Quote from specul8tor:
Is there anything wrong with doing this?
A market buy order for an odd lot will give immediate execution at the posted offer (no matter what the offer size is), and market sell order will immediately fill you at the bid price. I'm not 100% sure, but I've heard something that your odd lot order might even get executed at a better price than the NYSE bid/offer in case that there is a better price posted at a local exchange.
You could also send an odd lot order to buy at the bid or any limit price below the offer, and that order will automatically be executed with the next NYSE print at your limit price or better. Thus, in a slow moving, wide spread stocks one could send odd lot order to buy at the bid and sell at the offer, and get his executions every time there is a print at bid/offer, and capture the spread. In a fast moving condition, one would use a market order for an odd lot to get immediate guaranteed execution, even if the specialist's quote is 1.
All odd lot executions will come from the specialist's inventory, and are done automatically.
Now, for prop. traders it's illegal (illegal is not the correct word, but you understand what I'm saying, it's not right) to use odd lot orders. One of my buddy prop. traders, who no longer is trading (quit about a year ago), had a personal vendetta going with the IRF specialist, and everytime he would see a good trade, and the specialist showing no size to get filled, would just send multiple market 99 share orders, until the specialist got pissed and contacted the compliance department of the firm. My friend didn't get fired, but got a pretty serious warning.
I would warn all prop. traders NOT TO USE odd lots, unless they are getting rid of some partial fills from an ECN.
Although personally I would get an enjoyment to have you guys piss the specialists off.