Quote from ofthomas:
LMAO... dood... really? I think your argument lacks some validity overall...
hmmm... first off... CRS is headed by the guys who created Advantage long ago... their group split up due to differences from what I know... second... they cater to floor guys and professionals first... not really the "small trader"... going direct requires more money than IBKR... oh, and btw.... they happen to have a floor as well... so if you are a local or trade locally in CHI, you can lease desk space from them and trade from their location with other upstairs traders.. (who actually make money!)...
you are confusing what DDT does, which is focus on small traders and that is where Howard excels... by offering great service.. with what CRS does...
lastly, in terms of Balance sheet... theirs is still stronger than 80% of the small FCM's and even some large FCMs in terms of % of excess capital to customer funds... if I was a small trader, which I am, and I was to pick an FCM for the first time, I would pick Dorman/CRS combo if I focused on futures only... (I dont put all my eggs in a single basket)...
again, they dont offer hand holding... they dont care if you trade 1 lot or 1000 lots... if you can show your volume, you get lower costs (that is just business) ... they dont pressure you or hassle you much... they leave you alone to do your business given they are an intermediary... as they should be...
but wait... if we go by your argument... RJO and RCG have a lot of introducing brokers out there... they are huge FCM's (with weak balance sheets)... and all those Introducing brokers target small traders... the noobs after riches... so in a way, your argument is accurate... just that you have myopia when it comes to what the data shows and decided to pick on a given FCM, or just dont understand the data...