ouch, I wouldn't treat anyone brave enough to step up to the plate in this field as stupid, however the considerations for other issues is an appropriate discussion under any circumstance. Sterling Trader Pro is excellent and has much to be said for its strengths -- Echotrade Online Redi+ has instant cancel replace hotkeys that can shift one's bid/ask up/down by almost any interval and this vastly exceeds other platforms, although there are other significant negatives with their platform -- Bright Trading never heard of Greentree
I personally would clarify this to read -- Never start trading remote, start in an office. But when you learn to make money - out of sight and out of mind are two very nice things actually I have found. I'll cast my vote here for Echo, I have been with them for a long time and have always been very happy. I have seen the other platforms and I think they all work fine, but Sterling (or Echopro as it is now known) is in my mind the best out there, especially if you have any plans of automating your trading down the road.
Thank you everybody for your comments. "The more you know..." Hammer v.s. EchoPro - lots of debate it appears on which is the superior platform. It appears that monthly fees are (slightly) higher at Echo than Andover, but Hammer does not yet come with a charting package and bullets are 500 minimum (100 at Echo). Also, more often than not I hear good things about Echo's support staff, especially Gabrielle. Echo's merger w/Van Buren and Sungard's purchase of Andover have been mentioned both in negative and positive ways in various PMs and in phone conversations. I am still gathering more info on Greentree. Tough choice. Thanks again for the comments.
I don't have any experience at Andover , so I can't comment on them. But most of you know that I have been trading remote with Echo for over a year. No major complaints other than rates (software) seem to be increasing since the "merger" with VB. Someone mentioned Gabrielle...who is not only a nice person but quick and professional. Rob K is very helpful too, but sometimes slow on the e-mail responses. I'm also now using Greentree Trading for e-mini's. The rates are the best that I have found. Using J-trader and e-signal for charts. That combo is one of the best I've used in my 6yrs in the business. If you want to do equities they have many different platforms to choose from. Including FSG, which is the same exact thing as Sterling. IMO both are good firms, it's just that Greentree reminds me more of the pre-merger Echotrade. Which was more focused on making the traders happy. I'm sure I will get 10-20 PM's after this...so feel free to ask any questions you like. But when it comes to fees and costs it's really better to go straight to the source and negotiate the best deal. Happy Trading.
be very hard pressed to find anyone that has used both platforms (sterling and hammer) that did not prefer Hammer by a mile. And I agree, Gabrielle is the one positive on Echo. I am not going to bash Echo, I think they have a lot of good things going for them. That being said, you may want to dig a little a deeper as far as who runs the show there and if anyone important has left recently.
i trade with gill & company. Although it was not in your final three they have an excellent platform in simplicity(tm) and their rates beat everyone else. you can also trade futures and equities on the same screen. pm me if you wish for more info.
I agree. Also, a good move is to stay with 100-200 share positions for a good period of time in order to get your technique.