Tired of unavailable shorts at IB

dougcs · Nov 18, 2004

Quote from def:

Looks like we are doing ok with our list. In any event we are in the process of negotiating a deal which should further improve the list. Hopefully this will be done by year end.

NOTE to anyone from Tradestation:

THis comment is from I assume someone at IB; they seem to take note of customer concerns and indicate they are working to improve the situation. Good job guys and ladies at IB.

TS OTOH reminds me of the Baltimore Colts who left Baltimore for Indy in secret and under the cover of darkness. It would help if you gave YOUR CUSTOMERS feedback of what you are doing to improve what has been noted here and in other posts in other forums as being non responsive and secretive.

DS

barnes99 · Nov 19, 2004

Guys, try speedtrader or Alliance trader
using the DAS software

Excellent short availability, all the goodies
TASR RIMM KMRT GOOG and more

Very rare they dont have what im' trying
to short available

Toonces · Nov 19, 2004

Quote from barnes99:

Guys, try speedtrader or Alliance trader
using the DAS software

Excellent short availability, all the goodies
TASR RIMM KMRT GOOG and more

Very rare they dont have what im' trying
to short available

Which one has the most shorts, do you think? I know Speedtrader clears through CCS. I have a broker that clears through CCS, and I was unable to short TASR today through them. So I'm assuming you can't short TASR through Speedtrader.

barnes99 · Nov 20, 2004

Quote from Toonces:

Which one has the most shorts, do you think? I know Speedtrader clears through CCS. I have a broker that clears through CCS, and I was unable to short TASR today through them. So I'm assuming you can't short TASR through Speedtrader.

Both Alliance and Speedtrader use CCS,

No problem shorting TASR, shorted some on Friday
They just put KMRT available too.

Both seem to have the exact same short list on the DAS software.

Toonces · Nov 21, 2004

Quote from barnes99:

Both Alliance and Speedtrader use CCS,

No problem shorting TASR, shorted some on Friday
They just put KMRT available too.

Both seem to have the exact same short list on the DAS software.

That's interesting. I assumed that all brokers that cleared through the same place had the same short list. I wonder why I couldn't short TASR through Genesis, which uses CCS

At the CCS website, they show only 1737 available stocks for shorting. That seems pretty low to me.

http://www.ccls.com/CCSShort.htm

barnes99 · Nov 21, 2004

Quote from Toonces:

That's interesting. I assumed that all brokers that cleared through the same place had the same short list. I wonder why I couldn't short TASR through Genesis, which uses CCS

At the CCS website, they show only 1737 available stocks for shorting. That seems pretty low to me.

http://www.ccls.com/CCSShort.htm

Dont know why you couldnt short TASR, strange,
maybe Genesis still considers it too high of a risk to make available

all i can tell you about short availabiltiy thru CCS is that
they almost always have what i want to trade, though
i do stick with more main stream high volume stocks like
the nets, semi's, pharma, and education sectors. Unless a stock
is gapping from news i dont go around trying to find exotics to trade.
Stocks like AMZN ASKJ EBAY BRCM KLAC MXIM SNDK APOL CECO TASR RIMM GOOG KMRT to name a few, just trade too nice to waste time looking for others. I.M.H.O.

bebe · Nov 24, 2004

IB's short list sucks.

If you are a "letsbuyandhopeitgoeshigher" type - you may be fine with them. But if you are a TRADER (wanting to go long AND short momentum stocks) - you are out of luck. IB-s short list is a SHAME!
Absolutely ridiculous. Stocks with multimillion shares in volume and $5-20 price range are not available for borrow! No matter how you say that - it is simply UNACCEPTABLE! Give me a break!!!

That's why I am leaving them.

Bob111 · Nov 24, 2004

Quote from bebe:

IB's short list sucks.

If you are a "letsbuyandhopeitgoeshigher" type - you may be fine with them. But if you are a TRADER (wanting to go long AND short momentum stocks) - you are out of luck. IB-s short list is a SHAME!
Absolutely ridiculous. Stocks with multimillion shares in volume and $5-20 price range are not available for borrow! No matter how you say that - it is simply UNACCEPTABLE! Give me a break!!!

That's why I am leaving them.

and where are going to? just curious. i tried many brokers and i did give up couple good systems,where only shorts are involved.
believe me-other brokers will be even worse with shorts than IB.
combination of two or more accounts in different companies may work, but also-not always. 78% of stocks from nasdaq is very,very good number for IB.

bebe · Nov 24, 2004

Bob,

I'm going to a brokerage that clears through one of the big boys.
(I'll let you know.) IB self clears - that's why their short list sucks. IB is too small for this.
The number you mention is misleading - when AT LEAST 60% of the stocks I want to short is not available - well, that FACT leaves a lot to be desired.

Good luck!

barnes99 · Nov 24, 2004

Quote from bebe:

IB's short list sucks.

If you are a "letsbuyandhopeitgoeshigher" type - you may be fine with them. But if you are a TRADER (wanting to go long AND short momentum stocks) - you are out of luck. IB-s short list is a SHAME!
Absolutely ridiculous. Stocks with multimillion shares in volume and $5-20 price range are not available for borrow! No matter how you say that - it is simply UNACCEPTABLE! Give me a break!!!

That's why I am leaving them.

Exactly!!!!!!!, who cares how many stocks
they have available to short if they arent worth trading! Its not the quantity but the quality