Running

Running your strategy

Ensure you have completed the following steps before running your strategy:

  1. Install the Bloomberg SDK and C++ Build Tools.

  2. Create your Python environment and install ETradeBot.

  3. Obtain and securely store your E-Trade credentials.

  4. Insert your strategy into the strategies directory as a .py file.

  5. Configure a batch file to run ETradeBot.

ETradeBot can run in one of two modes:

  • Preview Mode: displays the strategy with preview trades.

  • Live Trading Mode: executes trades based on your strategy.

Preview Mode

You can use preview mode to test the program’s responses before going live. The program will access your account, obtain market data, and submit preview trades through the E-Trade API. The console output will either display the strategy with preview trades, or, return an error with traceback.

  1. Verify the batch file:

    • Ensure the PREVIEW variable is set to True in run_main.bat:

      set PREVIEW=True

    • Ensure the name of your strategy in run_main.bat matches the name of your strategy file in the strategies directory without the .py extension:

      set STRATEGY_NAME=example_strategy

  2. Run the bot:

    • In your terminal or command prompt, activate your etradebot virtual environment:

      • If you are using conda:

      conda activate etradebot

      • If you are using virtualenv:

      source etradebot/bin/activate

    • Navigate to the root directory of the ETradeBot project.

    cd C:\Users\User\etradebot

    • Type the following command and press Enter to start the bot:

    run_main.bat

  3. Monitor the bot:

    • The bot will automatically generate preview trades based on your strategy.

    • You can monitor the bot’s activity through the console output.

    • The bot will save the output and events of the bot to a log file within the logs directory.

    • If you encounter any errors or issues, refer to the console output and the troubleshooting section for more information.

Preview Trades

Live Trading Mode

  1. Verify the batch file:

    • Ensure the PREVIEW variable is set to True in run_main.bat:

      set PREVIEW=False

    • Ensure the name of your strategy in run_main.bat matches the name of your strategy file in the strategies directory without the .py extension:

      set STRATEGY_NAME=example_strategy

  2. Repeat steps 2 and 3 from above:

    • The bot will automatically execute trades based on your strategy.

    • You can monitor the bot’s activity through the console output.

    • The bot will save the output and events of the bot to a log file within the logs directory.

    • If you encounter any errors or issues, refer to the console output and the troubleshooting section for more information.

Execute Trades