) as eDelta-Futures. This portfolio contains ONLY Electronic and Combined (Pit & Electronic) sessions.

Go to your Desktop and double click the icon "Launch UA".
Select 'PORTFOLIO' from the main menu bar.
Select 'Download Latest Vendor Portfolio' or 'Download Portfolio' from the' PORTFOLIO' menu.
Select 'Delta-Commodities' or 'eDelta-Commodities' from the menu.
Click "Yes" if it asks "Would you like to download the latest portfolio?".
Choose 'PORTFOLIO' from the main menu and click 'Select All'.
(NOTE: All the files in the portfolio should turn blue)
Select 'PORTFOLIO' again, and choose 'Rewrite File Immediately'.
Wait for the program to finish rewriting.
Close Unfair Advantage.
Go back to your Desktop and double click the icon 'Delta Commodities'.
Select 'Data Type...' from the 'FILE' menu.
Select 'CSI Data Format' from the 'Select data Type' window, and click the 'OK' button.
Select the folder 'Delta-Futures' or 'eDelta-Futures' from the 'Browse for Folder' window, and click the 'OK' button.
Click the 'All' button to import all symbols to Delta, and click the 'OK' button.
Select the contract from the drop down box.

...

HOW TO EXPORT THE FACT SHEET?

2010-01-01T18:36:00.000-05:00

How To Export The Fact Sheet?

Futures Fact Sheet

Open Microsoft Excel.
Select FILE from the main menu.
Click OPEN.
Navigate to the folder C:\UA\ARCHIVES and select the file CDBFACTS.ADM.
Choose DELIMITED.
Click the NEXT button.
Check TAB and COMMA as Delimiters.
Click the NEXT button.
Leave the default settings, and click the NEXT button.
Save the output as an Microsoft Excel file.

Stocks Fact Sheet

Double click LAUNCH UA on your desktop.
Select PREFERENCES from the main menu.
Click DISTRIBUTION 2.
Check the box OUTPUT STOCK MARKET SPECS IN CSV FORMAT.
Click the OK button.
Do a daily DOWNLOAD.
Navigate to the folder C:\UA\ARCHIVES and execute the file SDBFACTS.ADM.

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EXTRACT A ZIP FILE

2010-01-01T18:35:00.001-05:00

How to extract a ZIP file?

download the file to your desktop.
double click the file.
click on "Extract all files".
click "Next".
change the folder location to "C:\UA".
press "Next".
press "Yes To All" to confirm the replacement of the existing files.

...

HOW TO APPLY A STUDY?

2010-01-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

HOW TO APPLY A STUDY?

Double click "LAUNCH UA" on your desktop.
First create a portfolio.
Click here to get information how to create a portfolio.
Choose a symbol from the portfolio, and click the chart button.
Navigate to the Library section, and open the drop down list.
Select a study.
Apply your settings.
Click the "Apply" button to apply your settings.
Click the "OK" button to close the window.
You should see the chart with the applied study.
To clear the study click the "x" button in the upper left hand corner of the chart.
To edit the study click the "e" button in the upper left hand corner of the chart.

...

TICK SIZE CHANGE (T-BONDS & T-NOTES)

2010-01-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI Clients,

Two CMEGroup futures (formerly from CBT) are changing the minimum tick sizes effective 3March2008. Starting on this date, the prices will be sent using a different conversion factor.

What this means to particular users depends on the format of the download file received from CSI.

If you are receiving comma separated decimal files:

The numbers will continue to be the correct decimal value. If your internal databases can handle the true decimal value seamlessly then no additional adjustments will be necessary on your part.

If you are receiving comma separated whole number files:

The numbers will be in a different format as of the change date, with the new conversion factor being sent.

All contract sizes remain unchanged.

The following futures are affected:

CSI # 44 & 144
CSI # 251 & 293

The following options are affected:

CSI # 251

30 Year T-Bonds (CSI#44 and CSI#144) are changing tick size from one 32^nd to ½ of one 32^nd

5 Year T-Notes (CSI#251 and CSI#293) are changing tick size from ½ of one 32^nd to ¼ of one 32^nd . CSI currently represents these as 64ths instead of the CBT method of 32nds and halves. The new representation will correspond to the CBT representation.

5 Year T-Note options (CSI#251) are changing tick size from one 64^th to ½ of one 64^th .

Sincerely,

CSI Database

...

BACK ADJUSTER (FORTRAN) & SYMBOL NG ISSUE

2010-01-01T18:20:00.001-05:00

Issue:

download stops on the symbol NG or NG2
error message: unable to create intermediate file C:\ua\INPUT
computer locks up, UA not responding

Versions affected:

all UA versions (fix only for v2.7.6 - v2.9.3 and v2.10.6)

Solution:

upgrade to v2.9.3 or v2.10.6 from our website
PLEASE CHECK YOUR UA VERSION:
Launch UA | HELP | About Unfair Advantage
download latest build for v2.10.6 - v2.10.7.
download latest build for v2.7.6 - v2.9.3.

If you do not know how to extract a ZIP file please click here.
workaround in older versions: switch over to the C++ Back Adjuster

...

NEW COMMODITIES/STOCKS IN DATABASE

2010-01-01T18:20:00.000-05:00

CSI Number:	1494
Name:	Ibovespa Index Mini
Exchange:	BMF
Symbol	WIN
Unit of Measure:	Points
Contract Size:	BRL0.2 x Index
Delivery Months:	2,4,6,8,10,12
First Date:	20091020
Conversion Factor:	+0
CSI Point Value:	BRL0.2
Minimum Tick:	5 CSI Points (BRL1)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	65610/65610
Maximum Month Forward:	24
Trading Hours:	0902-1715
Note: this is the mini size contract of CSI#391

CSI Number:	1495
Name:	US Dollar Mini
Exchange:	BMF
Symbol	WDL
Unit of Measure:	BRL/US$1000
Contract Size:	US$5000
Delivery Months:	1-12
First Date:	20091020
Conversion Factor:	+3
CSI Point Value:	BRL0.2
Minimum Tick:	500 Trade (BRL2.5), 1 Settle (BRL0.005)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1751.500/1751500
Maximum Month Forward:	7
Trading Hours:	0902-1800
Note: this is the mini size contract of CSI#395

CSI Number:	1397
Name:	ICE Gas Oil Crack
Exchange:	ICE-UK (Intercontinental Exchange UK, formerly IPE)
Symbol	GCI
Unit of Measure:	$/bbl
Contract Size:	4 Gas oil, 3 Brent
Delivery Months:	1-12
First Date:	20090224
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	$0.30
Minimum Tick:	100 CSI Points ($30)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	7.2215/72215
Maximum Month Forward:	36
Trading Hours: Possible Negative:	0100-2300 Yes
Note: on possible negative numbers: For this item, CSI offsets all non-zero values by 500000. For example, the price -0.6800 is represented in CSI format as 493200, which is 500000-6800. The price +0.6800 is represented in CSI format as 506800, which is 500000+6800. Note: Results in two separate positions in the underlying futures markets for Gasoil and Brent Crude Oil. Trades occur on a 0.01 boundary but are reported by the exchange on a 0.0001 boundary. Opening prices are not reported by the exchange, CSI reports the low as the open every day. Please refer to https://www.theice.com/productguide/ProductDetails.stripes?specId=231 for further information on this product.

