I have coded a black box and done tons o' testing. Now, I'm ready to do some paper trading & use $. I'm completely new to the logistics of connecting to a broker. In the past, I logged into the broker account & parsed the site for data and executed trades. Now I'd like to upgrade by using the FIX protocol. I am hoping this solution exists: black box <-> FIX 4.0 <-> broker 01. I only need to trade equities (not even options). 02. I don't need ultra fast speed it in this case. 03. I can afford to pay high transaction fees ($10). 04. I want to be able to deposit $4K (not $10 - $30K). 05. I don't want to use a GUI or download software. 06. I do not use Windows at all. Only Linux. 07. I strongly prefer open source code (like phix). 08. I don't need any more extra 'tools or features'. 09. I'd prefer not to use java, C++, C# software. 10. I have all of the features I need coded already. 11. I only want quotes & to trade 4 - 6 times daily. 12. I'd rather parse the broker than use a $1K API. 13. I'll need a demo account to test connectivity. The 'net is cluttered with lots of expensive systems that have lots of features that I do not need. I spent some hours searching for a straightforward broker & have failed to find a streamlined solution. At best, I'm seeing: black box <-> FIX <-> special API + data server <-> broker Why isn't FIX able to be the sole connectivity solution? Is it a fantasy to think I can just use FIX 4.0 for years? Can anyone recommend a suitable broker?
I had looked at ETrade before, but I did not find this: "E*TRADE Capital Markets can currently accept orders from either our front end application (either through a dedicated circuit or the Internet), FIX protocol (various versions supported) or a variety of third party vendor applications." https://capitalmarkets.etrade.com/e/t/capitalmarkets/faqs When I talked to the rep (6:55AM Sunday morning CST), 1. First he said it wasn't possible. 2. Next, he claimed that I could only use it to trade CD's, Bonds, 3. I showed him the link that showed what could be traded. 4. After I directed him to the link above, he said "that's only for institutional investors" 5. I ask him to 'please show me what the requirements are to use the FIX protocol" 6. He could not. Instead, he gave me a number for institutional investors. His claim is that individual investors cannot use the FIX protocol. I suspect that it IS possible for an individual to use FIX, but their customer service guy didn't even know what FIX is. I found this: "Electronic Trading . . .. . . Our clients include over 1000 hedge funds, fund managers, private wealth managers and broker dealers." https://capitalmarkets.etrade.com/e/t/capitalmarkets/electrading That implies that FIX is only for institutional investors, except that "their clients also include individual investors" Question: Are any 'individual investor' here using the FIX protocol to trade stocks with E-Trade?