The only good Linux trading software I'm aware of is Oanda's one. I don't like it very much, and I'm not the only one.

The other alternative would be the creation of a new trading application from scratch. But obviously it would not have as many features as the already existing ones. It's also a much much harder project, and I don't think I could get enough support for this yet. I did write for my own forex trading purposes an analytics platform, so I do have basic charting and data handling in place, but I would still need to write the order handling code and polish the app a bit.

I can make the FXCM trading software work with Bitcoin.

If you would like such a thing, please voice your support here where more details are given: http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=10736.0

There seems to be some very enthusiastic support for a project like this  Thanks guys!

Just to be clear, I don't have anything working yet.

But I did work hard two months last year on reverse engineering the FXCM protocol for my forex trading needs. So I know this is feasible. The hard part is implementing the server side of the protocol 100%. I only used a very small part to download the forex tick data that I needed. The rest of the protocol (getting account information, tradable currencies, news, orders, ...) is large, and I need to implement all of it, or the client might not work correctly.

I will try in the following week creating a crude proof of concept that you can try (charting only - no execution). It might not be very stable, but should be enough for traders to decide if they would like to pay for it.

@torbank: Yes, I know a lot of people would like to use MetaTrader for trading Bitcoins, unfortunately I have found only very little information about it's protocol on the net. Reverse engineering it would take probably around 3 months of my free time and there is no guarantee of eventual success. If this first project is successful, I might do it.

@SgtSpike: I thought about a bounty, but what guarantees do you have that I won't just take the money and leave? Is there some sort of escrow provider for Bitcoin? Or maybe a respected member could open it and send the money to me based on my progress.

@mother_of_another I can connect any exchange that provides a price/execution API. The fake server will use the API to collect historical prices and will convert them to the format needed by the client trading application. I haven't contacted Mt. Gox yet.

Hi, I'm a Forex trader and a good programmer who got very interested in Bitcoin in the latest month.

I can modify the FXCM Trading Software software to connect to Mt Gox (or other exchanges) and display real time charts, including tick level (phase 1), and also allow trading through it (phase 2).

I know how to do this, but it is difficult, and I was thinking of either charging a monthly subscription (5 USD or BTC equiv) or maybe a somewhat higher single sell price (50 USD or BTC equiv for example). The prices are indicative. They really depend on how much interest there is. Alternatively, I could develop this for a fixed sum (USD or BTC) and then make it free. Or any other solution you may think off, but I do need at least 1000 USD (or 20-50 paying clients) to be able to work on this (not necessarily in a single payment).

Is anybody interested in it?

Possible features:
1. Multiple bitcoin exchanges and rates (Mt Gox, VirWox, BTC/RUB, BTC/PLN, ...)
2. Ability to displaying other real world rates (EUR/USD, Gold Price, Oil Price, SPX 500 index, ...)
3. All usual FXCM indicators will work (EMA, RSI, ....), possibility of writing your own indicators (SDK is in Lua)
3. Trading on Mt Gox through app:
- by providing the Mt Gox password to a small client app running on your machine (you need to trust it then)
- you login into Mt Gox into the brower. The app openes a Mt Gox SELL/BUY page in the browser and fills the Direction/Price/Amount fields. This way you don't need to provide your password to anybody.
4. Integration with Bitcoin news in the News window
5. Standard FXCM features:
- trade directly on charts (drag limit order line up or down to move it)
- one-click trading

Technically, the FXCM app needs to connect to a fake FXCM server. That server could either be a local one that you download and install on your computer, or a central one administered by me (no entering of your Mt Gox password or Bitcoin wallet will be required). There are advantages and disadvantages to each solution. For example, the local client will not be able to collect BTC history data if your computer is offline and could be malicious (steal your wallet). The central server requires a dedicated server (30 USD/month or more, depending on client number) and regular maintenance.

The FXCM app binaries will NOT require modifications. You will download it from the FXCM official site. Only some registry settings need to be added (basically a URL to the fake FXCM server location). So if a centralized server is used, no binary made by me will run on your computer.

Platform video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79pbhjmIMic
Platform tour: http://www.fxcm.com/forex-software-preview.jsp

I could also consider making the fake server and related required apps open source.

Screen shots: