Differences between Norgate Data and Premium Data in AmiBroker

Data Sources Norgate
#1

We've been asked a lot of times about the differences between Norgate Data and Premium Data in AmiBroker. This post should help clarify the differences but feel free to ask us any further qeustions.

TL;DR: Use Norgate Data instead of the (legacy) Premium Data.

Norgate Data

Norgate Data was released on June 1st 2018. This uses a Norgate-developed plugin for AmiBroker that has significantly more capabilities than our prior integration known as Premium Data.

The following describes some of the additional features that Norgate Data has beyond those in Premium Data:

Data is user-configurable for adjustments (i.e. users can select which types of corporate actions are incorporated into the price data), if the data is to be padded (i.e. repeating the previous close for any non-traded periods), securities are better organized and dynamic watchlists based upon your own criteria can be created. Thomson Reuters Business Classifications (a 5-level structure) is also incorporated. Summaries of the company's operations and financials are available in AmiBroker's Interpretation window.

Data automatically updates in the background according to an edition schedule. If data is delayed for any reason, the system will keep trying until the edition is available. AmiBroker's batch capabilities (v6.20 and above) allow you to perform database maintenance (add new symbols, modify symbol metadata) automatically.

At higher subscription levels (Gold level and above), various additional data is provided including extensive fundamental data, broker consensus forecasts/targets, key economic, key forex rates and commodity data.

For system developers/backtesters we have further subscription levels that incorporate delisted stock data for stocks that were previously listed on a major exchange, plus the ability to backtest on historical index constituents. For example, you can easily incorporate the ability to only trigger a Buy rule if the stock is in the index on the trigger day. A wide range of historical index constituents is available including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500,S&P MidCap 400, S&P Small Cap 600, S&P SuperComposite 1500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 1000, 2000 and 3000. These allow you to backtest your system across different market cap groups.

All further development will be on the Norgate Data platform. (For example, under active development as of July 2018 is an indicator called NorgateDividendYieldTimeSeries that will show a trailing time series of a trailing 12 month dividend yield for all the history of that stock, allowing you to backtest a time series calculated for each historical bar showing you the dividend yield of the stock based upon the current dividend entitlements for that stock at that particular date. This is quite a complex indicator when you take into account all of the corporate actions that affect the dividend yield over a stock's entire history).

Premium Data

Premium Data is Norgate's older/legacy system. It provides data in MetaStock format. AmiBroker is able to interface to this data using AmiBroker's in-built MetaStock plugin. Norgate provides a pre-configured database which interfaces to the MetaStock-format data and also provides a Javascript-based maintenance that organizes symbols into their respective market/groups and also updates various pre-generated watchlists. Premium Data does not incorporate normal/ordinary cash dividends but other events such as special dividends, splits, reverse splits, spinoffs etc are automatically incorporated into the data.

Existing Premium Data users

We have FAQs relating to your Premium Data subscription and how to move to Norgate Data here:
https://www.premiumdata.net/support/NDU-release.php

Summary

We recommend you use Norgate Data instead of Premium Data with AmiBroker due to the significantly-enhanced capabilities. Free trials are available from our web site at https://norgatedata.com/

2 Likes
#2

Thank you Richard for this post. Indeed there was some confusion about current offerings as I thought that everybody was migrated to new solution "automatically" but apparently that is not the case.

Is there any reason for AmiBroker-only user to keep using older Premium Data over apparently better new Norgate Data?

#3
#4

Unless a user has no current/future need for any of the new features, there are no reasons for an Amibroker-only user to continue to use the (legacy) Premium Data system instead of Norgate Data.

Existing Premium Data users can trial the Norgate Data system in a separate AmiBroker database to compare the two. Three week free trials are available to facilitate this.

Since Norgate Data subscriptions are structured differently to Premium Data, they can't be directly converted - a subscription to Norgate Data must be taken out first. However, if any Premium Data user has any time remaining on their Premium Data subscription, we also allow users to extend a Norgate Data subscription on a the basis of any remaining Premium Data subscription on pro-rata value basis too, so they're not paying twice for a daily update.

It is our intention to retire the Premium Data system in the mid-term future - but we don't want to force users to do this any time soon, as we understand there are a lot of operational trading systems in place.

Cheers,
Richard.

1 Like
#5

@NorgateData Thank you for the explanation Richard. While I recognize the Norgate Data product has some excellent features for stock traders, the legacy Premium Data product is fine for trading the equity indexes. In fact, I would like to see a data product with no stocks, just the symbols starting with "#", "$", and "%".

#6

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your comments and suggestions - much appreciated.

