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Sounds like you are not a serious trader? Why would you use it for several years now, if it "does not work properly period?" Seriously, your credibility would be much improved if not for the fact that you have only two posts to your name, both bashing Laser. Laser has had some problems...

Yes, that's the purpose. To ensure that the paper trading is valid when compared with actual trading with the system being tested. Where there any 'real' (losing) trades that the paper trading did not take? Did paper trading exit at the same point as the 'real' trades. Did the real trading...

I guess 'work' means something different for different people. For me, I sit in front of my computer during market hours each day, and monitor trading. I will also spend another hour or two each day and on weekends on trading related activities (including browsing internet sites like ET/SI...

I think many people aspire to be successful traders. For those that are successful, not only is trading NOT a dead end job, but it is a job with unlimited potential. Opening an office is more likely to be a career choice of a failed trader (not that there is anything wrong with that, IMO).

Frosty, Could you decribe for us how you created your system? I don't care about the system itself, but what steps you took to create/optimize it? I'm not sure about you, but alarm bells are going off like crazy for me. Since the simulated results are matching your actual results, then...

I am a professional stock trader, and serious poker player (non-professional). I think that being a poker player is easier than stock trading, since you are more easily able to choose the desired level of competition to be profitable. For example, a newbie poker wannabie can play in the...

If you haven't already, please be sure to backtest/papertrade your system on the data for the past week. Assuming that the paper trading shows the same performance as actual (and your backtesting methods were valid), then you would appear to just be having a run of bad luck. However, if paper...

As you pointed out, I don't use the Laser front end for order entry (using API order entry from colocated servers instead). Also, note that I trade almost exclusively based upon Level I and time and sales data, and dont use Level II data at all in my trading. That said, I had 2884 tickets...

My T1 is through Sprint, and it's pretty expensive at $1k per month. Depending on location, I think you can get T1's for as cheap as a couple of hundred per month these days. Also, FWIW, I have only six level II displays and eight charts open at a time on my default Laser screen. Regarding...

I just pulled up BX on Laser. It looks fine here, but maybe trading has slowed down in BX in the last 15 min since your post. Also, note that I have a T1 internet connection, for what it's worth.

I'm not sure if I'm reading your chart right, but it appears that your volatility measurement on the chart is the 5 period average true range of the monthly S&P price. While this 5 period ATR is currently roughly the same as from 1997, the underlying index value is currently about double what...

I've been with Genesis for almost three years now. They have definitely had some problems in recent months and seem to have a backlog of items needing to be addressed. In recent weeks, I also notice occasional times when ARCA/INET orders are not immediately accepted/cancelled (~2-10 second...

I have to disagree. I've been successfully daytrading stocks since late 1998, all fully automated and the path I followed was similar to what Frosty is doing. While I am able to trade profitably with manual trading, I can only do this with small niche strategies that are not conducive to...

Sounds like a great software feature. Just curious, is there any charge for accessing these shares for shorting? Either way, having it down electronically is a plus over having to call in, IMO.

Excellent link, giggallo. That thread has a number of posts with comparisons of the size of the short lists from multiple firms. This last such post was from 3/15/07 with the following short list sizes: RML (Penson) Found 7957 of 10865 symbols (73%) IB Found 9307 of 10865 symbols (85%)...

I started with a simple question, asking how many shortable stocks they offered. I don't dispute that they do (or don't) have the most. I simply don't know. However, the way to determine which firm has the best short list (which is the topic of this thread), the participants can merely...

I have no idea either. But, since you suggest that they have "undoubtably the best short list", then you would increase your credibility with such a statement by backing it up with the number of shortable stocks. Without that, you are just making unsubstantiated claims, IMO. FWIW, I see...

Don, How many stocks are on your short list? Thanks.

This is not necessarily true. Typically, commission rates are negotiable and your ability to get a good rate is based upon volume alone. Prop or retail, those with the highest volume will get the lowest rate. A high volume retail trader will get a much lower rate than a low volume prop...

Don, You continue to miss the point, however. The specific question was "What are the advantages of retail" I provided four answers, and still stand by each answer. My answers were not "retail trading myths" as you suggested. Retail and prop trading each have their own advantages...