Visual Intelligence Portal (VIP)

supporting

SmartLists® with SmartAlerts® including SoftStops®,

webHeatmaps® and NASDAQ Level 2 Quotes

 

 

A downloadable Microsoft™ Word version of this document is at:

http://www.wirelessmarvels.com/~vip/vip.doc

 

If you are a new subscriber and wish to quickly set up SoftStops® without having to review this detailed manual,

then use the Quick Start Guide at:

http://www.wirelessmarvels.com/vipquickstartguide.doc

 

 

1.0     Introduction to the Visual Intelligence Portal (VIP). 3

2.0     Accessing the Service. 4

2.1     Prerequisites. 4

2.2     Registration Process. 4

2.3     Logging On to the VIP Service.. 5

3.0     SmartList Portfolios. 8

3.1     SmartLists. 8

3.2     SmartAlerts. 8

3.2.1      Limit Alerts. 9

3.2.2     SoftStop Alerts. 9

3.3     SmartList Display Options. 9

3.4     Portfolio Management. 14

3.5     Setting SmartAlert Preferences. 15

3.6     Emailed Reports. 16

3.7     Setting Limit Alerts and Showing Limit Exceeded.. 16

3.8     Setting SoftStop Alerts and Showing SoftStop Reached.. 16

3.9     Launching webHeatmaps, NASDAQ Level 2 Quote Viewer, and Help.. 17

4.0     Heatmaps. 18

4.1     Summary of Benefits of WebHeatmaps. 19

4.2     Mouse and Window Control of webHeatmaps. 20

4.3     Setting up a webHeatmap.. 21

5.0     NASDAQ Level II Viewer. 23

5.1     Features. 24

5.2     Launching the NASDAQ Level II Viewer. 25

6.0     Service Costs. 26

7.0     Acknowledgments. 26


1.0       Introduction to the Visual Intelligence Portal (VIP)

 

 

Wireless Marvels Inc. is pleased to introduce you to the Visual Intelligence Portal (VIP).  This is a Web-Based subscription service offering of integrated web tools aimed at providing individual and institutional traders with a wealth of online real-time financial market information in an easy to comprehend visual format.  The subscriber’s Web browser, used to connect to the service, is securely downloaded with multiple applets (small remotely loaded applications) to provide for various types of data displays and analysis.

 

The primary service offering is a dynamically updating portfolio, known as a SmartList, displaying a number of different critical parameters and charts for each security.  The subscriber may program each SmartList security with one or more SmartAlerts. If a SmartAlert is activated because of current market conditions, whether the subscriber is currently logged into the service or not, they can be notified of the Alert via a combination of Email and messages sent to their wireless devices. One particular SmartAlert is of particular interest to traders who follow the trailing stops philosophy. The “SoftStop” SmartAlert automatically maintains subscribers trailing stops and alerts them via Email and/or wireless devices when a critical stop point has been reached.

 

The webHeatmap offering provides an unprecedented manor of displaying market conditions via a specialized color-coded display that allows a trader to simultaneously view hundreds of securities or portfolio positions, and quickly hone into those that have reached conditions that warrant further examination by the subscriber.

 

With the NASDAQ Level II Viewer, you can view real-time supply and demand information for any Market Maker driven equity. You can gain an unprecedented insight into the minds of those controlling the market. You can use it to take advantage of the minor price differences between the bid/offer spread to capture profits or you can use it to time your entry and exit points used in momentum trading strategies.

 

This is not a static service offering. The development team will be periodically releasing upgrades and enhancements to the current offerings, new value-added optional services as well as offering additional types of SmartAlerts.

 

Because this is a Web-based service, subscribers may access the service from anywhere on the Internet. No information is maintained on local computers used by the subscriber. All subscriber specific information is maintained in online databases maintained at the centralized server farm of redundant scaleable computers that operate the service. All information transferred to the subscribers computer used to access the service, is sent in a secure encrypted form, so that no outside parties are able to determine what information is being viewed or analyzed by a subscriber. For added security, the service also employs “ Digital Signature Technology “ (Class 3 for Commercial Software Publishing) and “Object Signing” licensed from VeriSign, to insure that the specialized software which is downloaded from VIP’s servers to the subscribers computer, has not been tampered with, and to insure that this software is granted proper privileges to operate properly on your computer.

