PRT Demo forward testing hopeless since IG server problem

[Vonasi]

Back on the 9th August IG's demo server crashed or was accidentally switched off and all demo strategies running live in PRT were stopped and orphaned trades were left on the market. Since then not a single one of my end of day or end of week strategies across three demo accounts have opened a position. It took a few weeks to realise this was happening and I reported it to IG/PRT immediately I noticed - yet it is still not fixed.

Now I have found that two of my shorter time frame strategies that appeared to be working normally now have orphaned trades. They were shown as being under ProOrder control but had not been closed despite the exit conditions having been met on several occasions.

From my communications so far I understand that these issues are down to IG and not PRT.

To have no auto-trades opening when they should have for 40 days is completely unacceptable even if it is just on demo and then the icing on the cake of now having the shorter time frame strategies not closing trades is doubly unacceptable.

IG might think that demo is unimportant and low priority but traders use demo testing to decide what to trade live. I have now waited 40 days without being able to compile any test data or make any decisions on my strategies. This appalling level of service in fixing these IG /PRT demo major issues is ultimately costing IG money and potential customers.

Can someone from IG please confirm when (if ever) end of day/end of week strategies will ever be working again on PRT demo?

 

[WillA]

Hi @Vonasi this is a demo issue that PRT Developers are still looking into. I've asked them for an update on when this might be and will let you know.

Sorry for the time this has taken to solve, demo is a lower priority however I understand it is useful for testing.

Cheers,

Will

[Vonasi]

As a moderator on the ProRealCode forums I am in regular communication with Nicolas and from his communications with PRT I was under the impression that the issue was on the IG side of things and was out of the hands of PRT. The problem only started exactly at the same time that the IG demo server crashed/got switched off so this seems most likely to be correct.

Generally if a problem on PRT demo takes forever to get fixed it is due to IG's lack of priority to the demo side of things but 40 days of end of day/end of week strategies not opening trades in ProOrder is beyond comprehension.

IG need to put more priority to this major fault even if it is only demo.

[Vonasi2]

49 days now since the IG demo server crash and still no end of day or end of week strategies opening live positions on the PRT demo platform.

Rome wasn't built in a day but I suspect it would never have been built at all if IG and PRT were tasked with getting it done.

49 days is beyond joke for such a major bug. Add in all the other bugs that are being reported recently and I imagine confidence in the IG/PRT relationship is at an all time low for most users who develop strategies and test ideas using the PRT demo platform.

Testing is about building confidence - but how are we supposed gain this if the platform never opens trades - even after 49 days of waiting!?

[Guest Guest x]

You get what you pay for?

Live trading using proorder works fine, and i suppose they are working hard with other things thanks to ESMA?

 

[Vonasi3]

On 26/09/2018 at 12:32, Guest Guest x said:

You get what you pay for?

Live trading using proorder works fine, and i suppose they are working hard with other things thanks to ESMA?

 

Working hard looking for a new boss for IG? I'm not surprised that he jumped ship. It is now 56 days and there is still no fix for this major bug.

IG told PRT it was fixed on the 26th September and all I needed to do was stop and restart my strategies. I did - twice - it still does not work, it is now 4th October and the fault started on 9th August!

It is great to hear that it works on live accounts but a working demo platform is needed for forward testing of auto-strategies before putting them live. How IG expect confidence in their live trading when demo and the customer service that goes with is so appalling is beyond me. 

Those of us who want to auto-trade go through a basic set of development stages:

1. Write a strategy.

2. Back test it.

3. Forward test it on out of sample data using live spreads and fees.

4. Put it live if it works as expected - bin it if it doesn't.

Without being able to do stage 3 then we can never reach stage 4 and this is costing IG income.

[Exhale_Trading]

Hi Vonasi,

This is Despair. Are you still stuck with PRT? Don't you see what is going on? Nicolas is as usual blaming all on IG while it is probably PRT that screws up.

I can only recommend you to leave PRT and use IG's API instead. This will generate quite some work in the beginning but it is worth it!

My life has become so much better since I stopped using PRT. You have so much more possibilities and are not exposed to PRT's permanent errors (you are lucky now that all this affects only your demo strategies but going live with proorder is not much better - continuous errors that finally will result in financial loss and PRT not taking responsibility will not compensate you).

I earn significantly more money now compared with what I did with PRT and I'm running the same strategies!!