The CQG API
Today’s trading lexicon includes terms such as programmed trading, black box trading, algorithmic trading, and others. Firms and traders looking to create a link between the exchanges and their own software look to ISVs such as CQG for tools like our API to bring incoming market information into applications, process the information, and output information, such as sending orders to the exchanges.
Traders and developers now have CQG’s API to access real-time and historical data, utilize CQG analytics and order entry applications, retrieve metadata market information, and manage account information from the CQG Integrated Client.
The API uses Microsoft COM technology to communicate with the CQG Integrated Client, then it obtains market information from the CQG servers, and finally it routes orders using the CQG Hosted Gateway.
The CQG API offers numerous services. Here, we will offer examples of ways the API can be a solution for companies and traders that need access to market data, CQG functionality, order routing, and account information.
What follows are suggested examples of using CQG’s API.
3rd party development
Companies whose line of software products requires real-time market data can look to the CQG API for data transmission between their custom applications and market data supplied by the CQG Client.
Excel Models
Microsoft Excel has grown in popularity as a database management tool, and many traders use Excel to maintain price history and perform research. CQG’s API can link an Excel spreadsheet to the CQG client to access exchange generated market information and CQG analytics, to maintain account information, and to perform order routing from an Excel model.
CQG has designed examples of Excel models using the API. The following is a list of Excel Templates available at the CQG web site
(ftp://ftp.cqg.com/Open-API/7.4/Samples/):
Accounts Order Properties Historical Data
Account and Positions Order Placing
Account and Properties Orders Query
Account Collections Quotes
CQG Wallboard Symbol Resolution
Data Subscription Tag
DOMChart
Auto Trading
Traders can route orders to the exchanges from their own applications through the CQG Hosted Gateway. The API provides commonly needed services, such as order management, execution tracking, position monitoring, and reporting of account statistics.
CQG’s API is well suited for traders developing and using black box, program, and algorithmic trading. A company managing money across multiple futures markets or actively trading one futures market can design their in-house applications to pull market data in and direct/manage the orders to the exchanges via the CQG Hosted Gateway.
External Analytics
A critical component of market analysis is access to accurate market data. CQG is considered the industry standard at maintaining clean historical data. Through the API, traders can access metadata market information maintained by CQG’s data quality team.
Website Developers
Developers can create sophisticated market oriented web sites to build traffic. Companies using web based marketing and solutions for customers can use the API to connect their web sites to the markets to build dynamic real-time and delayed posting of market data. Exchange rules apply for the redistribution of market data.
CQG Designed Templates
CQG developers have created a series of API samples. These are provided free of charge and are available at http://www.cqg.com/APITemplates
Spreads Trading Matrix:
- View market quotes for exchange-traded intracommodity spreads and synthetic data for user-defined intracommodity and intercommodity spreads
- Define conditions to trigger spread orders
- Place market, limit, and stop spread orders
- Track your orders in real-time.
Energy Trading Template:
- Create a custom list of the energy contracts
- View over a dozen data points for those contracts
- Place market, limit, stop, and stop limit orders.
Risk Console Template:
- Monitor risk for all groups of accounts on one screen
- Receive a warning when net liquidity value falls below both 80% and 90% of the current balance
- View working orders and position details
- Liquidate a position with the touch of a button
- Choose the refresh rate for risk information– from one minute to two hours.
- Place one-cancels-other (OCO) trades with both the profit target and the risk point stop order automatically.
Order Ticket Template:
- View the current bid, ask, traded prices, and volumes for a futures market
- Place market, limit, stop, and stop limit orders
- View order details.
The API’s potential uses aren’t limited to this list. Traders and developers will find the CQG API well suited to create innovative applications as the markets continue to evolve with new products and technology.
Summary
CQG’s API offers a COM-based interface for end-users to support their applications. The API supports both front end and back office requirements.
Traders working with developers can design applications that use market data and CQG functionality, provide trading directly to exchanges via the CQG Hosted Gateway, and keep track of necessary account information.