The IB suggestions forum for IB users is a way of getting IB users ideas developed. Reckon vast majority of ib users dont use, i rarely use, ~ once every 3 years?! Suggestions are for faster options combo inputting via the 'strategy builder' (which can easily be improved), % profit calculations, to show not only pop %, which is the probability of making $1 from a trade but should also show probability of x% profit of max profit , market maker move, ie, expected move of the underlying, in different periods of time, corresponding to the option chain expirations, so strategies can be built around this. market maker move is more accurate than subjective chart readings and many other trading softwares already have. lastly conditional orders contingent or depending on the delta of an option, eg delta is 0.25 when combo placed, want to buy back IF delta at 0.40? or roll if delta at .40? https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=14346 https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=14347 https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=13406 https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=6751 https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=14512 https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/index.php?f=2493&sid=6751 please vote and inform me if you put up a suggestion, so l can vote for it. cheers
TWS has been such an awful experience I've been investing time and money integrating with their platform because their prices can't be beat and I program professionally. If they don't dump TWS and acquire someone competent to make their point-and-click better any suggestion is just lipstick on a very, very ugly pig.
They're not going to dump TWS, nothing prevents you from using IB through another interface. But yeah it's pretty awful. I think one thing that it does help with is experimenting before committing to a workflow.
It's one of the most competent order submission and trade management applications out there, even among professional institutional platforms. Sure, it's not pretty buy if you need pretty be woed by the pretty colors at eSignal. It does have its quirks and learning curve but name me another platform that let's you execute multi asset orders as tws? Throw up a few apps with competing features and let's see. All else is just cheap talk
What's worse? A so-so programmer's API or an API where the vendor tacks on an additional charge PER TRADE just for you using the API in the first place? I'll take the so-so API any day.
TWS has been improving throughout the years. Suggestions we put in the forum really can get developed. I had put in a couple of suggestions which have been implemented to the benefit of many who use IB to trade options. If you do trade options and want an even faster way of inputting your combo trades via 'Strategy builder' or just want an improvement for majority of IB option traders, please do vote. And knowing things like 50% of max profit together with the pop%, will add clarity to Option traders. IB users, Please vote! To vote: https://www.interactivebrokers.com.hk/en/software/am/am/manageaccount/votingsubscriptions.htm or login to acct management , settings, user settings, in login panel click lower 'online features' sprocket on rhs, fill the 4 blanks: screen name & pw, user name &pw. then should be able to save and VOTE! Do let me know if you have suggestions, and I will try to help
Compared to Bloomberg and Eikon TWS is a rough diamond. But hey, a Bloomberg costs you 2 grands and upwards.
Bloomberg yes, Eikon is a horrific mess. I worked with both for over 10 years and Eikon is completely unorganized (they still show their weird quote sheets from 20 or 30 years ago). Their search for help is horrific and simplistic if it ever works. Their training pages are very sparse. Cannot compete with Bloomberg is a million years. TWS is not polished but feature rich and it does what it promises. It could work to implement better options screens and especially spread and basket execution but I always liked its feature rich UI. When lots of other frontends break in volatile markets TWS keeps on working. Most of the complaints are by users who don't understand how it works and expect the UI to be as simplistic as a train ticket vending machine.
I do totally agree. Most retailers do not recognize how awesome TWS is regarding features. It almost stands up to a 2 grand a month terminal for completely free. The only thing they see is how ugly and bitchy it is.