I'm in the process of finishing up my account opening with ib... switching from datek. But have noticed a lot of problems lately in the forums., like SERVER DOWN, INABILITY TO SHORT, etc. Hows ib's servers lately? and anything I should be aware of? Thanks
It works well. Execution and reliability better than any other retail that I've used (I've been through quite a few). If you want a list of shortable stocks go to the website and in the left hand column under the heading "Trading Information" there is an item "Shortable Stocks" that you can check. Good luck.
I've been with IB for 4 months now, and have made 120 round trip trades with them, and I have no complaints. I've traded on the GLOBEX, A/C/E, and various ECN's (ARCA, ISLAND, etc). I've had no problems. I do see a lot of bulitens about trading problems on ARCA and GLOBEX from time to time, but have not been affected by them.
Very good broker. A few glitches here and there but overall it's been a good trip. Been with them over a year, about 2500 or so trades, and I'm very pleased. Def is associated with IB and frequently posts here on ET. He's very responsive to everyone's issues.
Haven't done futures. I'm a happy and profitable stock and option guy. Don't have any intention of wandering into the world of futures just yet, but will keep your suggestion under consideration if/when I do. Thanks gnome.
No complaints from me about IB lately. Been disconnected a couple of times for less than a minute each time but that could be ISP related. Executions have been fast using the SMART routing.
Oh no, it wasn't a suggestion. I'm thinking of opening an account there myself and was just fishing for opinions... You said you'd "been through quite a few". (I've been trading at Lind and asked ET'ers their opinions.... basically, they said, "... good reputation but slow and clunky execution with too high commissions...". So, looking for something better).