Does interactive brokers provide the most instruments for a direct access broker? I dont recall seeing cds on there list of instruments. At some point would you just go with a prime broker or are the online direct access brokers good enough to trade more complex instruments? im a macro guy and Im concerned about limitations when it comes to brokers. been using interactive but thinking about getting more creative in my investments and I dont want to hit a wall with interactive...
If a broker offers CFd it means that the trading is not DMA one.You can read the definition of CFd here: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/contractfordifferences.asp#axzz2Dcv6v5HV that's why brokers who have a good reputation simply doesn't offer this instrument. it's not a DMA trading.
IB offers the most products overall, including many foreign stocks, bonds, forex, etc. but is not necessarily the best in certain specialized areas such as commodity options or forex in my opinion. So I think IB is the easy winner using the criterion you list (breadth of coverage), but I think that there are other criteria that they might eventually lead you elsewhere depending on what you end up trading.