VERTEX 2 setup guide

Before you start

You need three things:

• The cTrader desktop app, on a computer that stays on and online. A Windows PC or a Windows VPS is best. The web and cloud versions of cTrader can’t run VERTEX 2. cTrader for Mac can run it, but a Mac goes to sleep easily and VERTEX 2 stops when it does, so on a Mac we recommend a Windows VPS (see Running it on a VPS).
• A cTrader account set to Hedging, with a broker that offers the S&P 500 index (often listed as US500). VERTEX 2 is made for cTrader brokers with the S&P 500, and so far it has been tested with Pepperstone. Any account currency works. Check the recommended maximum risk for your leverage in Risk and leverage.
• Your licence key and the VERTEX 2 file (VERTEX 2.algo). Both are in My account › VERTEX 2, usually within a few minutes of signing up: sign in, press Show the whole key, then Copy, for your key, and Download VERTEX 2 for the file. Your key starts with VX2-. Keep it private, like a password.

Your licence key links itself to the first cTrader account you start VERTEX 2 on, so start it on the account you want to use. During the free trial that’s a demo account: see Demo and live accounts.

Hedging or Netting? You choose this when you open a cTrader account with your broker: pick Hedging. If you’re not sure which one you have, carry on. On a Netting account VERTEX 2 says so in its log and doesn’t start, and your key stays free to use on another account.

Install VERTEX 2

1. Install cTrader. Download the cTrader desktop app from your broker’s website (or ctrader.com) and install it.
2. Sign in to cTrader and open the account you want VERTEX 2 to trade. During the free trial, that’s your demo account (set to Hedging).
3. Add VERTEX 2 to cTrader. Double-click the file VERTEX 2.algo you downloaded from My account › VERTEX 2. cTrader adds it to the Algo tab, under cBots (it may be listed as Vertex2). If nothing happens, open the Algo tab, go to cBots, click the import button and choose the file.
4. Add an instance on the S&P 500. Next to VERTEX 2 in the cBots list, click Add instance (+). For Symbol, choose your broker’s S&P 500 index: often US500. Some brokers call it US 500, SPX500 or US500.cash, and spread-betting accounts may use US500_SB. Leave the other choices in that box as cTrader suggests.
5. Paste your licence key into the Licence key box: the whole key, starting with VX2-.
6. Set your risk. Risk % per trade is your risk setting: a lower number means smaller trades. The default is 5, and you can set anything from 0.1 to 10. Check the recommended maximum for your leverage first: see Risk and leverage and How risk % works.
7. Demo or live? On a demo account, leave Allow live account on No. On a live account, set it to Yes. Your licence must allow live accounts too, and during the free trial it works on a demo account only: see Demo and live accounts.
8. Leave the other settings as they are (see the table below).
9. Press Start (the play button). If cTrader asks you to give VERTEX 2 Full Access, allow it. VERTEX 2 needs it to connect over the internet and check your licence.
10. Check the Log tab. Within a minute it should show a line with Connected in it. That’s it: VERTEX 2 is running. If it says something else, look the message up in What the log messages mean.

The settings

cTrader may also show a short description of each setting.

When it needs to run

Keep it running from 8:00 am to 3:10 pm Chicago time, Monday to Friday (US market days): cTrader open, VERTEX 2 started, and the computer awake and online, so VERTEX 2 stays connected.

• The easiest way is to leave cTrader and VERTEX 2 running all the time. You don’t need to stop it at night or at the weekend.
• If your computer was off or offline, just start VERTEX 2 again: it reconnects by itself and carries on.
• You don’t need to do anything on US market holidays: leave it running as normal.
• If these hours are at night where you live, leave the computer on and set sleep to Never (on Windows: Settings › System › Power, called Power & sleep or Power & battery on some PCs), or use a VPS.

When to have it running, in other time zones

These are the 8:00 am to 3:10 pm Chicago times. Times that cross midnight end the next morning. Clocks change on different dates in the US and in Europe, so for a few weeks a year the European times are an hour earlier (13:00 to 20:10 in London): for two or three weeks in March and for about a week from late October.

Running it on a VPS

A VPS (virtual private server) is a Windows computer you rent online. It stays on and connected day and night, so VERTEX 2 keeps running while your own computer is off. It’s the best choice if your computer sleeps, travels with you, or is a Mac.

• What to rent: a Windows VPS with at least 2 GB of memory (4 GB is better). Expect to pay roughly US$25 to US$40 a month for 4 GB.
• Some brokers offer a free VPS to clients who meet their conditions, such as a minimum amount of trading. Ask yours.
• Setting it up: connect to the VPS with Remote Desktop (on a Mac, use a Remote Desktop app), then follow Install VERTEX 2 on the VPS.
• When you’re done, just close the Remote Desktop window. Don’t sign out of Windows or shut the VPS down: that closes cTrader, and VERTEX 2 stops with it.
• Run VERTEX 2 in one place only. Once it’s running on the VPS, stop it on your own computer (see Running it on a second computer).

Check it’s working

Open the Log tab of your VERTEX 2 instance. The first lines look like these, with your own symbol and leverage:

VERTEX 2 v1.1.1 (release) starting on US500.
VERTEX 2: Account leverage 1:200.

A few more lines follow, for example your broker’s order sizes. Then VERTEX 2 connects, and within a minute you see lines like these, with your own risk setting:

VERTEX 2: Running. Risk 4.5% per trade. Connecting...
VERTEX 2: Connected. Your licence is active.

• The line that matters has Connected in it. It means your licence key was accepted and VERTEX 2 is running.
• If your risk is well above the recommended maximum for your leverage, one of the first lines may be a Note: see Risk and leverage.
• When VERTEX 2 opens or closes a trade, the log shows a line for it, and the trade appears in cTrader’s Positions with the comment VERTEX 2 and a label starting VX2:.
• No Connected line after a minute or two? Check your internet connection and that you allowed Full Access, then look up the message in What the log messages mean.

If you write to us, send a screenshot of the Log tab. Never send or post your licence key.

Stopping VERTEX 2

• The best time to stop it is outside the hours above, or when it has no open trades (look in Positions for trades with the comment VERTEX 2).
• To stop it, press the Stop button on the instance: the same button you pressed to start it.
• If you stop it while it has a trade open, the trade stays open at your broker. Start VERTEX 2 again on the same account and it carries on where it left off.
• Please don’t close or change VERTEX 2’s trades by hand while it’s running.
• Stopping for good? Stop it outside the hours above, when it has no open trades, then remove the instance from cTrader. To end your subscription, see Cancelling.

Need help?

Look the message up in What the log messages mean, or read the VERTEX 2 FAQ. Still stuck? Email us at info@natgascentral.com with a screenshot of the Log tab. Never include your licence key.