To be exact, 5552 days and counting!
Stock Blocks® was incorporated in May
1995. The "Stock Blocks" name and 3-stacked-blocks graphical logo have been
in the public eye since that time, and collectively are a registered trademark of Stock Blocks, Inc.
Our product Insider TA™ has been reviewed by a variety of software
publications. You can access some of them by going here.
All of the reviews mentioned reference previous Insider TA versions,
but the concept is identical to our latest Version 6.1.
How is Insider TA different?
Insider TA emphasizes volume in its analysis methods. For this
reason, its primary charting technique is based on Richard Arms' Equivolume
Charting, which we refer to as "Box Charting".
Realizing of course that there are no guarantees, what kind of performance
can Insider TA provide?
Performance could vary depending on one's portfolio of stocks and/or
futures, actual com&fees/slippage, and other factors from the market
place. For this reason we do not provide the "performance" per se, leaving
the user to create and analyze one's portfolio within the framework of
available funds. Insider TA will provide excellent means to help one
achieve this goal.
Can Insider TA analyze Futures and Commodities data?
Yes, Insider TA can analyze futures for commodities/indices, as
long as the data provider does appropriate back-adjusting to make the
data consistent over a reasonable time (such as 100 days or more) and
the data is in ASCII format (for Insider TA Professional, data could
also be in Metastock format).
CSI is our chosen source for commodities data. Using CSI, you can do
the back adjusting and export any desired list to ASCII format for subsequent
analysis by Insider TA, which can place buy and sell tags according
to Richard Arm's equivolume analysis techniques.
Pentium/compatible 300+ MHz (slower processors can still run ITA,
but 300 MHz is the minimum recommended).
Windows 7/Vista/XP/NT/2000
CD or DVD drive
256 MB RAM, 20 MB disk space (add 65 MB for AVI tutorials)
256+ color display
Internet connection for (1) automatic updates and (2) periodic license validations, a.k.a. "check-ins" (approx 4 times/year)
Can I review a demonstration version of Insider TA?
Yes. The Insider TA is available as a free download.
After downloading the demo, I see that
the help pulldown's Tutorials option is disabled. Why?
That option is shown disabled because the AVI tutorial files are not
included with the demo due to their large size. To download the same
tutorials that we include with the Standard or Professional software,
click here for the 60MB setup
file. After they are installed per the directions, the demo software
will make that menu option accessable.
Do you accept Paypal as a form of payment?
We do not accept Paypal as a form of payment. We accept Visa, Mastercard
and American Express for online and telephone orders. You also have the
option to mail us a check or money order to the following address:
Stock Blocks, Inc.
Attn: Orders
PO Box 416
North Stonington, CT 06359
Does Insider TA Download data?
Insider TA is not a data downloader. Instead, it is for analyzing
data that has already been saved to your computer via a 3rd party service.
Insider TA Professional is compatible with CSI, TeleChart
2005/2007 and TC2000 Version
3, 4.x/5.x, Metastock (with
2000 symbols/folder limit), Quotes Plus (QP2/QP3
only), and ASCII files. Any of these
formats contain the high, low, and volume for each trading day (these
are the minimum data requirements for Insider TA's box charting
technique).
If you are interested in more than just domestic stock data, we highly recommend CSI.
They are the premier data provider of stocks, world futures, options, indices,
and more.
For U.S. stocks, you can also try TeleChart
2007 which provides data for NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ exchanges
For those who do not want a monthly fee-based data service, we highly recommend MLDownloader by
Trading-Tools.com. MLDownloader downloads intraday, end of day and historical
stock quotes, Options and Foreign Exchange data from yahoo.com, quote.com,
and other public Internet sites. The program gives you the option of
saving your data in MetaStock® or ASCII files.
There are other notable downloaders -- contact us if you need assistance.
In short, there are a number of fine products at a nominal cost that
gather data automatically from free online resources.
What kind of support is offered?
Insider TA comes with a printed 240 page Users Manual along with
the conventional pop-up help facility that's integrated with the software
(if you downloaded our demo, then you are already aware of this). An
electronic equivalent of the Users Manual (in Acrobat PDF format) is
also supplied. We also include a set of animated tutorials (these are
not included with the demo download, due to their large size).
Our web site also contains a variety of information on how to use Insider TA.
Occasionally we may also send out how-to's via a subscribed E-newsletter.
And of course, free unlimited email support directly with us here at
Stock Blocks.
Does Insider TA require an Internet connection?
Yes, but only during certain events:
Build Updates: The Insider TA software has an Internet
Update Facility feature that facilitates easy updating to the
latest software build for the current version.
Periodic check-in: Due to piracy concerns, there is a license
verification system designed to protect the intellectual property of
Stock Blocks, as well as our registered users in the event their copy
is inadvertantly copied or misplaced.
Other than the above times, general operation of Insider TA does not
require an Internet connection.
Can I download the software electronically?
Upon purchase of Insider TA, we will send you the software by physical
mail shipment only. There is no electronic download option for the first-time
installation. However, subsequent build updates are always performed
electronically using the "Internet Update" feature discussed
in the previous paragraph.
No. The ability to use Insider TA for real-time data (such as ESignal)
is something that has been discussed for a while, and hopefully will
be included in a future major update. We do not have a projected date
of release for a version containing this feature.
[I don't have the Pro Version]. Can I use Insider TA to view
my TC2000 data files [with the Standard Version]?
Yes, by exporting your TC2000 data to ASCII format. TeleChart 2005/2007 works
the same way. For instructions, refer
to this page.
How can I load [TeleChart] Watch Lists into Insider TA
Insider TA recognizes your TeleChart 2005/2007 (and TC2000 Version 4.x/5.x)
WatchLists automatically. You will see them listed in the File
Entry Panel. Just click the WatchList you would like to view,
then select from one of the symbols in that list.
What good reference materials are there regarding [Insider TA's
analysis methods]
Regarding the BUY and SELL tags that Insider TA inserts in
the graph when the "VA Rank" Function is turned on... I observed the
overall percent yield over the number of transactions reported, and figure
there's a broker's commission being worked into the yield calculations.
Is this true?
By default, a 2% simulated broker fee is worked into each individual
buy and sell tag. You can configure this to any value between 0 and 10
percent, inclusive.
On certain stocks the BA FUNCTION window will show a very FLAT line
on the bottom of the window with just a narrow TOWER shape usually near
the middle of the line... Why is this lower graph like this and is there
some setting I should use to make this more relevant. It doesn't seem
to effect the placing of the BA BUY signals but it is disturbing to see
these graphs come out this way."
