Interested in Your PST Fork for Spread Betting

[dr1ver1]

Hi Andy,

I remember you mentioning that your fork of PST was designed for spread betting. I’m curious—are you actively trading with it?

How do you keep your fork in sync with the main PST project, and what are the key differences?

For the past few years, I’ve been running my own code based entirely on Leveraged Trading, placing spread bets manually with CMC Markets. I’m now looking to migrate to PST but would prefer to stick with spread betting over futures, given the size of my account.

Would you still be open to others using your fork? If so, are there any particular issues or limitations I should be aware of?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Kind regards,
David

[bug-or-feature]

@dr1ver1 Hi David -No I'm not actively trading, I stopped developing the spread bet stuff a few months ago. I got access to more capital so it became possible to trade futures. I did a lot of work on it though, the code is accessible on the fsb branch of my fork. I don't know if it would be of any use to you though, it was geared towards trading with the broker IG, as they have an API. There are a lot of challenges in using PST for anything other than what is was built for. I'd be happy to talk it over with you, probably easier on a call or Zoom. Email me if you're interested

[bug-or-feature]

I started building some spread bet specific docs too, but again, pretty specific for IG

[dr1ver1]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for getting back to me and for sharing more about your fork. I appreciate the insight into the work you did for spread betting with IG and understand the challenges of adapting PST beyond its original design.

I am considering switching to futures, but I need to review the capital requirements. Here’s how I see the pros and cons:
Pros:

• Simpler data handling compared to spread betting
• Tighter spreads
• More choice of instruments and contract dates, without being subject to the whims of spread betting desks
• Ability to use the main PST codebase

Cons:

• Taxable profits (unlike spread betting in the UK)
• Smaller portfolio size, leading to less diversification

I’ll likely explore these questions further on the EliteTrader forum, but I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts if you have any.

Kind regards,
David