Originally posted by Eldredge
It seems to me that most of this "price improvement" comes from the fact that the specialist is showing bogus bid/ask. I know I have entered a bid or ask that was much better than what was being shown, and it was never displayed. When/if the specialist filled my order, it would have given the opposite party "price improvement". I have also had price improvement many times, but why not just show what the real price is? I also don't like to wait to see if the specialist is going to give me a fill or not. I like Nasdaq/ECN's where you can see what the real bid/ask is instead of what the specialist decides to display, and you can take it out instantly instead of asking the specialist to be so kind as to sell you a few shares. I don't do huge size, so that might have a lot to do with my experience. I have basically given up on NYSE for the time being. To each his own.