CSI Number:	822
Name:	Milk, Deliverable Nonfat Dry
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	GNP
Unit of Measure:	c/lb
Contract Size:	44,000 lb
Delivery Months:	1-12
First Date:	20090421
Conversion Factor:	+3
CSI Point Value:	$0.44
Minimum Tick:	25 CSI Points ($11)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	86.250/86250
Maximum Month Forward:	24
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1425
Name:	E-Mini Silver
Exchange:	COMEX
Symbol	XSN
Unit of Measure:	$/oz
Contract Size:	1000 Troy Ounces
Delivery Months:	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
First Date:	20090421
Conversion Factor:	+3
CSI Point Value:	$1
Minimum Tick:	5 on trade, 1 on settlement
Newspaper/CSI Example:	12.118/12118
Maximum Month Forward:	60
Trading Hours:	1800-1715

CSI Number:	1426
Name:	DJ Euro STOXX 50 Index Dividend
Exchange:	EUREX
Symbol	DEV
Unit of Measure:	Points
Contract Size:	EUR 100 x Index
Delivery Months:	12
First Date:	20090421
Conversion Factor:	+2
CSI Point Value:	€1
Minimum Tick:	10 CSI POINTS (€10)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	112.50/11250
Maximum Month Forward:	84
Trading Hours:	0830-1730

CSI Number:	1424
Name:	E-Mini Gold
Exchange:	COMEX
Symbol	XGN
Unit of Measure:	$/oz
Contract Size:	33 Troy Ounces
Delivery Months:	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12
First Date:	20090421
Conversion Factor:	+2
CSI Point Value:	$0.33
Minimum Tick:	10 CSI POINTS ($3.30)
Newspaper/CSI Example:	887.50/88750
Maximum Month Forward:	60
Trading Hours:	1800-1715

CSI Number:	1419
Name:	E-Mini USD/CHF
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6S
Unit of Measure:	CHF/USD
Contract Size:	$10,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	CHF1
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1.1225/11255
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1413
Name:	Euro/Turkish Lira
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	TRE
Unit of Measure:	TRY/EUR
Contract Size:	€ 125,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090320
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	TRY12.5
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	2.3898/23898
Maximum Month Forward:	18
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1414
Name:	E-Micro GBP/USD
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6B
Unit of Measure:	USD/GBP
Contract Size:	GBP6,250
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	$0.625
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1.4515/14515
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1415
Name:	E-Micro EUR/USD
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6E
Unit of Measure:	USD/EUR
Contract Size:	€12,500
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	$1.25
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1.3656/13656
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1416
Name:	E-Micro AUD/USD
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6A
Unit of Measure:	USD/AUD
Contract Size:	AUD10,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	$1.00
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	0.6829/6829
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1417
Name:	E-Micro USD/JPY
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6J
Unit of Measure:	JPY/USD
Contract Size:	$10,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+2
CSI Point Value:	JPY100
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	94.25/9425
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1418
Name:	E-Micro USD/CAD
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	M6C
Unit of Measure:	CAD/USA
Contract Size:	$10,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090323
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	CAD1
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1.2523/12523
Maximum Month Forward:	6
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

CSI Number:	1412
Name:	Turkish Lira
Exchange:	CME
Symbol	TRY
Unit of Measure:	TRY/USA
Contract Size:	$200,000
Delivery Months:	3,6,9,12
First Date:	20090320
Conversion Factor:	+4
CSI Point Value:	TRY20
Minimum Tick:	1 CSI Point
Newspaper/CSI Example:	1.7495/17495
Maximum Month Forward:	18
Trading Hours:	1700-1600

REFRESH THE DATABASE HISTORY

2010-01-01T18:15:00.000-05:00

Issue:

gap in the data
history missing
the chart doesn't look right
data missing

Versions affected:

all UA versions

Solution:

double click Launch UA on your desktop,
select DATABASE from the main menu,
click REFRESH PRICE HISTORY,
click the second tab SELECT PORTFOLIO,
hit the Download button (takes up to 15 min).

If it doesn't help. please click here.

...

REGISTRY REMOVAL TOOL FOR v2.9.1 OR OLDER

2010-01-01T18:05:00.000-05:00

Issue:

error message: ERROR 1722
Uninstaller cannot be completed as there is a problem with the installer packager

Versions affected:

UA v2.9.1 or older

Solution:

To install and run the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility (Microsoft Knowledge Base article)

download the Registry Removal Tool
run msicuu2.exe to install the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility
from Start menu, point to Programs and click Windows Install Clean Up
Select the CSI Unfair Advantage from the list of Installed Products and click Remove

...

DEC '09 WESTERN BARLEY (SYMBOL AB) CONTRACT

2010-01-01T18:00:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI Client,

Effective immediately, the December 2009 Western Barley contract has been de-listed. The October 2009 and December 2009 contracts were the last remaining contracts under the old Rule 18 barley, and neither had outstanding open interest. Today was the last trading day for October 2009 futures, and the Exchange has also de-listed the December 2009 barley contract (futures and options).

As noted in previous circulars, ICE Futures Canada has launched a revised Western Barley futures contract. The contract specifications, which are detailed in Rule 19, include a delivery region focused on southern Alberta; shipment into the buyer’s facility; a new Barley Merchant participant category that may make delivery; and a number of other revisions.
All contracts of Rule 19 barley, including November 2009, January 2010, and subsequent months, remain listed. Many of these months have open interest, and the revised contract has the broad support of the trading community.

https://www.theice.com/publicdocs/futures_canada/member_notices/October_14_2009_Dec09_barley_delist.pdf

Sincerely,

CSI Database

INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

2010-01-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

Install instructions for Unfair Advantage by using a CD

Before you start installing make sure you uninstalled previous Unfair Advantage versions by using the Windows Uninstaller.
Click here for instructions how to uninstall Unfair Advantage.
Insert the first CD (UA Program - Disk 1) into your CD/DVD-Rom drive.
The 'Unfair Advantage - Install Switch' screen will pop-up.
Select 'UA Version 2.10.7' and click the 'OK' button.
Click the 'Next' button to proceed with the installation.
Accept the terms in the license agreement and click the 'Next' button.
Check the installation drive and click the 'Next' button.
If you wish to change the installation drive click the 'Change...' button.
Double check the current settings and click the 'Install' button.
The installation will begin.
You will get a 'WhichDisksWForm' pop-up screen.
Select the package you would like to install.
(In this example we used the Stocks and Futures package with a total of two CDs.)
Keep the default settings for the 'File overwrite confirmations' pop-up window and click the 'Next' button.
Keep the default setting for the 'Update Portfolio' pop-up window and click the 'Next' button.
Select the vendor software you are using from the 'Which Vendor Software Do You Have?' window and click the 'Next' button.
By default you do not have to check a box, just click the 'Next' button.
If you wish to import a sample portfolio check one or more of the boxes in the 'CSISamplePortWForm' window and click the 'Next' button.
By default you do not have to check a box, just click the 'Next' button.
The program will start the installation of the first disk.
If you have selected multiple CDs you will get a message to insert the CD labeled 'Disk 2' and 'Disk 3'.
After the program and the database is completely installed you will get the final pop-up screen. Click the 'Finish' button and Unfair Advantage will launch.
You will get a prompt to enter your user ID and user Password.
Please enter here the information you received in the email.
The program will prompt you to do a daily download to unlock the database.
Click 'Yes' and download will start.
You are all set.

HOW TO GET THE FAST STUDIES

2010-01-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

How To Get the Fast Studies?

Requirements:

Installation of Unfair Advantage version 2.10.7,
or Upgrade to the latest build.

To Reinstall Unfair Advantage follow the steps below.
To Upgrade to the latest build click here.
(NOTE: Upgrade is ONLY for version 2.10.4 and above. If you have version 2.10.3 or below you MUST follow the steps below to reinstall Unfair Advantage.)

Write down your User ID and User Number.
(Click here for instructions how to find your User ID and User Number.)
Also backup your PORTFILE.ADM file which is found in your C:\UA\Archives directory, and paste it into a different location such as your desktop.
(This step is only important for custom made portfolios. If you downloaded a vendor portfolio you can skip this step.)

Copy the PORTFILE.ADM file to a external drive, or thumb drive for transfer to a new PC.
(Click here for instructions how to move a portfolio.)
Uninstall your previous version.
Make sure to delete also the folder C:\ua (default location) from your local drive.
(This step is very important for a reinstallation of the Software.)
Please choose one of the following links and choose "Save As ..." to save the download file to the Windows Desktop.

