I had the same problems until somebody recommended me RTFR (read the f***g rules)
And I did.
And here what I found about ARCA orders on their website (
www.archipelago.com):
Your market orders will be checked by ARCA program against its book and if it will not be NBBO your order will be routed to the market maker or exchange with NBBO. You can imagine that on a fast moving market you will never get the price you were looking for or something near it. On top of that you will get filled after the move will end sometimes in 20-30 seconds.
The limit orders the same story. If you do not want your limit order to be routed outside of ARCA book (PNP) it should not cross the market, otherwise it will be canceled.
In fact it means that unlike ISLD, what you see is not what you get on ARCA. Most important ARCA makes you a looser all the time. It sucks big time and instead of ECN (and they already do not called themselves ECN) we get another exchange (that how they call themselves) where they rip-off us the way other exchanges do.
All in all if you need to get in or out fast NEVER use ARCA. Use ISLD. And if you trading ETF better trade on ISLD blind than on ARCA.
PS. By allowing market makers to use ARCA, Archielago with their rules in fact created garanteed spread, controlable by MM.