Nest Plus Auto Trading Tutorial

The Nest Plus is an automated trading API provided by Omnesys.  It allows trading only in semi-auto mode to retail clients and full-auto mode to Sub-brokers.

Nest Plus, introduced to Indian masses in 2011, presented the very first automated trading system for the retail traders in India. A similar product by Omnesys- Nest Pulse has stability issues and not recommended for our readers.

Contents

Broker & Subscription Costs

Brokers who have taken respective exchange approval for Nest Plus can provide this to their clients. Sharekhan, Zerodha, Edelweiss, Composite Edge, India Infoline, Karvy, MasterTrust, RKSV and several others may provide it on request.

  • Cost for Sub-brokers: Rs. 990+ Taxes
  • Cost for Clients: Rs. 295+ Taxes

Integrating with Amibroker/Excel/Matlab

The Nest Plus api comes with proper documentation which gives integration code with popular software. You access the API document here for details. This document also serves as a reference tutorial.

Amibroker tutorial can be accessed here: 5-Minute Amibroker Training for Algo Trading

AFL Code: Nest Plus API AFL Integration Code

Strengths

  • Inexpensive integration solution
  • Position Sizing: you can implement both scale-in and scale-out by coding in AFL/Excel. The API allows to pass order quantity parameter
  • Custom Order Price: This feature is particularly helpful for levels and mean reversion traders because you can pass the limit order price from AFL/Excel
  • Order Modification: API allows both order modification and cancellation
  • Order Types: API allows all order types available in Nest- Limit, Market, SL-L, SL-M
  • Product Types: All order products provided by your broker can be used, like MIS, NRML, SPL

Limitations

  • Primitive API- It exposes only few functions. For example, there is no  function to test broker connectivity, login to broker network, or chech Net Position in a scrip.
  • Sessions Breaks- it is next to impossible to use API on a normal internet connection because it does not has any mechanisms to handle session breaks. Session may break even if internet is disconnected for one second and any orders/signals during this time will be dumped
  • One-way Connection: The API provides only one-way connection with Amibroker/Excel. That is, you can send orders from Amibroker but cannot retrieve Position/MTM/Margin etc. from Nest Trader. Hence strategies which take decisions based on current MTM or Net Position cannot be implemented through Nest Plus.