Futures Package (Software + Database) click here.

Futures and Stocks Package (Software + Database) click here.
(All Vantage Point Clients Use This Version.)

Futures, Stocks and Options Package (Software + Database) click here.
When done saving, execute the downloaded file Ua2107xxx.exe.
Follow the on-screen directions.
Type in your permanent User ID and User Number and download to unlock Unfair Advantage.
Copy your saved PORTFILE.ADM file into your C:\UA\Archives directory.
(Click here for instructions how to move a portfolio.)
Rewrite the Files.
(Click LAUNCH UA on your desktop | navigate to PORTFOLIO along the top | click SELECT ALL | navigate again to PORTFOLIO | select REWRITE FILE IMMEDIATELY.)
(This process may take several minutes to complete.)

...

ANOTHER DOWNLOAD METHOD

2010-01-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

ANOTHER DOWNLOAD METHOD

A new Firewall/Anti-Virus upgrade/installation could blocks Unfair Advantage's from getting its updates.

If you are not able to configure your Firewall/Anti-Virus to work with Unfair Advantage, there is another way of getting the data.

Click "LAUNCH UA" on your desktop,
Select "PREFERENCES" from the main menu,
Select "DOWNLOAD PREFERENCES" from the menu, and choose "BROWSER" from the Download Method drop down menu.
Click the "OK" button.
Start a daily distribution by clicking the icon "DOWNLOAD DATA".
Click the "OK" button.
Click the "SAVE" button.
Choose the Unfair Advantage folder (default C:\ua).
Click the "SAVE" button.
After the download is complete return to the Unfair Advantage program and click the "OK" button.
You should see Unfair Advantage updating the data.

TROUBLESHOOT THE DOWNLOAD ISSUE

Disable the Firewall/Anti-Virus software and try a data distribution.
Using a Wireless Connection could also cause an unsuccessful download.
If the Wireless Connection is too low, the connection will be dropped.
Extend your Wireless Connection, or move your Access Point closer to your machine.
Disable the Windows Firewall.
(START | CONTROL PANEL | SECURITY CENTER)
A new Windows Security Update may also cause a download issue.
(Disable the Windows Firewall).

...

ADD NEW MARKET TO UA/TRADING BLOX

2010-01-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

There are two steps in this process:

1) Add the new instrument to the UA "Futures" portfolio

2) Add the new instrument to the Trading Blox™ Futures Dictionary

----------------------------------------------

Step I

First open UA, select the "Futures" portfolio, and press "Add file to portfolio"

This will bring up a "Selecting Data Series" window that allows you to select new markets to add to this portfolio. Select the Market Type of "Futures," press the "Back Adjusted" tab so that the file will use the backadjusting we defined for the rest of the porfolio, and press the Mkts button to select from a list. Alternately you could just enter DA into the box and hit return. Or a string of markets like DA,W,C etc.

You don't need to modify any other information on this page. But double check to make sure it's similar because some versions of CSI UA don't bring this up correctly. The important part is that the File Format is ASCII and if you click on Preferences you see that the file is Comma Delimited and with a force .txt extension.

When we press the "Markets" button, we get the following screen that allows us to select the market we wish to add to the portfolio. In this case we are adding Milk (DA). You can check the "Select" box next to the market to add.

When we are back at the "Selecting Data Series" window press OK. We will get a message asking if we want to build these files, we press Yes.

Once we are back in the main UA screen, the instrument has been added to the portfolio, and the file has been built. This instrument will be updated daily, and we can now access this data from Trading Blox™.

To check that this file was created successfully, go to the UA/Files/Futures folder, and find the file staring with DA. It should be something like DA followed by some characters and ending in .txt. Also, if you open this file you should see the data in the format D,O,H,L,C,V,OI,DM,UC comma delimited with no header.

Here is what the folder should look like, with a list of .txt files:

If you open a file, like AD, then you should see the format is correct like this:

Step II

Now we can start Trading Blox™ and access the Edit/Futures Dictionary menu item. This will bring up a list of all the futures instruments Trading Blox™ is aware of, and the associated contract details. Press the "New Market" button to add a new market. Erase the symbol field and replace it with the actual symbol (in this case DA).

Press the 'Synch UA' button to get the market data from CSI UA. Be sure to double check this data as it is not always 100% accurate. You will want to fill in the Margin as well, so get that from the exchange. All this data needs to be checked periodically and is the reponsibility of the user. The exchange can change symbols, minimum ticks, big point values, margins, etc with very little notice.

Press the 'Find Symbol' button to locate the file name (based on the symbol) and the folder location. Note that the find process finds files starting with the symbol name, so in the case of C you may find CC or CT first, so just hit the button again. If your file name does not start with the symbol, then enter the first few letters of the file name to find it, then change the symbol back to the correct symbol.

We can now press OK. The instrument has been added to our Futures Dictionary.

The last step is to add the instrument to one of our portfolios, so it will be used for testing. Use the Edit/Portfolios menu option. In this case we are using the Demo portfolio for testing, so we are going to add Milk to that porfolio. Simply select the Portfolio to use (Demo), and check the checkbox next to the instrument to add (Milk).

Press Ok and return to the main Trading Blox™ screen. Now when you use the Demo portfolio, Milk will be included as an instrument to use for the test.

...

SETUP TRADING BLOX WITH UA

2010-01-01T16:00:00.002-05:00

These instructions tell you how to create your own data files with the CSI Unfair Advantage (UA) product. These instructions are for use with Trading Blox version 2.2 or later.

There are two basic steps:

1) Import our CSI UA portfolio file into CSI UA and build all the data files.

2) Tell Trading Blox where the new data can be found.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

1) We have provide CSI UA portfolios you can import into CSI UA that are identical to the ones used to create the sample data. There are three portfolios: one for futures, one for forex, and one for stocks. You can import one or all, depending on your CSI subscription. If you only subscribe to North American Futures, you should just import the Futures portfolio.

To download the portfolio(s), execute 'Launch UA' from your Windows Desktop, select 'Portfolio' from the main menu, click 'Download Portfolio' and choose:

TradingBloxForex or,
TradingBloxFutures or,
TradingBloxStocks.

To create these files, first use the "Portfolio/Select All Files" and then use the "Portfolio/Rewrite File immediately" menu option to build your files. Note: If all the files don't turn 'blue' and the file creation process goes too quick, you may have written just one selected file. Make sure you deselect any files, or use the Portfolio/Select All menu option to select all files.

2) Trading Blox is now ready to use this data. Select Edit/Preferences from the Trading Blox menu, and set the Futures Data folder to UA\Files\Futures. For forex set the Forex Data folder to UA\Files\forex, and for stocks set the Stock Data folder to UA\Files\stocks. If your UA installation is in a different drive or directory, or the files are stored somewhere else, then use that location here. The picture below is for Futures, and shows how the Futures Data Folder is changed correctly to C:\ua\Files\Futures\.

You can now run a test using these new data files. As you update UA each day with new data, each new day's data is then immediately available to use in Trading Blox for testing. Remember to set your test end date to the current month so the test uses the new data.

To add new markets to your portfolio click here.

...

HOW TO MANUALLY MOVE THE SEPARATOR IN UA

2010-01-01T16:00:00.001-05:00

How to manually move the separator between the Symbol List and the Chart in Unfair Advantage?

Hold the left mouse button, and drag the separator to the left hand side or the right hand side.

Hold the left mouse button, and drag the separator to the right hand side.

Hold the left mouse button, and drag the separator to the left hand side.

...

UNINSTALL/REINSTALL UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

2010-01-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

Instructions to uninstall/reinstall Unfair Advantage.
(These steps are vital if you need to reinstall Unfair Advantage.)

