ThinkTrader (formerly known as Trade Interceptor) is up there with the best mobile trading apps, and for good reason. It’s a professionally designed platform that’s accessible across most of the. ThinkTrader – trade the world in the palm of your hands with a fully-featured multi-asset trading platform for trading on the go. ThinkTrader: ThinkMarket’s proprietary platform grew out of the company’s acquisition of Trade Interceptor, an award winning trading platform in its own right. Available for mobile, tablet and desktop ThinkTrader offers in-app deposits and withdrawals, real-time news from FX Wire Pro and one-click multiple order closing. ThinkTrade, Inc. The 1st IRS Authorized E-file Service provider for the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Form 2290, Rated #1 by the American Truckers. Support all Excise Tax preparation and e-filing in one common place. E-file partner for many American Truckers and Taxpayer's.
Learn how to get started with the backtesting feature inside ThinkTrader called Traders Gym. This step-by-step guide will show you exactly what you need to get started with the desktop version of this free manual Forex backtesting software right now.
I wasn’t able to find a good manual on how to setup Traders Gym, even on the ThinkMarkets website, so I decided to create one.
Stick around until the end to find out how well Traders Gym compares to the top backtesting software out there.
Step 1: Download the Desktop Version of ThinkTrader
Get started by going to the ThinkTrader website. Then download the appropriate version for your device.
The link is at the bottom of the ThinkTrader page.
I would highly recommend using the desktop version for backtesting. It’s much easier to use than the mobile versions.
ThinkTrader used to be called Trade Interceptor, so don’t get confused if you see both names online.
There are still some Trade Interceptor webpages out there. They simply redirect to ThinkTrader when it comes time to download the app.
Step 2: Setup an Account and Login
Once the software is installed, sign up for an account. It’s free to sign up and allows you to use the backtesting feature.
Now that you have a login, open ThinkTrader and enter your username and password.
Make sure that the Traders Gym button is selected, then click the Login button.
Step 3: Create a New Chart
One weird glitch with Traders Gym is that there’s no easy way to go back to the beginning of a chart.
In addition, if you open a new chart and there’s already a chart open on that currency pair, your new chart will start where your existing chart stopped.
Therefore, in order start a fresh chart at the beginning of the data set, you need to open a chart for a currency pair that is not already open.
For example, let’s say that you have a EURUSD chart currently open and you’ve stopped at 11/2/2019. When you go to open another EURUSD chart, it will also open at 11/2/2019, not at the starting date that you select.
Now that you understand that, open a new chart by clicking the plus symbol at the top of your screen.
A popup window will allow you to set the parameters for your test.
You can select the following:
- Feed: There are only 2 data sources available. The default TT feed is a good place to start.
- Symbol: Select the symbol you want to test. Stocks are also available.
- Price type: Select bid, ask or average.
- Timescale: This is the timeframe chart you want to use for you test.
- Initial interval selection: Drag the slider all the way to the left to start testing from the first date in your selected range.
It initially looks like you can only backtest 1 year of data, but you can actually get more history. If you click the lower left date on the slider, it allows you to select an older date.
Once those settings look good, click OK to get started with your test.
When your chart first opens, the candles will be huge!
Adjusting the zoom on the chart is not intuitive. The only way that I found to zoom in and out is to use the scroll wheel on your mouse, or scroll up and down on your trackpad.
Trade Interceptor Desktop
Step 4: Add Your Indicators
Once your chart opens, you can add indicators by clicking on the Indicators button in the toolbar in the middle of the screen.
They provide most of the popular indicators, so there’s a good chance that your favorite indicator is there.
Traders Gym doesn’t allow you to upload custom indicators, so if you trade with a custom indicator, you’re out of luck.
Step 5: Set Your Speed
The last thing that you have to do before you start testing is to set the speed at which your charts will move forward.
Apple macbook. There are 2 settings:
- Tick size: Set how much each tick will move. For example, you could be testing on the Daily chart, but you want to see each tick move on the 4-Hour timeframe.
