The Sovren Trading Guide

Sign in to NinjaTrader 8

Install NinjaTrader 8 from ninjatrader.com (it's a free download for Windows), then open it.

Sign in with your NinjaTrader username and password, the account you created on ninjatrader.com. This is not your prop firm login. You'll use that later, in step 3.

Choose how you want to trade

After signing in, NinjaTrader asks How do you want to trade?

• Prop firm account: follow your firm's welcome email. If your firm sent you a NinjaTrader license key, it will tell you which option to pick and where to enter the key.
• Just practising? Choose Simulation. You can try Sovren on the free Sim101 practice account first.

Connect your prop firm account

This links NinjaTrader to your prop firm so Sovren can place trades on that account. Have your firm's welcome email open; it lists the connection type and the login to use.

1. In the main NinjaTrader window (the Control Center), click Connections at the top, then configure at the bottom of the menu.
2. In the Available list, click the connection type your firm names. Many prop firms use a Rithmic connection; follow your firm's exact wording.
3. Click add under the Configured list.
4. On the right, give it any name you like (for example My Prop Firm), then type the user name and password from your firm's email. If there are other boxes, such as System or Gateway for Rithmic, set them exactly as the email says.
5. Tick Connect on start up so it connects every time you open NinjaTrader, then click OK.
6. Open the Connections menu again and click the name you just made to connect.

Check that your prop account appears

In the Control Center, click the Accounts tab at the bottom. Next to Sim101 (the practice account) you should now see your prop firm account. Its name comes from your firm and often includes the account size or a number.

If you only see Sim101, the prop firm connection isn't connected yet. Go back to step 3.

Import Sovren into NinjaTrader

1. Download Sovren from Download & setup on this dashboard. It usually lands in your Downloads folder. Don't open or unzip it; NinjaTrader imports the file as it is.
2. In the Control Center, click Tools, then Import, then NinjaScript Add-On...
3. Pick the Sovren file and click Open. When NinjaTrader says the import worked, close NinjaTrader and open it again.

Open a 1-minute NQ or MNQ chart

1. In the Control Center, click New, then Chart. The Data Series window opens.
2. Next to Instrument, type NQ (or MNQ for the smaller size) and pick the current contract month.
3. Under Data Series, set Type to Minute and Value to 1.
4. Leave Trading hours on the default for NQ (CME US Index Futures ETH), then click OK.

Add Sovren to the chart

1. Right-click anywhere on the chart and choose Strategies...
2. In the Available list, click Sovren, then click add.

If Sovren isn't in the list, the import in step 5 didn't finish. Import it again and restart NinjaTrader.

Fill in the settings and turn it on

With Sovren selected under Configured, look at Properties on the right:

• Account: choose your prop firm account. Sim101 is practice only, and no real trades happen there.
• Activation key: copy it from your License under Download & setup and paste it in. Paste it in full, with no spaces at the start or end.
• Contracts: how many contracts per trade. If you're unsure, start with 1, and check your firm's limits.
• Tick Enabled, then click OK. Do this before 9:30 AM New York time.

Check the badge on your chart

Sovren shows a badge in the corner of the chart, so you can see what it's doing:

• SOVREN LIVE Cleared to trade today.
• SOVREN WAITING Before the open, or a day it won't trade.
• NEWS DAY Sitting out a big news day.
• SESSION COMPLETE Done for today.

Leave your computer and NinjaTrader on and connected until Sovren is out of any trade for the day. Days with no trade are normal.