Deploying A Marketplace Bot

I. Accessing your Strategies

Click on the "My Strategies" menu option on the left menu.

II. Select the Brokerage

Next, at the top of the page, make sure you select the brokerage that you want the bot to trade in.

For this example, let's assume that you want the bot to trade in your TradeStation brokerage cash account, simply click the TradeStation (Cash) option. You can also create a bot to run in our Paper (virtual) exchange.

II. Click the Settings button

Your rented strategies will be listed on the next page. Click the Settings button (the vertical row of dots) and click the "Create from this rental" option to create a new bot from this strategy.

A Create New Bot window will appear.

III. Set the Stock to Trade and the Fund Allocation

Begin by selecting the stock to be traded and defining the capital allocation for the bot. Next, assign a name to the bot. For clarity and effective management, it is recommended to use a naming convention that reflects both the stock being traded and the strategy applied.

See the image below.

The Brokerage field specifies the brokerage through which the bot will execute trades. After entering a trading symbol, a dropdown menu will appear displaying all matching stock or ETF symbols. Select the desired symbol from the list to confirm your choice. Once completed, click the Next button to proceed to the Trade Parameters page.

The Trade Parameters page consists of three main sections, namely a) Fund Allocation b) Order Types and c) Settings

Fund Allocation

This section allows you to allocate the funds that the bot will use for trading. The bot will not exceed the amount allocated. For long strategies (buying low and selling high), the allocation is specified in the selected native currency, typically USD. For short strategies (physical shorting), the allocation is expressed in shares rather than currency. For example, if you are shorting AAPL, the allocation will be denominated in AAPL shares instead of USD.

See image below showing Fund Allocation in quantity of AAPL shares when the strategy is short.

StockHero also supports margin-short (where USD is used to execute a short strategy). Margin-short is only supported in TradeStation.

For most of us, long strategy is usually the preferred strategy. Hence, just enter the amount of USD for the bot to trade.

Order Types

StockHero supports both Market and Limit order types for trade entries and exits. For most strategies, it is recommended to use Market orders, as they provide faster and more reliable execution. Limit orders may be appropriate in specific cases, such as:

a) when trading large amounts (typically in the tens of thousands per order) to minimize price slippage,

or

b) when the Take Profit target is very small (e.g., less than 20 basis points or 0.20%), where precise execution is critical to the strategy’s success.

Settings

Enabling the Auto-Close Open Positions at End of Trading Day option will force the bot to liquidate all positions opened during the day. When this setting is active, liquidation will occur within the final five minutes of standard market hours, typically between 3:55 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Enabling the Trade Extended Hours option allows the bot to continue trading beyond standard market hours, up to the close of extended hours at 8:00 p.m (eastern time). It also permits trading during pre-market hours. The start time of pre-market trading depends on the specific pre-market hours supported by the brokerage used.

Create The Bot

After the fund allocation is set, just click the Create Bot button.

That's it! The bot will start to monitor this stock during trading hours and execute trades whenever the entry and exit conditions are met.