Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Account Manager work with both NinjaTrader 8 and Tradovate?
Yes, but they run in different places. On NinjaTrader 8 the Account Manager works through the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On, so NinjaTrader has to be running and connected for it to act. On Tradovate it runs entirely on CrossTrade's servers: no Add-On, no NinjaTrader, and your computer can be off. Where the two behave differently, the answers below say so.
Can I use the Account Manager on its own without using webhook alerts?
Yes, on either broker. You can set profit and loss thresholds and flattening without sending a single webhook. Orders triggered by webhooks are optional CrossTrade functionality. If you do not use them, you can ignore the Alert Management configuration settings.
Do I have to worry about slippage?
Yes, on both brokers. Slippage is always a concern in fast-moving markets. On NinjaTrader 8 the Account Manager cancels working orders and closes each position with a market order. On Tradovate, CrossTrade cancels working orders and liquidates through the Tradovate API. Either way prices can move between order generation and execution, so the exact price an account closes at is not guaranteed.
Does this work if my CrossTrade NT8 Add-On client is disconnected?
It depends on the broker. On NinjaTrader 8, no: the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On must be running and actively connected for the Account Manager to monitor or act, and it cannot take automated actions until the connection is restored. Scheduled flattening is worth separating out. The timer itself is server-side, so it still comes due on time whether or not you are connected, but the flatten cannot be carried out without the Add-On. When that happens CrossTrade records it in your Management Log as an attempt against a disconnected NT8 rather than silently skipping it. On Tradovate the question does not apply. Tradovate monitors evaluate on CrossTrade's servers, so no Add-On and no NinjaTrader are involved and your computer can be off. What a Tradovate monitor does depend on is CrossTrade's connection to Tradovate and to live pricing.
Do I need a specific subscription plan to use the Account Manager?
Yes. The Account Manager is available with Pro subscriptions and above, on both NinjaTrader 8 and Tradovate. See crosstrade.io/pricing for detailed information.
Can I use the Account Manager with overnight positions?
On NinjaTrader 8, no. The NT8 Account Manager is built for intraday use and starts each session (6 PM ET) from a flat account. If a monitor finds an open position at that moment, it goes INACTIVE and waits for you to restart it; you can switch that check off with Require Clean Session in the monitor settings. Tradovate monitors have no clean-session requirement.
What does it mean for an account to be "flat"?
A "flat" account has no open positions and no pending orders. On NinjaTrader 8, being flat at the 6 PM ET session open is what lets an active monitor carry into the new session on its own.
Do I have to restart my monitors every day?
No. A monitor that stops on a profit or loss threshold re-arms by itself at the 6 PM ET session open, with the same thresholds it already had (Tradovate monitors are cleared by a nightly reset). Restart is for resuming inside the same session. The one exception is an unclean session start on NT8, covered above.
How many Account Manager Monitors can I create?
On NinjaTrader 8, one active Monitor for each individual account you use inside NT8. On Tradovate, one monitor per account, with no limit on how many accounts you monitor.
What happens if my connection is unstable?
On NinjaTrader 8 your own connection is the dependency: if it drops you may see delayed or failed automated actions, so keep your trading environment stable. On Tradovate your connection is not in the path at all, because monitors run server-side. Tradovate monitors do pause enforcement when live pricing for an open position is incomplete or stale, rather than acting on unreliable numbers. You will see a Monitor Enforcement Paused alert while that is happening, and enforcement resumes automatically once pricing is current again.
Is the automated EOD flattening mandatory?
No, on either broker. You can leave End-of-Day auto-flattening off in the monitor's settings. It never happens automatically: a time must be set, and if you leave it unconfigured it will never trigger. On both brokers, scheduled flattening is eligible only during the five minutes after the configured time. If CrossTrade cannot run or verify it inside that window, it does not send a surprise catch-up flatten hours later.
Can I set the flattening time in my own time zone?
No. On both brokers the flatten time is specified in US/Eastern time, in 24-hour clock notation, such as 16:30 for 4:30 PM ET.
What if I want to restart a stopped monitor after a threshold is hit?
Set new profit and loss thresholds beyond the account's current P/L, then restart. The Restarting a Monitor section of the Monitors page has a worked example.
Can I reconfigure monitor thresholds at any time?
Yes, you can modify and save settings at any point while your monitor is operational. On NinjaTrader 8 the changes are pushed down to the CrossTrade NT8 Add-On immediately. On Tradovate the monitor is evaluated server-side, so a saved change applies without a client round trip.
Are threshold modifications synchronous to strategy execution?
No. A saved change applies from the monitor's next evaluation pass, so a strategy placing orders at that moment can act before the new settings take effect.
What type of alerts can the Account Manager affect?
On NinjaTrader 8 a monitor can independently set your alerts for only the managed account to be disabled, to be closing-order-only, or to have no filtering change at all (useful when you only want logging). On Tradovate a triggered monitor blocks CrossTrade webhook signals for that account, and closes the position through the Tradovate API when auto-close is enabled. Trades you place by hand inside Tradovate cannot be blocked ahead of time, though auto-close still applies after the fact.
Are all my settings persistent?
Yes. All your settings, including enable and disable states, are stored on CrossTrade's servers, so nothing needs re-entering after a session reset.