waggy, you are trying to make an attempt to say that Hammer/Anvil is an unreliable trading platform and therefore bash Assent. Connectivity issues are the problem, not the platform. The software is stellar. You must be dialing the wrong number to execute orders over the phone since dustin had success. You have not idea what you are talking about!!! Don't bag on Hammer's reliablity since that is not the problem. You may hate assent for some reason, but hammer is the best and fastest trading platform out there, you can't argue with that. chuckles
If Andover is doing such a great job with their platform, then why did the guys at (845) 368-1743 tell me that the ENTIRE system was down and that they were not able to execute any orders? Also, please tell me why my account is showing me LONG 100 shares of a listed stock at a price that is $21.00 HIGHER than where it is trading at today? Since you have ALL the answers my friend, please tell me! I'm listening . . .
The group that supports Cytrix-based Hammer tells me that Hammer went down today because of SERVERS at Assent. Period.
I do not know the specifics of that 100 shares problem. I am sure that is you see this mistake on your sheets, then assent would correct the problem. On hammer, the blotter only reflects what is in the database, and it sounds like a dummy trade was entered to reflect an order placed on the order desk. Maybe there was a typo. Call them. chuckles
The frightening thing about my account showing me LONG 100 shares of a listed stock is that I NEVER ENTERED THE ORDER OR MADE THE TRADE. In otherwords, it showed up all by itself. Scary.
It would only be scary if it reflected in your sheets the next day and nothing was done about it. If the system went down, common sense would tell you a dummy trade was input into someones account and they must have erred in the account number while doing so. It will get taken care of. Out of curiosity, who is your GSP from what office? Doesn't sound like your concerns are being answered.
For me, Citrix is free and VPN is not. I know for a fact Citrix was down for an extended amount of time today. Some of the guys at hoboken had some quote problems, most likely it was BRUT on listed stocks. I'm pretty happy with Hammer.. yes, tech support does suck, you usually find out the problems first before the firm sends out the messages. This is really no different than the other firms I traded with. The only thing different here is we have no tech guy, everything is through hammer support... so if there is a big outtage, you'll be on hold and the stupid secretary will keep connecting you to a busy #.
I suggest that anyone who really seriously believes in the stability, speed, and accuracy of the current Hammer Platform take a look at the S&P futures quotes that Hammer displays with its feed. Simply compare these quotes, ( and the lack of prints for that matter ) with any current electronic futures platform offered by REFCO, J-Trader, X-Trader, IB, etc., and you will see first hand how slow Hammer really is. Ever wonder why the SPY's in your Level-2 box are a couple of seconds AHEAD of the S&P futures quotes that Hammer is displaying when the market makes a move? That, combined with the fact that the charting package is from the Quotron Days of the early 1980's and goes down 2-3 times per day is a reflection of just how long in the tooth this platform really is. In my opinion, Vincent Viola and Michael Picozzi of Andover would have never allowed this to happen, but yet for some reason it is now "acceptable" at Assent/Sungard. Is it a case of a small RESPONSIVE firm that has grown into a large, slow, bureaucratic "decision by committee" type of firm? Perhaps. It's enough to turn a stock-trader into a fulltime futures trader. Period.
Andover charts have always sucked since the day they were rolled out. From the very beginning I never knew anyone who used them. Most used realtick or esignal. Although this has changed a few times, I thought they were going to ditch the andover charts and use a charting package from sungard. It looks like that never happened. Also I think they have some deal now with esignal too, but I don't know the specifics of it all. You are right about the futures trading though. One of the benefits is that there is a lot less technology that can go wrong where as with stocks you have the exchange quote and the ecn quotes that can get stuck separately screwing up your quotes.