FT4Web by Investors FastTrack

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FT4Web Version 3.0 Manual Table of Contents

This table of contents has links to the online help. There is also a 64-page printable PDF that has the same table of contents.

There is an Addendum of Topics not in the manual at the bottom.

Organization

  
        Understanding the Manual    5
        Chapter #1 is about FTComm    5
        The Rest of the Manual . . .    5
        Being a Windows Program    5
        Information Updates    5
        Technical Support Calls    5
Windows Basics  6
        Windows Screens are Filled with Objects    6
        FT4Web is a Big Object    6
        Window 95/98/2000/NT Menu-style    6
        Mouse Clicking on Objects    6
FTComm Communications   7
FT4Web: The Chart Tab  10
        The Chart is Divided into 7 Zones   10
        The Date Scale.   10
        The Titlebar   10
        The Dashed and Solid Poles   10
        Date Label   11
        Tabs   11
        ColorBar   11
        The List SubTab   11
        Chart Label   11
        Performance Values SubTab (not visible)   11
        Index SubTab (not visible)   11
        Splitter   11
    Changing Symbols   12
        . . . with Keyboard   12
        . . .using Mouse + Keyboard   12
        . . . by Clicking   12
        . . . by Dragging   12
        . . . by Swapping   12
        . . . with Arrow Keys   12
        . . . with the Chart Toolbar   13
        . . . with the Chart Toolbar   13
        . . . with Trades   13
        . . . by Right-clicking Chart   14
    Appearance Dialog   15
        trend lines   15
        Set Chart Dates   15
        Rebalancing/AVG Strategy   15
        Chart Background   15
        Changing Chart Size   15
        Chart Select   15
        Line Width   15
        Save the Chart Colors   15
    Chart Tab: ColorBar   16
        Changing the Issues in the Cell   16
        Right-clicking a Cell   16
        Integrated with the Internet Tab Browser   16
    Chart Tab: Changing Parameters   16
        Changing Parameters   16
        Basis for Risk-Return   17
        Switch to 2MM   17
        Correlation   17
        Save/Load   17
        Trade Delays   17
        Exiting FT4Web   17
        Making Your Own DEFAULT.PRM   17
    Chart Tab: Signals and Trades   18
        Creating Signals or Trades   18
        Deleting Signals   18
        Clearing all Signals/Trades   18
        Saving/Loading Signals/Trades   18
        On Exiting FT4Web. . .   18
    Chart Tab: Family Loader/Saver   19
        Using the Tree   19
        Using the Loader   19
        Load a Family the Quick Way   19
        Using the Saver   19
        See the Family Tab Chapter   19
        See the Internet Tab Chapter   19
    Chart Tab: SubTabs   20
    List SubTab   20
        Add a ColorBar Issue to the List:   20
        To Delete an Issue from the List:   20
        Add/Save Families to/from the Issue List   20
        Copy and Paste   20
        Save as/Load Menu Items   20
        Charting an Issue List Member   20
        Show in Browser Menu Item   20
    Index SubTab   21
        Double-click the Index List   21
        Drag and Drop from the Index List   21
        Right-click Index List   21
    Val SubTab   21
        Creating a Family with FastTrack   21
    Chart Tab: trend lines   22
        Creating trend lines   22
        Step by Step   22
        Deleting trend lines   22
        Clearing all trend lines   22
        The Trend Label (Ann=)   22
        trend lineWidth   22
    Chart Tab: Relative Performance ( R ) and AccuTrack ( A )   23
        R Chart - Small Cap vs. Large Cap   23
        A Indicator - Small vs. Large   23
        Using AccuTrack   24
        How AccuTrack is Drawn   24
        AccuTrack Shows Relative Performance   24
        The Red/Green Tic   24
        Classic FastTrack   24
    Chart Tab: Adjusted Return ( 2 & J )   25
        Trading Delay   25
        In the J Chart Example   25
        The 2 Chart   25
        Why use these Charts?   25
    Chart Tab: MACD Indicator ( M )   26
        What is MACD (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence)?   26
        How to Interpret   26
        Parameters   26
        trend lines with MACD   26
        Performance Values   26
    Chart Tab: Price Chart ( P )   27
        General Interpretation of the P Chart   27
        Volatility Control   27
