IB and new CME Cancel/Modify

Quote from squeeze:

LIFFE has done something similar. A lot of arcade traders using auto-spreaders were hit with big bills because they did not register and were sending vast numbers of messages to the exchange.

However, I think there is a limit set so that anyone sending less than a certain number of messages per day does not have to register. The LIFFE approach is fair as small automated traders and manual traders are not affected but traders sending thousands of messages a day without doing much volume get hit with big bills. The bandwidth abusers have been reigned in without anyone affecting anyone else.

I don't know if it would be practical to register every single person using some sort of automated order entry system.
There would also be a danger in adding these sort of costs that an exchange would just end up driving away business to competitors. For instance, I am sure Eurex US would love to have some of the CME's automated volume for it's new index products.

The problem with the new IB fees are that they do not really reflect the new exchange rules and are going to disproportionately hit a lot of smaller traders whether automated or manual. I am surprised as this is the first thing I have seen IB do that is likely to really loose them customers.

Giving people a daily allowance of 25 free cancel/modifies per day per product would be a good way to solve the problems for small traders. Beyond this the ratio of messages to trades should ideally reflect the exchange limits.

This is a good solution for IB to institute. They should allow so many cancel/modifie orders per day before they charge. CME costs are way to high now for small traders. EurexUS is not bad for traders holding any length of time.
 
It looks like the CME is making a push to increase electronic options trading. They are going to be integrating their enhanced options trading platform into the Globex system at the end of the summer. Options trading requires much higher bandwidth than futures trading. The CME is trying to free up bandwidth with these fees.

These fees will also serve as a barrier to entry to firms or individuals trying to compete with the exchange designated options market making firms. Anyone who continuously makes a market in one product based on what's happening in another will be hit hard by these fees.

Bob
 
Quote from alanm:

IB: 3 points:

The current CME document (at http://www.cme.com/trading/get/sup/messagingpolicy12089.html) says "Surcharges ... will begin effective Friday, July 1, 2005".

The fees are only supposed to apply for RTH activity. Messages outside RTH are not included in the calculations.

Aren't the fees a little excessive, at least for ES? For example, if IB does 50K contracts a day in ES (a conservative estimate, I think), and were to incur the $2000/day penalty, it amounts to just $0.04/contract. What am I missing?

I get below reply from IB. So this does apply to all trading sessions...

This applies to all trading sessions, not just regular trading hours.

The cancellation fee will not apply to stop orders as these order types are not native to the exchange and are simulated by IB.
Stop Limit order, however, are native to GLOBEX, and thus the cancellation fee will apply.
 
One more reason to not trade via the CME. They do all they can to stack the deck against the little guy via disinformation or no information. If you're looking for a more level playing field, go to the CBOT imho. Do your DD.
 
Quote from o10maximus:

One more reason to not trade via the CME. They do all they can to stack the deck against the little guy via disinformation or no information. If you're looking for a more level playing field, go to the CBOT imho. Do your DD.

In this case, I don't think the CME has stacked the deck against the little guy at all. The new rules implemented by the CME are more likely to hit the big automated prop traders.

However, the way IB has chosen to implement cancel/modify fees will hit small traders. Hence, to avoid the problem all that is required is to use another broker.

I do not know why they have chosen to implement the fees in the way they have. It may be that the bulk of the problem is due to Timberhill's own prop trading and so IB has decided to implement a very restrictive fee arrangement for it's retail customers.

Perhaps someone from IB would care to comment?
 
Is the fee $1 per order or per contract?

Clearly the CME needs some competition in the stock indexes. I think this could hurt them in the currency futures, as there is plenty of retail FX competition.

It seems obvious to me that this is another subsidy they are handing to their members, who resent retail competition for MM. Their mentality has always been that the price of beating the spread is an exchange membership. If you're not part of the club, you should not have the ability to buy the bid.

So basically, we have globex out of the energy market and trying to screw us in the indexes. When's the next shoe going to drop?
 
Quote from squeeze:


I do not know why they have chosen to implement the fees in the way they have. It may be that the bulk of the problem is due to Timberhill's own prop trading and so IB has decided to implement a very restrictive fee arrangement for it's retail customers.

Seems about right. There is no need to be anywhere near as restrictive as IB is being, to comply with the CME fee/policy. There must be some other reason to be so restrictive. IB's own trading could be one reason. Or, perhaps they are applying some other standard to a few large/institutional customers.
 
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