As some people know, I have a love/hate relationship with IB. One thing I do love about IB is its "snapshot" data. In hyperfast markets (eg, right after Fed announcements, etc.), IB is the ordinary trader's best chance of knowing what the market is actually doing.
Quite frankly, I can't understand why any professional or even semi-professional trader would rely solely on a brokerage data feed instead of spending $125/month or so to subscribe to a dedicated data service. Frankly, it's incomprehensible to me.
Auto mechanics, surgeons, and concert pianists are most demanding when it comes to the tools of their respective trades. What an irony that traders--whose success depends on their ability to discern value--practice such false economies.