Click the Windows 'Start' button and navigate to 'Control Panel'.
Click 'Add or Remove Programs' on Win XP, or 'Programs and Features' on Win Vista/7.
Select 'CSI's Unfair Advantage' from the list and hit the 'Remove' button.

Windows Vista/7 has the 'Uninstall' button above the list.

The uninstall process will start.
After a few seconds you will get a 'CSI Unfair Advantage Uninstall' pop-up window.
Check the 'Delete Database Files' box and click the 'Yes' button to proceed.

The process will continue to uninstall the software.
To backup your previous portfolios and settings proceed with this Step.
If you do not want to back-up your portfolios proceed with Step 6.

Navigete to the Windows 'Start' button and click 'My Computer' on Win XP, or 'Computer' on Win Vista/7.
Click your local hard drive C:\ (or the drive you installed Unfair Advantage) and click the subfolder 'Archives' (full path C:\ua\Archives).
Right click the 'portfile.adm' file and choose 'Copy' from the menu.
You can now choose any destination. Right click and choose 'Paste' from the menu.

To completely remove Unfair Advantage from you hard drive you will need to remove the C:\ua folder.
Navigete to the Windows 'Start' button and click 'My Computer' on Win XP, or 'Computer' on Win Vista/7. Click your local hard drive C:\ (or the drive you installed Unfair Advantage), right click the 'ua' folder (full path C:\ua) and choose 'Delete' from the menu.
You successfully removed Unfair Advantage from your hard drive.

...

REINSTALL/TRANSFER UNFAIR ADVANTAGE

2010-01-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

Reinstall/Transfer Unfair Advantage

To Reinstall/Transfer Unfair Advantage follow the steps below.
To Upgrade to the latest build click here.
(NOTE: Upgrade is ONLY for version 2.10.4 and above. If you have version 2.10.3 or below you MUST follow the steps below to reinstall Unfair Advantage.)

Write down your User ID and User Number.
(Click here for instructions how to find your User ID and User Number.)
Also backup your PORTFILE.ADM file which is found in your C:\UA\Archives directory, and paste it into a different location such as your desktop.
(This step is only important for custom made portfolios. If you downloaded a vendor portfolio you can skip this step.)

Copy the PORTFILE.ADM file to a external drive, or thumb drive for transfer to a new PC.
(Click here for instructions how to move a portfolio.)
Uninstall your previous version.
Make sure to delete also the folder C:\ua (default location) from your local drive.
(This step is very important for a reinstallation of the Software.)
Please choose one of the following links and choose "Save As ..." to save the download file to the Windows Desktop.

Futures Package (Software + Database) click here.

Futures and Stocks Package (Software + Database) click here.
(All Vantage Point Clients Use This Version.)

Futures, Stocks and Options Package (Software + Database) click here.
When done saving, execute the downloaded file Ua2107xxx.exe.
Follow the on-screen directions.
Type in your permanent User ID and User Number and download to unlock Unfair Advantage.
Copy your saved PORTFILE.ADM file into your C:\UA\Archives directory.
(Click here for instructions how to move a portfolio.)
Rewrite the Files.
(Click LAUNCH UA on your desktop | navigate to PORTFOLIO along the top | click SELECT ALL | navigate again to PORTFOLIO | select REWRITE FILE IMMEDIATELY.)
(This process may take several minutes to complete.)

...

CHANGING THE PROVIDER SYMBOL IN VANTAGEPOINT

2010-01-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Changing the provider symbol in VantagePoint

Find the market in the list.
Right click on the market name and choose 'Properties'.
Click on hte 'Advanced' tab.
Click 'Edit Symbols'.
Change the symbol and click 'Save'.
Click the 'OK' button.
Once all the symbols have been changed close VP and reopen it.
You should now have the new combined session data.

...

FIND/INSERT THE USER ID AND USER NUMBER

2010-01-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

Find/Insert the User ID and User Number

There are two ways of finding/inserting the Unfair Advantage User ID and User Number.

Click the icon "UA EzDownloader" on your desktop.
[If you do not have the icon on your desktop click the START button | navigate to (ALL) PROGRAMS | choose the CSI Unfair Advantage folder | click UA EzDownloader].

Insert your permanent User ID and Number, and tick the "DOWNLOAD NOW" button to unlock the software.
Click the icon "Launch UA" on your desktop.
[If you do not have the icon on your desktop click the START button | navigate to (ALL) PROGRAMS | choose the CSI Unfair Advantage folder | click Launch UA].

Navigate to "PREFERENCES" along the top.
Select "ACCOUNT" from the list.
Insert your permanent User ID and Number, and tick the "OK" button.
Click the "DOWNLOAD DATA" button to unlock the software.

...

FAQ - BACK ADJUSTING

2010-01-01T14:00:00.000-05:00

FAQ - Back Adjusting

Q01: Why does the Back Adjusted contract skip a contract month?

A01: The Back Adjuster (Roll Trigger: Open Interest) can't take the September contract in consideration, because the September's Open Interest is lower than December's Open Interest.
The OI value in in the July contract on 20090605 is 336605, the OI value in the September contract is 169410, and the OI value in the December contract is 336693. The switch happened on 20090605.

(Settings)

(Data)

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INVERT A UNIT

2010-01-01T13:55:00.005-05:00

How to invert a unit?

Add a symbol to your portfolio, or edit the existing symbol in the portfolio.
To edit the existing symbol in the portfolio (in this case symbol QF1spot), right click the file and select 'Edit File Settings'.
Click the 'Advanced' button, and check the 'Invert' box.
Hit the 'OK' button to save the changes and return to your portfolio overview.
You'll get the inverted data.
(In this case we used SEK/USD and inverted to USD/SEK)

...

UNFAIR ADVANTAGE ERROR MESSAGES

2010-01-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

Unfair Advantage Error Messages

Error message:

"The date entered '198203' is not valid. Please enter a date such as '20041231'. Aborted"

Solution:

Click the links to download the latest builds for UA 2.9.3 or UA 2.10.7.
Double click "LAUNCH UA" on your desktop.
Navigate to "PREFERENCES" along the top.
Select "DOWNLOAD PREFERENCES", and change the GENERAL COLLECTION DATE to a current date.
Do a daily distribution by clicking the "DOWNLOAD DATA" button.

________________________________________________________________

Error Message:

Error Message to follow:

Invalid file format for C:\ua\archives\20090729.UPC

Line 249

Programming Source code File C:\uasrc\NewUa\CDBUpdater.cpp

2.10.7

Status:

Aborted.

Solution:

Download again.
If you're using a wireless connection, make sure to have a strong signal.
Disable your Anti-Virus program, and download again.

________________________________________________________________

Error Message:

Error Message to follow:
Error encountered while updating JPN #1127(FN)
File corrupt: C:\ua\archives\C\N\00001127.db
Aborted.

Solution:

Click 'LAUNCH UA' on your desktop.
select 'DATABASE' from the main menu,
click 'REFRESH DATABASE PRICE HISTORY' or 'REFRESH PRICE HISTORY',
select the first tab 'SELECT MARKETS',
type in the 'CSI NUMBER or SYMBOL' (in this case CSI Number 1127), and hit the 'DOWNLOAD' button.

________________________________________________________________

Error Message:

Not enough space to install Unfair Advantage.

Scenario:

Your hard drive C:\ has about 1 GB space, but UA doesn't want to install.
But the hard drive D:\ or external drive has a lot of available space.

Solution:

Click the link below, locate one of the packages and select the .zip version.
http://www.csidata.com/custserv/updates/index.html
Save the file to your D:\ drive, or the drive with at least 5 GB space.
Extract the .zip file.
Locate inside the extracted folder the Install file.
Execute and install (UA will search for the hard drive with the most available hard disk space).

________________________________________________________________

...

API FAQ

2010-01-01T13:30:00.000-05:00

Question: I am about to upgrade some software which interfaces with the Metastock format. How can I do some 'C' routines which can read Microsoft binary format (MBF)?

