ZuluTrade's New Web-Based Platform Lets Traders Run Trading Robots via Zuluscripts
The developer of one of the first social forex networks for signals has released a new web-based platform named ZuluTrade+
One of the early pioneers in the social trading arena in Forex, technology developer ZuluTrade, has announced two features including its new web-based ZuluTrade+ platform, and the ability for traders who publish trading signals to run ZuluScripts to automate their trading on the web-based trading station.
While the product is still said to be in beta mode, and first offered to traders who publish signals, it is set to be later rolled out to all clients in the ZuluTrade network, with final tweaks underway, according to an email the company sent to current account holders who publish signals in the ZuluTrade network.
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The ZuluScript feature includes the ability for traders to create “scripts” or a set of custom instructions that can carry out trading operations if conditions and specified criteria are reached, and according to people familiar with the development, the platform is compatible with codes from certain 3rd party platforms like MetaTrader4, and the trading robots known as Expert Advisors (EAs) written in the MQL4 language, as told to Forex Magnates’ reporters. The code behind the ZuluScript was said to be a super-set of the “C” language code widely used in software programming.
Automated Trading and Signals Go Well Together
This process of trade automation has been a key attribute on many popular trading platforms over the years, and the inclusion of it by ZuluTrade seems like a natural progression to an already sophisticated platform interface and social forex network.
The social network within ZuluTrade’s database contains some 100,000 trading strategies, and provides clients with tools to analyze strategies using quantitative and qualitative data, in an effort to sift out the most appealing performance or trading results, in addition to even screening and analyzing other traders (followers) in the network and ability to follow them (following followers).
Forex Magnates opines that a large number traders who publish signals may have run their trading robots on 3rd party platforms to generate signals sent to ZuluTrade, could now opt to run their robots locally, thus consolidating the technology into one place, and lessening the risk of depending on multiple platforms to produce an end signal at a destination venue.
ZuluTrade+ Compatible with Robots Written in MQL4
According to Forex Magnates’ research, there is a number of other platform developers that have made their platforms EA friendly, metaphorically speaking, just as OpenOffice in the document management software world has created software that can open Microsoft Office documents, the ease afforded to users provides added value. The ZuluScript files have a “ZQL” extension name, as can be seen in the excerpt below.
![Zuluscript ZQL [Source ZuluTrade.com]](https://www.financemagnates.com/wp-content/uploads/fxmag/2014/02/Screen41.jpg "Zuluscript ZQL [Source ZuluTrade.com]")
The signals market still remains a hot trend that has been cemented as platforms become increasingly automated in the tools and functions they feature, including trading robot development, and scripts such as the ZuluScripts has just announced.
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Forex Magnates’ reporters spoke with ZuluTrade’s CEO, Leon Yohai, who said during a telephone interview today,”We don’t believe in an all-dark or monopolistic environment, we believe in open platforms and platforms that can be connected to a wide number of brokers and offer equal opportunities to everybody and that’s what ZuluTrade+ is all about.”
Beta Mode Gearing Up Since November
While the company posted details about the platform on its blog in November, and ZuluTrade+ is still said to be in a beta mode version, the company said it was ready to tell its clients about it, according to the email to clients that Forex Magnates confirmed was sent.
The upgraded platform is described as a fully fledged Trading Station user interface with technical charts (Candlesticks, OHLC, Lines), a large variety of Indicators (Trend, Oscillators, Volatility, Volumes, Williams %, etc), custom lines,objects, along with the ability to create trading robots by running the ZuluScripts.
An excerpt of the scripting language can be seen in the screen shot that was included in the email ZuluTrade sent out to account holders yesterday.
Create, Compile and Deploy Robots
A “creation guide” has been made to help clients create, compile and deploy their own experts (robots) and run them directly into their account. Access to the beta mode is available in the Settings tab and under a button that says ‘Link to a broker account’ which can link a new account or an existing account to the ZuluTrade+ trading station, only available to holders of an account that publishes signals, initially.
The company said it was adding some final tweaks to the platform before releasing it across its entire community, and was looking for feedback that could help such last minute iterations.
The news follows after a few brokers had announced an end to their relationship with ZuluTrade, a decision that may be questioned following the changes that appear to help ZuluTrade regain its hold on the signals market, after MetaQuotes made changes that affected various providers– and the launch of its own signals market.
In the end, the company remains to be a viable competitor with a scalable business model, considering the number of employees the firm has in relation to the number of clients it services, and the fact that a large number of its staff are programmers. In addition, the firm has been able to overcome regulatory hurdles in the US, Europe and expected to launch an offering in Japan – where the signals market is very popular.
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So are the algo scripts stored on ZuluTrade servers? How can users be assured about Intellectual Property? Is it possible to host their own algos?
Dear Jon,
ZuluTrade has already developed a standalone compiler that will allow users to use zuluscripts without uploading the source code to zulu servers. This will be available soon on the next version of ZuluScripts.
