Quest for Free Charts

I'd been using a web-based direct link to some IT-Finance charts - Charts that had been recommended when I took up a FX course, and charts that I had been using ever since. Now that the data feed appears to be dead... Let's all observe a minute of silence.....

Now... I have to move on to getting used to other kinds of charts, and as I see it, here were my options:
a) Look for free web-based charts
b) Use free charting softwares provided by free Demo Accounts
c) Use free charts provided by live accounts
d) Pay for premium charts


Option (A) : Free Web-Based Charts
My inclination is naturally (a). Totally free charts which can be accessed anywhere. Preferably, with options for me to save my charts.

My friend from forexforums.asia recommended me charts from DailyFX, in particular FXTrek and NETDANIA. The charts look pretty good, but I doubt they allow me to save my charts like my old IT-Finance Charts.

And my good friend google, also turned up this pretty interesting website: http://www.freeforexcharts.com/

It appears to be a listing of free charts, and premium charts with their respective charges. I think it provides a very good (though I doubt exhaustive) list of charts. For people on a quest for charts like myself, its probably a very good resource.


Option (B) - Charts from Demo Accounts
I remember NorthFinance providing free Unlimited MT4 Demo accounts, and I used to love it. "Used to" because it appears to have some problems connecting these days and says that my account is invalid.... so I gues its not so "Unlimited" anymore. I'd been trying to re-new or re-subscribe for the demo account, but the site isn't working for me. If it works for you, good to give it a try.

There are other brokers who provide you with demo accounts, but the key challenge is that most of them have a time-constraint. Most will only provide you with the demo for a period of a month to three months. After that, either you register with a different email address or find another broker. Either way, its disruptive to my trading.


Option (C) - Use Free Charts Provided by Live Accounts
Having a live account removes the hassle of having to re-register each time the demo period runs out. So its pretty good. I'm still exploring some of the available charting around, but there aren't many that I'm that comfortable with.

So far I've tried SAXO, FXCM and IG Markets.

SAXO is the one that I had funded and use for most of my trades, charts are not bad, but I expect more in terms of the user friendliness of the interface. The loading time is also pretty slow.

FXCM's charts are not bad, but has limited data history. Using Elliott Waves, I sometimes would like to see data up to 30 years or more for my longer term wave counts. In addition, it doesn't allow you to log-on when markets are closed. A super major bummer for me!

IG Markets basic charts aren't that good. They provide IT-Finance charts too, but to use these charts, you either need to have 4 trades a month, or pay a charge of $60 a month. That's a bummer too.

So I'll keep a look out to see if there are any brokers with good charts.... or free IT-Finance charts.


Option (D) - Pay for Premium Charts
Well, if you are trading huge volumes, or are feeling rich, or a professional trader, you can consider premium charts. For now, I'm not feeling like paying for premium charts.... besides, I don't use other functions like back-testing or automated trading (which some brokers who use MT4 allows you to do without charges).

Well... that's it for now... if I do find a chart that I have finally decided to settle for I'll keep you guys informed. For now.... I'll use whatever I can find first.


Good luck for your trading!