Trading Specifications define the constraints on a simulation. Details such as the funds available initially, the cost of a trade, and the period of time over which the simulation is run.
The Initial Investment is the funds available in the simulation at the beginning of the simulation. Set this to the amount you expect to begin trading with in order to make the simulation more relevant.
Sometimes you might not want to put everything in one basket. You may want the simulation to only spend some of the available funds in any given trade, rather than all of them. You can set a limit on the maximum amount that can be spent in a single trade by setting the Maximum Single Purchase. This is the maximum that can be spent in total (including commission) in a single trade. If you don't want to have a maximum purchase limit to play a role in your simulation, just set it to a very large number, much larger than any amount you could expect to be available in funds during the simulation.
Similarly, you may not want to spend less than a certain amount in any given trade. This might be because you don't want to lose too large a percentage to the commission. By setting the Minimum Single Purchase, you can set a limit on the minimum amount that can be spent in a single trade. If you don't want to have a minimum purchase limit, just set it to zero.
The Commission is the cost of making a trade, which goes to a stock broker. In Trade Strategist, the cost of a buy trade is the same as a sell trade, and no distinction is made between different types of orders like market, limit, and stop. All trades cost the same amount, and are not dependent on the size of the trade being made. There is no charge if an order is placed which is not carried out (e.g., a limit order for which the limit price is not reached).
The Starting Date is the first date in the simulation time period. The Finishing Date is the last. Both dates are included in the simulation. Note that either date can fall on a day for which there was no trading, in which case the first trading day after the Starting Date, or first trading date before the Finishing Date is used. The format of the dates is mm/dd/yy.