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Commissions here in the U.S. can be much less than the slippage on low volume stocks. I think only a scalping strategy on higher volume stocks would payoff from zero commissions.

You can use the cash unless you are a "pattern day trader". This categorization affects some accounts less than $25k (?).

I use to trade this spread a lot. It didn't work as well after RD got booted out of the S&P 500. Sometimes there are inexplicable variations. SC is more difficult to short and has a higher spread. Also be careful of the ex-dividend dates which are different. But if you're patient, there's...

jwishcamper, You're right. I did not read the subject closely enough. No penalty that I'm aware of for underpaying estimated taxes. It's just the interest charge.

I agree with easyrider and dustin. On occasion when my profit objective has been met and the spread not too much, I have exited pre or post market. Most of the time I would have been better off being patient and handling during normal hours. The most recent example was buying MCD right after...

In addition to interest, they automatically hit you with a negligence penalty (I think around 10%) if your underpayment is more than a certain amount (20%?).

I'm more likely to curse out the bad trades then cheer on the good ones.

How could all the shorts be paid? If there isn't sufficient capital in the long's accounts, they will receive a margin call. Except they don't have the money and declare bankrupcy erasing the debt.

Even though I'm a CPA, I don't specialize in taxes. But I would say you must refile the returns. You can deduct up to $3k in losses a year (less if your reported income would go below zero) and carry it forward each year until it's used up. No limit as to how many years forward you can go...

IB customers agree to a confidentiality agreement regarding the notes which might account for the thread disappearing.

There's nothing wrong with putting in an order to bully or scare the specialist or market place in general. After all, why you place an order isn't a data entry requirement. But if it's hit, it's a valid order.

Investigate the new pre-paid tax accounts for self employeds that I believe just started on January 1. It requires taking out a policy that provides catastrophic coverage only with high deductibles. You also make contributions into an account that pays for medical expenses not covered by the...

Do what I do. Train your spouse/significant other to follow your phone commands and get you the information you need. I do it all the time and my wife is gotten pretty good with the hot keys.

My experience is the same as sprstpd. You see your order get displayed but at a price that ensures an uptick.

As I recall, one of the recent IB gripers had a PhD in math or stats. Maybe he could provide an expert opinion as to whether or not the IB complaints on this message board are statistically significant.

I'll take a guess. Suppose a company has 1000 shares outstanding and is paying a dividend of $1 per share. All 1000 shares have been borrowed to sell short. Now dividends will be received by holders of 2000 shares (1000 paid by the company and 1000 paid by the short sellers). This would...

I would not compare the commission structure between IB and Brown & Co. I have accounts at both. While it is true that the commission on a 5k share order at IB is $27.50 and only $5 at Brown & Co. (or $10 if a limit order), my experience is that the execution price at Brown & Co. will never...

I prefer trading a stock that has some real underlying value. Certainly some NASDAQ stocks could trade on NYSE and some NYSE stocks are garbage, but that preference has pushed me to some of the more liquid NYSE stocks.

A related question. If you buy a stock the day before it goes ex-divident in after market hours, do you still get the dividend? For example, you buy PEG today at 5pm. I assume you do but wanted to check.

Interactive Brokers does not charge the SEC fee.