Answer: It is contained in the m2i_i2m.dll that is located in the ua\uapi directory. This will translate the Microsoft binary into ieee float format and vice versus.
Here are the actual routines that can be used.

extern "C"
{
// XXXX XXXX SMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM (MSBIN)
// SXXX XXXX XMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM (IEEE)
int msbintoieee( float *src4, float *dst4 )
{
unsigned char szIeee[4], szExp;
memcpy( szIeee, src4, 4 );
szExp=szIeee[3];
szExp-=0x02;
if( szExp == 0xFF )
return 1;
if( szIeee[2] & 0x80 )
szIeee[3]=0x80; // S <- S else szIeee[3]=0x00; szIeee[3]|=(szExp>>1); // -> XXXX XXXX
if( szExp & 0x01 )
szIeee[2]|=0x80;
else
szIeee[2]&=0xEF;
memcpy( dst4, &szIeee, 4 );
return 0;
}
// SXXX XXXX XMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM (IEEE)
// XXXX XXXX SMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM MMMM (MSBIN)
int ieeetomsbin( float *src4, float *dst4 )
{
unsigned char szMsbin[4], szExp;
memcpy( szMsbin, src4, 4 );
szExp=szMsbin[3]<<1;>>7; // XXXX XXXX <- szExp+=0x02; if( szExp == 0xFF ) return 1; if( szMsbin[3] & 0x80 ) // S -> S
szMsbin[2]|=0x80;
else
szMsbin[2]&=0x7F;
szMsbin[3]=szExp;
memcpy( dst4, &szMsbin, 4 );
return 0;
}
}

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question: I would like to retrieve data for the Hong Kong Dollar (QE7) like in the code below. I am not sure what call to make to actually retrieve the data. The functions RetrieveStock and RetrieveContract do not seem appropriate here; the former is for Stocks and the latter is for Futures. Is there an appropriate retrieve function for cash, spot, or FX data?

Dim UA As Object
Dim NumBars As Long
Dim ErrNo As Integer
Set UA = CreateObject("UA.Api2")
UA.MarketSymbol = "QE7"
UA.MarketNumber = UA.FindMarketNumber()
' This will return MarketNumber = 2257...
MsgBox "MarketNumber = " & UA.MarketNumber
ErrNo = UA.GetMarketProfile()
' This will return ErrNo = 1...
MsgBox "ErrNo = " & ErrNo
' This will return QE7 : CASH: Hong Kong Dollars per 1 U.S. Dollar-#390(44)...
MsgBox UA.MarketSymbol + " : " + UA.Exchange + " : " + UA.MarketName

Answer: You would use RetrieveContract or RetrieveSnapshot for these but specify
"54" as the delivery month. Kind of non-standard but that's our cash code
here at CSI.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question: We are using the CSI API2 to extract daily options on futures prices. Our 'C' program uses your OLE interface and is very similar to your example 'C' code for retrieving option prices. Unfortunately, it takes 4 - 10 seconds to extract prices for a single option both from the API and using the UA application.
A single futures market, CL, currently has 3169 active options. It takes about 6 hours to retrieve prices for these options. We have 50 additional futures markets that we need option prices, so the total time required exceeds 1 day. This makes it impossible to have option prices for all markets available on a daily basis.
This seems very high for a process that I assumed would be IO bound.
We have a critical need to get daily options prices in a reasonable amount of time. Can you give us a faster way to extract daily prices?

Answer: We recommend using RetrieveSnapshot when accessing option data, as you have seen, the other method is not practical.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question: This is the typical way to get data from a symbol:

7. symbol = "AMRI"
8. UA.MarketSymbol = symbol
10. MarketNumber = UA.FindMarketNumber()
11. UA.MarketNumber = MarketNumber
12. ErrNo = UA.GetMarketProfile()
etc, etc.

However, AMRI is a symbol name that has been reused and thus exists twice in the DB. CSI API will return a handle to the FIRST one. Now, what is the easiest way to get ALL the handles one by one for symbol "AMRI"?

Answer: In this unfortunate case, you may need to depend in our csi numbers, which are available in the factsheet. You can look up the ones you're interested in, or iterate through them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question: I am needing to make a decision about using the API or pulling the data for stocks, futures, spot etc. from the CSI folders as ASCII. We need to pull the data into a database for processing. Some continuous futures contracts will be required. The guys at CSI did not know if continuous futures contracts would have to be built on each call from the API.
I wanted to ask you if:
1) Is it better to pull data from the ASCII files and use UA to generate them or use the API, and, if API is the better method,
2) you are available for building this for me, or if it is better to have my programmer start from scratch with the API.
I figured much of this has already been written, but the guys at CSI said the only thing they have available is the API doc.

Answer: Continuous contracts are rebuilt on every API call. A mechanism can be made to get around this, by first updating the database, and then parsing the update log to see if either a) correction has been posted to the market(s) you're tracking or b) a roll has occurred. Then you would call to rebuild, otherwise you can call RetrieveSnaphot to obtain the last day of data.
Some customers are doing this from their software, and their are cases where it's sensible, but I think in your case it may be easier to just update a portfolio and then have your software read those files, you'll still need to read the whole file into your database, as continuous
contract data does change back in time, at least back-adjusted ones do.
We do have several example programs that use the API located under your ua\API folder. The API is fairly straight forward, your programmer can always request my assistance if you choose
to go that way.

...

CHANGE THE PRICE FORMAT KEY

2010-01-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

Change The Price Format Key

Defining the -7 and -8 conversion factors:

The -7 conversion factor, when used, defines the pricing of the
given market, which uses it in an awkward manner which effectively
produces market prices in 64ths, but because the exchange likes to view
the market in halves of thirty-seconds the price representations are
displayed differently.

When prices are displayed for markets with a conversion factor of
-4, as in most stocks, the exchange released information and the prices
released to newspapers may be displayed as 5063, which means to the
investor to represent 50 and 63/64ths. If one were to convert this
quantity to decimal, the price would be shown as 50.984375. This
shorthand conversion factor system is preferable for representing prices
in exchange-floor form because of its concise and brief form. Traders
also must minimize confusion in the pits so they actually elect the
conversion factor system in daily trading. Should an exchange adopt the

-7 conversion factor which uses 32nds and halves of thirty-seconds, the
same price would be shown as 50315 which means to the investor to
represent 50 and 31/32nds plus one half (the terminal 5) of a thirty
second. One thirty second of a tick is equivalent to 2 sixty-fourths,
and one-half of a thirty second is one sixty-fourth. Combining the
terms leads to 63 sixty-fourths (62+1). Therefore, 50315 for a -7
conversion factor is equivalent to 5063 in terms of a -4 conversion
factor. Both systems produce the same decimal equivalent which is
50.984375.

Some more detail that may be helpful in understanding the -8 system.

The -8 conversion factor is equivalent to the -7 conversion factor
with the exception of the terminal digit, and the interpretation of the
number of thirty-seconds. Because the -8 conversion factor system is
actually representing numbers in units of one-256th, it is necessary to
multiply the number of thirty-seconds by four to get the number of
256ths before factoring in the terminal digit. In the -7 conversion
factor the terminal digit must be either a 5 or a zero. The terminal
'5' would represent one half of a thirty-second, and the terminal '0'
represents zero halves of a thirty second. In the -8 conversion factor system,
the terminal digit would be either a 0, a 2, a 5, or a 7 because the
terminal digit represents part of the number of 256ths These quantities
(0,2,5, and 7) are a shorthand for 0, one-quarter, two quarters, or 3
quarters of a thirty-second which is equivalent to 0, 2, 5, or 7
256ths. The -8 conversion factor system, therefore, is equivalent to a
conversion factor of -6 because each term has a common denominator of
256. In the -8 conversion factor system the smallest system of
representation is in terms of 256ths. The number 50317, for example, for
a -8 system is equivalent to 50 and 31 thirty seconds plus three
quarters of a thirty second or 50255 when represented for a -6
conversion factor system. The term 255 is derived by multiplying the
number of thirty-seconds (31) by 8 to get 248 256ths then adding in the
terminal digit of 0, 2, 5 or 7 to get 248+7 or 255 256ths. Both 50317
in the -8 system and 50255 in the -6 system can be represented in
decimal as 50.99609375.

