Online Stock Market Analysis
(of the S&P 500 Index)
User Manual
OSMA
Parts
Figure 1: Parts
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Start Button |
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Click here to begin.
Opens menu for selecting a clustering algorithm. |
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Menu Bar |
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Contains the Start Button, Title, and the Progress Bar |
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Progress Bar |
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Displays progress of the clustering process. |
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Scatterplot Area |
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Displays Stock Clusters. Hover mouse over Scatterplot Area to see Tool Tips
containing stock symbols and x-y coordinates on the scatterplot. |
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X-Axis |
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Displays the first principal component of the stock
performance pattern.
Automatically centers based on the statistical 95% rule.[i] |
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Y-Axis |
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Displays the second principal component of the stock
performance pattern. Automatically centers based on the statistical 95% rule.i |
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Stock Clusters |
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Stocks grouped by color according to similar performance
patterns. Hover mouse over Stock
Clusters to see stock symbols and x-y coordinates. Click on a colored dot to open a Historical Chart for that
stock. |
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Historical Chart |
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Internal frame displaying the actual historical
performance of the selected stock.
Hover mouse over Market Day to see Tool Tip containing closing price
and date. |
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Closing Price |
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Shown on the Y-Axis inside the Historical Chart. |
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Market Day |
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Shown on the X-Axis inside the Historical Chart. |
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Tool Tip |
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Very important feature of OSMA. Hover mouse over Scatterplot Area or over Market Day
inside the Historical Chart for detailed information. |
Prerequisites
Prerequisite 1
This program requires a Java enabled web browser using a
high speed Internet connection.
Supported web browsers include Firefox 2.0, Internet Explorer 6, and
Safari. Other browsers may work
as well. If the Go Button or the
Test Button is unresponsive, the web browser may need to allow Pop Ups in
order to proceed to the Stock Cluster web page. |
Prerequisite 2
Java Runtime Edition Version 5.0 must be installed on the
computer and enabled in the web browser. To test if the web browser is Java ready, please go to the
Java download page: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp
and click “Verify”. |
Prerequisite 3
The first time the program is used, it will display a certificate
of trust. Click “Trust” (or
“Run”) in order to use the program. |
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Instructions
Prior Step 1
OSMA web page is displayed after having clicked “Go” or
“Test” from the Menu page. If “Test” was selected, follow Steps 1 and 2, then go
to Test Step 1. |
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Step 1
Find the Start Button on the top left corner of the page
and click. |
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Step 2
Select “New Ward Cluster” or “New UPGMA Cluster” depending
upon the preferred algorithm to use. If “Test”
was selected on Prior Step 1, skip to Test Step 1 now.
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Step 3
The program connects to its database to acquire
stocks. Depending on the number
of stocks and date range selected on the previous web page, the overall
process takes between thirty seconds and five minutes. |
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Step 4
Hover the mouse pointer over any of the Stock Clusters in
the Scatterplot Area to see a Tool Tip showing the stock symbol and x-y
coordinates. Click on a colored
dot to open a Historical Chart of the actual performance of that stock. |
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Step 5
Open as many Historical Charts as desired. Hover the mouse pointer over the
Market Day (colored line) inside the Historical Chart to see a Tool Tip
showing the closing price for the stock on that day. Historical Charts can be minimized,
maximized, or resized. |
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Step 6
Click on the Start Button again to open a Scatterplot Area
of either clustering algorithm in a separate frame. |
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Step 6 continued
OSMA begins to cluster the other algorithm. |
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Step 7
A separate frame is opened with a scatterplot of the other
algorithm. |
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Step 8
Go back to the Start Button and open more separate frames
as desired. *Warning: This may
use up a lot of memory – up to 200 Mb. If performance degrades, close one or more of the separate
frames. This will initialize a
process to restore some memory. When finished, close web browser. |
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Test Step 1
After completing Step
1 and 2, a Pop Up menu appears, prompting for an
input text file selection.
Select from the list or… |
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Test Step 2
… Alternatively type in the Internet address of any other
properly formatted, comma-separated text file. |
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Test Step 3
If a bad file name was entered or selected, then an Error
Message will appear. Click OK,
then close the web browser window and start again from Prior Step
1.
Any attempts to input another file on this page will not work. |
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Test Step 4
To see available text files, go to the following page: |
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Test Step 4 (optional)
Format for creating a text input file: 1.
Three fields: a)
stock symbol b)
closing price c)
market day (in ascending order) 2.
Header for fields (otherwise the first row will be skipped). 3.
Market day is optional: a)
If included must be yyyy-mm-dd b)
If excluded, OSMA will assign sequential numbers as
necessary. 4.
Rows must be in ascending order by: a)
stock symbol (primary) b)
market day (secondary) 5.
Double or single quotes around fields are optional. 6.
Upload the file to an Internet location of choice and then
type in that address when returning to Test
Step 2. |
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Reference: