Category : Financial and Statistics
Archive   : PC_STOCK.ZIP
Filename : PC-STOCK.DOC

PC-STOCK
A stock analysis program
for the IBM Personal Computer

Version 1.4































Charles Overton
P.O. Box 2610
Goleta, Ca 93118














Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 1


PC-STOCK
TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION.................................2
CAUTION.............................................2
WHAT YOU NEED.......................................2
GETTING STARTED.....................................2
THE MAIN MENU.......................................3
F1 - APPEND DATA....................................3
F2 - MODIFY DATA....................................4
F3 - PRINT DATA.....................................4
F4 - TREND ANALYSIS MENU............................4
F5 - CHANGE STOCK FILE..............................5
F7 - INSERT DATA....................................5
F9 - DELETE DATA....................................5
F10 - EXIT TO SYSTEM................................6
THE TREND ANALYSIS MENU.............................6
F1 - LAST ANALYSIS..................................6
F2 - ON BALANCE VOLUME..............................7
F3 - HIGH ANALYSIS..................................7
F4 - AVG HIGH/LOW ANALYSIS..........................7
F5 - VOLUME ANALYSIS................................8
F6 - CHANGE ANALYSIS................................8
F7 - COMPOSITE ANALYSIS.............................8
F8 - SET MOVING AVERAGE.............................9
F9 - SET NUMBER OF PERIODS..........................9
F10 - EXIT TO MAIN MENU.............................9
DISCLAIMER..........................................9
USER SUPPORT........................................10




























Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 2


GENERAL information:

PC-STOCK is a general purpose stock trend analysis program. It was
developed with ease of use and graphic presentation of data as the
primary objectives. PC-STOCK is entirely menu driven, making it very
easy for the occasional user as well as the professional user to enter,
modify, and obtain graphic trend analysis of stock data.


CAUTION:

PC-STOCK can be a valuable computing aid in the analysis of stock data
and can be of great assistance in making buy/sell decisions, but is NOT
a substitute for common sense or sound financial advice. It can simply
provide mechanical assistance to the user in the graphic presentation
of the data entered by the user. It places the responsibility for
making important financial decisions on the user.


WHAT YOU NEED:

PC-STOCK requires a 192k (or larger) IBM PC (or compatible) with high
resolution graphics (199 by 640 pixels, non IBM compatible cards are
not supported ) with DOS 2.1 or higher and at least one disk drive. A
graphics printer is optional.


GETTING STARTED:

PC-STOCK is contained in one file PC-STOCK.EXE. To start the program,
put the PC-STOCK DISK in either drive and enter the drive name followed
by a colon and PC-STOCK [A:PC-STOCK]. The program will then display a
list of the .STK files on the default drive, and you will be prompted
to input the stock history file name. Enter the file name (.STK
extension is not required). A message will then appear "
xxxx". If the stock history file previously existed the data from the
file will be loaded into memory ready for analysis and modification. If
the file did not previously exist then a new file will be created. A
menu of the available functions and the associated function key will be
displayed. To select a function simply depress the function key
associated with the desired function. You will be prompted for any
necessary input.















Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 3


THE MAIN MENU:

From the main menu the following functions are available:

1. Appending data to the current .STK file
2. Modification of the current .STK file
3. Printing the current .STK file
4. Selection of the TREND ANALYSIS MENU
5. Changing the currently active .stk file
6. not used
7. Inserting data into the current .STK file
8. not used
9. Deleting data from the current .STK file
10. Exit to the operating system

To select one of the above functions, depress the associated function
key.


F1 - APPEND DATA:

When this function is selected, a screen as follows will be displayed:

DATE (MM/DD/YY) 😕 __/__/__

VOLUME : ________

HIGH : ________

LOW : ________

LAST : ________

CHANGE : ________

Then you should enter the date(month/day/year) followed by ,
the Volume (in hundreds), the high, the low,
the last, the change. After entry of the data you will
be asked if the data is correct or not. If the data is correct, respond
with a "y" ,"Y", or a and the data will be appended to the end
of the file. If the data is not correct, respond with a "n" or "N" and
the above sequence will be repeated and the data just entered will be
discarded. If you responded with a "y" , "Y", or then you
will be next asked if you want to continue appending data. If you
respond with a "y" , "Y" then the entire above sequence
will be repeated to append another record to the file. If this is the
first time data has been entered in the file, you should append at
least two records to prevent possible loss of data on a subsequent
append. After you have finished appending data to the file, the
program will return you to the main menu to make another function
selection.






Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 4


F2 - MODIFY DATA:

When this function is selected, you will be prompted to input the
record number of the record to modify. After entry of the record
number, the following screen with the data from the selected record
will be displayed:

DATE (MM/DD/YY) 😕 mm/dd/yy

VOLUME : nnn_____

HIGH : nn.nnn__

LOW : nn.nnn__

LAST : nn.nnn__

CHANGE : nn.nnn__

Then you should enter the correct date(month/day/year) followed by
, the Volume (in hundreds), the high, the
low, the last, the change. If the data in the
record is correct do not enter the data again, simply enter return and
the original data for that data element will be retained. If the data
is to be corrected, then enter the entire data element, do not correct
just one character. After entry of the data you will be asked if the
data is correct or not. If the data is correct, respond with a "y"
,"Y", or a and the corrected data will be entered into the
file, the file reinitialized and the main menu redisplayed so you may
select another function.


