If all you want is good executions and low commissions (i.e. I don't need any fancy backtesting capabilities, sophisticated TA tools and stuff like that, just need a bare bones platform), who are the best brokers? TradeStation charges like 0.6 cents per share on anything on top of the first 500 shares and no other fees. What others are out there? Say for 5,000-10,000 lots, what are the best alternatives? Don't laugh at the next question, as I have no experience using a web-based traditional broker, but I'm thinking all the flat commission guys like Ameritrade etc are gonna be more expensive even with their 10 bucks per order charge considering how much is sacrificed in execution quality. Is that close to accurate? Thanks a bunch.
I don't mind paying them for good executions. Just wanna make sure I'm not missing a good opportunity that I'm not aware of.
I have friends running small funds trading for next to nothing at large prime brokers; they are picked off ...
Well, that's basically the choice I'm considering right now. I'm running a small hedge fund and am using TradeStation currently. I need to get into/out of positions within about 15 minutes so I like to break the orders into 5000 lots or so and scale in/out. Would it be better commission-wise and price-impact-wise to do what your friends do, or should I stick with TS (or are there better alternatives out there?) Thanks.
I would stick with TS, IB or a specialized firm; easy to kid yourself unless it is a soft dollar deal ...