Search results

Magna, First off, I'm not a daytrader; I've tried daytrading before but it doesn't fit my trading style. So I can only speak from my experience. The reason I think IB is not very good for scalping is that you can't just simply click on a market maker on a Level II screen and then...

I second all of the above comments. IB is best for intraday and swing trades, and options trading, which I do mostly now. Don't use IB for scalping, though. I had Datek and My Track, but I closed all of my accounts there. There is no reason to look further than IB if you are not making a...

First, they knocked out the numerous stock daytraders with <25K, then they are getting their hands on options daytrading. What next? Are they going to limit futures daytraders too? Small investors fought hard to get a piece of the pie during the last decade with the advent of ECNs, etc. We...

neo hr, Well, then I have to take things back a bit. Doing it with real money is a far cry from doing it on paper. When real money is on the line, you are very easily overcome by greed and fear. In that case, I don't suggest that you jump into options right away. optionist

neo hr, It is possible to daytrade using QQQ options or options of household names like Cisco. Usually they are very liquid. The spread between bid and ask is not wide, often only 10 to 15 cents. Since no such daytrading rule applies to options, you might want to see if that works for...

Hi, neo hr, Since you have daytraded for 3 years and have background and experience with the markets and technical analysis, I believe you can just swing trade using options. Right now, there is NO way I want to short a stock without hedge after trading options. I basically...

Hi, neo hr, Stockoptionist again. Since you are new to trading, the most important thing right now is education. Read as much as you can about trading. Keep up with what's going on in the economy and see how it affects the markets. That's the key. Don't jump into it too quickly...

neo hr, In my humble opinion, it's pretty hard to do with 4K, even without the new SEC rule. Don't forget that the swingtrader's nightmare is always that unexpected overnight gap-up or gap-down, which can be an analyst's upgrade or downgrade, unanticipated acquisition or merger news...

Last week's tragedy and the temporary disruption of the markets gave traders a break to come together to think about issues that go far beyond trading. I'm pleasantly surprised that so many of the fine, bright people here on this site have openly discussed such issues ranging from ethics...

Bucky, Those who believe in God aren't necessarily stupid. Einstein and Newton believed in God. You don't mean to say that they are dumb, do you? Many contemporary physicists are already thinking that there might be a God behind the Big Band. Many people take evolution for granted...

Hitman, You said: "as long as I am breathing I still have a career as a professional trader and I must act professionally." You know what. That's very similar to what the Nazi doctors and scientists said when they did what they did to their "patients." stockoptionist

MGB, You are relentless. :) Let me add to Wet's point. First of all, I have lived up to what I believe so far. I don't smoke, and I believe that smoking is harmful. And I've never traded Philip Morris, even though I might have profited a bit from it had I shorted it when it...

dkamp, Is playing poker the same as trading the markets? A society can survive without poker games, but a society cannot NOT have a market, whether it's as primitive as a barter market or as sophisticated as the modern electronic stock markets. Simply because there are certain game rules...

Impeccably compelling reasoning, Wet. "The market will always take care of itself" and "the market always does what it does." What the world do these statements REALLY mean? It's very much like saying, "History will always tell us what it wants to tell us." These are only convenient...

Trader01, dozu888 and tntneo, Thanks for your posts. These are good arguments you've come up with. However, you must be under the impression that I encourage people to go long. I NEVER said that. Simply because I said that we shouldn't go short, it doesn't mean the opposite: it doesn't...

tuna, Very illuminating post. I think the West is risking another Middle-Ages type of Crusade if this war on terrorism gets out of hand. Do we really understand the full implications of military engagement in Afghanistan? Are we, not just Americans but Europeans and the rest of...

wirelessbull, Thanks for your links and your informative posts. I really wish everyone would treat each other with decency in this board even when they disagreed. One of the main reasons I've come to this board is that I got sick and tired of all the name-calling and four-letter words...

dozu888, By the way, I did donate to help the NYC firefighter's families. Please use good well-reasoned arguments, and stop attacking me as a person. If you can't give me good arguments other than just attacking other people, then you have no right to post here. stockoptionist

dozu888 and Kicking Being a market maker shorting the market Monday is very different than being an individual trader. A market marker's job is to provide liquidity whereas no such obligation is required of the individual trader. A market maker is not encouraging people to short or to...

There have been reports about suspicious shorting activities in Tokyo right before the terrorists attack. No shorting folks. Shorting will only help finance their terrorists' activities. Stockoptionist