F3 - PRINT DATA:

When this function is selected, the data from the current stock record
will be printed. Included in the print line is the record number, date,
volume, high, low, last and change. When the listing of the stock file
has finished printing, the main menu will be displayed where you may
select another function. You should keep this listing of the stock for
reference while modifying the file and obtaining the graphic displays.


F4 - TREND ANALYSIS MENU:

Selection of this function will cause the trend analysis menu to be
displayed, where you may select other functions to graphically analyze
the stock data. This menu is explained fully on pages 6 to 9.










Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 5


F5 - CHANGE STOCK FILE:

When this function is selected, you will be prompted to input the disk
(A,B,C, or D) which contains the stock data. After you have entered the
drive, a list of all the .STK files on the drive will be displayed to
you, and you will be prompted to select one for analysis. Enter the
filename (minus the .STK extension) and press enter. A message will
then be displayed indicating the new file is being initialized. During
file initialization, the file will be first sorted by year/month/day
and then the records loaded into program storage and made ready for
analysis. If there is more data available than will fit in memory, only
the latest data will be loaded and while the menues are displayed on
the screen the number of records in memory will be displayed to you on
line 25 of the monitor. After the file is initialized, the main menu
will be displayed where you may select another function.


F7 - INSERT DATA:

When this function is selected, you will be prompted to input the
record number after which a new record will be inserted in the file.
After entry of the record number the following screen will be
displayed:

DATE (MM/DD/YY) 😕 __/__/__

VOLUME : ________

HIGH : ________

LOW : ________

LAST : ________

CHANGE : ________

Then you should enter the date(month/day/year) followed by ,
the Volume (in hundreds), the high, the low,
the last, and the change. After entry of the data you
will be asked if the data is correct or not. If the data is correct,
respond with a "y" ,"Y", or a and the data will be inserted in
the file. If the data is not correct, respond with a "n" or "N" and
the above sequence will be repeated and the data just entered will be
discarded. If you responded with a "y" , "Y", or then the
stock file will be reinitialized, and the main menu displayed where you
may make another function selection.











Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 6


F9 - DELETE DATA:

When you select this function, you will be prompted for the record
number from the current stock file to delete. After you have entered
the record number, and the record you have selected has been deleted,
the stock file will be reinitialized and the main menu displayed so you
may make another function selection.

F10 - EXIT TO SYSTEM:

Selection of this function will cause PC-STOCK to terminate and return
to the operating system.


THE TREND ANALYSIS MENU:

From the trend analysis menu the following functions are available:

1. Analyze the last(closing) data
2. Analyze the low data
3. Analyze the high data
4. Analyze the average of the high and low data
5. Analyze the volume data
6. Analyze the change data
7. Analyze the a composite of the data
8. Set the moving average for analysis
9. Set the number of periods for analysis
10. Exit to the main menu

To select one of the above functions, depress the associated function
key.


F1 - LAST ANALYSIS:

When this function is selected, a time series graphic plot will be
displayed for the last (closing) price of the periods on display. The
first time line to be displayed is the "raw" last price data taken from
the "last" field in the the .STK file. The number of periods displayed
will be as you selected using the F9 function key, or if you have not
selected a number of periods, then the data for the number of periods
in memory will be displayed. The second time line to be displayed
(which is smoother and overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving
average line. The number of periods for the moving average is as set
by the F8 function key. If you have not used the F8 key, then no
moving average will be displayed. The first period for the moving
average is the first period displayed (set by function key 9) and not
necessarily the first entry in the .STK file.









Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 7


F2 - ON-BALANCE VOLUME:

When this function is selected, a time series graphic plot will be
displayed for the on-balance volume during the periods on display. The
first time line to be displayed is the cumulative total of the volume
(divided by 100) in which the volume has been added or subtracted
(depending whether change is a gain or a loss) from the previous
on-balance volume. The number of periods displayed will be as you
selected using the F9 function key, or if you have not selected the
number of periods, the on-balance volume for the number of periods in
memory will be displayed. The second time line to be displayed (which
is smoother and overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving
average line. The number of periods for the moving average is as set by
the F8 function key. If you have not used the F8 key, then no moving
average will be displayed. The first period for the moving average is
the first period displayed (set by function key 9) and not necessarily
the first entry in the .STK file.