 

2.0   Accessing the Service

 

2.1   Prerequisites

 

Before you can start using VIP you must have the following:

 

 

2.2   Registration Process

 

In order to access the Visual Intelligence Portal, a User ID and password must first be established. This information is defined during the registration process where an individual or corporate user establishes an online account.  There are several steps in the registration process. They are as follows:

 

            Personal information           The subscribers name, address, telephone, fax number and Email address is requested as well as any company affiliation

       Selecting a Service Plan   The various service plans and options are discussed and the subscriber chooses the initial plan. This can be upgraded or downgraded at a later time.

            Service Agreement        The VIP Service Agreement is presented to the subscriber. This explains how the service operates, defines how closing prices are established, how Alerts are handled, the importance of using multiple Email addresses for Alerts, and other important operational and contractual issues. This agreement should be printed out, read and signed online.

       Exchange Agreements     The NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ Exchange agreements are each presented to the subscriber. Each must be signed before continuing the registration process. The agreements explain the restricted license you are being given to view and utilize up-to-the-second market data.

       Secure Credit Card       A credit card is required to sign onto the VIP service. All credit card information is collected and stored in a secure manner and authorized using secure services. But, if there is any insecurity regarding the use of credit cards over the Internet, the registration process can be completed via telephone.

 

 

2.3   Logging On to the VIP Service

 

To start the VIP Service, from your browser enter:

 

http://vip.netfeedtech.com/smartlist/

 

The following window is displayed:

 

 

 

Select Launch SmartList.  A screen asking for verification that you are allowing a secure web application to operate may appear.  If so, select Yes to allow the applets (small application temporarily loaded from our servers onto your computer) to operate normally on your computer.

 

The following login screen is displayed.

 

 

 

 

Log into VIP by entering your assigned User Id and Password.  Then select the Connect button.  The main SmartList display of the VIP service will appear in a similar manor to the following:

 

 

 

First time users: 

 

Setup your portfolio first by entering a few securities.  This is a good way to start understanding how VIP works before entering all the securities in all of your portfolios. Press the “ Add List Entry ” button to add a security to the portfolio SmartList being displayed.

 


3.0   SmartList Portfolios

 

3.1            SmartLists

 

A SmartList is a real time portfolio and quotation viewer.  VIP allows each subscriber to create one or more portfolios and to define what parameters associated with each security symbol should be displayed.  Dragging the columns left and right to set their desired width makes the information associated with each parameter easily viewable.

 

During market hours, this SmartList is dynamically updated with any change to price, volume, high, low, percentage gain, or percentage loss as it occurs in real time.  Current up-to-the-minute market data is feed into the servers that operate the VIP service so as to keep the data accurate up to the second. As the VIP servers receive more up to date information for a subscribers particular subset of securities, that data is immediately transmitted to the subscribers computer to update their SmartList display.

 

SmartList provides the following functions:

 

 

3.2   SmartAlerts

 

The SmartAlerts is the monitoring service for SmartLists.  SmartAlerts allows the subscriber to set optional parameters on one, several or all of the symbols of any portfolios managed by SmartList.  There are two types of SmartAlerts currently provided although many additional ones will be forthcoming:

 

 

3.2.1                Limit Alerts

 

Limit Alerts allow the user to set specific upper and lower price limits for any security in the user’s portfolio. Any time of the day that the current price exceeds the upper limit or is below the lower limit, a SmartAlert is generated. It is not necessary for the subscriber to be logged in for SmartAlerts to function. Once the parameters are set, VIP continually monitors securities.

 

Note: In the initial release of the VIP service, Limit Alerts will only be displayed graphically in real time, while viewing the SmartList having the limits set. Off line monitoring of limits with Email alerting will be in a subsequent release. Out of limit indicators will appear through the display of the ticker symbol in color. When the ticker symbol is GREEN an upper limit has been reached, while RED indicates that a lower limit has been exceeded.

