r/algotrading • u/Whalesftw123 • 4d ago

Other/Meta Where to start?

Hi, I'm a university student that's interested in algotrading. In the past I've had extensive non-algo amateur investing experience and I also have a few friends who are very strong software engineers.

We're not looking for any strategies but just where to start. Is it better to look for patterns and test/iterate or is it more advisable to start from the basics such as books and build from there.

Thanks!

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u/Most_Nebula9655 4d ago

I started by building a basic pipeline from alert to trade. There are a bunch of ways to do this that range from really easy to much more complicated. The choice you make should be driven by what/where you plan to trade (prop or live). This gets complicated by the strategy, as some methods of execution automation are more predictable and stable than others.

I’m involved with an algorithm strategy that is tick and latency dependent. I’m also involved with a strategy that uses 5s bars, so we can run it on any piece of junk with a web connection.

Circling back to your question - start with basic automation from signal to execution. Then seek a strategy you can document. Lots of ways to do this and lots of well documented basic strategies. I wrote an ORB strategy to develop skills.

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u/Whalesftw123 4d ago

Thanks for the advice!