Would be good to hear from anyone in Spain or Spanish Islands, who has experience of the different communications for routing trades, either via the internet or fixed line
I´m in Spain right now but I´m not sure what you are asking. Do you mean the delay in milliseconds? the quality of cable/ADSL? in any case, I´ll try to answer, I would not attempt to daytrade via a normal ADSL/cable connection in Spain because the infrastructure is still not solid and the delay would be too much (for me) but I´m sure if you just wanted to swing trade it would be fine. you have to realize that things are different here in the old world. For example, just today I walked into a local broker here and was surprised to see all the lights out. The whole building had a power-outage. I asked them whether they had generators and they looked at me as if I was speaking gibberish. this general attitude permeates pretty much everything here. OFcourse, there are exceptions. While in Madrid I visited Morgan Stanley´s trading desk, kinda quiet but top notch and very friendly people. ps I´m on vacation but can´t resist my passion so I opened an account and trade the futures (IBEX + Eurex) somewhat illiquid but a neat experience so far. Commissions are a killer though â¬36 round trip!!
I was asking what type of internet access there is and which parts of Spain might have the best facilities. Or does anyone have a direct connection to a broker,? I was interested in reliability and cost. I trade the eminis and also the FTSE, Dax and EuroStoxx50, via electronic platforms - and I know to trade the IBEX you have to do it via phoning a broker (thats the law!). Not sure about your Eurex comment as Eurex is an exchange like the CME and CBOT, and far from being illiguid, it has some of the most liquid contracts in the world, and basically created the electronic exchange. Some things in Spain can seem strange when you are used to other countries, but when you can get a 3 course meal for two people with a bottle of wine in a superb restaurant in a capital city like Madrid for $15 - somehow the frustrations disapear!
ok, the best place to get connected via internet is the capital through ADSL or superADSL (although the kicker is that only 10% of the claimed speed is guaranteed!) IBEX futures are traded electronically so I don´t know who told you that you have to call a broker, its the law, etc. I trade them through my broker www.r4.com and fills are quite fast. Commissions are a lot less via internet than through phone also. edat is pretty much a baby here, the only one that I have found is www.estubroker.com/pro and even this one is quite unprofessional and very sloppy. I think they use something similar to realtick but don´t know for sure. trading individual shares is absultely stupid as a round trip would simply kill you through commissions + the incredibly high exchange fees I was referring to the DJ Eurostoxx 50 futures and you are right they are liquid. My comment re illiquidity was reserved for the IBEX and the miniIBEX (even worse!) the comment about the lifestyle is right on. A fantastic restaurant only costs â¬10 for a two course meal, wine, dessert. Try finding that in NY!!
I figured Madrid might be well served for high speed internet, but do you know if there is more than one company providing it and who they are, and also for instance if you can get high speed access in Mallorca/Majorca, and who might handle it there. I use a T1 connection in the UK and have got used to its reliability. When you say that you have traded the IBEX electonically through a broker - do you mean you have an electronic trading platform that you trade from - or you broker has one and you phone him? - my understanding - is that the futures are electronic, but that the public was not allowed to use electronic platoforms - but this may have changed from when i was there last September Wasn't sure how you get fast fills, if the IBEX is not liquid? Also, what is Edat? I don't trade any shares, although i do want to look at spreads at some point. The food and wine are great in Madrid, the restaurant i mentioned is in a great building, an opera house i think, and the food seems to be served at lunchtime only - - even the "cool" restaurants i went to in Madrid were only around $50/60 for two with wine - in the Uk one of my favourite restaurants is called Bibendum, and thats $150+
used to be a watering hole for me too in the early 80s ... on my way home further down fulham road www.bibendum.co.uk regards wild