time to blog

The following article was published in the Business section of the December 2007 edition of Insight. A big thank you to everyone at Insight, especially the Publication Manager, Sarah Agnew.

Sensatus software company Sensatus is making waves in the financial trading market

Sensatus was founded in May 2006 and is one of the new wave of Brighton software companies, specialising in web based financial products that help private investors and investment clubs to make money, save money and manage their investment affairs.

The company is the brainchild of Dary McGovern, a seasoned trader of 13 years experience. He began investing in his student days, during the early 90’s, and since then he has learned a lot of lessons, some the hard way - the name Sensatus comes from the Latin meaning ‘gifted with wisdom’.

Despite fine tuning his trading strategies over the years, Dary was frustrated that he could still miss trading opportunities when away from his computer; while away snowboarding one year he missed an unmissable trading trading opportunity and so decided to create timetotrade. “Our first investment product, timetotrade was launched last October and is designed to meet the needs of modern investors who don’t have time to sit and watch stock market charts and read every piece of news while looking for investment opportunities,” explains Dary. “As more people move to manage their own finances, we have a growing base of users in the UK and from as far a field as Tanzania and Thailand.”

An investment club is a group of individuals who invest in the stock market by pooling together a small amount of money each month. With over 12,000 in the UK, they provide a supportive environment were investors can learn how to invest by sharing knowledge and experience.

Timetotrade is the first website in the private investor and investment club sector which enables them to manage their investment affairs in one place, view their investments anytime, anywhere from web or mobile browsers, receive investments alerts to mobile phone and email to avoid missed trading opportunities. It also makes savings on accountancy fees, as well as manage their accounts, tax liabilities and tax returns.

“We believe we’re onto something. A survey we conducted in Sussex last December revealed 70% of people would like to invest in the stock market but cited their lack of market knowledge and investment education as their main reason for not investing so far. It is estimated that there are 1 - 1.8 million people actively investing in teh UK as well as +120,000 investment club members - we plan to grow these figures.”

Looking to the future, Sensatus has a number of products in the pipeline for launching in the UK later this year and they plan to “officially” launch timetotrade globally in 2008.

The following was written by Nick Sudbury and published by Money Markets on the 1st of May 2007.

TimeToTrade is a new online application that aims to help members of investment clubs play a more active role between their regular meetings. The free software from Sensatus enables participants to track the value of their portfolio, identify new trading opportunities and share investment ideas.

Dary McGovern, MD of Sensatus, says that TimeToTrade will improve communication and decision making between investment club members, enabling clubs to run and trade more efficiently. “Never before have clubs had one secure website where each member can instantly manage and view club accounts, track investment performance and collaborate on investment decisions,” he says.

Each member can view their club account by simply logging into the TimeToTrade website. This means they can quickly and easily check on the value of their units whenever they want to. There are also other valuable features available.

To create a free investment club account visit www.timetotrade.co.uk.

The following is an extract from a very interesting article, which was written by Tim Bradshaw for Investors Chronicle in May 2007, discussing the impact of the web on investing.

Tracking portfolios

Of course, services that allow individuals to track their spending or portfolios aren’t new, and share clubs have long been a simple way for investors to pool their collective wisdom. Still, taking these services and software packages online allows access to a much wider spread of people, and can even deepen ties between smaller groups.

For example, Beverley Meekings, treasurer of the Fyg Leaf investment club (a former ProShare club of the year), is moving her investment information from a desktop application to www.timetotrade.co.uk, which has just expanded its individual portfolio and charting tools to encompass online investment club account management. “It’s a real relief that everyone in the club can see what’s happening and contribute, rather than just me doing it once a month,” she says. She already uses a stockbroker online account, but says Timetotrade gives a much better picture of what’s happening within the club. “It collates all our information into one place - such as any news stories that we might forget in the monthly meeting.”