 

3.2.2 SoftStop Alerts

 

SoftStop Alerts implement a “trailing stop” philosophy that is designed to limit losses before they become major losses and to allow gains to accumulate while protecting the trader from a sudden price drop. A SoftStop is set by specifying the percentage stop-loss that is tolerable, and setting the original purchase price of the security being monitored.  An alert is generated at the end of any day when the stop-loss limit is reached. So, for example, if the subscriber set a 20% SoftStop on a security that was originally $100, then a SmartAlert would be generated on any day when the closing price was below $80. But, on the other hand, if the security went up to $160, a SmartAlert will be generated if the end of day price drops below $128. Optionally, the subscriber may set a specific SoftStop price. So using the same example, if the SoftStop price was set to $88 and the security went up to $160, the SoftStop price would be automatically adjusted by the system to $140.80 which is the 12% limit as calculated when the $88 price was set on the $100 security.

 

3.3   SmartList Display Options

 

The SmartList displays a list of stocks in a SmartList portfolio along with one or more optionally displayed parameters.  Control of the SmartList appearance is as follows:

 

Only one SmartList window is viewable at one time.

 

The parameter fields associated with a security instrument include:

 

 

 

 

 

Fields may be added and removed by a right click on any column and checking which column names are to be included in the display. 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Show or Hide Cells

(Rows of Securities)

 

Summary Rows

 

Display Chart

 

Options

 

Display News

 

Launch L2

 

Edit Parameters

 

Remove Entry

 

Row Headers

 

 


 

Across the top of the display the user may select particular charts and values to be continually displayed. In the prior example three indices are being shown while this next example shows 3 securities and an index. The charts are controlled as follows:

 

 

Charts

 

Right Click Chart to display chart options.

 

Right Click icon bar to display “Add Quote” to display a new chart.

 

 

 

Charting Options are: 

 

Right Click icon bar:      Displays “Add Quote” to add a new chart. 

 

Right Click a chart:                        Selects chart options: 

 

Add Quote                 display new chart

Edit                             edit this securities SmartList parameters

Remove                       deletes Chart

Chart                          displays analytic charts

Options                       displays options for security

News                           displays news for security

Level II                      for NASDAQ securities displays Level II view

 

 

 

If a SoftStop SmartAlert is set for a security, the subscriber has specified the original purchase price of the security. With this additional information, VIP may display the current price in a color-coordinated manner to quickly provide value-added information as follows:

 

Green              The current price exceeds the original purchase price and above yesterdays close.

 

Blue                 The current price is above the original price but is below yesterdays close

 

Yellow             The current price is below the original price but above the SoftStop Price.

 

Red                  The security is trading below the SoftStop price.

 

 


 

 

3.4   Portfolio Management

 

The services for creating, editing and removing portfolios and portfolio entries are shown in the following figure. A maximum of 10 portfolio SmartLists may be defined:

 

Add List Entry

 

Remove List  (Portfolio)

 

Edit List Name

 

Create New List (Portfolio)

 

Select Portfolio

 

 

 

Right clicking a row for a security:  displays the following options:

 

Add Entry                  add a new entry (security) to the list

Edit                             edit this securities SmartList parameters

Remove                       deletes Chart

Chart                          displays analytic charts

Options                       displays options for security

News                           displays news for security

Level II                      for NASDAQ securities displays Level II view

 

 

 

 

3.5            Setting SmartAlert Preferences

 

A SmartAlert notification is Email report which is generated and transmitted when one of the Alert Types specified for a security have reached the point where the subscriber should be notified. The VIP service can send one or more Email messages when this event occurs. Today, nearly all wireless devices have an Email address associated with them for the purposes of sending a short or long message or to the device. This includes pagers, cellphones, PDA devices, Blackberry/RIM pagers, wireless Palm devices, and many others. Contact your service provider to find out what Email address can be used to display an Email message on your particular wireless device.

