Think or Swim on Ubuntu 20.04 / Focal Fossa

It will be interesting to see what happens with Think or Swim and Charles Schwab in the coming years as the two merge. Retail brokerages are slowing consolidating and going by the wayside as Robinhood / options become all the rage.

I use Interactive Brokers for all my trading because I believe hands down they have the best API for all my needs. However, I use TOS in all my chart analysis and developing my algorithmic strategies.

I have written about installing Think or Swim on previous versions of Linux, so I thought I would update to Focal Fossa cause once again TOS directions didn’t work.

Start with some java:

1. install sudo apt install openjdk-8-jre

2. Download the installer

3. cd /Downloads && sudo chmod +x thinkorswim_installer.sh

4. install sh ./thinkorswim_installer.sh

m The installer should start the application for you. The TOS small box will pop up and say that it is installing updates. This seems to take a long time, like 5 minutes? So go do something else for a few. Then you should get a login screen after a while.

Note: If you find any discrepancies or tips please leave them in the comments. I will do my best to post them, as this blog post and the other Ubuntu / TOS get a lot of hits, there are people out there that need hits.

I’m in need of some marketing help…

TLDR: Failed web developer/front end developer, ISO of an internet marketer to work with a profitable stock trading signal algorithm. I need some advice, please.

A few years ago I developed a volatility/correlation algorithm for RIA here in Denver and deployed across a $150 million portfolio. That year the advisory firm won a Lipper fund award for a portfolio that employed this algorithm. (U.S. Balanced/Multi-asset (All Styles) Ranked # 1 ROR 17.45%). I know super exciting right… I like it’s kind like a dunnie.

I left the firm and have taken my algorithm and applied it across all the stocks in the S&P 500. I have made the terrible mistake of thinking that I could be an algorithmic writer/code writer, web developer, and internet marketer. I have failed miserably at the last two. There just isn’t enough time in the day.

So now I have a ghost site, actually, it should be called a zombie because it has a mind of its own. (excluding this blog site) I still have scripts that continue to maintain the algorithm and update it every day, although I haven’t looked at them in months, it keeps churning out trades. I have been too focused on my day job as an algorithm coder / CIO for a small family office.

Here are few highlights of the site:

The winners, page is a list of stocks that the algorithm picked and as you can see are basically winning. Breakouts & Breakdowns is updated daily with new trades. I just remember I even have an FAQ on the how the algorithm works, well not the secret sauce just a basic idea. There is a lot of potential in the algorithm as the sum product of all the equities I track can be analyzed into another technical indicator to see the market as whole, I call it the Happy/Panic meter.

Yes, I do understand that at the time of this blog post that Apple stock has not been adjusted for the split and some stocks might have a 100% gain because well that day I didn’t the correct quote. You can also see that each page has its own individual page, with charts, etc.. So please keep that in mind that I haven’t updated certain parts of the website, but the algorithm is as robust as ever.

Basically, I’m either looking for a business partner that would handle the marketing/front-end design and or personality of the website. (we could move it to another site) Would also be happy to discuss a host of other options, such as API access, trading machines/trading bots (click around the site, I have some experience in building trading machines), or white label services. I also can build portfolios for RIA and FA, I have some great ones already on the website.

So go ahead kick the tires, click around the website. Ask me some questions… throw out some ideas… because I running out of them. Chad @ this domain .com