If you have anymore questions regarding ZuluTrade+ and ZuluScripts, please email sales@zulutrade.com or have a live chat with our 24/7 support.
http://chat.zulutrade.com/
Best Regards
Much better solution than anything MQ or others provide. ZT may have its faults but as a forex social trading solution it’s streets ahead of the competition. Open solutions and equal opportunity for all are the way of free markets!
ZuluTrade completely stole all specification of MQL4 language.
They can not work without using MetaQuotes infrastructure at all.
MetaQuotes: so is there a lawsuit in the making? Theft is a serious allegation..
@Steven – The screenshot clearly shows very large overlap not (just) in the syntax of the language, which both MQL4 and ZuluScript take from C, but in the framework of functions which MQL4 provides. For example, the identical OrderClose() syntax between MQL4 and ZuluScript just cannot be chance. It must be a deliberate decision by ZuluTrade to use MQL4-compatible syntax. The question is whether a firm has copyright in the framework of functions which a programming environment provides. The answer to that is murky, but probably no because otherwise Microsoft could have shut down the WINE project – somethign which… Read more »
Since my previous comment seems to be stuck in moderation, I’ll do a simpler version… It doesn’t look as though there is a language reference yet for “Zulu”Script, but that doesn’t matter because everyone can just use http://docs.mql4.com ZuluTrade are unquestionably leveraging a MetaQuotes asset in order to have lots of pre-existing scripts for the platform, rather than starting at zero and having to attract and train developers in the same way as cTrader etc. But this asset *probably* falls outside of legal protections. It’s certainly disingenuous and a bit naughty to talk about “ZQL” and to say that it… Read more »
@Metaquotes,
I am also curious to know if you will offer any proof to support your claims of stolen code.
ProTrader claims to also have ability to import mql4 code. M4 (modulus) also claims to be able to support mql4 in addition to other languages. Modulus actually provides full source code to their charting application.
Isn’t it possible to allow someone to import another programming language? Isn’t it all mathematics and logic at the end of the day? Just different ways to implement functions?
@James,
This isn’t the first time its been done….remember MultiCharts PowerLanguage? [TradeStation’s EasyLanguage]
I’m surprised mql4 wasn’t more portable earlier. But since their arrogant stance towards 3rd party plugins + their forced updates, I’m sure there will be an increase of platform competition.
@Jon – I don’t think anyone’s alleging stolen “code”. (That’s almost impossible in context, anyway.)
I can’t think of any good analogies in this kind of technical area, but a bad one goes as follows:
Let’s say that someone launches a competitor to Forex Magnates, and they exactly replicate the site layout of Forex Magnates – but not a word of the content – so that people immediately feel at home and know how to find their way around to the bits of the site they use regularly. It’s kinda like that.
All that is “stolen” are function signatures. I don’t think that that could possibly be IP, let alone a patentable innovation. It simply lacks the required threshold of originality. There would be a bazillion lawsuits otherwise..
@James, It was a good enough analogy. M4 actually provides full source code for their trading platform, and it is said to be compatible with several popular charting platforms, including mt4/5. Contrary to what you may have picked up in school, success comes from being a good copier. You might not be able to copy someone’s style, but the fundamentals are the same for everybody. There are numerous examples, including what I pointed out earlier of TradeStation/MultiCharts. Another good one is Toyota. They didn’t invent the motor vehicle. But they have the top selling compact car in the world (Toyota… Read more »
@James – This is like me producing a car which, in some technical respects, is so similar to a Toyota Corolla that you can take it to any existing Toyota dealership to get it serviced (i.e. car mechanic = software developer). That is indeed a sound commercial move, because you can make use of the time and money which someone else has spent in training up mechanics etc. But that is also why copying as a commercial technique is limited by various protections ranging from the soft end of copyright through to the sharp end of patents. Another analogy, though… Read more »
Hi from me, first of all I generally agree with the above. Not really posted here before but being a trader, nerd and user of both companies i just wanted to share how i/we see it (at least some of us traders i am sure). 1) I started on 2011: zulu, myfxbook are nice products to meet traders (haven’t used tradency). They see increasing popularity, some people are making money (me included). 2) 2012: MetaQuotes wants a piece of the pie- launches their own copytrading product. 3) 2013: MetaQuotes’ version of copytrading doesn’t really make it (subscriber fee? really?) 4)… Read more »
@jacques – I would usually be the last person to support MetaQuotes, but I do think that they have a point on this one – although it’s almost certainly a “moral” point which is not legally enforceable. If you made an exact copy of the user interface of MT4, then your lawyer would advise you to settle on any terms possible. But making an exact copy of the MQL4 language specification appears to be fine – and is commercially much more significant. MetaQuotes deserve everything they get for their appalling actions in the past, but in this one instance I… Read more »