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Hm. I'll check it out. What API does NT use to access TDA? Is it something limited only to NT and not available to the public?

What about TOS option spread execution is troubling? I've used them before with no issues. I currently have a TOS account and am relatively satisfied with them (with the exception of not having an API).

Margin.

... If Thinkorswim just had an API. So, I've been trying to use the IB API to develop a simple automated trading strategy. Technically, it works. But of course IB, being stupid, only lets you log into IB once. So, if you have your trading system running and connected to an instance of TWS on...

Perfect. Thank you for your help. Much appreciated!

Thanks for the info. That's great to know. Yes, I'm not worried about late trades being recorded and therefore influencing the settlement price. In other words, getting the book keeping to catch up is fine. I just don't want to have any risk exposure other than the defined risk associated with...

I have a question about SPX options settlement risk for PM-settled weeklies (not AM-settled). Specifically, if I'm buying spreads (say a bull call spread), is it safe to hold everything (all legs) to expiration, or should I be trying to sell the spread (or at least buy back the short leg) to...

No offense taken. I think we're all in agreement, and I think you're probably right about risk and compliance, though having to have your program connect to their trading platform running locally on your machine seems like a needless complication that actually makes things less robust.

I don't think anybody is sitting around and waiting. I'm certainly not. Nor am I complaining. The initial question asked in this thread is basically, "What could they do better?" So, that was my answer.

Yes, the source is there and one could reverse engineer the wire protocol from that, but then you're left trying to track protocol changes, etc. Ultimately, that can become a nightmare. Better to use their libraries, IMO. The last thing you want is to blow a trade because you didn't do a good...

As I said in my post, earlier, I was just spitballing with REST. A trading API doesn't need to use REST. It could easily open up a persistent socket and just exchange JSON-encoded messages (or whatever -- just avoid XML as it's a heap of needless complexity). The point is, a simple wire-level...

Since it's your money, I say "Go for it!" It'll be an epic story either way.

If I had a nickel for every Black Monday prediction I've seen land in the trash can a week later, I'd have no fear of going broke when Black Monday finally arrives. I managed to get myself on a mailing list for a contrarian stock newsletter that is always predicting that "The market has just...

IMO, they should not have created language-specific libraries at all, or at least not to the exclusion of an open wire protocol of some sort. If they had a wire protocol defined (e.g., JSON over REST, just spitballing here), you could code up a simple library in your favorite language and be...

Actually, in the NFL, the recent kerfuffles all seem to be about players hitting their wives. I think I'll leave it there, though. I know when I'm beaten.

Heh. For what it's worth, if I remember it correctly, the statistics actually show that NFL players are more likely to suffer large injuries. The pads cause them to get over confident and the hits are then harder. They don't have as much blood on them at the end of the game as do rugby players...

Questions: 1. Have you traded your system successfully for a while? 2. Have you backtested it and performed other tests to ensure that you aren't being "fooled by randomness?" If the answer to either of those is "no," then go back and do that first. Once you have done those tasks, other folks...

Thanks, globalarbtrader. Agreed on diversification, but I don't want to size my portfolio for the black swan worst case, either. Honestly, if you do that, you shouldn't be trading at all. The key here is to avoid a wipeout (survive to trade out of the resulting hole) for an overnight, weekend...

Hmm... OK. Gotta do more reading about Euro vs. American options then. It was my understanding that VIX options didn't behave the same as you might expect standard options to expect during VIX spikes because of the combination of the mean-reverting character of the VIX, coupled with Euro style...

At first, I thought that was true, but look at the data from 9/11. It was a 9.92 point VIX shock (31%), but the SP500 only went from 1092 on Sept 10 to 1038 on Sept 17 (about 5%). Effectively, the markets got really, really scared (VIX jumps 30%), but the actual correction from it, while...