F3 - HIGH ANALYSIS:

When this function is selected, a time series graphic plot will be
displayed for the high price during the periods on display. The first
time line to be displayed is the raw data taken from the "high" field
in the the .STK file. The number of periods displayed will be as you
selected using the F9 function key, or if you have not selected a
number of periods, the high price data for the number of periods in
memory will be displayed. The second time line to be displayed (which
is smoother and overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving
average line. The number of periods for the moving average is as set by
the F8 function key. If you have not used the F8 key, then no moving
average will be displayed. The first period for the moving average is
the first period displayed (set by function key 9) and not necessarily
the first entry in the .STK file.

F4 - AVG HIGH/LOW ANALYSIS:

When this function is selected, a time series graphic plot will be
displayed for the average of the high and low price during the periods
on display. The first time line to be displayed is the average of the
data taken from the "high" and "low" field in the the .STK file. The
number of periods displayed will be as you selected using the F9
function key, or if you have not selected a number of periods, the
average price data for the number of periods in memory will be
displayed. The second time line to be displayed (which is smoother and
overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving average line. The
number of periods for the moving average is as set by the F8 function
key, if you have not used the F8 key, then no moving average will be
displayed. The first period for the moving average is the first period
displayed (set by function key 9) and not necessarily the first entry
in the .STK file.







Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 8


F5 - VOLUME ANALYSIS:

When this function is selected, a time series graphic plot will be
displayed for the volume ( in hundreds ) during the periods on display.
The first time line to be displayed is the raw data taken from the
"volume" field in the the .STK file. The number of periods displayed
will be as you selected using the F9 function key, or if you have not
selected a number of periods, the volume data for the number of periods
in memory will be displayed. The second time line to be displayed
(which is smoother and overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving
average line. The number of periods for the moving average is as set by
the F8 function key. If you have not used the F8 key, then no moving
average will be displayed. The first period for the moving average is
the first period displayed (set by function key 9) and not necessarily
the first entry in the .STK file.

F6 - CHANGE ANALYSIS:

When this function is selected, a time series graphics plot will be
displayed for the change in price during the periods on display. The
first time line to be displayed is the raw data taken from the "change"
field in the the .STK file. The number of periods displayed will be as
you selected using the F9 function key, or if you have not selected a
number of periods, the volume data for the number of periods in memory
will be displayed. The second time line to be displayed (which is
smoother and overlaid on top of the first line) is the moving average
line. The number of periods for the moving average is as set by the F8
function key. If you have not used the F8 key, then no moving average
will be displayed. The first period for the moving average is the
first period displayed (set by function key 9) and not necessarily the
first entry in the .STK file.

F7 - COMPOSITE ANALYSIS:

When you select this function, the four main elements plus moving
average, if enabled, are displayed in one time series plot. Near the
bottom, a bar chart will be displayed showing the activity of the
volume of stock traded during the period. Near the middle of the plot,
bars connecting the high and low for the stock are displayed.
Connecting the vertical bars of the high and low are horizontal bars
indicating the last price for the period. Overlaid on the price
combination bar chart is the moving average (if a moving average has
been set with F8) of the average of the high and low of the stock.














Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 9


F8 - SET MOVING AVERAGE:

When you select this function, you will be prompted to input the number
of moving averages you wish to display -- enter a number between 1 and
10. After entry of the number of moving averages to display you will
be prompted to input the number of periods for each moving average. If
you input a value of 1, then the moving average feature will be
disabled and no moving average line will be overlaid on the analysis
displays. If you select a value greater than 1 then a moving averaging
for the number of periods you selected will be a applied to the "raw"
data, and the resulting moving average data will be overlaid on the
plot of the "raw" data on the analysis displays you select.


F9 - SET NUMBER OF PERIODS:

When you select this function, you will be prompted to input the number
of periods for analysis. You may enter a number less than the number of
records currently in memory. After entry of the number of periods,
the program will return to the main menu where you may select another
function. When you select an analysis function only the latest number
of periods which you entered will be used for moving averages and for
the analysis display.


F10 - EXIT TO MAIN MENU:

When you select this function, the program will exit back to the main
menu where another file may be selected for analysis, or modification
of the current file may be made.

DISCLAIMER

In no event will the author be liable for any damages, including any
lost profits, lost savings or other incidental or consequential loss
or damages arising out of the use of or the inability to use this
program -- even if the author has been advised of the possibility of
such damages. The author makes no warranties, either express or
implied, respecting the software, its quality, performance,
merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.

















Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton





PC-STOCK USERS GUIDE ---- PAGE 10


USER SUPPORT

If you are using this program and finding it of value, your
contribution ($33 suggested) will be appreciated.

Charles Overton
P.O. Box 2610
Goleta CA. 93118

Contributing users will also receive a copy of the program source,
the program is written in basic.

Regardless of whether a contribution is made, the user is encouraged to
copy and share the program with others, for trial use.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTICE -- A limited license is granted to all users of this program,
to make copies of this program and distribute them to other
users on a trial basis, with the following conditions:

1. The program is not to distributed to others in modified
form.
2. No fee (or other consideration) is to be charged for
copying or distributing the program without written
permission of the author.
3. Contributing users retain the source for the program
for their private use.






























Copyright (c) 1984 Charles Overton