Chapter 4: Data Export/Import
Chapter 4: Data Export/Import
The Platinum v2.0 has many ways in which a user can transfer data from the web pages into Microsoft EXCEL and from outside sources into Platinum. This help section shows how to do each of the following transfers
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Save historical stock price data into EXCEL. Save a single day's option data for an option series into EXCEL. Save historical option price data and the Greeks into EXCEL. Save your option trades to your PC. Perform more complex trade sorts of trade search data using EXCEL. Create a stock list using a different web site to form the list.
The data transfer from Platinum to EXCEL only works with an Internet Explorer browser. Microsoft's latest browser, the IE 6.0 version, is stable, free and highly recommended. Assuming you are using an IE browser, login to Platinum v2.0 and transfer to Site Map by clicking the navigation link at the top of the start web page. Once there, enter TXN in the upper left text box. Save historical stock price data into EXCEL. - The first example is saving past stock data to the PC. This includes open, high, low, close, volume, 90day SV, 20day SV and 10day SV. Click the "Create Option Tables" link below the text box. Modify Table appears as follows in the web page
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Chapter 4: Data Export/Import
Do the following in Modify Table:
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Check the comma delimited box Increase the displayed days to 20 Click the update button
The web page is reloaded with the data comma delimited. Web page data that is comma delimited means that there is a comma between all data elements. Once the data is comma delimited, it can be transferred from the web page to another application, like Microsoft EXCEL in windows. This transfer procedure is described next:
1. Put your mouse cursor at the beginning of the data. In this case, put your mouse cursor in the table cell containing the earliest date: 10-01-2001. 2. Click and hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor to the end of the data. 3. The data becomes highlighted in the web page. 4. Simultaneously click "Ctrl" and "c" on your keyboard. Henceforth referred to as Ctrl-c 5. The data is pasted into the windows clipboard buffer. 6. Put the mouse cursor into an EXCEL spreadsheet cell. 7. Simultaneously click "Ctrl" and "v" on your keyboard. 8. The clipboard data is pasted into the EXCEL cells. If the data pastes all into one cell, do the following 1. In EXCEL, click "Data" at the top then "text to column". 2. Click Delimited then Next.
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Chapter 4: Data Export/Import
3. Checkbox Comma then Next. 4. Click Finish.
When you are done, the EXCEL spreadsheet should look something like this:
You can now plot the data and save the data into a file on your PC. We have stock data for 1.5 years online. Sometimes longer. Ask for a very large number of months and the web page will grab all that is there. Save a single day's option data for an option series into EXCEL. - Clicking "Create Option Tables" gets both the stock data and the option data. The option data is below the stock data and also is displayed comma delimited when the comma delimited box is checked. The option data shows OpSym, Strike, Type, Bid , Ask , IV , Delta , Gamma , Vega , Theta , Volume, and OI and can also be transferred to EXCEL. Mouse click into the left option table cell, drag to the bottom of the table and click Ctrl-c. Moving the pasted data into EXCEL follows the same procedure as stock data described above. If the table data goes below the bottom of the browsers window, you have to move the mouse cursor below the window. The highlighted data will start paging down. You must bring the cursor back into the web page window to make the web page stop moving down. You must hold down the left mouse button all the while you are doing the data highlighting. The window paging sometimes speeds up if you move the mouse from side to side. Save historical option price data and the Greeks into EXCEL. - Users often desire historical option price data. The option data in Create Option Tables is only for one day at a time. Each option name in the table shown in Create Option Tables is a link to that option's historical data. The historical option data can also be obtained by clicking "Historical Option Data" on Site Map in the upper middle column as follows:
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On Site Map at the upper right, enter a date when the option existed. If the option is currently active, use the latest date. Click the Go button if required. When Site Map returns, enter the stock symbol in the upper left stock text box then click
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Chapter 4: Data Export/Import
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"Historical Option Data". Once there enter the option in the text box using "xyz aa" where xyz is the Option Root Symbol, then enter a space, then the Expiration Month Code, then the Strike Price Code. Checkmark the checkbox next to "Show Comma Delimited". Click the Update button. When that page reloads, cut and paste the data into EXCEL as described above for historical stock data.