Timetotrade’s portfolio management and charting tools for individuals release traders from their PCs with e-mail or text-message alerts. Founder Dary McGovern set up the system after being stung by one too many market falls when away on holiday. “I looked at the historical charts and knew that if I had seen them I would have got out,” he says. That’s when he realised that web-based charting is easier for day traders to access than desktop-based software. He also says that Timetotrade’s tools, which include technical analysis filters such as RSI, MACD, deltas and stochastics, are designed to be more accessible to beginners, without sacrificing sophistication. Rivals tend to be modelled on professional tools, which “assume the user has time to sit and watch them all day,” he explains. “Our alerts allow people to get on with their lives.”

Top blogs for investors

Stumbling and Mumbling: By our very own economist, Chris Dillow

Global growth investor: Interviews and commentary on growth strategies

Market Movers: Englishman-in-New-York Felix Salmon

Telebusillis: Telecoms industry insider Keith McMahon

FT Alphaville: Breaking news and markets banter

Economist’s View: Oregon professor Mark Thoma’s macro view

The Big Picture: Technical analysis and global trends

Dealbreaker: Ex-banker’s Wall Street irreverence

Abnormal Returns: Daily round-ups from active investors

Going Private: Sardonic private-equity pro

Time to blog: Technical analysis tutorials from Sensatus

The following news article was printed in the April 2007 edition of Money Observer.

Investment software company Sensatus has launched a free online management system to help investment clubs and private investors monitor the performance of stocks and shares.

TimetoTrade sends alerts via email, mobile phone or instant messenger when investment conditions are met and gives access to price, volume and technical analysis for UK and US shares. Investment clubs can also use the system to manage their accounts or benefit from private club forums to post news and collaborate on investment decisions.

The FT Adviser published the following piece on TimeToTrade on the 15th of March 2007 edition:

Investment Clubs in the UK can benefit from a UK online club management system. The Time to Trade system, from software developers Sensatus, is a professional investment tool that enables investment clubs to manage accounts, receive ongoing alerts and improve collaboration between members. There are currently 12,000 investment clubs in the UK which pool cash in order to share knowledge and experience between members.

TimeToTrade was selected as website of the week by Money Week in the 16 March 2007, Issue 324 edition of the magazine.

“Investment clubs should check out www.timetotrade.co.uk, a handy tool whereby the club portfolio can be uploaded and viewed by all club members”

The following abstract was published on Wednesday 14 Mar 2007 on the Village Albourne website:

Investment Clubs join the 21st century with the launch of the UK’s first web-based club management system, designed by Investment Clubs, for Investment Clubs.

TimeToTrade has launched a new suite of free professional investment tools that enable investment clubs to manage their club accounts, receive alerts when investment conditions are met and collaborate on investment decisions. The tools can be accessed by individual club members and private investors from any web browser at www.timetotrade.co.uk

The initial TimeToTrade investment club features include:

· A private club forum for posting news, research notes and collaborating on investment decisions

· An account management system that allows every club member to track their unit holdings and investment performance

· A simple to use accounting feature which allows easy management of all club transactions, member subscriptions, and generates UK Inland Revenue Form 185(new)

· All club members have access to price, volume and technical analysis charts for UK and US stocks

· Point and click price and technical analysis alert creation, which will notify club members via mobile phone, email or instant messenger when investment conditions are met

· Completely innovative is the ability to manage investment accounting in multiple currencies, with multiple brokers and margin accounts

After working with Investment Clubs in the UK and Ireland for the early beta trials, TimeToTrade is now on general release to all investment clubs.

Dary McGovern, managing director of Sensatus, the developers behind TimeToTrade said: “When we set up our investment club last year we searched for software that would enable us to manage our accounts. We wanted a solution that all club members could access, which would support UK and foreign investments, a variety of investment strategies such as long, short and option positions and manage our tax returns. There was no such software available, so we decided to develop it ourselves. It has been really exciting working with other investment clubs to develop a solution that is unique to the UK market.”

To quote Liam Curtis of Slaney Slickers investment club, who has been involved in the development of the TimeToTrade application, “TimeToTrade has completely changed the way we work as a club. Keeping club members involved and informed in the day-to-day running of our investment club is a no longer a challenge. TimeToTrade lets club members post research, check their unit valuations and portfolio performance online without having to bother the treasurer for updated spreadsheets or reports.”

