Prop commission rates and profitability

You will only get good rates if you trade on high volume or have a proven track record. If you are anywhere close to new, you will have trouble finding rates below $3 / 1000
 
Quote from pegasys1:

I get .25 per 1000 for about 2 mil a min. I think they could do .20, but I guess they have to make money somewhere other than profits.

For that kind of rate, how much leverage do they give you and what is the payout percentage?
 
I'm paying 1.50 per 1000 with $150 software fee (DAS) for about the same volume as you. I get 10:1 if that means anything.

4 seems a little steep for over 1m shares. anything over 1m shares you should be paying 1.50-2.50 per 1000 and nothing more. I mean, even with full ECN pass through, you can't make profits unless the ECN pays more than your commission. Easier to find ECNs like Bats which gives somewhere around $2.7 per thousand. Even EDGE and ARCA only give $2 per thousand. You should be targeting $1.50-$2 IMO. $3 or $4 is a rip off for 2 million shares and software should not be more than $150 or $200 MAX.
 
Quote from Samsara:

If you're doing 100,000 a day (2 mil a month), I'd say the maximum fair market rate might be around .004 with ECN pass through, if you're capitalized and not exceptionally risky. This is based on experience from years ago though, before the churn and burn model became unprofitable.

For 5 mil a month I saw people with rates of .0025.

Keep in mind the minimum profitable rate for the firm is around .002 / sh.

If you believe the numbers you posted is legit.....I can tell you that you are seriously being ripped off right now.....
 
Quote from chowhound888:

What is the rate schedule one can expect these days for in-office trader, who doesn't do much volume but can regularly earn low/mid-5 figures monthly? I've averaged less than 2mm shares for a while now, but lately gotten into a groove and with some new strats and added size I'm expecting my volume to increase shortly.

How much leverage is profitability if at all in negotiations, given my low volume? As it stands now, I know my rates are on the high end, but now I need to map out a fair deal for upwards of 5mm shares/month. Right now it's cheaper for me to trade through interactive brokers with their all-in rate, and I can easily funnel more volume through them as an alternative since I don't scalp much, but that's a bit apples to oranges.

stop being scarcastic..... if you do 2M-5M shares per month, that's more than 90% of posters on ET.
 
Quote from EvOTrAdEr:

I'm paying 1.50 per 1000 with $150 software fee (DAS) for about the same volume as you. I get 10:1 if that means anything.

4 seems a little steep for over 1m shares. anything over 1m shares you should be paying 1.50-2.50 per 1000 and nothing more. I mean, even with full ECN pass through, you can't make profits unless the ECN pays more than your commission. Easier to find ECNs like Bats which gives somewhere around $2.7 per thousand. Even EDGE and ARCA only give $2 per thousand. You should be targeting $1.50-$2 IMO. $3 or $4 is a rip off for 2 million shares and software should not be more than $150 or $200 MAX.
 
Quote from EvOTrAdEr:

I'm paying 1.50 per 1000 with $150 software fee (DAS) for about the same volume as you. I get 10:1 if that means anything.

4 seems a little steep for over 1m shares. anything over 1m shares you should be paying 1.50-2.50 per 1000 and nothing more. I mean, even with full ECN pass through, you can't make profits unless the ECN pays more than your commission. Easier to find ECNs like Bats which gives somewhere around $2.7 per thousand. Even EDGE and ARCA only give $2 per thousand. You should be targeting $1.50-$2 IMO. $3 or $4 is a rip off for 2 million shares and software should not be more than $150 or $200 MAX.

The rates you mentioned are very aggressive but a friend of mine pays much less for 2 million shares a month. He pays close to .0008 and it gets lower than 8 mils for volume over 2 million.
 
it really depends on your style. if you're scalping S, C, or SIRI all day long, you can get better rates but if you want hard to borrow stocks and the ability to trade anything, it's hard to find a deal under $1 for less than 5 million shares per month.

I know some places that will even give you 30 cents a thousands if all you're scalping is those few stocks, but you can't trade other stocks or options or hold overnight.

You get what you pay for in terms of clearing. The cheaper the clearing is, the more likely there could be restrictions on what you can/can't trade, your size, etc.

Some people can do that and scalping is a great way to generate big volume that helps out the firm and gets you cheap enough rates to make a profit on collecting ECN rebates for adding liquidity without the stock even moving 1 cent.

Other styles such as momentum, news, fundamental, etc require much more flexibility, especially if you want to hold overnight.
 
Cost is just one criteria. How much capital are you able to put up? Are you willing to combine your capital with the other traders in that prop shop? Are you willing to run your busiess with the rules that the prop shop issues? Then there is the 365 day lock up period for your capital.

If you have limited capital, joining a prop shop my be your only option. However, if you have the capital necessary to open a customer portfolio margin account, you can get good rates for your volume, keep 100% of your profits in a segregated customer account, with good leverage.

Run your trading business your way, from where ever you want with professional platforms and great service from my firm.

If you'd like more information, contact me.
 
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