IB TWS Accumulate/Distribute Algo

Has anyone here used IB's a/d algo? Please provide feedback on your experiences with it. Have you had any problems with reliability?
I have been experimenting with it and it looks quite powerful to me.

Many thanks.

Here's a link to it:

http://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/general/education/pdfnotes/WN-AccumulateDistributeAlgo.php

 

I've used it to break up a big order in illiquid names with decent results.

 

IB's A/D algo is good, but it has one big flaw: although it may appear to be running on IB's server, it is actually running from your PC. So if you close TWS or there's a glitch in your Internet connection, it will stop.

IB has been promising to change this and have it run from their server FOR YEARS.

 

Same with their API. They've been saying they are trying to improve it....FOR YEARS now.

 

All in all, they did a fine job with that algo. Lots of options and features that appear to have been well thought out.

 

None of which are available through the API sadly. Not even the choice of order type- you're stuck with limit orders.

 

I suggested the following improvements 2 years ago...to no avail.


1) Qty should be able to be specified in shares or in dollar value
2) Pct above/below prev close price and today's open price should be available as variables for price limits.
3) Pct. of volume should be available as a parameter (so algo will participate according to volume traded)
4) An aggressivity parameter is needed to specify how aggressively the algo should cross the spread
5) A "cancel all after end time is reached" setting is needed. When the algo ends, your remaining orders just hang out there until manually cancelled
6) The overall interface is extremely awkward, with tabs for each stock, etc. You should be able to save given settings as a named custom algo and then use it from the market data line as an Order Destination, same as you would choose IBALGO, CSFBALGO, etc.