To create a free investment club account visit www.timetotrade.co.uk or for more information email: club@sensatus.com

The following article was published in the 9-15 March 2007 edition of Investors Chronicle.

“Running an investment club could soon become a lot simpler. A newly launched set of internet-based tools will enable clubs to manage their holdings, exchange ideas and research, track performance, and even generate a club’s tax return. It is capable of managing both long and short positions, the use of options, as well as multiple currencies, and broker accounts. The facility, available for free at www.timetotrade.co.uk, also provides price charts, volume data and technical analysis tools.

The following article was published in Volume 9, Issue 10, 08-14 March 2007 edition of Shares.

An ever-wider range of technical analysis is becoming available at the click of a mouse. Nick Sudbury picks some packages that can help punters make hard cash with software.

Timetotrade

Timetotrade from Sensatus is a web-based charting and alerting service for people who use price movement and technical analysis to judge when to buy or sell stocks. Subscribers can use the charting features on the website to develop their strategies and then create rule-based alerts that, when triggered, are sent instantly to their mobile phones, emails or instant messenger accounts.

Alerts can be based on price movement, volume or more advanced triggers incorporating technical indicators such as RSI or MACD crossovers. This enables them to monitor their existing UK and US shareholdings and potential trades while away from their computers.

Dary Mc Govern, MD of Sensatus, says that Sun Microsystems provides a prime example of how this type of approach can work. He had identified the shares as a good long-term investment but wanted to wait for a suitable entry point. ‘In April 2006 Sun started to pull back towards it long-term trendline.

A Timetotrade alert was set up to provide notification of a positive MACD crossover using a one-week interval period, the idea being to buy into an established upward trend after a recent low, ideally at a support trendline or level,’ he says.The alert was triggered on 31 July 2006, when the shares were trading in the $4 range. At the time, Sun had pulled back to test the support trendline and then rallied. Since that point, the company has made a series of positive announcements and has now returned to profitability. The shares are currently trading in the high $6 range with a Timetotrade alert monitoring for a change of trend, which would signify the exit point.

Timetotrade operates a free basic account but, for those who want the premium features, the swing trader package costs £9.99 and the day trader option is £19.99 a month, see www.timetotrade.co.uk for more details.

New software for investment clubs

Timetotrade has just launched a free application for investment clubs. The web-based software enables members to manage their club accounts, receive alerts when investment conditions are met and collaborate on investment decisions. To create a free investment club account, visit www.timetotrade.co.uk or for more information email clubs@sensatus.com.

Timetotrade got another mention in Shares Magazine (Vol 8, Issue 51, 21-Dec 06 to 03 Jan 07) this time by Nick Sudbury. Another big thank you to Nick for including timetotrade in his selection of best investment software. It is really cool to see timetotrade included in the mix with other excellent trading software packages.

The markets may be quiet at the moment but for most of the year it can be extremely difficult to keep track of everything that is going on. Good investment software can be a big help and save both time and money. The best packages provide a reliable source of data as well as the functionality to monitor existing positions and identify new opportunities.

Timetotrade

Timetotrade from Sensatus is a charting and alerting service that allows traders to stay in touch while on the move. Members can use the website to create rule-based alerts to identify buying and selling opportunities on the major UK and US stock exchanges. Whenever these are triggered, a warning can be delivered immediately to their mobile phone, email or instant messenger accounts.

The majority of people who have signed up to the service are professionals with a day job, who use technical analysis to judge the timing of their entries and exits. Timetotrade allows them to set alerts based on simple price or volume movement, or move advanced triggers using technical indicators such as the RSI or MACD.

Dary McGovern, MD of Sensatus, says that one of the most reliable triggers is a combination of support/resistance and MACD. Barclays is a classic example.

‘Between July and October [2005] Barclays tested 588 three times, pulling back on each occasion. After breaking through this area of resistance, the shares fell back and tested 588 once again. When it held firm, this became an established level of support,’ he says.

‘Since then there have been four occasions when the price has pulled back to 588. Each time a positive crossover on the MACD has signalled a change of trend and successfully signalled a change of trend, [which could have been used] as an entry point for a long position.