Fairly biggoted comments towards someone who has lived and worked in HK for the past 16 years You can call us white devils but you'd be only insulting a fraction of our company. I know more about the HK derivatives market than most people. Your first problem is that you see fixated on stops in a market that doesn't support them and where the markets can be thin. Before you go ahead and claim that there is a racist element to your trading, perhaps it's best you look in the mirror first.
The HKFE data is snapshot data. The exchange used to snap shot the quotes eery 1000 milliseconds and has changed it now to 500ms or 100ms depending on which service a broker subscribes. (IB does 100ms). Either way a lot can happen between the snapshots. In addition spread orders and other factors including trades are recorded will have an impact.
I compared IB snapshot data with Reuters QuoteCenter snapshot data. I couldn't find any periodical huge volume spikes in QuoteCenter. If I am watching QC side by side with other local data provider (e.g. aastocks or Bank of China International), QC volume is almost identical to aastocks or BOCI. But IB snapshot data is something like: IB volume is behind the "actual volume" for almost 30 seconds, and then at the 30 second interval, it has to catch up the "actual volume" with a snapshot of huge change in the "Volume" field. Hope this is enough information for you to talk to your engineer and reproduce the problem. I only noticed it in API only, I didn't notice any anomalies in TWS java client display.
I am a native Cantonese speaker living in HK for more than 30 years . I can say the local people don't use GwaiLo as a racist phrase anymore. GwaiLo is an informal way to say western foreigners.
Are you using the paper trader or the demo. If the demo, it is just that a demo. If the paper trader, are you sure you are using the front month for HSI? The front month is the current month up until the next to last business day of each month. Regardless, the paper trader in the end only tries to simulate the market. I'd suggest you try with the real thing but with MHI which is a mini contract and thus far less risky.
IB is a member and registered broker in many places around the world including hong kong where we are licensed by the sfc. Main office is in the US. Branch office in hong kong.
a word of caution. just never expect brokers in hkg to follow rules and regulations so much taken for granted in the u.s. even profitable traders in the u.s. might just accumulate more losses than ever imaginable when trading in hkg, bkg or s'pore et al markets, due to differing local practices and trading factors beyond traders' control. as traders you would have little or no recourse ESSENTIALLY AND PRACTICALLY whatever, when you trade independently in almost all asean markets. certainly, am not implying there are mostly crooked trades/deals but that the trading environments are just not setup for the benefits of independent traders who are almost and always at the end of feeding line.... even if a trader has a legitimate complaint, the general brokers' attitude is.... so....; so what....; sue us.... if you have enough resources....; did i hear you said--consumers' protection....? right, where is its office anyway? look into wan chai district, perhaps. still wanna trade in the asean markets....? if general brokers' attitudes did not dissuade you, then.... perhaps everything that you mentioned above and everything that you fear might happen--hopefully they will intimidate you enough to think twice or thrice.... before playing low balls with those smartly dressed and very sleek brokers, most of whom are under the armpits or influences of someone higher up.... that is how most of them operate and survive, generally saying one thing in public and doing differently in private. better trade in the u.s. or euro or aussie markets, in my humble just one man opinion, K? my former sweetheart was a very well compensated broker, mind you. nakachalet@gmail.com
You have no clue about regulators out here who are quite strict. Brokers who do not follow the rules and regulations will be not be allowed to conduct business. Interesting enough, you mention Singapore and hong kong which have very strong regulators and segregation rules while touting the US. You might want to look in your own back door and track down where cash went missing on the client sde this past year with MF and PFG. LOL.