Rich, I have traded in several online rooms the last few years and many pepole seem to use realtick very successfuly. The main complaint from just about all of them is that it often slows down, particularly the charts, in fast moving markets. I asked a realtick rep about this a few weeks ago at the traders expo and he do not deny it. I think it was worse about 2 years ago, but that is just my observation and is based on complaints from others. The rep also explained that they are constantly working on it. To me it is the biggest disadvantage but when I weigh it out with the functionality, its a very tough choice.
I was Cyber user some time ago. I was not able to âfall in loveâ with Cyber Pro platform. So after some time I left as I found another direct access broker with Penson account services and clearing. But heard really good info about Cyber services all the time. It is pity to hear that now is this going bad. But I think that competition in brokerage arena is huge so it will be easy to find another suitable broker for daytrading or swingtrading So far I am really satisfied with my broker (I described some <a href="http://www.simple-stock-trading.com">details on my page</a>) and with its direct access execution platform. Customer service is good and execution fair.
I used to use RealTick years ago. It is a nice package with a lot of features. Had a lot of scanning options. I found the interface somewhat less convenient than CT and the charting not as flexible. It has always been an expensive platform and the brokers usually require a fairly large number of trades to get it free. Since it is third party s/w, there can sometimes be issues that you can't resolve directly with the broker.
I'm narrowed my choice down to Noble Trading and Cobra Trading for my suitor replacement of CT. The later came as a recommendation from Gretchen, customer service mgr. there at Cybertrader. I've known her for 5 years and respect her recommendations. BTW, for the 4th day in a row, Charles Schwab screwed up my IDBP. Enough is enough. I am transferring to one of the above mentioned companies this weekend. Good luck to all!
Hi Joey, I am also looking at these two. Do you know if Cobra trading allow options day trading? I asked one of their customer service representative and he said they Dont. Thanks
Thanks to all for your responses. I will spend today and the rest of the weekend looking at brokers. All of your inputs are very helpful. I hate this. It never fails that you never really see if a new broker is what you want till after you have moved over your assests, spent a few weeks learning their system and trying a few trades. I want to thank Schwab for turning my life upside down and I consider this time that I am spending, looking for a new broker, a loss of income. Thanks Chuck !!! PS. Anyone here have any experience with TradeStation.com or E-Trade? E-Trade looks similar to CT but it appears they are near bankruptcy. Any other comments will be welcomed. I will report back if I find any outstanding brokers. So far I have talked with Ameritrade and TradeStation. Friends using Ameritrade have several issues. They did not offer a demo to look at. TradeStation was much more willing to get our business. They are aware of the Schwab Fiasco and are offering special deals for ex-cybertraders. They downloaded a demo via email which I will checkout this weekend and they signed me up for a live webcast class next Wednesday.
Regarding options daytrading - the reason they gave is they treat options trading as cash. If a call is bought in a day, that cash is tied up - even if it is sold, the cash is not released till next day. Do you buy and sell options intraday and is your cash released at the end of the round trip?
Yes and mostly. I haven't been recording my BP throughout the day, but my BP certainly goes up when I make a closing trade intraday. I don't know whether it goes up the full amount of the closing trade, though.