- Overall chart speed: Set how fast the chart will scroll forward.
Step 6: Start Placing Trades
Now you’re ready to start testing!
To start testing, hit the play button below the chart. You can use the back and forward arrows to move one candle at a time.
When you want to take a trade, simply right-click on the chart and select Order window from the menu.
That will bring you to the order window. Input the details of your trade and click Place Order.
Your trade will appear in the Active tab in the account section of the screen. Use the Pending tab to see pending orders and the History tab to see all of your past trades.
To close the trade right-click on the trade and select Close selected orders. You would also use the same process to do any of the following functions below.
You can use the settings button to deposit or withdraw funds, or delete the account.
To create a new account, click the plus symbol next to the account tabs.
ThinkTrader Traders Gym Review
Here are a few of my thoughts after using Traders Gym. The biggest upsides are:
- It’s free
- You can use it on desktop and mobile platforms
- They provide a good amount of free historical data
However, there are some downsides.
I have several issues with this software, but these are the top 3.
Frequent Disconnection
An annoying thing with ThinkTrader (Mac) is that it keeps dropping the internet connection and reconnecting. This makes the icon bounce on the bottom of my screen and is really distracting.
I don’t know of any trading program that has to reconnect so often.
It really makes me wonder how reliable this would be if it was used for live trading.
This literally happens every 5 to 10 minutes or so…
Have to be Connected to the Internet to Backtest
One of the biggest benefits of software like Forex Tester is that you can download the price data to your computer and backtest offline.
I can see where this might not be possible on the mobile versions of ThinkTrader because mobile devices tend to have very limited storage.
Downloading data is certainly possible on most desktop devices however, but is not available on the desktop version of ThinkTrader.
In addition, you need to be connected to the internet and login to even get to the backtesting screen.
I understand why they do this, but it doesn’t make sense when it comes to backtesting.
Only 1 Data Source, No Option to Upload
Finally, there’s no option to upload custom data or indicators. It would be nice to be able to import my own data sets like you can do with MetaTrader.
If you need custom indicators for your trading strategy, then you’re totally out of luck with ThinkTrader.
Conclusion
So that’s how you start manual backtesting with Traders Gym.
You are probably wondering if ThinkTrader is worth using for Forex backtesting.
The answer to that is relative. It really depends on what your needs are.
It might be good enough for some, but totally unusable for others.
To see my complete review of Traders Gym, and how it compares all of the major backtesting platforms on the market, head over to this post.
That video will show you examples of each software, a complete backtest for each and you can see the software in action.
Related Episodes
Trade Interceptor, one of the world’s best forex trading apps, was taken over by ThinkMarkets and rebranded as ThinkTrader in 2017. In our ThinkTrader review, we’ve looked closely at the ThinkTrader mobile interface, its main features, and why it’s one of the leading mobile trading apps.
Note that the app is available via both the Trade Interceptor and ThinkTrader websites, as well as in the Apple and Google Play stores under the ThinkTrader name.
© Provided by TechRadar Trade Interceptor was rebranded as ThinkTrader in 2017 (Image credit: Thinktrader)ThinkTrader: What does it offer?
Since ThinkTrader took over Trade Interceptor, it has added a range of additional features, with the goal of becoming the leading mobile trading platform. It’s available on both Android and iOS devices, and in general, is suitable for everyone from complete beginners to seasoned traders.
In addition, ThinkTrader offers trading in a range of areas, including forex, precious metals, indices, cryptocurrency, shares, commodities, and CFDs. Clients from over 180 countries are accepted (notable exceptions are the USA, Japan, and Iran), and the apps are available in all regions except the USA and Japan.
© Provided by TechRadar ThinkTrader revamped the Trade Interceptor app with the express aim of becoming the leading mobile trading platform (Image credit: ThinkTrader)ThinkTrader: Opening an account
Opening a new ThinkTrader account is straightforward and shouldn’t take more than five to ten minutes. You will have to provide a significant amount of personal information, including your name, date of birth, nationality, and address. Following this, you will be asked to work through a short questionnaire about your trading knowledge and experience.
