TradeStation was founded in 1982 by brothers William (Bill) and Rafael (Ralph) Cruz. The company focused on developing software tools that enabled traders without formal programming backgrounds to design, test, and automate trading strategies. During this period, Omega Research developed EasyLanguage, a proprietary scripting language intended to simplify the creation and testing of trading systems.
In 1987, Omega Research released System Writer, a software product that allowed users to develop and back-test trading strategies using historical market data. This was followed in 1989 by System Writer Plus, which expanded charting and analytical capabilities.[4]
The company introduced TradeStation, its flagship trading platform, in 1991. In the mid-1990s, Omega Research expanded its product offerings, including the launch of OptionStation in 1996, an options analysis tool. In 1997, the company completed an initial public offering and became listed on the Nasdaq National Market.
By the late 1990s, Omega Research began shifting toward internet-based services. In 1999, it launched RadarScreen, a market-scanning application, and acquired Window On WallStreet, later introducing WindowOnWallStreet.com as an online charting and analytics service. In 2000, the company released TradeStation 6, an internet-based trading platform, and acquired the direct-access brokerage Onlinetrading.com, which was subsequently renamed TradeStation Securities, Inc.
In 2001, Omega Research reorganized its corporate structure, with TradeStation Group becoming the publicly traded parent company, and the Nasdaq trading symbol changing from OMGA to TRAD. During the early 2000s, TradeStation integrated its trading software with brokerage services, enabling combined back-testing, order generation, and trade execution for securities and futures markets.[5] By 2004 and 2005, the firm became a self-clearing equities and options brokerage.[6]
TradeStation expanded internationally in 2006, when its UK subsidiary received authorization from the Financial Conduct Authority as an introducing broker. In 2011, TradeStation Group was acquired by the Japanese financial services company Monex Group.[7]
Corporate structure
TradeStation Group, Inc.'s principal operating subsidiaries are TradeStation Securities, Inc. and TradeStation Technologies, Inc. TradeStation Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monex Group, Inc., one of Japan's largest online financial services providers.
Monex Group, Inc. provides online investment and trading services for retail and institutional customers around the world through its subsidiaries, including Monex, Inc. in Japan, TradeStation in the U.S, and Europe, and Monex Boom in Hong Kong.
Its main subsidiary, Monex Inc., one of Japan's largest online securities brokerages, provides financial services to its nearly one million individual investors. Monex Group's services also cover M&A advisory, debt and equity underwriting, asset management focusing on alternative investments, investment education, and other investment banking functions in Japan.[citation needed][9]
TradeStation analysis and trading platform
The TradeStation analysis and trading platform is a professional electronic trading platform for financial market traders. It provides extensive functionality for receiving real-time data, displaying charts, entering orders, and managing outstanding orders and market positions.[10] Although it comes with a large number of pre-defined indicators, strategy components, and analysis tools, individuals can modify and customize existing indicators and strategies, as well as create their own indicators and strategies using TradeStation's proprietary object-oriented EasyLanguage programming language. Traders can also access hundreds of TradeStation-compatible products created by independent third-party developers through the TradeStation TradingApp Store, as well as access strategy trading ideas submitted by the TradeStation community in the EasyLanguage Library.
TradeStation supports the development, testing, optimizing, and automation of all aspects of trading. Trading strategies can be back-tested and refined against historical data[11] in simulated trading before being traded "live". TradeStation can be used either as a research and testing tool or as a trading platform.
Add-on products
A large number of third-party developers develop TradeStation-compatible products. Since Tradestation is a development platform, a custom trading program can be developed called a trading system or trading strategy. If any trader has an analysis technique or potentially profitable strategy he would like to have developed, he can either write his own strategy in EasyLanguage or have his trading system developed by third-party developers. Traders can also take advantage of the TradeStation TradingApp Store, an online marketplace of ready-to-use add-on products built to run on the TradeStation platform by independent developers.
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