Trendlines with currencies

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

In changelog :

Remember currency values for each trendline, and only display trendlines when that currency is being displayed. Previously trendlines were ignoring currency, and always displayed.

Trendlines are always displayed whatever the (template) currency selected. Tested in MA Overlay graph. I've missed something ?

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

This feature is such that if you draw a trendline in currency A, the trendline will only display when showing that investment's graph in currency A. If you were to display it in currency B, the trendline will not be displayed.

The currency template stores/recalls all your currency settings (currency labels for each position, and the exchange rate settings). This doesn't necessarily change which currency an investment is being displayed in. For example, say you have an investment assigned to the second currency position. If you draw a trendline while "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted" is off, that trendline is assigned to the second currency position, and will only be displayed when that investment is being displayed in that currency. If you then turn on "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted", that investment is now being displayed in the default currency (first currency position), so the trendline will then not display. If all your investments are in the default currency already, this won't matter, as everything is all in the same currency no matter what state you have the "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted" option. It only matters if an investment is in your non-default currency. The actual currency settings (from your template) also do not matter, as the labels and exchange rate settings don't affect the trendline display.

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

I think I understand, but it's quite difficult to follow. I understand there are 3 levels :

- the currency of the investment (in its properties)
- the default currency (depending on the currency template selected)
- the displayed currency (exchange rate adjusted or not.. and perhaps other factor related to templates)

Can we say to summarize that trendlines change state (displayed / not displayed) only when using the "exchange rate adjusted" toggle ?

I use the currency templates to switch back and forth between the EUR and the USD view of my portfolios, for graphical analysis. What I would like is trendlines that match the displayed currency in which they have been drawn.

Can't there be a solution to associate trendlines more tightly to the actual displayed currency, whatever the template ?

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

"Can we say to summarize that trendlines change state (displayed / not displayed) only when using the "exchange rate adjusted" toggle ?"

Yes.

A trendline is only drawn when it was drawn in the currently displayed currency.

Here is an example: Create a new investment in currency 2. Leave "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted" OFF, so that the investment is plotted in currency 2. Draw a trendline. Turn ON "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted", so the investment is plotted in the default currency. You will no longer see the trendline.

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

Yes, indeed.

Could you see any possibility to display / no display too when switching to another currency template ?

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

It should still work the same, even with templates. Typically, with a template you will only be changing the default currency, and exchange rate settings. Your currency labels for currencies 2-25 should not change. (Even if they did though, that doesn't affect this trendline issue)

So, in my example below, the trendline was drawn in currency 2. No matter what it is labelled as, it will still only be displayed when that investment is not exchange rate adjusted to the default currency.

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

Let's take an example. Here's my templates :

USD Currency template :
Default currency : USD
Currency 2: USD (constant ratio)
Currency 3 : € (USD-EUR exchange rate)

EUR Currency template :
Default currency : EUR
Currency 2 : USD (EUR-USD exchange rate)
Currency 3 : € (constant ratio)

An Investment AAA
Its currency : EUR

USD Currency template selected, Exchange rate NOT adjusted, I draw a trendline in the AAA graph. So the trendline is for the EUR currency.

Now I select the EUR Currency template, Exchange rate adjusted. The trendline drawn in EUR is displayed although not relevant in this case because AAA is currently displayed in USD.

So this is my point. With templates, trendlines are sometimes displayed although not relevant. So I think I understand your explanation, it's because of the labels, the default currency, etc.. You could say : it's by design, it's logical, but from a user point of view there are still some trendlines displayed which are not relevant...

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

USD Currency template :
Default currency : USD
Currency 2: USD (constant ratio)
Currency 3 : € (USD-EUR exchange rate)

EUR Currency template :
Default currency : EUR
Currency 2 : USD (EUR-USD exchange rate)
Currency 3 : € (constant ratio)

An Investment AAA
Its currency : EUR

I assume you mean the AAA investment is assigned to the currency 3 position (€) and not the default currency, right?

USD Currency template selected, Exchange rate NOT adjusted, I draw a trendline in the AAA graph. So the trendline is for the EUR currency.

Correct. The trendline is associated with the "currency 3" position, and will only be displayed when that currency is being plotted.

Now I select the EUR Currency template, Exchange rate adjusted. The trendline drawn in EUR is displayed although not relevant in this case because AAA is currently displayed in USD.

