FXCM and Ninja API -unacceptable in its current state

[counterpoint]

Hello,
On your FXCM connection guide for both Ninja7 and Ninja8 it mentions that: "Connection losses to FXCM are only reported approximately 1m30s after the fact from the API. It is possible to already be disconnected from FXCM and not have NinjaTrader be aware of this."
This is totally unacceptable and I don't know how as a company and a broker you can be OK with this. A trader could be opening and closing orders as well as moving current orders and be completely unaware that nothing is being implemented.
Please tell us how we can be short term traders with Ninja and FXCM when there is such a long 1min and 30secs delay in notifying a disconnection.
Please tell me that you are going to do something with the API to get it down to a reasonable amount of time like a few seconds?

[sonia0101]

wow

Wow if this actually the case should this not be addressed immediately.
Thought is that if you are using FXCM and this delay is genuine.. WOW could make you or break you.
Hmmmm

Wow again just "clicked" on Advert above this thread to http://welcometrader.com/wtdps/shop/features.aspx
Wow again much money to paint lines connecting bars don't know how else to explain it!
Have a look for yourself



apologies to majority not trying to bust balls but Damn gotta give where the givins good
What a joke
Peace

[NinjaTrader_James]

Hello counterpoint,

Thank you for your post.

We are sensitive to the fact that being alerted to a connection loss is of high importance and that is why we have noted this item in our connection guide. With that said, NinjaTrader reports the connection loss as soon as it is sent by the FXCM API for which it is dependent on. This is on FXCM's list of improvements to consider, however there is no timeline of when this may be addressed - we will update our connection guide should it change.

Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

[counterpoint]

I'm simply stating that this situation is unacceptable for trading!. And isn't the purpose of NinjaTrader and NinjaTraderBrokerage, trading?.
As a company and an introducing broker for FXCM, this disclaimer points to a very dangerous situation for your customers trading with FXCM!. This is something that should be made clear UP FRONT before clients sign up and not by someone like me who is trying to do his due diligence and searching through the "Fine Print" of your terms of use. This should not be in the Fine Print.
I feel that your integrity as a trading software company and brokerage should require that you NOT have a business relationship with FXCM UNLESS FXCM fixes this immediately. This is not an improvement to "consider". It renders short term trading impossible with FXCM, at least for anyone who cares about their money. Please show us the integrity of your business and brokerage and INSIST that FXCM remedy this situation ASAP.
I eagerly await CEO Ray's timeline for when it will be acceptable to be a short term trader with Ninja and FXCM as right now IT IS NOT SAFELY POSSIBLE!

[lumbco]

I have just started trading live using FXCM and this news about connection losses really troubles me.

Does anybody know how frequently a disconnection occurs ?

[NinjaTrader_Brandon]

Hello,

Thanks for your replies.

How frequently you experience disconnects will depend on the quality of your connection from your system to the FXCM servers. For most users this is rare, if at all.
I recommend that you watch your charts and see that they are continuing to update. If they all stop updating for an extended period of time you may have a disconnect. NinjaTrader will attempt to automatically reconnect and if it is unable to within the lost connection time, your connection will be reported as disconnected while it continues to try to reconnect.
If you are experiencing frequent disconnects and your ISP cannot resolve this, I would recommend that you look into a VPS.

[counterpoint]

Hello,
The problem with the Ninja/FXCM combination is this: OCO order cancellation function is on the PC not server side. And then on top of that the Ninja/FXCM API doesn't tell you that you are disconnected for 1min and 30 secs. It's a double-whammy of unnecessary risk.
The APIs for Continuum or Rithmic or others don't have this lag in notification AND they have server-side OCOs. How Ninja and their brokerage arm could allow this FXCM lag is frankly irresponsible. If all the other APIs can notify quickly of a disconnect then surely someone can FIX the FXCM API? Why has this not been taken care of? Surely CEO Ray could contact the API programmers at FXCM and request this to be fixed? It just seems that if Ninja cared about their users and brokerage clients, a doubling of completely unnecessary risk like this would be dealt with quickly or never allowed to be acceptable. Please tell me that someone is going to fix this?