 

SmartAlerts are used to notify the subscriber when certain events occur for a security. Because of the importance of such a notification as well as the potential unreliability of the delivery of an Email message, it is recommended that SmartAlert notifications always be directed to at least two different Email addresses. In that way, there is a higher chance that at least one of the Email messages will reach its destination. An Email message might not reach an Email box for any of a range of different reasons including - it is found that the subscribers mailbox is filled, or the route to the subscribers Email server has been temporarily blocked, or a hacker has bombarded the Email server with so much junk mail that the server is unable to receive legitimate Email. In the case of a wireless device, a received Email may come to the wireless service provider but the wireless device is in an area where the message cannot be delivered, or it is off, or the device might be in an analog service area where digital messages can’t be received. By sending to multiple Email addresses, there is a higher probability that at least one copy of each important notification will be received.

 

Selecting the Preference button sets the SmartAlert parameters for all securities.  The Preference window is displayed with fields for:

 

 

SmartAlert Email messages will report the security and the alert type being reported upon and the parameters that have caused the notification to be generated. Each Emailed report contains a segment that includes optional information included from the developers and operators of the VIP service to convey additional information with regard to Alerts.

 

3.6   Emailed Reports

 

In addition to SmartAlert parameters, the Preference display allows the subscriber to specify if they would like portfolio reports to be sent to their Email addresses on a daily or weekly basis. Daily portfolio reports contain an End of Day summary with the days closing information. Weekly reports only report positions as of the end of the week. If SoftStop Alerts are in effect, SoftStop information is included in these reports.

 

Each Emailed report contains a segment that includes optional information from the developers and operators of the VIP service to convey some of the latest available service information to subscribers.  This might refer to new features and functions being offered or answer frequently asked questions.

 

3.7   Setting Limit Alerts and Showing Limit Exceeded

 

Limit Alerts allow the user to set upper and lower price limits for each security in the user’s portfolio.  Selecting the Edit Parameters button on the entry row associated with the security sets the limits.  Another window is displayed with fields for entering the upper and lower limits. 

 

The “Symbol Field” changes text color to GREEN if the upper limit is reached and RED if the lower limit is reached.

 

3.8   Setting SoftStop Alerts and Showing SoftStop Reached

 

SoftStop Alerts are activated by specifying the percentage stop-loss desired, and the original purchase price of the security being monitored.  An alert is generated at the end of day when the stop-loss limit is reached.

 

The service requires that the subscriber specify the Email address (or addresses) where alerts should be sent.  This may be a real Email account, the address of a wireless device such as a one-way or two-way pager, text messaging cell phone, Blackberry device, wireless Palm, or similar type of device.  The subscriber may further select to have their portfolio Emailed to them each day, at the end of the week, or never. If the portfolio is emailed, it will contain the current stop-loss point of each security being monitored, based upon the rise in price above the purchase price or the fall below the original price.  Regardless of the Emailing of the full portfolio, on the evening after the market closes below a stop-loss point, a SmartAlert is Emailed to the subscriber to indicate that they may wish to put in a market or limit order the next trading day.

 

Selecting the Preference button sets the SoftStop parameters for all securities.  The Preference window is displayed with fields for:

 

·         SoftStop Default Percentage (Stop-Loss) to be used for all securities unless changed or disabled for a particular security.

 

Selecting the Edit button for the individual security sets the SoftStop parameters for that particular security.  Another window is displayed with fields for:

 

 

3.9            Launching webHeatmaps, NASDAQ Level 2 Quote Viewer, and Help

 

The buttons for launching webHeatmaps, the NASDAQ Level 2 Quote Viewer, and Help are shown in the following figure:

 

 

Launch Level 2 Quote Viewer

 

Launch webHeatmaps for Portfolio

 

 

 

4.0   Heatmaps

 

"A picture is worth a thousand words".  Never has that saying had more meaning than with webHeatmaps.  In a single glance, the user can differentiate market movement like never before.  The Visual Intelligence Portal (VIP) translates your individual portfolios into colorful webHeatmaps automatically.

