Originally posted by alanm
It's amazing to me that IB continues to tell some people they are using Direct+ and others that they are not.
In my experience, too, I do not believe they are using Direct+. I've had way too many orders that would otherwise be Direct+-eligible, take 90 seconds to fill, and receive price improvement in the process. Clearly, they didn't go to Direct+.
DEF - why can't we get a straight answer on this?
From what I've heard elsewhere, and experienced, the specialist is able to lock the orders on the book while he is arranging a trade. Between the time he locks the book and the time the trade occurs, I cannot cancel the order. If I send the cancel before he locks it, I get an immediate out.
FWIW, I would definitely want a separate route for Direct+, since I will usually want to take advantage of the potential for price improvement when trading relatively small size by sending it to DOT instead. My experience with most specialists has been good, and I almost never receive a fill at or outside the quote that was displayed when I placed the order.
Come to think of it, I sold 10K shares of ELN earlier this month while the thing was still falling, and got a good fill, in a relatively fast market, when the buyers (including me :-() had all washed out.