Multiple data series and bar spacing

[JoshDance]

I want to have a 55 tick data series be the primary, and a 5 minute be the secondary, but have equidistant bar spacing of the 55 tick bars. When I currently do this, the 55 tick bars are unevenly spaced to match the 5 minute bars. I'd like for each to have equal spacing, but I'd even be okay with just having the 55 tick bars equally spaced. How can I do this? Thanks!

[Ricam]

You can't do that.

Each location on the x axis corresponds to one, and only one, value of TIME.

If you had equally spaced 55 tick and 5 minute charts, the bars of the two charts would not be able to be displayed at the correct TIMES.

You can have a secondary series of equally spaced bars ONLY on a time based chart, or if the secondary series is of a different instrument and has variable duration bars that start when the bars of the primary series start.

[JoshDance]

Let me explain what I'm trying to do and tell me if it's possible then. On one chart I have the 1m as the primary series, and a 5m as a secondary series. I am using an EMA based on the 5m series display in the 1m window, so I get the 5m EMA plotted on the 1m chart window. I'd like the same EMA, based on the 5m series, to plot on the tick chart. Is this possible without skewing the equidistant bar spacing of the tick chart?

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

Hi JoshDance,

Thank you for your post.

For the reasons that Ricam mentioned the equidistant bar spacing is based on a shared time-axis.

However, if you are looking to apply an indicator to a chart with a different data series this would be possible if both data series are available on the same chart.

If you do not want the 5 minute bar series to alter the 55 minute tick series you could set it colors to be transparent, and overlay that series on the same panel as the tick series. The transparent data series would be available to be used for indicator calculations as an input series and would not alter the charts display of the tick chart.

[JoshDance]

Hi Ryan,

Maybe I wasn't clear that I'm already doing this with a 1 minute / 5 minute chart--hiding the 5 minute bars and plotting a 20EMA based on the 5 minute data series. Obviously this doesn't affect the equidistant bar spacing of the 1 minute bars since they are both time-based.

What I want to verify is this: there is no way to maintain equidistant bar spacing of a tick-based data series while plotting an indicator based on another data series which is time-based. Is this correct, yes or no? Thanks.

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

JoshDance,

Yes, this is possible as long as the data series window for the transparent data series, in this case, the minute series, is set to have the same panel as the tick series, scale justification of overlay, and the colors are set to transparent.

The transparent data series would then not affect the scaling of the visible data series with the above settings.

[JoshDance]

Ryan, thanks for the replies. Could you tell me what is incorrect with my settings then? (see attached photo). The 55 tick is the primary series, the 1 minute secondary. Colors are all transparent, justification is Overlay, and it's in panel 1 with the primary series. Yet, the tick bars are not equally spaced.

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

Hi JoshDance,

I apologize if I did not fully clarify, but the equidistant bar spacing setting will still be set to false based on the data series, but you can modify the x-axis manually by left-clicking on the x-axis and moving your mouse to the left to increase the bar spacing since you are only able to see the one data series.

[JoshDance]

Well that obviously doesn't address my original problem; I know I can increase bar spacing. But the bars will still not be equally spaced, is what you're saying. Got it. So in other words, one final time, I cannot have equally spaced tick bars, with a moving average based on a time-based data series.

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

JoshDance,

Based on the multiple data series you will be unable to edit the equidistant bar spacing based on the shared x-axis, regardless of what the two data series intervals.

Because of that you can add a transparent data series and modify the x-axis scaling, but to have uniform bar spacing based on that individual property with multiple data series that would be an item that we would include as an enhancement to NinjaTrader.

[billr]

I would like to vote in favor of such an enhancement.
Thanks.

[chinapassage]

i would like to vote for that as well ...

one thing that doesnt make sense is if i am using the symbol ^TICK and using it with Tics instead of time based .... it is equidistant however the NQ 89 tick is not ... i have tried flipping them as well where the other is the primary ... but ^TICK always ends up equidistant and NQ all over the place ... both time frames are using tick bars so i do not understand why ^tick can always be equidistant ... how would i flip that .... here is a chart of what i am referring to http://screencast.com/t/ANzgTkiOnB thanks

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

Hi chinapassage,

The reason for the ^TICK indicator showing in that manner is that the Index data is generated by the provider, and rather than being subject to the particular trades of individual players in the market it is provided on a routine basis from the provider, and so a tick for the Index instruments would be equivalent to every 1 second, or every 15 seconds, etc depending on the provider since that is market index that is not traded.

[chinapassage]

thank you ...
anyplans on updating or fixing this in the near future ... or something way off in the horizon?

[NinjaTrader_RyanO]

chinapassage,

This is expected behavior with the ^TICK index since it is not generated based on the trading behavior but by the providers offerings, and so technically a tick from the provider for those market indices would be based on the update frequency of the provider.