I came across a proprietary futures trading firm in Chicago a few months back. I can't remember the firm's name and find no satisfaction when searching the internet. Does anyone know any firms that back futures traders - in Chicago or elsewhere? It seems kind of strange that it is easy to find firms that back equity traders, yet so hard to find similar firms on the futures side. Maybe they are out there, but are just harder to find. Thanks, Haas
I'm not shure if it helps, but the only thing that comes to my mind is www.investorlinks.com . Plenty of stuff there, links to brokers, datafeeds, etc...
Haas, Here is a thread that came up last month about futures prop trading. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2764 The reason there aren't the same type of shops as stocks is that the business models are different. With stocks, the main driver is having access to increased leverage. With futures you are already dealing with high leverage, without "going pro". I've heard stories of futures prop firms that payout a small percentage of profits to the trader rather than making the bulk of their money in commissions. The only specific example I know of is Aberdeen Atlanta but their website is no longer there, so they might not be either. Clearly, if the business model worked, you would see a lot of shops. Good luck, Kirk
Haas - I seem to remember that Goldenberg, Hehmeyer & Co. used to offer proprietary trading in Chicago and NY. Their website is www.ghco.com. You may also want to go to this CBOT link and check out all FCM's (futures commission merchants) http://www.cbot.com/cbot/www/page/0,1398,14+59,00.html. You may come across a firm that offers prop futures trading by researching these firms. Hope this helps.
Jaba122, WarEagle & Bond Trader - Thanks for the replies and ideas. I am going to contact some of the larger "local" clearing firms in Chicago (such as GHCO) and try to get some information about this.