Uptick - Downtick

[Gaddock]

Hello,
I am trying to write my first, simple, code. Pretty much a 3 line MA with the 3 studies based on Upticks - Downticks.

I have tried to write it in the formula wizard with no luck. I figure I should be able to take the code for a 3 line MA and just subsitute the formula Uptick - Downtick. The editor wont recognize Uptick or Downtick and I cant find a list, nor can tech support, that lists out such things in the correct syntax.

Any help to point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Gaddock

[eSignal_JasonK]

Hello Gaddock,

To find all of our EFS references and documentation, please visit our EFS KnowledgeBase.

For charting or coding studies based on Upticks - Downticks we have several symbols available.

$TICK NYSE Cumulative Tick
$TICKI Dow Jones Industrial Tick
$TICKQ NASDAQ Cumulative Tick

These can also be used as the source for a moving average if you need to plot the study on a chart symbol other than the Tick symbols. Here's a basic code example.

function main() {
    var myMA1 = sma(10, close(sym("$TICK")));
    
    return myMA1;
} 

[Gaddock]

Hello JasonK,
Thank you for the response. I do use the $tick & $ticki in several ways.

What Im trying to do is create a study that measures ....

Upticks - Downticks

and be able to also try

Upticks / Downticks


Kind of a tick differential and ratio so to speak to be applied to various equity symbols as a leading indication.

So by adding the $tick into the formula it is acting as Uptick - Downtick?

Best regards,
Gaddock

[eSignal_JasonK]

Hello Gaddock,

Are you after the total number of Upticks and total number of Downticks for the NYSE or for the trades of an individual symbol?

[Gaddock]

Hello Jason,
Sorry for the delay I have been out of the country.

I want to measure upticks - downticks on a specific stock with the ability to use and adjust an SMA.

Thanks,
Gaddock

[eSignal_JasonK]

Hello Gaddock,

This can be accomplished, however, it will only work in real time. When a formula is loaded and processes historical bars, it does not see what the individual ticks are to be able to calculate the number for up ticks - down ticks on each bar.

What you would do in EFS is create a custom function that calculates the total upticks minus down ticks.

var nTotUp = 0;
var nTotDn = 0;
var ntick_1 = null;
var ntick = null;

function UpMinusDn() {
    if (getCurrentBarIndex() < 0) return;
    if (getBarState() == BARSTATE_NEWBAR) {
        nTotUp = 0;
        nTotDn = 0;
    }

    ntick_1 = ntick;
    ntick = close(0);
    
    if (ntick > ntick_1) {
        nTotUp++;
    } else if (ntick < ntick_1) {
        nTotDn++;
    }
    
    return (nTotUp - nTotDn);
} 

Then in main(), you will create a series based on the custom function with efsInternal() and pass it as the source to the sma() built-in study.

var xUmD = null;
var xMA  = null;
var bInit = false;

function main() {
    if (bInit == false) {
        xUmD = efsInternal("UpMinusDn");
        xMA = sma(10, xUmD);
        bInit = true;
    }
    
    return xMA.getValue(0);
} 

Note also that if this code is running on a 1-min chart, because of the sma length of 10, it will take 10 minutes (or 10 bars) to prime the calculation. You won't see any plotted values until the moving average is primed.

[codehead]

Originally posted by eSignal_JasonK
What you would do in EFS is create a custom function that calculates the total upticks minus down ticks.

Old thread, but was looking for something similar...

Actually, the solution posted doesn't do what the op asked. The code tallies price increase and price decrease. that's not the same as upticks and downticks. An uptick is buying at the offer and downtick is selling to the bid (that's a simplification, but normally true of futures, which usually trade with a 1-tick spread).

There are built-in functions in tradestation that keep track of upticks and downticks (note--it's not a function of the data source--it works in tradestation even using an esignal feed), but esignal doesn't appear to have similar functions available.

I don't think you can do it in esignal, as far as I can tell. I tried writing an efs that grabs the most recent bid (getMostRecentBid) as reference, but it eats way to much cpu to do that every tick.