        The Purple and Yellow Values   27
        Weaknesses   27
        Strengths   27
        Exponential Averages Used   27
    Chart Tab: Moving Average ( V )   28
        Parameters   28
        Moving Average Length   28
        Moving Average Filter - 3 modes   28
        Yellow Values   28
        Coordination with the P Chart   28
    Chart Tab: RSI ( I ) & Stochastics ( S )   29
        What are RSI and Stochastics?   29
        Parameters   29
        When should I use RSI?   29
        When should I use Stochastics?   29
        Interpretation   29
        Consider FastTrack’s Strength, Selection   30
FT4Web: Family Tab  31
    Why Use Families   31
        Personal Families   31
        Load a Family into the Issue List   31
        Load a Family in another Tab   31
        Right Clicking the Tree   32
        Drag and Drop   32
        Family Tree Buttons   32
    The Sieve   32
        Action Buttons   32
        Adding a Line to the Sieve   32
        Loading/Saving the Sieve   32
    The Issue List   32
FT4Web: Commentary Tab  33
        What is the Commentary Viewer?   33
        The Commentary Toolbar   33
        The Commentary Search Toolbar   33
        Don’t Forget to Right-Click   33
FT4Web: Internet Tab  34
        The Internet Toolbar   34
        Choosing What You Want to See   34
        To Choose the Issue to See   34
        Information for a Particular Issue   35
        Picking up Families from the Web   36
        Where are Families on the Web?   36
        Stocks in the News   36
        Family Extraction for Stock Picking   37
        Industries and Sectors   38
        Saving the Captured List   38
        Parsing from a News Story   38
        Real Time (Delayed) Snapshot Charts   39
        Why Use This FT4Web this Way?   39
        Load any Family into the Issue List   39
        Real Time Charts (Delayed)   40
        Always Reload Real-time Charts   40
        The Web is Rich with Fundamentals   41
FT4Web: Communicate Tab  42
        Why a Communicate Tab?   42
        When to use the Communicate Tab?   42
FT4Web: Spreadsheet Tab  43
        Getting Issues to the Spreadsheet   43
        Right-click on the Spreadsheet   43
        Sorting   43
        Saving the Spreadsheet   43
        Resizing Columns   43
        Spreadsheet example   44
        Interpretation   44
FT4Web: Help Tab  45
        Link Navigation   45
        Context Sensitive Help   45
       The Help Toolbar   45
        The Help Search Toolbar   46
        Search for a word   46
        Search for two words.   46
        Search for a phrase.   46
        Tutorials   46
       Tutorial Trouble Shooting   46
FT4Web: Export Tab  47
        Using the Export   47
        Comma Delimited Export   48
        Fixed Length   48
        FastTrack Format (FNU)   48
        MetaStock Export   48
        MetaStock New (6.0 and later) files   48
        MetaStock Format (PRN)   49
        Spreadsheet   49
        Add New Update Existing   49
        Delete all files then Export   49
        Export all data to a single file   49
        AutoExport Feature   49
Appendix - Printing Dialog  50
    Look Tab   51
        Chart Appearance   51
        Chart Position and Size   51
        Text Font and Size   51
    Content Tab   52
    Quality Tab   52
Appendix - Hotkeys  53
    After Clicking on the Issue List   53
    After Clicking on the ColorBar   53
    After Clicking on the Chart   53
        Changing Period Displayed   53
        Pole Moving with Only Keystrokes   54
        Pole Moving with Keys and Mouse   54
Appendix - Performance Value Abbreviations  55
Ticker Symbols and Averaging  57
        Percentage Annual Return   57
        FNU Files   57
        List Averages   57
        Family Averages   57
        Appearance Dialog - Rebalance and AVG Strategy   57
        Day by Day Computation   57
        Rebalance   57
        AVG Strategies   58
        REBALANCE.LOG   58
        Inception   58
        Investing using Averages   58
        Fund Strategy:   58
        Stock Strategy:   58
        Sensible Averaging   58
Appendix - Tax Spreadsheet  59
        Many Investors Overpay the IRS   59
        Disclaimer   60

Addendum Of Topics not in the Manual

Bollinger Bands
Mathematic formulae used in FastTrack.
Distribution adjusted prices worksheet
Saving a chart line created using FT signals
Market Index definitions
FTAlpha
Compute div-adjusted retrurns worksheet