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    Let's talk probabilities.

    Jaan (or anyone else) What software tools do you use to do probability studies? I have fooled around with simple ones in Excell, but I am guessing that is not the most efficient way to do it. Thanks
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    Is it me, or does IB's e-mail technical support treat everyone like an doofus?

    _punter No it's definitely not just you. I had an issue several months ago that could have escalated into a big problem. I spent over a week e-mailing customer support and getting the same useless responses. Like you, I am pretty sure they could not have read my letter given that their...
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    Speed Reading/Memory Improvement

    Do you have any favorite web sites on learning styles and strategies? I have a lot of trouble with learning and recalling info myself. I feel like whatever the biological component is that's responsible for getting info into and out-of my subconsious is running at 9600 baud in a DSL world...
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    Speed Reading/Memory Improvement

    Close your eyes and if you are a visually oriented person images will begin to appear as you enter Alpha brain states. If your primary representation system is auditory or kinesthetic then you can start the image yourself by imagining or look at a bright light for a few seconds to get some good...
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    Where'd I go wrong; Any thoughts?

    Tony, When the market closes at the bottom 10% of it's trading range, there is an 85% chance of making a lower low the following day. Do you crunch statistics like this on your own or do you "order out" for them? If you investigate them yourself, do you use commercially available...
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    ANOTHER set of newbie question

    One more question... How do you find out which options are the most liquid? Will they tend to follow the most actively traded stocks or are there 'cult' options that draw a lot of traders? You have a lot of 'lists' for stocks (most active, biggest gainers, etc) but is seems kind of...
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    ANOTHER set of newbie question

    Like others here, I find myself looking for new ways to trade in my IRA. With IB offering options now, I thought I should learn a little about them and see it they were something I could put to good use. Another advantage would be the ability to play the down side of the market. Not having...
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    IB IRA's and Options

    I transferred an IRA from PreferredTrade to IB. At the time, it was awful. They were just getting their IRA's on line and did not have a transfer form availible. Now they have the form in their account section and it is very simple. I am not sure about the trading authorization...
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    IB IRA's and Options

    They actually offer that now. (buying puts and calls) I have done a couple small trades just to see how it works, and it's great from my limited experience. You need to upgrade your account if you have not done so already. It seemed like it took a day to process. I love IB. They...
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    25 k rule

    Duffer, Why get nasty about it? If you are not interested don't open the thread. Have you taken the time to consider the basis of foghats argument or do you just accept it ad Verecundiam that because brokers have said it it is true? Possibly through discussion people can see the other...
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    25 k rule

    It may be the end of the story and the case may be closed, since they are the one's who steer their ship, but the fact remains the logic of their reply is flawed. Daytrading requires margin. Daytrading in a cash account is governed by the free riding clause of Regulation T. This is their...
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    25 k rule

    So has anyone heard what the "official" reasoning is for the new interpretation of the T+3 rule? I really can't think of any argument in support of it that makes any sense, with the exeption of getting a trade broken. I could see where if a cash-account plunger made 200% on a wild trade (ok...
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    IB cash accounts...

    ...the rules prohibit a customer from making a practice of effecting transactions in a cash account where the cost of securities purchased is met by the sale of the same securities (a practice known as "free riding") The point is that you would NOT be funding the purchase of the security...
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    IB Communiqué Sept 21,2001

    Yes, that's very good news. Now I just need to figure out how to make money trading options... Thanks once again Def!
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    IB cash accounts...

    This may be a really dumb question, but can I trade stock in foreign markets with IB? I hear a lot about people in other countries trading US markets, but I have never noticed anyone from the US mention they are working foreign markets. This cash account fiasco is giving me the blues...
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    IB Communiqué Sept 21,2001

    Wow, you mean if I want to buy a call in a cash account I need to have enough money set aside (doing nothing) so that IF the call is exercised I have enough to buy the stock?? That's NUTS!!! What if I know I don't want to exercise the call? Do I have to buy shares of a stock before I can...
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    IB cash accounts...

    I guess one thing that could happen is that some time before the official "settlement" a trade could be broken. If you had made a lot of trades afterward these subsequent purchases would technically be violating margin requirements. (since you wouldn't have had the cash in the account when you...
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    IB cash accounts...

    Sorry, I have a clarification question: Usually, brokers with a tight interpretation of reg T will allow you to trade "through your net worth" once per day and brokers with a loose interpretation will immediatley release buying power so that you can buy and sell all day. Will IB be...
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    Gambler's fallacy vs. Theory of Probablity

    It doesn't seem unreasonable to me to think that their could be 'winning streaks'. For any strategy, wouldn't subtle (or not so subtle) changes in overall market conditions cause the probability of sucess to vary? You may have a technique that has a 55% probability of gain one month and 45%...
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    Gambler's fallacy vs. Theory of Probablity

    OK, I get it Htrader. Say each trader bet 100% of their money every time. It would be *highly* unlikey that anyone would have a run which lasted through the 100 events. They would wash out with nothing In a game such as this, with each individual event being win all/lose all, how do you...
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