As a small company, we need to be pragmatic in deciding which services/capabilities/subscription packages to develop.

Our understanding is that most traders use index derivatives/tracking securities such as ETFs and ETNs to trade them so would need them at some stage too, so we think there would be low demand for an index-only service.

#7

Hello,

It was interesting beta testing the new service and I like it a lot! Thanks for letting me participate.

I was wondering if historical fundamental data is in your plans at some point. For example, more look-back into earnings over several quarters, same for sales, dating back 4-8 quarters so we can script for earnings trends.

Thanks
Mike

#8

Hi Mike,

At this stage we don't have any plans to do historical fundamentals.

By their nature, fundamentals are "stale" in that they are reported well after the event (quarter, fiscal year etc.) has ended so matching them up to a price time series has its own challenges.

Historical fundamentals are relatively easy when nothing particularly changes in a company and reporting is consistent. But, in other circumstances, it’s very challenging due to staggered reporting of data (i.e. a few figures are reported on one date, then a few weeks later more figures are reported by the company), changes of domicile, reporting in currencies other than the traded currency, changes in reporting currencies, changes of fiscal periods, demergers, mergers, determination of surviving entities, intra-period change of business, impact of re-statement of previous figures etc. It’s quite a minefield and is something we've carefully considered.

Cheers,
Richard.

1 Like
Yahoo Fundamental and Tiingo Historical
#9

I am in the second year of Premium Data. Definitely, when expires, I will switch to the new system. Much easier to update.

#10

You can switch now - Norgate will do a pro-rata for you.

Norgate%20pro-rata

1 Like
#11

@NorgateData The legacy Premium Data contains a collection of 380 market breadth indicators. Are these indicators also available in Norgate Data?

#12

Hi @Steve - yes - the market breadth indicators are included in the Gold-level and above packages in Norgate Data.

2 Likes
#13

Hi Richard,

I've recently noticed I'm no longer getting Indicators for ASX with my Premium Data subscription. It that option gone now as you transition to the newer platform?
The A/D lines were extremely useful.

Newt

#14

Hi Newt,

A/D lines are included in an ASX subscription so should be updating.

Could you please contact us via the normal support methods since it has a support ticketing/tracking system, and we can check various other items related to your account?

For Premium Data support, please contact us on support@premiumdata.net

For those using Norgate Data, use support@norgatedata.com

#15

Thanks Richard - have opened a request as you suggested.

#16

If I'm an existing premium data subscriber when I sign up for a free trial should I use my existing premium data user name or can I choose something else? I know to two are different and I need to create a new account but when I subscribe and switch is it easier if both user names are the same.

While I'm sure everything will work I want to create a trial account and test things in parallel before switching

#17

You must choose a new user name (you won't be able to use your existing one anyway since Norgate Data subscriptions are entirely separate from Premium Data).

Norgate Data and Premium Data can be run in parallel.

#18

Thanks @NorgateData I signed up for a free trial this morning.

One difference is Aux1 and Aux2 fields which aren't used by the legacy Premium Data are by the new Norgate Data. I've been using the Amibroker import option to populate these fields with my own trading history and will need to find another way to achieve the same results.

If I get a sell signal on a winning trade I've owned for 350+ days I will consider holding the stock longer and get the additional tax benefit from holding stocks longer than one year in Australia. Having Amibroker know when I brought the stock simplifies that step.

Amibroker has an option to create accounts but I don't want to enter twenty plus years of transactions manually in sequence without error because there no edit option when I only want to know the performance of a handful of stocks. I will have to investigate how to integrate an account into formulas.

#19

The legacy Premium data has hundreds of watch lists most of which I never use but one I do is the "ASX Cum Dividend Securities".

While it's a valid strategy I don't actively trade to harvest the dividends but have added to some of my long term income producing holdings knowing I will receive 3 dividends in the next 13 months.

Is there a way to create this watch list in the NDU watchlist library?

#20

Hi BoNeZ - you probably want to figure out a different way of importing the trade data. Ask a direct question in the forum.

With regards to Cum Dividend securities, this only shows stocks for which the dividend has been declared but not yet entitled. With Norgate Data we have tried to produce a watchlist library that is consistent across all of our markets we cover. Many US stocks (and some Australian stocks) pre-declare dividends months ahead. Since we don't provide the date of the dividend, it doesn't make much sense for these stocks to be included all the time.

We have produced an indicator called DividendYieldTimeSeries that provides a useful indicator for determining the current yield based upon the last 12 months of dividends. You could easily use that to scan for stocks that pay dividends in a band you might want to harvest.