 

“People are over-saturated with information … there will be a paradigm shift to glance-ability” – Kevin Brooks – Motorola Research

 

A Heatmap is a visual representation of an entire portfolio in one shot. In a single glance, the subscriber may differentiate market movements like never before. It organizes financial instruments or positions into color-coded cells or spots that report some key information regarding the security. Using live data, Heatmaps perform calculations in real-time and displays the results in color. It is called a heat map because it quickly shows what is hot and what is not so that the subscriber may focus their attention where it is most needed. The VIP utilizes the “mouse-over” feature on top of the Heatmaps so that an entire summary of live data is presented to the subscriber merely by putting the mouse over any box of the Heatmap. The Heatmap can be shrunk into a corner of the trader’s screen leaving only the color codes to be seen. If the subscriber sees the minimized diagram starting to turn redder or greener they can quickly enlarge the diagram to view details. Reading raw numbers in a SmartList or within a spreadsheet requires much time and attention by the subscriber. But leaving a Heatmap on the screen allows the subscriber to do other things on their computers while utilizing visual color clues to determine when they should examine details. Heatmaps, although simple in concept, are a productivity and management enhancement tool that quickly becomes an invaluable.

 

Users can set visual alerts to highlight important opportunities, critical information or current results.  WebHeatmaps allow the user to focus their time and attention on the few pieces of information that are most important at this moment.

 

 

 

This 11 security Heatmap is ordered by percentage gain or loss since yesterdays close.

 

 

 

 

4.1   Summary of Benefits of WebHeatmaps

 

The WebHeatmaps application provides a consolidated map to all the information required by investors in the decision making process.  These benefits include:

 

·         Immediately target, analyze and act on market changes.

·         Display hundreds of positions or securities simultaneously. The intuitive visual interface makes sense immediately.

·         Portfolio or position performance to relative benchmark

·         Perform better executions by spotting opportunistic conditions Find financial opportunities that would otherwise be lost in a sea of important data, and reduce your risk.

·         Detailed numerical information is available with just one click.

·         Easier. Focus only on the few pieces of information that are most important at any given time.

 

4.2   Mouse and Window Control of webHeatmaps

 

The following is a list of the Mouse Actions supported by webHeatmaps:

 

Mouse-Over              By placing the mouse over any particular cell in a WebHeatmap, users can gain insight into the price movement by viewing important information such as: Last Sale, Net Change, Today’s High, Today’s Low, Volume, Previous Close and a dynamic tick chart on today’s activity. 

 

Right Click Cell         -View News, Options, Fundamental Data and Charts

-Return to SmartList view

-Set Reference Cell, color and value

-Set Reference Cell, color 

 

Left click cell      For NASDAQ listed securities, simply click on the instrument to view real-time NASDAQ Level II data.

 

Resize Window     webHeatmaps can be reduced to a very small window to monitor your portfolio while other programs are active.  The information shrinks to only where the color of the cells is visible.  A mouse over a cell then displays current information for the security.

 

 

The Set Reference Cell (Color and Value) item allows the current cell (the one below the cursor) to be the reference cell that all other cells are relative to.  The color is set to “white” and the value in the cell is to a reference value depending on the cell value being displayed.  For example, if % Change is being displayed then the reference cell is set to 0%.

The Set Reference Cell (Color) item allows the current cell (the one below the cursor) to be the reference cell that all other cells are relative to.  The color is set to “white”.

 

4.3            Setting up a webHeatmap

 

The services shown on and selected through the menu bar are:

·         Analytics

·         Display Options

·         Help

 

 

 

 

 

 


Menu Bar

 
        

 

 


Analytics – The menu selections are: 

 

Resort

 

Reorganize the cells after market activity changes the order of securities as per the ColorBy value.

Sort Ascending

Sort the cells in ascending order based on a selected value (see Values)

Sort Descending

Sort the cells in descending order based on a selected value (see Values).

Color By

Select the color value (see Values),

 

Values:

% Change

Open

Close

Price

High

Shares

Low

Trade Volume

Market Value

Volume

Net Change

 

                

 

Display Options – The menu selections are:

Show Labels

The business segment column is displayed.

