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Nicodemus and Satan conversing? Hell frozen over? :p

Kicking: “I looked at a chart of the full contract and it doesn't seem to be a very active contract…” Yup. The large contract is a bit of a sleeper. We’ll see if the mini can breath some life into the CBOT’s equity index futures.

neo_hr: “I am truly sorry if this doesn't belong to this message board.” What are you kidding! We need more posts like yours, Alex. Planning is the foundation of successful trading. If new traders followed your lead and formulated a strict plan, then more might stand a chance of...

tntneo: “I do think ES has a better record regarding fake signals.” I completely agree. Ironically, I think this one of the reasons I find it easier. I spent so much time playing the game that I feel much like an NYSE trader must feel when reading a specialist. I also think that my...

larrybf: “Is there any difference betwwen the two contracts? is one of them better than the other.” I watch both and I’ve traded both. I prefer the ES but that may have more to do with the fact that I’ve traded the S&P for much longer. Depending on which I feel may offer more...

andrasnm: “Be very careful but if you scalp you can maybe make it. learn to "sit on your hands" and let some profit run. Use trailing stops, without major profits you will burn up.” I agree with andrasnm’s recommendation of some form of trailing stop. In conjunction, I use profit...

Nicodemus: “You dont really learn anything, imo, unless you've got some money on the line. At least enough to hurt a little if you lose it.” Wise words from Nic. Put up just enough so it means something but not enough that it breaks you. You need to know how you will deal with pressure...

born2trade: “Are there traders here actually making a living trading them exclusively?” Uh-huh. “How many contracts do you execute a day?” Depends on a number of variables, but I’m generally moving quite a number of contracts on each trade. “Is it possible to make the...

On Sept. 30, the mini Dow will be available on a/c/e. It is a very small contract. Initial Margin requirements are $1,080. Depending on commissions and liquidity, it may prove to be fertile ground to grow skills for new traders or an excellent introduction to index futures for undercapitalized...

Magna: “Very few people on this board have ever suggested that they only do a couple of trades a day!” Personally, I only come across 4-5 good setups a day. Of course, I’m trading futures. From time to time, I’ve traded with greater frequency. Ultimately, I’ve found that I...

Kevmeister: “if you let your guard down, just a little, it can (will) cost you bigtime. Keep those rules posted on your monitors, bathroom mirrors, refrigerators and read them everyday. EVERYDAY.” Thanks for sharing your story, Kev. You’ve given some really great advice. As others...

goodQ: “I did not think that the email was a comma limited file.” True, although the email can easily be imported into Excel and formatted. In addition, IB TWS can export a copy of your daily executions in a delimited format. “their (tradelog) site don't even show an example.”...

rtstrading: “Stuck in any trades?” Yes, but not for quite awhile, now. “Do you have a backup broker?” Absolutely. “Do they have a backup system?” Yes, you can phone the trade desk. :)

I've used IB in the last week and I've had no problem with the software. Of course, I was not initially experiencing any problems with it that I was aware of.

Very helpful post, elon. I have a broker who routes through TOPS and I would agree that, in the past, it has appeared to be more stable. It has also been my experience, albeit limited through this broker, that it has always been somewhat slower. To be fair, this is an “apples to...

Unless I’m mistaken, the NDX on IB brings up the Nasdaq 100 and not the Composite.

Limit, Market, Stop Limit, Stop, and MIT. In that order. Depending on the size I’m trading and the type of order, fills are anywhere from a second to several seconds in the EP or NQ. I’m guestimating because I don’t pay attention to the exact amount of time. I've always been more...

I have access to both Patsystems and IB. I prefer Pat as it has a number of features I like and is organized in a fashion that I find useful. IB will get the job done, though. I like the visual layout of the DOM feature on Pat but the information it passes along is not something I use to...

NKNY: "However, please understand that just because you do remain disciplined and follow your plan by exiting your trades that do not act as expected you are NOT guaranteeing success, you are simply "Almost guaranteeing" survivial." Great observation. I agree.

Kudos to Hitman and praetorian2 for their informative posts. Both of you've made interesting observations. I think it is important to point out that I struggled for a very long time and put in a lot of thought and hard work developing the concepts and indicators I use. I do not possess a...