selection of tools, C++, Matlab, R

Good and appropriate tools are essential to accomplish challenging tasks. Here, I prefer to use C++ and Matlab (or R) language as the tools of finance analysis, and this blog site will choose these two or three language as examples.  The reason would be as this,

1) C++ is more profound and efficient at computation task than most interpreted languages in general speaking, especially, when it comes to high frequency trading, there will be a ultimate pursuit of speed, because it needs to process real time data and make instant decisions. Moreover, coding oneself may provide much flexibility than using other ones' functions. Finally, I have more experience on C++ and like it, this also become a good reason to insist on it.

2) Matlab and R is more integrated with numerous functions, it is more like a tool than C++, you only find out which function you need and look up the help document, then you can fulfill your idea of manipulation on data. This allows you learn much faster on absorb statistics theory rather than struggling in codes.

since it chooses two parallel routine of approaching to quantitative finance analysis, these two routines should represent two different conceives of how to learn this subject as soon as possible. Specifically, the C++ means to build up different functions and classes on myself, it is to build up tools of own, and in the meantime, Matlab and R gives the platform of learning finance and statistics knowledge.