I use TS 7.2 ........ Not gonna say which is best b/c I was given 2000I by a friend and wrote everything in that and felt compelled to stay w/ them ........ Shrt Answer is I pay for the platform and fees (Level II CME CBOT) $200 Alot I admit.........
Thank you all for the replies. What software does IB offer? It's difficult to get a summary of software offered at the IB site.
Broker--Interactive Br.: Free (data free w/>$30 commish, otherwise $10/mo.); Charting--QuoteTracker: Free (with no ads + 5 days charting vs. 2, $5/mo.); Data Feed-- Scottrade: Free (10-symbol limit). Also, free feeds from other brokers, if you're their customer. Examples are: Cyber, Ameritrade, Fidelity, IB (one day, no backfill), Xoom, Schwab, E*Trade. These feeds can be used to drive the charts of QuoteTracker, above. IMO, this config is great for the beginning trader, as it keeps expenses LOW. http://www.interactivebrokers.com http://www.quotetracker.com http://www.scottrade.com FYI: IB just adding a charting feature. It's new, crude and in BETA (I believe). Can only improve with time.....
I use medvedqt, ts2000i, and wealthlab at the moment - all running off IB feed. (the medved feeds into wealthlab). Wealthlab is great for backtesting but probably TS2000i has the edge on charting. Tried tradestation but didn't like the platform for scalping- although the new matrix looks good. If price is an issue then check out Medved - you don't need even need Ib feed- robust software and excellent service.
when i used to have $90,000 in my trading account, I used to be looking for cheapest or free charting packages. Today i keep Just keep $10,000 in my Trading account, but pay $350+ for my charting software,feed, and trading tools. Don't try to stay cheap in these business, otherwise you look cheap man sooner ot later.
what was the problem when trying to scalp with TS? What time frames did you look at? 1-2min ES? What platform do you use now for scalp trades? Heard Refco Pro is a steal... Best to you, cosmic
If you are an harmonic trader (fibs, ganns, gartleys and so on) then check out Ensign software, they specialize in that. They claim to combine data feeds with IB and their own backfills, and therefore provide a real time data for the mare fee of IB quotes ($10/mo.). The software itself costs about $40/mo. http://www.ensignsoftware.com/tips/tradingtips47.htm I never tested this, but you can download a free trial of the ensign-ib. Otherwise just use ensign with the esignal feed, that would total you about $100/mo. That's what most traders do. The main advantage of tradestation is strategy developing. You should find a software that suits your specific needs.