Right now I am trading my sisters money in her Datek account. I like the trading tools they have like real-time news and level II, (I use Medved qoutetracker with Datek) but I can not stand Datek anymore. I mean to me they just stink! I am interested in switching to IB. Does IB offer stuff like real-time news and Level II? If not where do all of you IB users get this stuff? From what I see just about everyone using IB loves it. Let me know how you guys like to use IB to make it work well for day trading (what kind of software works good, ect...) Also let me know if I am making the right choice. All I do is day trade. Is the IB switch a good idea?
IB (when it is working) is lightning fast - it occasionally slows down - or just plain stops - but hasn't happened lately. It is strictly an execution platform, with quotes, and nothing more than that. For charts, level 2, etc., I suggest realtick , esignal, or whatever you like.
I use qcharts with IB, combo works great, don't use new, the charts show the news before it hits the wire services or CNBC anyway.