On top of this, you will need to select what trading platform, currency, and leverage you want to use. Available platforms include Meta Trader 4 and 5, as well as the native ThinkInvest and ThinkTrader interfaces. Choose from eight base currency options and leverage up to 500:1.
Finally, account verification is usually required in accordance with your country’s regulations. We created an Australian account and were required to upload photo ID and proof of address. You may also have to pass a short knowledge-based test before your account is approved.
© Provided by TechRadar Opening a ThinkTrader account is fast, but you will have to provide verification documents (Image credit: ThinkTrader)ThinkTrader: Account Types
There are six different ThinkTrader account types. For starters, a neat Demo account is available for you to test trading strategies and become familiar with the platform before risking real money. Standard and ThinkZero accounts are both great for getting started and come with slightly different fee structures and forex spreads.
Think Trader Download Free
In addition, Islamic clients can apply for an Islamic account that complies with Sharia law. Two or more individuals can apply for a Joint account if they want to, and experienced traders can take advantage of exclusive benefits and advanced leverage by requesting a ThinkMarkets Pro account.
© Provided by TechRadar There are six different account options (Image credit: ThinkTrader)ThinkTrader: Features
As one of the world’s best mobile trading apps, ThinkTrader is naturally backed by an impressive range of advanced features. For starters, the entire trading experience is streamlined and beginner friendly. But, this ease of use doesn’t come at the cost of advanced capabilities.
For example, users will be able to access a suite of technical analysis tools. Live charts are available for most forex pairs, precious metals, popular cryptocurrencies, and over 1000 stocks, among others. You can select from ten chart types, including bar, broken line, and Japanese candlestick. All charts can be zoomed, scrolled, and overlaid with any of 100 technical indicators and/or 40 analytical objects.
On top of this, the ThinkTrader app supports cloud-based alerts, which means you will receive notifications even when it isn’t running. In-app deposits and withdrawals are also available once your account is approved, and you can keep up to date with the latest financial news through the built-in news portal.
Another noteworthy tool is the one-click order option. This enables you to access near-instant order processing rather than wasting time confirming orders. Multiple positions can also be closed with one click. And finally, the Trend-Risk Scanner is a powerful native tool that provides information about recommended trades.
© Provided by TechRadar The ThinkTrader mobile app is neat and boasts a great range of advanced features (Image credit: ThinkTrader)ThinkTrader: Support
ThinkTrader’s support team is knowledgeable, fast, and efficient. 24/5 live chat and email support are available worldwide, while phone support is available in selected countries (the UK and Australia, among others). We tested the live chat briefly and were connected with an agent almost immediately. They answered our questions fast and accurately, and you can’t ask for much more than that. An impressive range of self-help articles and other resources is also available.
Trade Interceptor
© Provided by TechRadar ThinkTrader live chat support is fast and effective (Image credit: ThinkTrader)ThinkTrader: Final verdict
ThinkTrader (formerly known as Trade Interceptor) is up there with the best mobile trading apps, and for good reason. It’s a professionally designed platform that’s accessible across most of the world, and it provides a great trading experience.
The native ThinkTrader mobile app is backed by advanced features and makes trading on the go easier than ever. On top of this, the charting tools that are built into the app are truly impressive, with candlestick support and great customizability.
Overall, ThinkTrader is a viable option for both beginners and advanced traders. And on top of everything else, it’s worth noting that the native desktop interface is also very powerful.
ThinkTrader: The competition
Mobile trading apps are becoming increasingly popular, and ThinkTrader no longer stands out as a clear industry leader. One popular alternative is Pocket Forex, which supports 24/7 trading on a wide range of markets with 50–1000 times leverage. Another major competitor is Oanda, which has the advantage of being available to US and Japanese clients.
- Check out our guide to the best forex trading apps