Show ColorBar

The gradient color bar is displayed.

Packed

The securities are divided into business sectors.  Only valid if the securities are in multiple business sectors

 

 

 

ColorBar

 

Labels

 
        

 

 

Help       Online Help moves the subscriber to the support VIP web site.  The subscriber can send a query to the VIP customer and technical support teams, review Frequently Asked Questions, or reference the User Guide. 

About Us presents the current version of the software and vendor attributions. 

 

 

5.0   NASDAQ Level II Viewer

 

The Level II Viewer brings NASDAQ Market Maker information alive by displaying the positions of all market makers (players) training in a particular security. The Viewer displays a given security, by color - according to their relative position from the Bid and Offer at any given time during market hours. It provides the serious trader with unequaled insight into the bid/offer side of the market from every Market Maker on NASDAQ and Small Cap Market issues. This information is used by financial institutions worldwide and is a “must-have” for all professional U.S. equity traders as well as non-professional Day Traders.

 

Level II goes a step beyond Level I (standard quotes). It reveals the “ order book ” for a NASDAQ stock. It shows the best bid and offer of every market participant who is publicly posting a quote. It can be used to take advantage of the minor price differences between the bid/offer spread to capture profits or used to time entry and exit points used in momentum trading strategies.

 

 

The Level II Viewer organizes the NASDAQ Level II Market Maker data on NASDAQ Securities into color-coded instruments. Using live data, the Level II Viewer performs calculations in real-time and displays the results as color. Each color represents the “Amount” of Market Makers present relative to the Best Bid and Best Offer as well as the total number of shares being offered at those prices. The Level II Viewer helps to focus time and attention on the few pieces of information that are most important at this moment and help the user to visualize the total breadth of trades and open orders for a particular security.

 

5.1   Features

Price Distribution Bar  The Price Distribution Bar graphically displays the relative number of Market Makers in each price tier compared to all of the outstanding bids or offers. It gives the user an idea of what price dominates the market at the moment. It is located just under the Level I price information (1st set of vertical color bars).

 

Volume Distribution Bar The Volume Distribution Bar graphically displays the relative number of shares in each price tier compared to the total volume of all outstanding bids or offers. It will help give you an idea which price tier has the greatest volume. It is located at the bottom of the screen (2nd set of vertical color bars).

 

Price Tier              A price tier is a group of bids or asks that are at the same price. The top 5 price tiers are color coded to group them together. For example on the bid side of the illustration that follows, the 2nd tier (in light green) shows all bids at the price of $29.44 for Microsoft. The Price Tier is located in the middle of the screen and is represented by the Horizontal color bars.

 

 

Enter NASDAQ Security

 

Asking Prices by Market Makers

 

 

Bids by Market Maker

 

 

 


5.2   Launching the NASDAQ Level II Viewer

 

With VIP you can launch the VIP NASDAQ Level II Viewer directly from SmartList or webHeatmaps.  The following figure shows a typical Level II display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

6.0   Service Costs

 

The basic service offering provides SmartLists with SmartAlerts. The webHeatmaps and NASDAQ Level II Quotes are optional services that may be added to a subscribers account at any time. The cost of the SmartList service as well as the NASDAQ Level II service includes a fee paid directly to the exchanges for the access to real time data. There is no exchange fee associated with webHeatmaps since the same exchange data as that used by the SmartLists, is used.

 

Service Pricing is as follow:

 

·         SmartList with SmartAlerts                  $23.95 / month

·         Heatmaps                                                 $  5.00 / month

·         NASDAQ Level II Quotes                     $38.95 / month

 

7.0   Acknowledgments

 

The VIP service is the combined offering of a number of different technologies designed, developed, supported and marketed by organizations having a long history of creating online real time, state-of-the-art data processing and communication products. The primary development partners include Wireless Marvels Inc., Netfeed Technologies, DataCode Inc., Marketfeed, Inc., Programming Methods Inc. and the licensed products of NeoVision Hypersystems and VeriSign. Netfeed Technologies Inc operates the customer and technical support activities as well as operating the Web Servers.