Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why did we create Pika?
In Pika, we make tools that the world’s premier traders can trust to maintain their edge. Because of their demand for speed, reliability, and customization, Pika is aimed to deliver them at the highest level.
Pika Group provides access to all the data you need for quantitative research and analysis in one place. Your backtesting environment is ready to go—no need to learn any programming language, and no more staring at the monitor, worrying about missing opportunities. We research, develop, test, and run for you.
2. What's your business model?
Our unique profit-sharing business model matches the needs of retail investors and their confidential strategies with the technical skills of our team as well as the access to a user-interactive platform. User strategy is reconstructed into a Python script and stored on a server for further deployment. Backtests, paper, and live trades can then be performed and passed on the cloud cost with Pika’s margin for maintaining the service. User cost is directly proportional to their platform usage volume.
3. Does Pika sell orders to third parties?
Absolutely not. All orders are forwarded to Alpaca private API and orders remain strictly private between you and your broker.
4. Who owns the Intellectual property of my algorithms?
The custom algorithms developed using Pika are 100% yours. Pika is not authorized to copy, modify or redistribute your algorithms unless you specifically request for your strategy to be shared.
5. How safe is Pika?
Security is of the highest priority at our organization. User data information in the form of Strategies, Patterns, Accounts, etc are kept isolated in a private partition not accessible to other users. There are strict rules in the company for accessing private data (check out our T&C). Your strategies and tests are running in a safe, secure environment backed with the behind the Google Cloud Platform and Secret Manager.
6. Who is behind Pika?
Percolata Corporation, an expert in managing big data and applying Machine Learning for forecasting, is the company behind Pika. Trading is one of the most challenging sectors where both big data and are a requirement.
Pika Group is a subsidiary business of Percolata Corporation - an expert in managing big data and applying Machine Learning for advanced predictive analytics. Backed by leading investors including Amasia, Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures, Foundation Capital, Google Ventures, Percolata is a Silicon Valley-based company. Percolata leverages on its strength in Machine Learning-based forecasts to disrupt trading.
7. Are programming skills required to use Pika ?
Absolutely not. This product was designed to provide non-programming traders with the ability to perform advanced quantitative analysis. It's as easy as writing a sentence. Hopefully, this software can save you the costs of hiring a few quants or programmers.
8. Can I use Pika for manual trading?
Pika Group Platform is intended for automated trading purposes only.
9. What's a Pika Token?
You get 600 free Tokens included with the FREE plan that renews monthly. 250 tokens are good to backtest one year up to 250 times in a week at a day level test. Extra tokens are available for purchase separately and work with all Cloud subscriptions without an expiration date.
Cost of Testing:
Day Level: 1 Token for testing from 1 to 252 days (the average of trading days in a year). Testing 10 years back is 10 Tokens.
Minute Level: 1 Token for each day of testing. Testing 100 days at minute level is 100 Tokens.
Tick Level: 10 Tokens for each day of testing. Testing 100 days at tick level is 1,000 Tokens.
10. What markets are available on Pika?
The major stock indexes such as S&P500, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Russell, Dax, and the Nikkei. All data is included and continuously updated every week. Currently, we do not offer options, futures, Forex, or trading in international markets, but soon the support for Crypto and Forex will be added. Based on the interest, we could support additional stock markets.
11. How about Forex?
Not yet, however major 30 pairs are going to be available in the near future
12. Is Slippage or Commission Included?
No, the trader/money manager has the ability to enter custom slippage and commissions as we understand many traders have many different commission plans.
13. I am new to system trading. Do you have a course or any documentation?
Yes, there is a private user demo that is given to each new user who also get access to a 50 plus video course that explains the software from start to finish, highlighting each feature, a few examples, some dos and don'ts, and much more.
14. Do I need a specific broker or agent?
Yes. Currently we only work with Alpaca and are planning to integrate additional APIs in the near future.
15. What Are the System Requirements?
None, everything is run on the cloud.
16. What is algorithmic trading?
Algorithmic trading is a method of executing orders using automated pre-programmed trading instructions accounting for variables such as time, price, and volume. This type of trading attempts to leverage the speed and computational resources of computers relative to human traders.