TWS noob questions

T

Terikan

I figure I will have a few of these, so going to just keep it to this topic and hope someone can help. Even if it's just by pointing me to an online guide or manual. But after googling, I haven't found what I'm asking.

Firstly, looking at option chains, I cannot get anything but bid/ask/last to show. Everything else is always a blank value. Does basic data like open interest and volume of options require some sort of premium subscription (I have no premium options yet)?

Also, when a price as a big C next to it, what does that mean?

Thanks.
 
At the line that is under the "Underlying" ("Option Chain"), click on the very big box just to the right of the center that has "Layout" to the left (dead center).

From there you can choose what columns you want and add more stuff. If the data isn't showing, go through the settings and make sure you have enough decimal places showing. I just have a penny in my TDA account which lets me get real-time data and I've never had any problem with data other than the occasional disconnect due to a bad connection.
 
TDA? TD ameritrade?

I'm on IB's TWS. I have the columns for volume and open interest, but they are always blank, I'll look for decimal place settings, haven't seen any yet. Thank you.
 
Oh, sorry can't help you there as I've only used their test platform. Outside of the test platform I use the Gateway and don't run the actual TWS.
 
Is there another platform I can use through their gateway that's more user friendly? Such an idea is totally foreign to me, but willing to give it a try.
 
If you're not making $20 in commissions a month for options, you should probably just go to another broker for options. I run $20/day just in my ticket charges not counting the per contract commission I pay.

If you're not making $20/month in options comms, then you're not trading daily or most likely every other day. So you're probably better off looking at like OptionsHouse, TradeKing, TD Ameritrade (though they're super expensive and you can get the ToS platform for free without any required trading or account balance).

However, if you're willing to use a data platform separate from your order platform, I use ToS for a data platform (since it's the best for options traders) then I use a separate broker to place orders. Since I can see the prices in ToS, I then track my positions in real time using a spreadsheet (since ToS has DDE access).

If you want a platform that would use the gateway, you'll have to either find one (which you'll have to pay for) or what I did, make it write it yourself. All the same, you still have to pay the data fee.

Honestly, for $1.50/month, just pay the data fee as it's not even something to worry about as it's the cost of a large drink at McDonalds. I don't get data from my broker and I'm shelling out 25-30% of my weekly revenues in commissions.
 
Quote from Terikan:

Firstly, looking at option chains, I cannot get anything but bid/ask/last to show. Everything else is always a blank value. Does basic data like open interest and volume of options require some sort of premium subscription (I have no premium options yet)?
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You need to opt in at a cost of $1.50 a month.

Once you have, in the upper right hand corner there's a small icon (a spanner?). If you hover your mouse it will say 'settings' or 'configure'. Click and go in and you get to select the columns you want displayed.
 
the mobile app, and I think the web trader will display lagged values, which is good enough for me, but due to this, I'm a little skeptical that the lack of realtime numbers is the problem and not something else, but I def will opt into the 1.50, thought it was 5 bucks a month. I know, I'm fricken cheap lol.
 
Quote from Terikan:

the mobile app, and I think the web trader will display lagged values, which is good enough for me, but due to this, I'm a little skeptical that the lack of realtime numbers is the problem and not something else, but I def will opt into the 1.50, thought it was 5 bucks a month. I know, I'm fricken cheap lol.
More...

Why do you think either will display lagged values?

Unless you pay IB for an extra data feed, which given your hesitation over $5 I'm pretty sure you don't, you cannot do a comparison. If you are logged in at your PC, then you can't get real time data on your mobile app, and vice versa.

Paper trading accounts may have lagged values, I don't know for sure, but funded accounts get real time data. But only to 1 device at a time.
 
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