Your assertion is correct. The -8 conversion factor provides for
numbers in the range of 32nds and quarters of 32nds which is the same as
128ths. The following table summarizes the relationships for negative
conversion factors:

1. terminal digit is in eighths
2. final two terminal digits in sixteenths
3. final two terminal digits in 32nds
4. final two terminal digits in 64ths
5. final three terminal digits in 128ths
6. final three terminal digits in 256ths
7. final three terminal digits in 32nd and halves of 32nds
Example: 109160 or 109165 where the value shown would be equivalent to 10932 or 10933 if expressed as a -4 conversion factor
8. final three terminal digits in 32nds and quarters of 32nds
Example: 109162 or 109165 where the value shown would be equivalent to 10965 or 10966 if expressed as a -5 conversion factor.

The whole idea of conversion factors permits exact number representations
without sacrificing computer disk storage space. Placing all values in decimal
to capture the inherent precision in the data would nearly double the storage
space required to hold the information.

Conversion Factor	Points	Newspaper Price*
+5	987654	9.87654
+4	987654	98.7654
+3	987654	987.654
+2	987654	9876.54
+1	987654	98765.4
0	987654	987654
-1	2115	211.625 (211 and 5/8)
-2	2115	21.9375 (21 and 15/16)
-3	2115	21.46875 (21 and 15/32)
-4	2115	21.234375 (21 and 15/64)
-5	2115	2.8984375 (2 and 115/128)
-6	2115	2.44921875 (2 and 115/256)
-7	2115	2.359375 (2 and 11.5/32)
-8	2115	2.359375 (2 and 11.5/32)
-9	2115	2.1796875 (2 and 11.5/64)

*The "Newspaper price" is the typical price representation, as you might find it in the Wall Street Journal.

Change the Price Format Key in Unfair Advantage

Double click LAUNCH UA on your desktop.
Select "Market Specs" from the icons.
Select the symbol you want to edit.
Move to the "Price Format" column.
Press the "SHIFT + F2" key or only the "F2" key and change the value.
Click the "YES" button to change the settings.
Double check the settings.

...

CONTRACT ACRONYM

2010-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Contract Acronyms in Unfair Advantage

BACK ADJUSTED tab

SYMBOL

"AD" stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).

ROLL TIMING

"_" stands for "Aligned with Price Data (Close to Open)".
"@" stands for "When Known (Close to Open)".
"%" stands for "When Lagged 2 Days (Close to Open)".

ROLL TRIGGER

"0" changes only if you choose "Date" than:
"5" stands for "Month Prior".
"10" stands for "Days from Start of Month".
choose "Days from End of Month" will add a "4" between "Month Prior" and "Days From End of Month" (i.e. 5410).

"I" stands for "Open Interest".
"V" stands for "Volume".
"&" stands for "Open Interest and Volume".
"E" stands for "Open Interest or Volume".

REPRESENTIVE PRICES

"0" stands for "Close Old Contract, Close New Contract".
"1" stands for "Open Old Contract, Open New Contract".
"2" stands for "Close Old Contract, Open New Contract".
"3" stands for "Close-Open with Old Gap Reintroduce".
"4" stands for "Close-Open with New Gap Reintroduce".

ACCUMULATION METHOD

"B" stands for "Back Adjusted".
"F" stands for "Forward Adjusted".

ROLL BY DAYS BEFORE EXPIRATION

Check the box will not appear in the Symbol Description.

GENERATE FORWARD

Check the box will gray out ROLL TRIGGER "Volume" and "Open Interest Or Volume", but will not appear in the Symbol Description.

_______________________________________________________________

FUTURES tab

SYMBOL

"AD" stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).

PERIOD

"2010" stands for the year.
"F" - January
"G" - February
"H" - March
"J" - April
"K" - May
"M" - June
"N" - July
"Q" - August
"U" - September
"V" - October
"X" - November
"Z" - December

_______________________________________________________________

NTH NEAREST tab

SYMBOL

"AD" stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).

ROLL TIMING

"_" stands for "Aligned with Price Data (Close to Open)".
"@" stands for "When Known (Close to Open)".
"%" stands for "When Lagged 2 Days (Close to Open)".

ROLL TRIGGER

"0" changes only if you choose "Date" than:
"05" stands for "Month Prior",
"A" stands for "Days from Start of Month" --> (B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15),

"I" stands for "Open Interest".
"V" stands for "Volume".
"&" stands for "Open Interest and Volume".
"E" stands for "Open Interest or Volume".

HOW MANY CONTRACTS OUT

"8" stands for 8 conracts out.

CONFIRMATION SIGNALS

Any changes will not appear in the Symbol Description.

_______________________________________________________________

PERPETUAL tab

SYMBOL

"AD" stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).
"P" stands for Perpetual.

WEIGHTING

"0" stands for "Time".
"_OI0" stands for "Open Interest".

DATE

"5" stands for "5 Month Prior".
"20" stands for "20 Day From Start Of Month".

MONTH FORWARD TO VIEW MARKETS

"3" stands for Month to Forward.

_______________________________________________________________

GANN tab

SYMBOL

"AD" stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).
"G" stands for Perpetual.

DATE

"3" stands for "5 Month Prior".
"15" stands for "20 Day From Start Of Month".

PERIOD

"F" - January
"G" - February
"H" - March
"J" - April
"K" - May
"M" - June
"N" - July
"Q" - August
"U" - September
"V" - October
"X" - November
"Z" - December

_______________________________________________________________

CASH tab

SYMBOL

"AD" - stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" - is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).
"_54" - stands for the Cash contract.

_______________________________________________________________

OPTION tab

FUTURES

"AD" - stands for symbol AD = Australian Dollar (limit of 3 characters).
"_" - is a place holder (fills the third character of the symbol).
"2010"- is year of the contract.
"03" - is month of the contract.
"C" - stands for Call.
"00"- is a place holder.
"9100" - is the contract number.
"_PC" - check box "ALSO PUT/CALL TOTALS.
"_OI" - check box "INCLUDE CSI OPTION INDEX".

...

CREATE A HISTORICAL SPREAD CHART

2010-01-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

Create a Historical Spread

Go to your Desktop and double click the icon "Launch UA".
Select "PORTFOLIO" from the main menu bar.
Select "CREATE NEW PORTFOLIO" from the "PORTFOLIO" menu.
Type in a name for your portfolio (i.e. Spread) and click the "OK" button.
Choose your symbols (i.e C2 for Corn combined session, and W2 for Wheat combined session).
Select the tab "Back Adjusting" or "Nth Nearest" (i.e. Back Adjusting) and choose your settings.
Click the "OK" button.
Click the "YES" button to create the hard disk files.
Open each symbol as a chart.
Select "CHART" from the main menu.
Select "OVERLAY DATA CHART" from the "CHART" menu.
Select "CHART" from the main menu again.
Select "STUDY TOOLBAR" from the "CHART" menu.
Click the "ADD STUDY" button in the Study Toolbar window.
Select "SPREAD" from the drop down menu and click the "OK" button.
Drag the study over to the chart.

...

COMMITMENTS OF TRADERS (COT) DATA

2010-01-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Commitments of Traders Data

Many successful traders rely on Commitments of Traders data to keep tabs on the market interests of larger traders and hedgers, whose activities often influence future price performance. We are very pleased to offer a Commitments of Traders Data feed on 63 commodities as part of the CSI database.

