Is IB's Data Good Enough For Scalping?

Not that I scalp, but I would like to know if IB's data is good enough to do so. I will not be renewing my eSignal subscription and am testing Ensign with IB as the data source. Presently, I am only using the demo version of TWS, which is delayed, to assess the functionality of Ensign. Therefore, I cannot presently compare IB's real time price movement against my order entry platform's streaming data. However, I would like to know how it compares before I actually open an account with IB. And so, I am directing my question to those of you who use IB's data for your charting applications. Please advise.

 

Works reliably with Quote Tracker for charts. But what platform do you use for scalping?

 

T-DOGG. I don't use IB for charting but their NQ bid/ask/last always matches E-Signal's perfectly and with no apparent lag in either.

 

As I mentioned, I don't really scalp per se. I just wanted to know if IB's data is good enough to do so. Because if it is, then it will surely meet my more modest needs. I use J-Trader as my trading platform, and it serves me satisfactorily.

 

Thanks, NQ. That's encouraging.

 

kowboy, I noticed some lacks between TWS quotes and QT. Did you notice the same issue? Thanks!

Saico

 

QT gets its data from IB feed.

When watching the prints on another platform there is no delay. You may notice that IB does not report every print and updates less times per second. This is not a problem at all.

 

The lag between IB feed and quotes updated in QT is about 1sec here, which is too much imo. I'm using the latest TWS, QT and Java version and have set the chart refresh interval to the lowest.

Saico

 

The only problem with IB is their historical data, works some time, flakey at other times.

 

Have being using IB with Ensign for about 4 years do not remember having any issues. I do not scalp.