"Somehow give the impression..... " Do ya think ... ????? At 1st, I read the threads to help me decide if I wanted to switch. At least for the time being, that choice is off the table. Many brokers & software providers have some level of 'bugs', but when you combine those bugs w/ poor, not-available customer service - switching is not a viable option. While I don't consider myself in need of any 'hand-holding', I also don't need any additional sources of frustration in my life. Since this is one of the ongoing IB free services, I'll pass (good for you guys - right? One less person...) Now, the threads make for good entertainment. The uber-strong feelings on both sides provide an occasional chuckle ...
i dont know how their servers are setup but maybe an seperate the futures and stock data? give people the option to use one or the other and then supply tick data?
For what it's worth I haven't experienced poor customer service with IB. I have had a few long delays trying to connect to their online help though. Mostly the support staff have been very helpful even when some of my questions were a bit simplistic. Also, while not perfect, their TWS has worked well. (The charting needs lots of improvement but I don't use TWS for charting anyway so it's not a problem.) The few dropped connections I experience when using TWS are due to my ISP and not IB. I'm from Canada and while that means nothing as far as getting good customer support maybe we are lucky to have a good IB branch here. I am not a long time trader (but am past the noobie stage) and have been able to use IB very comfortably. I recommend them. It's hard to beat their commissions.
I connect to the Asian servers here in Manila and I've been getting quite a bit more pink outs lately (probably last 2 months) and quite honestly, it's aggravating. It seems to happen just when critical data is being released. Overall though, I can't force myself to switch to another broker as that's just one of the few quirks IB has. I'd still highly recommend IB to newbies though because of ease of use, ability to use 3rd party interfaces, and commission structure. Happy with IB, but could be happier
Trading US Equity/options/futures etc at IB out of India . (some times Singapore too) I dont know which server Iam connecting to HKG or US. but no problems other the few re connects described above. Most of the time scalping very fast watching QT charts.! Happy camper at IB after a long learning curve at TD Water House,OptionsXpress,{Dreyfus,Datek,Mr Stock etc during late 90's} For some one who trade big size ,not able to avail instant phone customer service problem. Iam yet to have such bravado. For people who want $1 ticket for 200 shares,Ib is paradise. Try trading SPY or OIH 20 to 30 times a day 200/400 shares a pop(also SPY options). Commission Savings /year =$ 50k. That is what I paid more with previousl mentioned brokers!!
Actually i haven't had many reliability issues with TWS or the data feed. Sure i'll get the occasional pinkout, but it's rare like several times a year. but as others have said, once you get the pinkout TWS has trouble recovering. You usually have to close it and restart it.
Same here. Very little if any connection issues for a very long time. Reconnect , when there an occasional short interruption is never a problem, no restart needed. Suspect many IP related issues get blamed on TWS.
It depends on the trading style. For swing traders, pinkouts don't matter at all. For scalpers, it can result in heavy losses depending on severity.
"In the next coming months, Success Trade will be offering direct access trading on a per share basis. Per share pricing will be at $.002 per share all inclusive for smart-routed orders, or at $.004 per share all inclusive of any ECN fees for orders directed to ECNs. Customers will have the option of routing orders to all major ECNs or through a proprietary auto-routing system under one simple per share pricing structure." Sounds like they are trying to re-invent the wheel. No trading software available yet. Anyway, is there a viable alternative to IB at this point? This company is not. John