Paper Trading

Now you can practice before you trade using all the same Barchart Trader tools as found in an actual funded trading account.

Set up one or more virtual paper trading accounts and perfect your trading skills in a simulated trading environment. Your paper trading account uses real streaming market data. If you've downloaded the free Barchart Trader software, Trader provides access to free delayed data (futures and forex are delayed 10-minutes, equities and indices are delayed 15-minutes.)

Using delayed data? Why not try integrating live futures trading with a free real-time data trial to CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX data?

Call us at 1-800-238-5814 or 1-312-283-2387 (email trader@barchart.com) to add real-time data and trade execution.

It's easy to start paper trading:

  1. Create a Paper Trading Account
  2. Switch your Trading Provider to your Paper Trading Account.
  3. Reset your Paper Trading Account to start over.

Create a Paper Trading Account

  1. Click the Application Menu, found in the upper right corner of the application and select Settings.
    Result: The Settings dialog box is opened, with six tabs from which to choose.
  2. Open the Trading Providers tab.
  3. Click the + button to Add an Account.
  4. Select Barchart Simulated.
  5. Enter an Account Name and set a beginning Account Balance.
  6. Click Create Account.

Switch Your Trading Provider to Your Paper Trading Account

You can toggle back and forth between paper trading and an actual account. Switch your account using the order ticket, always docked at the top of the application.

  1. Click in the Account section to display the drop-down list, and select the desired account.

    Docked Trading Ticket

    Note: The "active" trading account is displayed in panels that allow trading, such as DOM Trader, the Order Ticket, or Orders Summary. This is shown for informational purposes only.

    Switch Accounts

Reset Your Paper Trading Account to Start Over

If you've been paper trading and want to reset or clear the account and start again, simply DELETE the paper trading account and create a new one. To delete the account:

  1. Click the Application Menu, found in the upper right corner of the application and select Settings.
    Result: The Settings dialog box is opened.
  2. Open the Trading Providers tab.
  3. Locate the paper trading account you wish to delete.
  4. Click Delete.