Our data set includes Steve Briese's index computations, as well as the CFTC's raw released information with, in some cases, adjustments for obvious errors in the CFTC' s report. These bi-weekly reports are available every Tuesday with any corrections for the earlier week and the new government computed statistics on alternating Tuesdays.

Commitment of Traders data and The Briese COT Index are part of CSI's "Miscellaneous" database, where they can be analyzed and viewed as individual time series. The Briese Commitments of Traders Index can also be displayed as a study on any UA chart of the corresponding commodity's price series.

To add these data to a portfolio or make a chart of COT data as an independent series, begin as you would for creating any chart as explained in the "Creating a Chart" topic. Select any market type and then click the [Markets] button. This will bring up the market selection screen. Choose the [Other] button from the Limit to Market Type section, and click [Commitment of Traders]. The corresponding markets will display.

Note that CSI offers two series for each of the 63 covered commodities. The symbols for the Briese COT Index series end in the "&" character (shown above). These are followed by the raw COT data, whose symbols end in the "%" character. Scroll through the list to see all available COT series.

Select any of the COT or Briese COT Index series you wish to chart or add to a portfolio, and click [OK]. The subsequent screen shows that no additional input is needed for this series (it is automatically "cash"), but you may select additional file formats and periodicity (weekly is preferred, but not essential) as desired. Click [OK] when all your requirements have been selected.

Briese's COT Index will present in values from 0 to 100; Standard COT data presents as a very broad range of values.

Chart Presentation

As these are weekly values, the default presentation in UA charts is as a weekly chart. You may change this as desired.

Use the chart crosshairs with readout feature or click the [Table] tab at the bottom of the chart for help in interpreting the chart values.

Click the [Add to Portfolio] button at the bottom of your chart to include this series in a portfolio.

File Format for Briese's % COT Index

These files use a standard price format - comma delimited, 7 field ASCII, suitable for importing into spreadsheet or graphing software. Briese %COT Index files are named with "COT" followed by the commodity symbol (e.g. Soybeans is "COTS.PRN").

The field substitutions are as follows:

DATE DATE
OPEN WEEK*
HIGH LARGE SPECULATOR INDEX
LOW COMMERCIAL HEDGER INDEX
CLOSE SMALL TRADER INDEX
VOLUME ZERO**
OI ZERO**

*WEEK Since 2 weekly reports have been issued on alternate Fridays since 10-6-92, the WEEK field is used to determine if the data is (1) the current week or (2) one week old. This would be important if the data were used in system trading, since the week old data would not be available any earlier than the current week's data. In general, you can assume that data with a WEEK code of 1, was available approximately 1 week after the compilation date carried in the DATE field. WEEK = 1 IF LATEST REPORT; WEEK = 2 IF REPORT IS 1 WEEK OLD

** ZEROS are carried for Volume & Open Interest fields to facilitate importing into graphing packages as 7 field ASCII.

The calculation for Briese's Index is proprietary.

Unfair Advantage Example:
Soybeans COT Index file # 2412
20091201 Week 1 large speculator=42, Commercial=58, Small Trader=39

File Format for CFTC COT Data

These files also use a standard price format - comma delimited, 7 field ASCII, suitable for importing into spreadsheet or graphing software. Futures Only Commitments of Traders Data files are named with the symbol preceded by the letter "q" (e.g. Soybeans is "QS.PRN"). The futures + options data files are preceded with the letter "u" (e.g. Soybeans is "US.PRN"). The format for both files is identical:

DATE DATE
OPEN LARGE LONG
HIGH SPECULATOR SHORT
LOW COMMERCIAL LONG
CLOSE HEDGER SHORT
VOLUME SMALL LONG
OI TRADER SHORT

COT Data file for calculating above COT Index

For more information on C.O.T. data and their use, you might want to subscribe to Steve Briese's Bullish Review (phone 888-423-4950). Every two weeks, Steve reports on dozens of government-regulated commodity markets. He supplies charts of market behavior, inclusive of his index, and commentary on future price performance prospects derived from the COT data.

...

NEW CLIENTS

2010-01-01T06:04:00.000-05:00

Download and Set Up Unfair Advantage:

Please choose one of the following links and choose "Save As ..." to save the download file to the Windows Desktop.

Futures Package (Software + Database) click this link.

Futures and Stocks Package (Software + Database) click this link.
(All Vantage Point Clients Use This Version.)

Futures, Stocks and Options Package (Software + Database) click this link.
When done saving, execute the downloaded file Ua2107xxx.exe.
Follow the on-screen directions to install the software.
After the installation type in your permanent User ID and User Number provided to you via email after order was placed, by executing 'LAUNCH UA' from the Windows Desktop.
Collect a daily update from CSI.
[To update the database double click 'LAUNCH UA', select 'DATABASE' from the tool bar, and click 'UPDATE DATABASE'. You could also click the 'DOWNLOAD DATA' button along the top.]
After the first data distribution the ordered HISTORY will be unlocked in the software, and ready to use.

Setup a Portfolio:

Click the link below to get instructions to set up/edit a portfolio,
http://csisupportblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-setup-portfolio.html
or download a vendor portfolio / custom portfolio.
[Select 'PORTFOLIO' from the tool bar, choose 'DOWNLOAD PORTFOLIO'.]
Custom portfolios are: FOREX Sample, COT Sample, High Liquidity SC.

Setup Unfair Advantage with a third party software (optional):

To Setup Unfair Advantage with Amibroker click here.
To Setup Unfair Advantage with Trading Blox click here.
To Setup Unfair Advantage with Delta (ODAT) click here.
To Setup Unfair Advantage with TradeStation click here.
To Setup Unfair Advantage with VantagePoint click here.

Use Unfair Advantage daily:

After the configuration of the portfolio, execute the 'EzDownloader' daily, to update the data. Click here to get the Data Release Schedule and Posting Status.

...

NEWEST BUILD v2.9.3.12

2010-01-01T06:03:00.000-05:00

BEFORE YOU PATCH PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SELECTED THE CORRECT VERSION!!!

steps to check the version of Unfair Advantage:

Launch UA.
select "HELP" from the main menu bar.
select "About Unfair Advantage..." from the "HELP" menu.

2.7.6 - 2.9.3 - download here the latest build 12 and SAVE it to your desktop.

Report any issues to:

Support at csidata.com

HOW TO UPGRADE?

Click the following link and download the file.

http://www.csidata.com/custserv/updates/svcpack/UA.2.9.3.Upgrade.exe

Double click on the downloaded file.
Click the "Run" button.
Click the "Next" button.

Select "I accept the terms in the license agreement" and click the "Next" button.
Keep the default setting "Anyone who uses this computer" and click the "Next" button.
Check the default UA folder and click the "Next" button.
Check and change it only if its not the right folder location.

THIS STEP IS REQUIRED ONLY IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE DRIVE LETTER.

Check all the current settings and click the "Install" button.
Click the "Finish" button.
If you made a mistake during the installation,
double click the downloaded file and UNINSTALL the upgrade.
Than repeat the steps.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Question 01:
I'm getting one of the following error messages after the upgrade.
What should I do?

Answer 01:
Use the upgrade file from STEP 1.
Follow those steps again and watch out for STEP 7.
You have to install the upgrade into the same folder as the Unfair Advantage program.
By default the upgrade will look for the hard drive with the most space on it.
Change the drive letter as described.

...

NEWEST BUILD v2.10.7.109d

2010-01-01T06:01:00.029-05:00

Posted : May 12, 2010 10:00 pm EST

Version 2.10.7.109d

Click the following link to download the upgrade file and SAVE it to your computer.

UA.2.10.7.Upgrade

UA version 2.10.7.109d

Now compatible with AmiBroker 5.30. Make certain your UA's AmiBroker Preferences have the database path specified correctly in case you've installed your new Ami version to Program Files\AmiBroker5.3
Split, Dividend Adjusted Exports to AmiBroker are ensured. Please make certain to select UA Preferences -> AmiBroker -> Refresh history with next download and update thereafter. [x]
AmiBroker appending has been enhanced for efficiency while maintaining accuracy, where corrections and/or split, dividend and capital gain events are still considered when updating Ami's database.
New setting in Preferences Market Specs to prompt, or suppress refresh prompt when new market databases are added to our roster of available market data .

