IB and Berkshire Hathaway

Discussion in 'Interactive Brokers' started by Bankedout, Mar 18, 2004.

  1. How does one go about acquiring Berkshire Hathaway stock with an Interactive Brokers account? They don't accept odd lots on NYSE/AMEX. Let's see BRKa @ $92,000 per share, yeah I'll take an even lot of 100..... Nah, scratch that, put me down for two lots....

    I'm just venting a bit here.

    Does anyone know when the odd lot policy will be changed? Def? My last email response from Aimee at IB stated that NYSE and AMEX don't allow odd lots. I thought that was humorous.

    Banker
     
  2. Ebo

    Ebo

    Many NYSE member firms refuse to accept BRK.A orders electronically. Any orders in this stock are usually verbally confirmed if they are sent via DOT. This is my experience as a floor clerk.
    If you are busting balls about IB and their policy on
    odd lots in any other name have fun pissing in the wind on here.
     
  3. What do you mean by this?

    Banker
     
  4. alanm

    alanm

    They needed an automated way to prevent people from violating the "unbundling" prohibition, which they were specifically warned about by the NYSE, if I recall correctly. It used to be that they didn't allow them on the ECNs to open a new position, and we got them to confine it to the NYSE route only. You can thank the people that abused the odd-lot handling for the rule, and subsequent enforcement of it by IB :(

    As to BRK, if I remember correctly, the definition of a round lot is different for these two stocks. I think it's 10 shares for .B and 1 share for .A . Bottom line was that there just wasn't enough interest in these stocks to warrant the programming change.

    FWIW, even considering their price, these stocks are pretty illiquid - you probably wouldn't like the fills.
     
  5. lol. How much could they bang you for on a 1 share limit order? So even if they printing you 10 or 20 dollars away on a market order , thats on 90,000. Like a penny or 2 on 1000 shares of a 90 dollar stock.
     
  6. qazmax

    qazmax

    A round lot of BRK.A is 10 shares not 100 at the NYSE.

    I do not know if that helps you with IB...

    :)
     
  7. try the BRKb shares......
     
  8. I think you have to be a shareholder to attend Berkshire's annual meeting. Class B shares should work for that. Can anyone confirm if you really do need to be a shareholder to attend Buffett's meeting? How do they verify ownership?

    Thanks in advance.

    I don't think Buffett will be around forever. I would like to go see him some day. If that involves buying some stock, so be it. I'll have to open another account somewhere else to do it.

    Banker
     
  9. bobcathy1

    bobcathy1 Guest

    Open a small account at Ameritrade.

    Datek used to handle it and never charged me for the transaction. (They merged with Ameritrade years ago.)

    Anyway when you open an account you get 25 free trades. So it will cost you nothing.

    Cheers.