No. The trendline should not be drawn if "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted" is on. When this is on, the investment is being displayed adjusted to the default currency, which is not the same as currency 3, which is how the trendline was drawn. I just tested this here, with 2016 Beta 3, and it correctly is not displayed when "View / Exchange Rate Adjusted" is on. The trendline is displayed when this option is off.

Also, it is not correct that AAA is being displayed in USD, given your example. If you load your EUR currency template, and turn on exchange rate adjusted, the investment is displayed in the default currency, which for this template is EUR.

[Djobydjoba]

Also, it is not correct that AAA is being displayed in USD, given your example.

OK, sorry, you're right, bad example. If fact, this isn't my actual templates. I'm in Europe, tried to convert all in USD.. missed.

Can I give you my real template :

EUR Template :
Default currency : €
Currency 2 : USD (EUR/USD)
Currency 3 : € (constant ratio)

USD Template :
Default currency : USD
Currency 2 : USD (constant ratio)
Currency 3 : € (USD-EUR)

So this is tested, with my "AAA" investment in EUR (currency 3) :

With EUR template selected, Exchange Rate Adjusted, so EUR is displayed, I draw a trendline.

Switch to the USD Template, Exchange Rate Ajusted, the trendline is displayed although we are in now USD.

What's wrong then ? My templates ?

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Yes, this is the expected behavior in this example. If you draw a trendline while "Exchange Rate Adjusted" is ON, then that trendline is associated with the default currency position. Anytime the default currency is displayed, that trendline will be displayed. By loading a different currency template you are changing the label of the default currency position, but FM will still display that trendline because it was drawn and associated with the default currency position, independent of the actual label.

I think you can get what you want by just drawing trendlines with "Exchange Rate Adjusted" in the OFF position. Your trendlines will only be displayed when "Exchange Rate Adjusted" is OFF, no matter what template you load.

This feature is remembering the trendlines by currency position, and not label. So, if you draw a trendline with "Exchange Rate Adjusted" ON, the trendline is associated with the default currency, and will be displayed anytime the default currency is displayed, independent of the label for the default currency. If you draw the trendline with "Exchange Rate Adjusted" OFF, the trendline is associated with whatever currency position is assigned to that investment's properties. In the case of using currency templates, this is typically currency 2-25.

Trendlines will only be displayed when the currency position being displayed is the same as the currency position displayed at the time the trendline was drawn.

[Djobydjoba]

Well understood thanks.

I think you can get what you want by just drawing trendlines with "Exchange Rate Adjusted" in the OFF position.

Yes it works. But it's not very handy for me. As I said, I use the templates to switch back and forth between the EUR and the USD view of my investments, and some investments are EUR, some USD. So I can use one of the four combinations : EUR template & exchange rate ON; EUR template & exchange rate OFF; USD template & exchange rate ON; USD template & exchange rate OFF, depending on the current investment and what currency I want to display. If I have to change template and toggle exchange rate to OFF to see or draw the trendlines it's quite painful..

If you draw a trendline while "Exchange Rate Adjusted" is ON, then that trendline is associated with the default currency position.

Is there any benefit to associate a trendline with the default currency position ? We see this trendline is not always relevant. What do you think of this idea : when a trendline is drawn with Exchange Rate Adjusted ON, the trendline is associated with the currency position in the list that corresponds to the currency in the default currency position. Could the "problem" be resolved ?

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Is there any benefit to associate a trendline with the default currency position ?

Yes. This is the most common usage. For many people they only have a single currency, and all investments are assigned to the default currency position.

What do you think of this idea : when a trendline is drawn with Exchange Rate Adjusted ON, the trendline is associated with the currency position in the list that corresponds to the currency in the default currency position.

It has to be an approach that works for both currency templates and the default currency settings. The default currency settings don't have any duplicates, so the default currency position has a default label of "$", and no other position from 2-25 has this "$" label.

Maybe we could determine the display status of a trendline based off the currency label, rather than the position. This approach would help with the issue you're having. We can consider this...

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

If you think this change could resolve the issue with no other negative effect, of course I'm OK with it

[Djobydjoba]

Hi Mark,

I'm still interested by a resolution of this "issue". When switching from a currency template to an other in the default currency position, I would appreciate if trendlines could be isolated / differentiated.

[Mark]

Hi Djobydjoba,

Okay, thanks for the feedback.