API vs Platform Trading with Rithmic Retail to Programmatic HFT

Join us for a deep-dive, practitioner-led session on how to design, test, and deploy futures strategies using the Rithmic API. We’ll compare platform-based trading to programmatic approaches, then outline a step-by-step workflow that scales from a home setup to low-latency environments—without rewriting your code. You’ll learn where Rithmic fits, how fees and brokers/FCMs interact, and how to build a robust Python analytics and execution stack that’s ready for live trading.
What You’ll Learn

• When to choose APIs over platforms
• Platform limitations for systematic traders
• CQG vs Rithmic: affordability, reliability, and migration
• Rithmic API landscape
• Retail tiers vs Diamond/colo and why the same API surface matters
• Language options: C++, C#/.NET, Node, Python (pros/cons)
• Python stack, end-to-end
• async_rithmic on Windows/Linux/WSL
• Data downloaders for monthly/4H/daily/minute bars
• Streamlit dashboard for indicators (SMA/EMA, RSI, Bollinger) and metrics (Sharpe, CAGR, max DD, win rate)
• Data, fees, and market scope
• CME family coverage (CBOT/NYMEX/COMEX; equities, rates, FX, energy, ags, metals, crypto)
• Typical retail costs (market data + API) and what to confirm with your IB/FCM
• Brokers, FCMs, and execution plumbing
• Roles of EdgeClear/AMP/Optimus; Phillip Capital/Ironbeam
• Execution reliability, slippage/latency considerations
• Walk-forward selection and contract management
• Ranking contracts across upcoming expiries (1–3 months)
• Micros, minis, standards; account sizing guidelines
• Risk and compliance
• FCM liquidation realities, outage planning
• Kill-switch expectations (CFTC/NFA), activation/ack flows
• HFT path (only when ready)
• Co-lo sites (CME Aurora, NY4/ICE, Frankfurt), infra options (C++/DPDK, FPGA/NIC)
• Order-of-magnitude costs and scaling realities

Who Should Attend

• Systematic retail traders, quants, and engineers
• Teams migrating from platforms to API-driven execution
• Early-stage prop builders evaluating Rithmic/CQG routes

Format and Materials

• 75–90 minutes: presentation + live Q&A

Key Takeaways

• A reusable, Linux/Windows-friendly Python workflow for Rithmic
• Clear cost expectations and vendor roles

Call to Action
Reserve your seat to receive the sample scripts and setup checklist