I would be "eternally" grateful for insights into the pros and cons of IB versus Tradestation--particularly from the Forum's Elite members. Thanks in advance, guys. And happy trading.
Tradestation has a bunch of charting and system design and testing capabilities IB doesn't have. Study the websites of both in detail and decide if, for you, the Tradestation features are worth the additional cost.
i prefer tradestation. your trades are cleared thru bear sterns and i have never had any issues with short share availability. best, surfer
I'm not so sure about that short availability. I haven't traded with my Tradestation yet, but they have a boatload of stocks marked HB(Hard to borrow). IB rarely has a problem with shorts.
If The Bear can not borrow it, It is not borrowable. I have a Stock Loan Buddy that tells me if an issue is borrowable. I have never had any problems with TS shorting.
As far as software for "seeing/charting/testing" the market, you are trying to compare apples and oranges. As far as brokers, hard to beat IB _overall_ (although it can be done here and there.) BTW, I have both, and I have backup for both. nitro