Live Data feed for NT Continuum Lifetime Account

[ptomlinson]

I am new to NT, I set up 4 charts (2 ES & 2 SP500), funded my account with $2,500, purchased the Lifetime license, put the new Key into NT. The issues I'm having are the following:
- charts load but no real time movement
- the SuperDOM is up, but it is blank
- In the Control Center next to my Display Name, it shows Cash Value at $2,500 and Buying Power at $0.00
- Under the Log tab, I see two errors that read: Failed to resolve instrument for market data: SPX (& DJAI) is not enabled for real-time quotes and trading
- To resolve, I went into Tools, Database Mgmt and verified the futures were rolled over, then updated the Instruments & Instruments Lists
I'm not sure what I'm missing, any help would be appreciated - thx!
Phill

[NinjaTrader_PatrickG]

Based on the information you've provided, it sounds like your account is not enabled for real-time data. Please reply to your broker in order to confirm your subscriptions.

The information for live accounts in the Accounts tab comes directly from your broker through the underlying connection technology. I would not expect anything but 'Cash value' and 'Realized PnL' to appear populated for a live CQG-based account. You can read more about what to expect to see in the Accounts tab by reading the table at the bottom of the link below:

• https://ninjatrader.com/support/help...counts_tab.htm

[ptomlinson]

Patrick, this may be a dumb question, but isn't NinjaTrader Brokerage my broker? I thought by paying the NT lifetime license included the real-time data I needed. I got an email from NT support stating that my lifetime has been verified and is active. What am I missing? Thx!

[NinjaTrader_PatrickG]

I have no way to verify if you're a NinjaTrader Brokerage account holder via the forums, and you should not share any information publicly that I could use to confirm that. With that said, it sounds like you are so you would want to contact my colleagues on the Brokerage Support Team for this type of inquiry:

• BrokerageSupport[AT]NinjaTrader[DOT]com
• Toll Free: 1 800 496 1683
• https://ninjatrader.com/ContactUs

A license key does not automatically provide you with data. In the emails you received during account setup, one of them should have mentioned a step about enabling real-time data. The 'Market Data Enablement' form will need to be completed to subscribe to real-time data.

[bltdavid]

I thought by paying the NT lifetime license included the real-time data I needed.

No.

NinjaTrader is really two companies operating under the same name.

There is NinjaTrader, LLC which builds and supports the NinjaTrader charting platform.
This is the original company founded by Ray Deux, and they are headquartered in Denver.

In the middle of 2014, NinjaTrader LLC acquired the remains of the brokerage company
formerly known as Mirus Futures, which was located in Chicago. This company was
rebranded as NinjaTrader Brokerage.

NinjaTrader, LLC, has been offering lifetime licenses long before 2014. Never in that period,
or since, has the purchase of a lifetime license included real-time data.

In the beginning, the NinjaTrader LLC provided a charting software product that was broker
and data feed agnostic. Indeed, all NinjaTrader charting software customers had to acquire
a brokerage account and a data feed on their own, because until late 2014, the brokerage
company known as "NinjaTrader Brokerage" simply did not exist.

As far as the data feed side, Kinetick is a separate business (I presumed owned wholly or
in part by NinjaTrader, LLC -- there is some very tight coupling/coordination/cooperation
between NinjaTrader and Kinetick product marketing that implies this), but it provides
data only, they are not a broker, and their real-time data feed service is not free.

A real-time data feed usually comes for free as part of the bundle of services you receive
by opening and funding a brokerage account -- but this is a completely separate step and
wholly different experience than buying the lifetime license to the NinjaTrader software.

[Lawrence H.]

What is more confusing was that I came to NT8 with the purchase of Ninjacators, only to find that there were no live data for them to use. The Kinetic service is only a complimentary one for end-of-day data. The Continuum data was supposed to be the best (but this was never explained) for data connection and for use with the Ninjacators as it provided real time live data down to the minutes. And I even didn't have enough time to try out the data before the end of the complimentary period with the purchase of Ninjacators as I was figuring out how to operate the NT8. Then I found that NT8 didn't work on Windows 7 and I needed to upgrade my OS. And then I found that my broker ToS didn't have any data on the futures while Ninjactors are mostly designed for trade in the futures markets. ToS also didn't provide any live data I hope Ninjactors and Ninjatrader could explain the data connection issue upfront during their sales pitch - that for best and full use of Ninjacators, the connection of Continuum account for datafeed should be a requirement. I don't trade futures but I think if I have the access to live futures data, certainly it would boost my interest to participate in that markets. For a NT newbie, all the above was at best frustrating when compared to all the mobile gamified platforms nowadays. Also, a price schedule for connecting to Continuum data could be provided upfront to the customers as well. That saves a lot of the time to figure out all the above, at least for me.

[bltdavid]

Welcome to the forums!

Let's be clear: Ninjacators != NinjaTrader

Ninjacators is an entirely separate company. It builds and sells 3rd-party plugins
for use inside the NinjaTrader software. A "plugin" is either an Indicator, a Strategy,
or an Add-on. Ninjacators is just one of hundreds of different 3rd-party vendors
that sell plugins -- some have great reputations and some not so great.

I see you've had quite the trial-by-fire introduction.

My main question for you is: where have you been all this time?
Such an odious experience and yet no prior postings with questions or
issues or frustrations? Seems like you suffered in silence during your
journey, when that was completely unnecessary.

Did you contact the NinjaTrader brokerage sales team and ask questions
about data? I started at NinjaTrader.com and within a few clicks I had their
phone number.

Have you tried asking questions of any authority regarding NinjaTrader?
My point is, I think your rather painful introduction could have been much
more pleasant had you reached out to them.

Finally, I don't know how you came to "NinjaTrader through Ninjacators".
That seems backwards -- I would have figured you'd want to investigate
and discover the NinjaTrader platform before making any purchases
from Ninjacators.

It strikes me that you bought the shiny new mag wheels first, and only
after that purchase did you investigate the car to install them on.

Nevertheless, welcome aboard!

I hope you stick around, NinjaTrader is a lovely platform.