Quote from sprstpd:
Does your explanation make any sense?
$1 minimum commission at IB means a 5 or 10 share order costs $1 regardless. IB, precentagewise, should make more on an odd lot order than other types of orders (assuming they don't route these type of orders to a place like ARCA which overcharges for them).
Odd lots can be useful for risk control. If you were a trader, you would know that.
I think you meant 100 instead of 10.
Anyway, smaller accounts not only don't trade as frequently, but also blow out sooner. So they don't have as much economic value regardless of the percentage made by IB. And trading 5 shares @ $1 commish makes less economic sense because of the percentage that the commission represents relative to the amount at risk. Just to break even on any stock means the stock has to move significantly more than it would if you had done a standard round lot of 100.
Even their commission structure is geared away from picker trading in stocks.
