The Grid feature within the Time and Sales module of FinStudio provides an organized and detailed representation of trading data. Each row in the grid corresponds to a specific timestamp, offering comprehensive insights into various aspects of each trade executed within that time frame. This setup allows traders to analyze market behavior in fine detail, supporting informed trading decisions based on real-time and historical data.

Key Components of the Time and Sales Grid

Time – Timestamp

• Description: Each entry in the grid is associated with a specific timestamp, capturing the exact moment of trade execution.
• Utility: This allows traders to track when trades occurred, which is crucial for analyzing market reactions to news events or other stimuli.

Bid & Ask

• Description: Shows the actual bid and ask prices available at the time of each recorded trade.
• Importance: Provides insight into the demand and supply levels at any given moment.

Avg – Average Volume

• Description: Represents the average volume of trades executed at the bid and ask prices at a specific timestamp.
• Usefulness: Helps traders gauge the strength of buying or selling pressure.

Price – Last Price

• Description: Indicates the price at which the last trade was executed.
• Relevance: Critical for understanding price movement trends and for transaction-based analysis.

Tick Count

• Description: Indicates the trend direction with signs. A "-" sign shows that the last trade price was lower than the previous one and double "--" means that the price keeps falling. Similarly when price rises we will see "+" and "++" values. If price didn't change - sign of last price change ("+" or "-") is printed.
• Application: Useful for quickly identifying the direction of price movement.

Quantity

• Description: Shows the total volume of all executed trades at a specific price and timestamp.
• Insight: Reflects the weight or significance of trades at that particular price level.

Type

• Description: Indicates the direction of the trade—whether it was a buy or a sell.
• Significance: Helps identify the market's directional bias at any given moment.

Aggression

• Description: Compares the last trade price to the prevailing bid and ask prices. Categories include Above Ask, At Ask, At Bid, and Below Bid.
• Insight: Offers an understanding of trader aggressiveness and market sentiment.

Aggregated Prints

• Description: Shows the number of individual prints or transactions aggregated into a single row based on the current aggregation settings.
• Benefit: Simplifies data review by reducing the number of rows needed to analyze large volumes of trade data.

Cumulative Delta

• Description: Represents the net volume of buy and sell trades, increasing with buy volume and decreasing with sell volume.
• Analysis: Essential for assessing overall market momentum and the balance between buy and sell activities.

Benefits of Using the Time and Sales Grid

• Detailed Market Analysis: The grid provides a granular view of market transactions, enabling traders to dissect market dynamics at the micro-level.
• Real-Time Decision Making: By observing real-time data like bid/ask prices, last trade price, and trade volumes, traders can make informed decisions quickly.
• Historical Data Insights: Traders can analyze past data for patterns or anomalies that might inform future trading strategies.

Practical Application

For example, a trader might use the grid to monitor the effects of a news announcement on stock prices, observing how the bid and ask prices adjust, how the trade volumes change, and how the price trends evolve in the moments following the announcement. This kind of analysis is invaluable for day traders or those engaged in high-frequency trading.