I got filled by Ibkrats today which I presume is the interactive brokers automated trading system dark pool. Do all orders go through this before going to an exchange?
I am not a specialist but if you route your order, IMO it goes directly to the market center. If you use SMART, IB send it first to dark pools( including IBKRATS ) before sending it to a common market center like BATS...There is a "Do not route to dark pools" option in smart routing preferences.
Not sure what Ibkrats means, but all options orders are traded on an exchange. They can't be traded in a dark pool. The order may be looked at, but the cross or trade must take place on an options exchange, of which there are many. Edit, thought you were talking about options, not stocks.
Yes, I was trading a big cap stock. I presume that ibkrats dark pool fills me when I lift the offer and then goes on to become the best bid of any market to get flat.