An example of the data in EXCEL and an EXCEL chart of the option price data is shown next:
Many users have asked how to chart historical option prices and the above is one way to do it. There is no way to chart the option price using Platinum v2.0 directly as its not a Platinum chart option. Another approach to get historical option combination prices as well as model prices for a saved trade is to use the Backtest Analysis link just above Historical Profit/Loss on Site Map. Save your option trades to your PC. - Users sometimes wish to save the trade performance for tax purposes on their PCs. To accomplish this, enter and save the trades on Platinum v2.0 as described above. Close trades that you closed with your broker otherwise the web site uses expiration bid/ask prices to close trades. Then on the lower left of Site Map, click "Profit/Loss of my saved trades". Once the web page loads, checkmark comma delimited and click update. You can now cut and paste the trades into EXCEL. An example of what that can look like is below:
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Perform more complex trade sorts of trade search data using EXCEL. - The searched trades from Find Trades I, II and III have a special view option link called "Comma Delimited". Perform a search for TXN Buy Calls using Find Trades II. Set the Volume >= 1 and OI >= 100 for expiration between 10 and 180 days. Once the results are shown click the "Comma Delimited" view which is the link next to My Views at the top of the search output page. All the data obtained with the search is shown except for the linked trade description. Cut and paste this data into EXCEL as described above. Below is an example of what that might look like:
From here the user can use EXCEL features such as multiple column sorting to massage the data and arrive at new sorts using new formulas. Create a stock list using a different web site to form the list. - The Optionetics side of Platinum has free stock rankings based on such criteria as: Percent Gainers, Percent Losers, etc... Click the tab "Market Data" at the top of any Platinum page to get to these rankings. You can transfer these stock list into Platinum and save them so you can search them for option trades.
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Go to Site Map for Platinum. In a different browser window, get the Market Data stock lists displayed. Back to the Platinum browser window, select an unused Platinum list in the middle bottom column selector of Site Map. Click "Add to/Edit the Stock List". Once the stock list web page loads, in the top textarea, if any stocks are shown; highlight
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all the stocks shown and click Ctrl-x. This deletes the old symbols. Type in the stock symbols from the Market Data stock lists web page. You can type each symbol and click the keyboard enter key between symbols and/or separate each symbol by a space. Enter a list name next to "Rename" above the textarea and click the Save button. You cannot rename the list called "My Stock List". Rename does not appear on the page when that list is selected. You must use one of the other 9 lists to be able to rename a lists. If any stocks do not have options they are filtered out and only optionable stocks are saved. An easy alternative is to copy the entire table, (symbol names, stock names descriptions etc...) from the Market Data stock lists web page into the paste buffer and paste the entire buffer into the Platinum textarea. When you hit the Save button, any word that is not an optionable stock symbol is rejected. Be aware, you may get extra matches and duplications. Backspace out duplications and undesired stock symbols in the textarea and click Save a second time.
Other web sites offer free stock rankings based on various criteria. One web site of interest, www.equitytrader.com, is run by John Bollinger who invented Bollinger Bands. The site gives free rankings of stocks with upside potential. The desire is to search that lists for potentially bullish option trades. The stocks are listed on that site under "Lists" then "Top 20 Potential". Once you have the equitytrade lists on a second browser window login to Platinum and from Site Map do the following:
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Copy and paste the entire equitytrader ranked stock table into the List textarea as described above and click Save. Backspace out any symbol duplications in the textarea and click Save a second time. Return to Site Map and click Find Trades II. Using Volume>=1, OI>=100, Real Quotes, Odds and any Bullish strategies you desire such as Buy Calls, click Search. Decide if any of the trades found are worth investing in. A LEAP Buy Call is like buying a stock you may sell in 2-3 years but using much less upfront money.
Our sister site, http://investor.stockpoint.com/ has a stocks earnings calendar. At the stockpoint home page click "Corporate Events" on the left, then click the "week" tab. The stocks with earnings that week are shown at the bottom of the page. Copy and past the list into Platinum to search for trades using optionable stocks about to announce earnings.
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