I am having my first experience with not being able to short a stock at Interactive Brokers. I don't understand why they won't take the necessary steps to have a stock like AMAT available for shorting! Those of you who have had this trouble before, do you have any guess as to when AMAT might be available again. Is anyone having trouble shorting it at other brokers? Thanks for any info.
i tried this morning AMAT at 16.99 impossible not with IB but with 2 others brokers i have opened a thread on this topic ( it is a CCS problem i think with my 2 brokers)
My broker (Noble) uses CCS and I just put in a live order to short 1000 shares of AMAT at 17 and it went through fine. I directed it to ISLD but that doesn't seem like that would matter.
Thanks for the replies. As you probably know, IB is self-clearing. It sounds like the problem is bigger than just IB, but not universal - I wonder why?
AMAT is not on shortable list at IB. I check every morning to see if the stocks I trade are on the list. If not then I have alternatives, ie KLAC NVLS . Or write in the money calls. It may be back tomorrow, but you got to check the list. Bert
I love everything about IB vs. Datek which I recently moved from, but the short list at IB is significantly shorter . AMAT was shortable at Datek/Ameritrade today.
Single Stock Futures on AMAT are now trading. If you can't short AMAT you can sell the SSF, with no uptick rule, and only 20% margin maintenance.
How is the liquidity/fills on the SSF. I would really like to start trading them, but I have been a little hesitant. Have you traded them yet? If so, how are they?
I haven't traded them. I think AMAT just started trading like maybe yesterday. So you're right to hesitate. But it's there as an alternative to shorting if you feel sure the stock is headed down. KLAC also trades SSF. Spreads are just a few cents more than on stocks, and there's usually about 10-20 contracts at the listed bid and ask, at least. Equivalent to 1,000-2,000 shares.