MATLAB has traditionally been used for analyzing data offline, presenting analytic recommendations that were then acted upon manually. However, MATLAB supports a direct interface with data feeds and online brokers, as well as the ability to present sophisticated graphics and user interfaces—all in real time.

This presentation demonstrates an end-to-end demo trading system in MATLAB, highlighting its potential as a platform of choice. Interactive Brokers is used to demonstrate live market data feed and account/portfolio input, as well as for sending trading orders to the market. The system’s user interface showcases the hidden visualization and interactivity potential of MATLAB for tracking order executions and charting financial time-series in real time. Some best practices for improving real-time performance are also discussed.