I still trade stocks with them and no matter how much crap I read about them I never had any problem.I've had an account with them for 7 years (back when datek,ndb, and ameritrade turned me down because of credit check ) and they have gotten better every year with new services.I don't know about daytrade scalping but for swinging intraday or 3 months they preformed great for me.
The power Etrade software for the retail customers is the same deal as Ultimate Trader II offered by AB Watley group. If you're looking for something better, go with the Etrade professional end (tradescape/momentum) and use the Light Speed software. Why trade on something that's written in java and uses the technology from the late '90s. Good luck, Omar
Light Speed is pretty good. Just make sure you negotiate your commissions well if you're an active trader.
despite a personal situation with e*trade's media group, the brokerage is decent. i traded a small account there for several years, and was pleased overall. when a mistake was made by them, they quickly rectified it to my favor in all but one instance--and to be fair--- that time the cause of error was nebulous. the folks who man the phones for the professional and power etrade accounts are knowledgable and friendly. overall its a good operation. best, surf
The value of any service depends on how and what you trade. If you like to trade large amounts of cheap stocks. Well then, it probably is great with a per transaction fee. If you trade small amounts of expensive stocks, there are a lot of cheaper and better brokers. I use TradeStation for equities and IB for futures.