Configuration > Options >

Simulator Tab

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The Simulator tab sets options for the NinjaTrader simulation engine.

 

Options_Simulator_Tab_1

 

Account

The Account section sets account options.

 

Delay comm. (msec)*

Simulated delay of sending an order from your PC to a virtual exchange server

Delay exchange (msec)*

Simulated delay of a virtual exchange server processing an order

Initial cash:

Starting cash value of your simulation account

Margin:

Simulated margin applied to your simulated account cash balance

Maintenance margin:

Sets the minimum required level of margin as a percent of the total market value of securities in the Sim account.

Wait for data (secs):

Sets the time that the simulator will wait for market data. If wait time exceeds set value, the simulated order will be rejected.

Margin/unit:

Sets the minimum amount of margin required to trade one unit

 

*Delays are not used when connected to a Market Replay

 

For more information on how the margin parameters impact simulated trading please see the "How the Margin parameters impact Account values" section below.

 

 

Misc

The Misc section sets miscellaneous simulator options.

 

Always start in simulation

Enables or disables the application always starting in global simulation mode as default.

Enforce partial fills

Enables or disables the forcing of partial fills on each order. If enabled, orders will always get filled with partial fills. When disabled orders are filled completely or partially depending on trade volume.

Enforce immediate fills

Enables or disables limit orders to fill immediately instead of using NinjaTrader advanced simulation fill engine

Accounts...

Add/remove simulation accounts (See the "Multiple Simulation Accounts" section of the Help Guide for more information)

Reset...

Resets the Simulation account to the Account values

 

 

Resetting the Simulator

To reset a simulation account:

 

1.Adjust the Account settings to the desired values
2.Left mouse click on the Reset... button
3.Select the account to reset using the Simulation account drop down menu
4.Optionally enable Clear history to remove historical trade data and press the OK button

 

Options_Simulator_Tab_2

 

tog_plusHow the Margin parameters impact Account values

The margin parameters defined on this tab only impact trading on simulation accounts. How the values influence things like cash value, buying power, excess equity, etc. is dependent on the type of instrument being traded and the connection/brokerage being used.

 

Margin

This parameter only impacts the Initial Margin value of your simulation account as shown in the Accounts tab of the Control Center. It is only used when calculating the initial margin of stock positions and has no impact on your trade capability.

 

Maintenance Margin

This parameter impacts the calculation of Excess Equity. Based on how many positions you currently hold, the maintenance margin is applied per position and reduces your Excess Equity. If you do not want to use this, setting it to 0 means no maintenance margin will be assessed in the Excess Equity calculations. If the order being placed is an entry order and you do not have enough Excess Equity, the order will be rejected.

 

Margin / unit

This parameter impacts the Cash Value calculations when trading currencies or futures; it has no relation to trades done on stocks. The Cash Value then in turn impacts the Excess Equity calculations which determines if you can successfully place your entry order or not. Note that the "Margin value" parameter in the Instrument Manager per instrument overwrites the "Margin / unit" parameter here if it is set to anything besides 0.

 

Cash Value

This Account value will either be increased or decreased based on the order quantity of trades placed against the simulation account. For currencies and futures, the order's quantity will be margin adjusted based on the "Margin / unit" parameter. They will also be weight adjusted based on the connection/brokerage being used since different quantities mean different things on some providers. For stocks, the order's quantity will be price adjusted.

 

Buying Power

This Account value on a simulation account is always 2x the account's Cash Value.

 

Excess Equity

This Account value on a simulation account is calculated by the following math:

 

Excess Equity = Cash Value + (value of position) - (lower of the two values: 0 or value of position subtracted by Cash Value) - (maintenance margin of the position)

•"Value of position" is determined by applying weights to the quantity of the position and then subtracting commissions from it if the user opts for including commissions in PnL calculations. The weights are determined by the "Margin / unit" parameter for currencies and futures. For stocks, it is determined by the average position price.
•"Maintenance margin of the position" is determined by weighting the "value of position" by the "Maintenance Margin" parameter.