Each month in this Journal, our technical support staff addresses issues of interest to many CSI subscribers in a question-and-answer format. 

Notice:
  The views and information expressed in this document reflect the opinions and experience of the author Robert C. Pelletier.  Neither CSI nor the author undertake or intend to provide tax advice or trading advice in any market or endorse any outside individual or firm.  All recommendations are provided for their informational value only.  Readers should consult competent financial advisors or outside counsel before making any software purchase or investment decision.  CSI does not stand behind or endorse the products of any outside firms.

Copyright (c) 2000 Commodity Systems Inc. (CSI).  All rights are reserved.

Q.
    You mentioned upcoming changes to Commitments of Traders (COT) data in a recent CSI Technical Journal and asked readers to complete a survey with recommendations. Has the CFTC taken any action and, if so, how will my data be affected?

A.
   According to Steve Briese, editor of The Bullish Review and the supplier of CSI's COT data, "The CFTC has announced that weekly release of the Commitments of Traders report will begin in October. This affects the Futures Only report, which will be released at 2:30 central time every Friday, instead of the current biweekly schedule. The Futures + Options report will still be released on the current alternate Mondays schedule. As you know, the current report is compiled as of each Tuesday's close and released on alternate Fridays. It is not clear whether the tabulation date for the Futures Only report will remain Tuesday or be switched to Mondays. We are attempting to find out."

    CSI will continue to post COT data at the earliest possible time after it is received. For more information on Commitments of Traders data, please see The Bullish Review website at www.BullishReview.com.

Q.
    I am trying to add indices to my portfolio but I cannot find a listing for them in the Unfair Advantage (UA) factsheets. Where are they located? 

A.
    The indices are listed with stocks and mutual funds. The fastest way to find them from the data series selection window is to select: Market Type - Stocks and Mutual Funds; Sort by - Exchange; Locate - Index. Before you have finished typing "index," an alphabetical list of all indices will display. Scroll through the listing to the indices of your choice and check the adjacent boxes (in the "Se" column) to include in your portfolio. 

Q.
    UA's ability to display both my portfolio and one or more charts simultaneously is nice, but sometimes I want to see a single chart in as large a format as possible. Is there a way to remove the portfolio listing?

A.
    The portfolio listing cannot be removed entirely, but the screen space it occupies can be adjusted according to your needs. To reduce (or expand) the space used by the portfolio window, use your mouse pointer to grab the vertical dividing line between the chart and the portfolio list. The cursor will change from an arrow to a double vertical line with arrows pointing to the left and right. Click and hold your mouse button while you drag the line to the desired position. You can make the portfolio listing so narrow that only the first letter of each symbol shows or so wide that most of the factsheet information is visible.

    Another way to economize space in the portfolio window is to adjust the size of the columns. For example, if you don't care to see which directories hold your various files, you can grab one of the column dividers for the "directory" heading and move it toward the other so the "directory" column becomes very narrow. This will allow more room to display columns that are of interest to you.

    UA's printed charts are designed to maximize the charting space on the page and do not include portfolio information.