Anyone with them? I have contacted them and everyone seems very pleasent and helpful. I've been looking to open a retail account but haven't decided on who do go with just yet. Just wondering if anyone can offer useful insight. I've tried to Demo their platform the other week but it wasn't working so I have contacted them to work things out. Any comments or information would be appreciated. Especially someone with personal experience with their operations. Thanks in advance! -cp.
The ONLY thing I didn't like about this firm is the software, everything else is great from what I hear from others that use them I just can't stand the platform.
Thanks JMowrey, I haven't tried the platform yet but am still attempting the demo. What didn't you like about it in particular if you don't mind me asking? -cp
Just seems outdated, I haven't located a company or dev team for it, so I am guessing it's un-supported and not going to be getting any updates from what I think. I liked Anvil, Sterling Trader Pro, and Laser. Those are my favorite platforms. I just didn't like theirs. Just personal preference for my style of trading. I am doubtful that you scalp very fast moving stocks though, but if you do, maybe you will feel the same way.
Outdated? The system has updates every other week! I have been trading for a while, and I am very satisfied with the system and capabilities. Anvil on the other hand, is a system that does not even compare to Blackwood in terms of functionality. Anvil does not have basket trading and a host of other things that Blackwood does. In terms of speed, they are virtually identical.
john nyc in one word you're full of it. to compare blackwood to anvil is ludicrous. blackwood is old and outdated as jmowerey says. anvil has 100 times the hot keys and functionality of blackwood. the speed of anvil is unmatched and to even compare the realiability to anvil is funny. when i was with balckwood it was down 2 times a week. anvil has never been down in over a year
I've been with them 6 months now with no serious problems and although Blackwood is slow and I do have problems from time to time it still works just fine for my style of trading. They are also able to get you almost any platform you want so I wouldn't let that stop you from joining.
If I may ask, which firms offer Anvil? (Background: Experienced futures trader. Haven't traded equities before, but am seriously considering it.)
I trade at Benchmarq. I learned on Anvil and when I shopped around for a new firm this year, I wanted something similar (the clarity of the market maker box and NYSE Open Book). Let's address the Blackwood issue for all those who are refering to it being an "outdated" system from the late 90s. Yes, Blackwood was a tech firm that developed trading software in the 90s. They went bankrupt. The company and the rights to its software were bought in bankruptcy court. Was it the BEST decision to, in hindsight, buy the name "Blackwood"? In the late 90s, Yes. Today? Probably not. But, let's not get confused. Blackwood trading software today is not that same stuff it was in the late 90s. It's just the name. So, if you think you can overcome that, great. Now, for all those who are bitching about the software being difficult - can you be more specific? And with regard to Blackwood (today) versus Anvil: Market Maker Box and NYSE Open Book Integration: Blackwood: YES Anvil: YES Fully Customizable Hotkey: Blackwood: YES Anvil: YES Basket Trading Capability: Blackwood: YES Anvil: NO
Thank you everyone for your replies, much appreciated. I'll probably be going with Benchmarq for now and we'll see how it turns out. Still haven't tried the platform, but every opinion counts. Thanks again and keep the information coming. -cp