[NinjaTrader_Brandon]

Hello counterpoint,

Thanks for your reply.

This is not something NinjaTrader Controls. FXCM has already been contact on this and they have this on their list of improvements to consider. We have the disclaimer for your awareness.
Note that native OCO is available for FXCM with NinjaTrader 8.

[counterpoint]

Hello Brandon,
I know you have mentioned before that this is on FXCMs end and that it is on their list of things to "consider". I simply think that this should be fixed as a priority and not as something to "consider". I have continued to emphasize it here in the forum because you guys have a business relationship with FXCM and surely, someone from Ninja could relay to FXCM how important this is to the safety of their clients trading decisions.

Also, I am aware that Ninja8 will have server-side OCOs for FXCM, but what if Ninja8 isn't available out of beta for another 6 months or a year or longer? We have been waiting a long time for Ninja8. It just leaves your clients who want to trade with FXCM using Ninja in a difficult position.

As it stands now, there are no server side OCOs and a 1min 30secs disconnect lag notification. None of your futures clients have to worry about this, but anyone who wants to trade with FXCM through NinjaBrokerage has to be placed in this risky situation. Again, even if it's not Ninja's "fault" it sure is dangerous for any Ninja clients who trade with FXCM. Rather than post it in the fine print disclaimer of the connection guide, please kindly pressure someone at FXCM to fix it! Thanks!

[Efffect]

well,
Im just thinking that with the recent DDOS cyber attacks on brokers and platforms, there are increasing vulnerabilities being revealed, and as such greater potentials of disconnections. Fact is, even if a cyber attack is not targeting a trading brokerage directly, you can get a disconnect from this or any form of internet congestion, I would think more information to the trader is helpful, unless fxcm policy on the other hand is "if they dont know then it probably wont hurt them".

So maybe a compromise would be appropriate, like the people who really think its important can download an option that allows more frequent updates? anywho fxcm needs to chime in on this by the sound of it, since it sounds like NT cant implement something over the heads of fxcm policies, Or can they...?!?

Dean

[Trader_55]

Just an update here... myself and another user are reporting consistent disconnects from FXCM multiple times a day over the past couple of weeks. Is anyone else seeing this same behavior recently?

[NinjaTrader_Brandon]

Hello Trader_55,
Your other thread on this you have been posting to has been assigned and will be followed up on there. No need to post about in multiple threads.

[Trader_55]

Hello Trader_55,
Your other thread on this you have been posting to has been assigned and will be followed up on there. No need to post about in multiple threads.

Thanks... when I did a search I thought this thread happened to be in the NT 7 support section of the forums, which is why I posted it... only realized it was in the same Beta 8 forum after it posted.

[reach4thelasers]

While I don't think Forex/FXCM on Ninjatrader is perfect yet - its still beta, the issue that's being raised in this post is not a limitation of Ninjatrader, but of FXCM's API.

Carry out the following steps to verify this:

- connect to FXCM using their own Trading Station Platform
- Pull out the network cable or switch off your wifi

Observe that FXCM's Trading Station takes around the same period of time to report a network loss.

[counterpoint]

FXCM uses the same API to connect to any and all available front end software, including its own Trading Station. They ALL will exhibit a 90 sec delay of notifying a disconnect. The API is the same.

The problem is this: As far as FXCM is concerned, this 90 sec delay is "good enough" and they have no desire to change it. In speaking with an IT/API representative months ago, they feel it's "fine" the way it is.
The issue I have is that Ninja has a broker/business relationship with FXCM and should make a greater effort to discuss and push this problem and get them to improve it. Otherwise Ninja is stating that they are OK with active traders not knowing for 90 secs that they are disconnected and also not having server side OCOs in Ninja7 -i.e. no protection at all! Your alternative is to have server-side OCOs with Ninja8 which is in Beta and is not recommended yet for actual live trading.

This is why I have not set up an account with Ninja and FXCM, despite being a lifetime license holder. I've been trading since 1999 -no way I'm putting my capital at risk for such a shoddy setup. I'm a fan of Ninja -I just think they can do MUCH BETTER regarding FXCM and getting them to improve their API. If and when they do, I'll be a client.