This blog will highlight the development and use of free open-source software to research, test, and trade financial markets.

Meet the authors:

Joshua Ulrich is currently the author and maintainer of four R packages:

• TTR – Technical Trading Rules – a suite of technical analysis functions
  
• opentick – an R API to the opentick databases
  
• xts – eXtensible Time Series – a time-based data class that integrates all of the current time-series classes (co-authored with Jeff Ryan)
  
• pack – convert binary to and from formats other programs and machines can understand

Jeff Ryan is currently the author and maintainer of four R packages:

• quantmod – specify, build, trade, and analyse quantitative financial trading strategies
• IBrokers – provides native R access to Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation API
• xts – eXtensible Time Series – a time-based data class that integrates all of the current time-series classes (co-authored with Joshua Ulrich)
• Defaults – create global function defaults

As you may have guessed, most of the software we develop is in the R language/environment, but we also write code in C and Fortran for efficiency. There are several reasons we use R:

• R allows for rapid prototyping, since it is a scripted language.
  
• The list of finance-oriented R packages is large and growing.
  
• The R-Finance community continues to grow rapidly.
  
• A multitude of statistical routines are available in contributed packages.
  

We hope, with your help, this blog advances the use of free open source software in the finance / trading community!