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Execution: venue.trade() in chat code, strategy.execute() in strategy agents.

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Overview

Alpaca connects to Scalar Field via OAuth and provides two accounts: ALPACA_PAPER (simulated money) and ALPACA_LIVE (real money). Both support US equities, ETFs, and options, with identical call semantics — strategy code validated on paper runs unchanged against live.

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Order Semantics

  • Equity symbols are plain tickers (AAPL); options use OPRA/OSI symbols (AAPL260919C00250000). Option positions carry multiplier: 100, so market_value = qty * price * 100.
  • Fills are asynchronous. venue.trade() may return "PENDING" — the order is submitted but not yet filled. Orders use day time-in-force; orders placed outside market hours remain PENDING until the next open. Pending orders are reconciled automatically (see Reconciliation).
  • Fractional quantities are supported for equities. Size from a dollar budget with round(budget / price, 2).
  • The slippage_bps parameter does not apply to Alpaca.

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Connecting

Click “Connect” on the portfolio page and authorize with your Alpaca account. Paper and live accounts link through the same OAuth flow.

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Usage

In strategy agents, use strategy.execute(symbol, target_qty) instead — see Strategies.

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Data Functions

Equity and options research uses the cross-asset market-data functions; each links to its full reference:

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Notes

  • Positions and cash update only on terminal order states (filled, cancelled, expired); partial fills on a live order are not reflected until the order is terminal.
  • A PENDING response outside market hours is normal — the order executes at the next open.
  • Avoid trading directly on the Alpaca dashboard while strategies are active on the account — see Reconciliation.

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