I am thinking of trying a new broker. I have traded with a local Los Angeles company for years but I imagine there might be better out there. Yes I want the lowest cost of possible but customer service is important as well. If there is any issue with my account I want to be able to get somebody on the phone. This broker which clears through Chicago back office. I think that's pretty typical. I need a days feed and charts. My current broker provides Sierra charts for free. Who do you like for trading futures and why?
Sierra is cheap you can buy it yourself. That should not be a consideration. Al elite traders love futures because they can make gazillion.
nothing is free. it might be structured into the commissions and/or execution fees. So when comparing the costs make sure you understand the difference. The cost of Real time data feed is standard and goes to the exchange. If you want more than the quotes for futures then add that as an extra. Same for historical data. Charts packages you buy yourself. If these are included then you don't get the lowest commission. Don't forget about the execution costs. Again, sometimes these are part of the quoted commission, sometimes are extra. A lot of stuff gets handled by email. If you're dealing with IBB and it's about execution platform or some error on your account, they will have to contact FCM or execution platform anyways, so you will have to wait till they hear from them. You can always call in to close out your positions (for an additional fee). There are plenty of brokers to choose from. You won't have problems finding a good one.
Anyone here has experience using IBKR as futures broker? I use IBKR for stocks. Wonderful. Is IBKR good for futures as well?
As long as an IBKR futures client have been using IBKR for > 5 years and have little complaints, I would define it as good.
There are many threads here on ET discussing IB and the tools it provides. You would have to read a few of those to get an impression of the kind of complaints/frustrations/disappointments people experience. And then consider whether those issues would affect you.
The advantage with IB is that you can be 100% long/short stocks/fx/bonds or more with portfolio margin and still trade futures or options on futures. Effectively you can emulate Berkshire Hathaway. Sell insurance/options on futures, buy stocks with the profits.