craig i am not too sure what the windows point was about either but i do believe that locals would be connected directly and not by the internet - and i also think they would be using GL or Trading Technologies - but of course they may be using Pats - but if they had direct lines - i am assuming that as they are trading in thousands of contracts, they dont end up with the same problems as Joe Schmo with Pats on the internet trading in tens what do u think?
As far as the more popular platforms currently in use PATS is one of the main ones I agree, but many have forgotten to mention Trading Technologies, GL Trader and more recently FfastTrade...Many people swear by TT and Gelber Group does clear a great deal of the volume for the TT platform... All I know is that I have to figure out some solution to this Interactive Brokers crisis, but as of yet I am not 100% committed to paying $2-$4 more per contract...These costs ADD UP!
craigross, if the locals are in the rcg office then they are going to use a lan for access rather than the internet. That must be a slight edge.
vulture the problems that are being mentioned are to do with the use of retail electronic trading platforms system integration - and at anyone time - one or more specific broker/clearers will have more problems than the others i suspect IB gets hit with more negative comments - because they are the broker and the clearer - whereas apex and elocal sound like two different companies- but use the same clearer - RCG - but this is true of the companies that use Refco etc also IB covers equities, options and futures, so they have a lot more that can go wrong, and it may just be that they have a lot more customers - and in business - no one thanks you if you get it right - since that is what they are being paid to do - and of course we all complain, as we should, when someone gets it wrong the reality is that everyone is making money from the markets or would not be trading - and electronic trading platforms have provided access for retail customers to a competive market place which has forced down retail broker rates, and offered great leverage, and allowed and increased liquidity, which gives narrow margins - so any negatives on an intraday basis - or outweighed by the overall profit
just21 The internet vs. LAN connection has not been the problem. Either way you will get your fills back in about a second. The problem is when the servers at RCG or any FCM get bogged down or crash. Craig
craig i have really valued your comments on here - but there is just absolutely no way that a customer on a direct connection - is treated the same as an internet connection and if rcg really only had one pats entry point - all it would mean is that the direct conections are on trading technologies or gl
stevet I am saying everyone (clients and locals) who uses J-Trader with RCG goes through the same servers. That's it! How they connect to those servers may be different, I do not know, but that is not the problem. Craig