If they want you to pay $625 a month, PLUS $4.00 a round-trip, I think it's a rip-off. The volume levels they are requiring (5,000 and up!) are huge. You should definitely be able to a whole lot better than that. IB is the super-cheap one, and people talk about customer service problems. Who knows if it is other brokers bad-mouthing them or if it's really true. Advanced Futures advertises a low rate (about $4.90, depending on volume) and you don't have the customer service issue. BTW they sponsor this forum and their ad banner is at the top of this page. Someone has also mentioned FFasttrade. They're specially good for high volume trading. TradeStation is offering $8.00 per RT, and you can trade right from the program. For the low-volume, low margin guys like me, there is Global Futures. They offer $500 per contract margin, but their rates are higher. If you're just getting into futures, PLEASE start out with just a few contracts! I'd hate to see someone sign up where they feel obliged to trade several hundred contracts a month right off! Prosper! kp
What is ffasttrade's platform like? Does anyone know if they give rebates at certain volume levels or is 3.32 the lowest they go? The 3.32 does sound great though. Thanks.
I have done this, but it still isn't one click. First I have to highlight the position, THEN hit my hotkey. Nothing happens otherwise. If IB would add better functionality on bracket orders (very weak now), and buttons for immediately entering, and especially closing positions, then in my mind the price/ performance would be really tough to beat (assuming you are doing less than about 20 turns per day). Jay
ESTrader99, here is a link to a screen shot of FFasttrade's Remote Pro Platform. http://www.ffasttrade.com/content/trading_platforms/remote_pro.shtm# The platform is customizable in terms of which windows you wish to have open, and their placement on the screen.
TRENDY... i trade with two monitors so screen space is at a premium. How much space does the ffasttrade platform require to actually place trades???
No rebates that I'm aware of. $2.32 of that $3.32 is CME and NFA fees, by the way. Doesn't leave the FCM and IB much room for rebates.
Look at Trendy's screen shot link... You can place trades from either the "Market View" window or the Scalp window (the vertical window on the right side). The rest of the windows you can close. You'll probably want somewhere from a half of a screen to a whole one of your two monitors dedicated to the FFastfill trading platform. Put a couple charts in the monitor above the FFastfill windows and type Elite Trader messages on your other monitor.