UA version 2.10.7.108

Excel formatter no longer rounds incorrectly when writing data in decimal format.

UA version 2.10.7.107

Handles legacy fortran computed contract limit appropriately. (for example, eliminates freeze when updating NaturalGas Nth Nearest Contracts when using legacy option)

UA version 2.10.7.106

Updating time of portfolio exports has been signifantly reduced.
(initial update will still take time, subsequent updates are reduced by a factor of 4 or more)
Printing of the volume orientation has been corrected.
Better progress status when deleting portfolios.
Vantage Point Portfolios written with higher export file assignment integrity.
CRB format has been removed.
Intraday unqualified data inclusion in portfolios has been removed, although charting it remains.

UA version 2.10.7.105

No longer refreshes files without first prompting.

UA version 2.10.7.104

Handles option data implied 1/2's precision on 2's and 7's.
Allows extended use beyond the 2 month inactivity barrier by operating on demand, no longer requiring a new install.

UA version 2.10.7.102

UA Now Handles Regional Excel Number Format Dependencies When Appending I.E. German (1000.50 Is Translated To 1000,50).
UA Now Reports Literal Put/Call Vol And OI Ratios In Put/Call Requests.
UA Now Provides A Utility To Normalize Pit/Electronic Combined Symbol Standards (Preferences Market Spec).
CSI Data Posting Status Is Now Monitored And Visible In The Status Bar.

UA version 2.10.7.100

AmiBroker data is exported in maximum precision for stocks, but exports Portfolio specified data in precision defined by each portfolio's Round to Nearest Tick setting.

UA version 2.10.7.99

Restored multiple indicator per chart pane capabilities.

UA version 2.10.7.98

AmiBroker data is refreshed to handle backadjusted changes in data.

UA version 2.10.7

New setting: Omit C and Y in Ascii file name for Cash/Forward markets. Defaults to previous output to include C and Y. Edit Portfolio Ascii file names.
New setting: Allows stock splits to be applied either when the actual split date arrives, or on the day before, when the split is reported. The setting is in Preferences Historical Adjustments to the right of the Adjust for Splits option. It defaults to wait until the next day when the actual data for the day of the split is reported when updating.
Requesting charts from factsheet now displays full allowable history.
Monthly Consolidation process has been eliminated.
Automatically retrieves new stock/futures history on new and existing markets as newly researched data becomes available.
Refreshing Price History has been optimized.
Portfolio columns and sort order configuration is saved.
Consumes 80% less RAM memory.
Newly Designed Fact Sheet.
CSI Qmasters preserved in unappended directories
LME Nickel now adjusted against Sterling prior to 19880201
Charts display particular adjustments applied ( Splits, Dividends, Capital Gains, Proportionately )
Data Wizard works with new factsheet accordingly
New XML based API calls:
GetFirstSubscriberMarket, GetNextSubscriberMarket
New API call GetFastMarketProfile()

Report any issues to:

Support at csidata.com

HOW TO UPGRADE?

Click on the following link and download the file.

http://www.csidata.com/custserv/updates/svcpack/UA.2.10.7.Upgrade.exe

Double click on the downloaded file.
Click the "Run" button.
Click the "Next" button.

Select "I accept the terms in the license agreement" and click the "Next" button.
Keep the default setting "Anyone who uses this computer" and click the "Next" button.
Check the default UA folder and click the "Next" button.
Check and change it only if its not the right folder location.

THIS STEP IS REQUIRED ONLY IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE DRIVE LETTER.

Check all the current settings and click the "Install" button.
Click the "Finish" button.
If you made a mistake during the installation,
double click the downloaded file and UNINSTALL the upgrade.
Than repeat the steps.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Question 01:
I'm getting one of the following error messages after the upgrade.
What should I do?

Answer 01:
Use the upgrade file from STEP 1.
Follow those steps again and watch out for STEP 7.
You have to install the upgrade into the same folder as the Unfair Advantage program.
By default the upgrade will look for the hard drive with the most space on it.
Change the drive letter as described.

...

NEWS

2010-01-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

NEWS about Commodity Systems Inc. (CSI)

CSI offers NEWS about Billing, Database, Marketing and Technical Support and our Unfair Advantage software.
Click on a subject heading below to view the NEWS relating to your selection. Links throughout will guide you to
further information on our website, our Blog or from other sources.

Billing NEWS

Pay Your Bill Online. Learn more at: http://csidata.com/pay/index.html
We now accept PayPal. (posted 10/20/2009)

Database NEWS

End of Pit session - Part 1. (posted 03/02/2008)
Tick Size Change - T-Bonds & T-Notes. (posted 03/02/2008)
End of Pit Session - Part 2. (posted 08/29/2008)
US Treasury Bonds [Symbols US, US2, ZB]. (posted 08/28/2009)
Light Sweet Crude Oil [Symbol CL]. (posted 09/14/2009)
December 2009 Western Barley [Symbol AB] Contract. (posted 10/16/2009)

Marketing NEWS

Pricing And Order Form. Learn more at: https://csidata2.com/cgi-bin/ua_order_form.pl
Look Up Our Exchange and Market Coverage. Learn more at: http://csidata.com/csi/exchangelist/index.html
Get A 30-Day Trial. Learn more at: http://www.csidata.com/ua/trial/index.html (posted 09/01/2009)
Get A FREE Month Of Correlation Reports On New Orders. Learn more at: https://csidata2.com/cgi-bin/ua_order_form.pl (posted 09/01/2009)

Tech Support NEWS

Refresh The T-Bonds & T-Notes.
Setup Delta With Unfair Advantage.
Add A Symbol To The Delta Portfolio.
Futures Contract Acronyms.
Setup AmiBroker With Unfair Advantage.
Change The Price Format Key.
Manually Move The Separator In Unfair Advantage.
Extract A .ZIP File.
Setup Traiding Blox With Unfair Advantage.
Create A Historical Spread Chart In Unfair Advantage.
Setup TradeStation With Unfair Advantage.
Changing the Provider Symbol In VantagePoint.
Refresh The Database History.
Find/Insert The User ID And User Number In/Into Unfair Advantage.
Another Download Method.
BackUp/Restore A Portfolio.
Set Up/Edit A Portfolio.
Export The Fact Sheet.
Reinstall Or Transfer Unfair Advantage.
New Upgrade .102 For Unfair Advantage Version 2.10.7 In Testing. (posted 10/16/2009)
Improved/Fixed:
1. UA Now Handles Regional Excel Number Format Dependencies When Appending I.E. German (1000.50 Is Translated To 1000,50).
2. UA Now Reports Literal Put/Call Vol And OI Ratios In Put/Call Requests.
3. UA Now Provides A Utility To Normalize Pit/Electronic Combined Symbol Standards (Preferences | Market Spec).
4. CSI Data Posting Status Is Now Monitored And Visible In The Status Bar.
We are Windows 7 ready. Unfair Advantage is Windows 7 compatible. (posted 10/22/2009)

Unfair Advantage NEWS

Registry Removal Tool For Unfair Advantage Version 2.9.1 Or Older.
Newest Build .12 for Unfair Advantage Version 2.7.3 - 2.9.3.
Get The Latest Build for Unfair Advantage Version 2.10.7 Here. (check for latest build)
Back Adjuster (Fortran) & Symbol NG Issue.
Apply A Study In Unfair Advantage.
Replace The Database (Only Unfair Advantage Version 2.10.6 Or Above).
Get The Fast Studies. Learn more at: http://csidata.com/studies/index.html (posted 09/01/2009)
New Clients Set Up. (posted 09/01/2009)