Tradestation: The good, the bad or the ugly?

[timokrates]

Hi all,

if you read the comments on tradestation on the typical pages, the result is pretty mixed. A lot of complaints, but also a lot a fans, which in general like the software not so much the brokerage service.

Because it's not possible to demo trade the platform. I would like to ask about some experiences with the platform, the order matrix and specially with data and service.

I plan to be more a scalper, so the funcinality of the order matrix would be interesting as well. Is it easy to enter and modify orders and to scale out manually?

The commissions seem to be ok and with 10 RT (futures) the platform fee is waived. Even if the 30 day trial they offer is more or less a joke, because you have to do the 10 RT if you don't want to pay the $99 the next month.

Any experiences are welcome!

[Soultrader]

Hi timokrates,

If you are a scalper the TS execution will not be suitable for you in my opinion. I personally recommend the Infinity AT (pm me if interested). I have had numerous cases of execution problems in the past with TS with matrix freezing, slippage, etc.. which is why I left TS.

However, the charting software is top notch. Even the Reuters client trading ppl admitted it when I mentioned how much Reuters suck compared to TS. lol

[james_gsx]

I like TS because it's all in one and simple to use, you get great charting software and the ability to trade. I think the TS matrix is confusing and I've never been fond of it. But I do like the ability to create indicators and all of that.

If you want just charts, from my experience eSignal is the way to go. Ideally I would love to use Infinity AT with eSignal since I tend to lean more towards scalping. But then again that comes down to what your definition of scalping is, and that's a whole other topic on it's own. But if you want good charts and plan on holding a position for longer than a "scalp" then I think TS is a good route to explore.

You might want to check out OEC, I know a few people here use it and enjoy it.

[timokrates]

Thanks a lot everybody.

I tested most of the platforms and have to say that the Infinity order window is great.

Also Ninjatrader is attractive in a way. The Zen data feed is very fast, but I had some problems with the platform in regards to crashes and software problems.
Soultrader you mentioned somewhere that you think about using NT?

What I need is a professional platform and service. I will check Infinity again.

Any experiences with X-Trader? I believe with Velocity Futures it's affordable. You pay higher commissions ($5.75), but then it's free.

What I need is reliability specially in regards to the data, because I plan to base my trades more on time & sales. For that the Interactive Brokers feed is not the right one for example.

[Soultrader]

Hi timokrates,

Try the Infinity AT demo first to see if you like it. I work closely with them so can negotiate good rates for you with Infinity. If you are a scalper, frequency should be high so I should be able to get you decent rates. Let me know.

[brownsfan019]

tim,
My feedback on your choices here:

TS - Great charts, junk order entry. Customer service is practically non-existent. Good luck if you need out of a trade and your computer is down. GREAT charts though.

XTrader - If you NEED the functions, worth the cost. I'm guessing you probably don't. NOT worth the extra cost in my opinion.

Ninja/Zen - as you said, gets great reviews but kind of costly in my opinion for what you get. If I was going to go this route, I'd probably consider something like Xtrader or T4 for the same costs.

Infinity - I personally never received a competitive commission quote. Take it for what it's worth.

Open ECry - I'm biased here since I trade here currently. Great rates, customer service and platform. The platform AND data are FREE. You can plug the data into other charting platforms if you don't like their package. Just an all around great deal for how competitive their commissions are.

[Hlm]

My thoughts on CHEAP services-

TS has very nice charts and a big community, but their execution for aggressive daytraders is very poor. Also their support is lacking imo. It's selling point is that it's an "All in One" package where you can trade many different instruments. Note: I do know people that trade their 10 round trips a month to wave the fee and then use another broker for execution.

If you are looking for a cheap solid service Infinity is great. I have never had a problem with their execution and their charting software is only $26/mo. Even during FOMC announcements I have had a flawless feed. (Futures only though)

I have heard good things about OEC but have not used them. From what I have heard they sound very similar to Infinity with their quality of service.

[brownsfan019]

	Quote:	Hlm
	If you are looking for a cheap solid service Infinity is great. I have never had a problem with their execution and their charting software is only $26/mo. Even during FOMC announcements I have had a flawless feed. (Futures only though) I have heard good things about OEC but have not used them. From what I have heard they sound very similar to Infinity with their quality of service.

All things being equal, OEC's platform is FREE along with FREE data. Not sure if Infinity offers their customers FREE data to just about any exchange/contract you could want. That's a big deal for many since data fees can be one of the larger expenses of a trader's budget. Removing ALL data fees is a nice thing.

Does Infinity offer free data as well? I have no idea.

I think that's the difference between an OEC and Infinity vs. a Ninja or TT - since they are going to make their money on the commissions side, they can afford to give away or charge little for data/charting whereas a Ninja must charge for the product b/c they are not making money on the brokerage side.

Not too mention, I believe Ninja can cost as much as $700/mo depending on volume and such. I was paying $500/mo for T4 and eliminating that extra fee has saved me $6k a year.

[Hlm]

	Quote:	brownsfan019
	All things being equal, OEC's platform is FREE along with FREE data. Not sure if Infinity offers their customers FREE data to just about any exchange/contract you could want. That's a big deal for many since data fees can be one of the larger expenses of a trader's budget. Removing ALL data fees is a nice thing. Does Infinity offer free data as well? I have no idea.

Infinity data is FREE. You can trade through the their DOM without having the charting service. As for the instruments you can trade, they have the standard futures. (ER2, ES, DAS, ESX, NQ, YM). So yes, if you are looking for only one broker that can do all (more than futures) Infinity will not suite your needs. It's the charting that cost money and I have never used OEC's charting so I can't compare.

However, this is why I stated that many people trade the min amount with TS and do the rest of the execution through another broker. I personally believe that any serious trader should have two brokers anyway. For example, trading with TS and Infinity gives you free charting (with TS) and fast execution (with Infinity) while being able to trade anything you want while hedging some connection or data feed risk with two individual brokers.

But yes, I have NO affiliation with Infinity and I have NOT used (having nothing against) OEC. So who knows, OEC might be the best for some. I am just stating what I have observed.

[timokrates]

	Quote:	brownsfan019
	tim, My feedback on your choices here: TS - Great charts, junk order entry. Customer service is practically non-existent. Good luck if you need out of a trade and your computer is down. GREAT charts though. XTrader - If you NEED the functions, worth the cost. I'm guessing you probably don't. NOT worth the extra cost in my opinion. Ninja/Zen - as you said, gets great reviews but kind of costly in my opinion for what you get. If I was going to go this route, I'd probably consider something like Xtrader or T4 for the same costs. Infinity - I personally never received a competitive commission quote. Take it for what it's worth. Open ECry - I'm biased here since I trade here currently. Great rates, customer service and platform. The platform AND data are FREE. You can plug the data into other charting platforms if you don't like their package. Just an all around great deal for how competitive their commissions are.

Thanks for your detailled statement.

I just downloaded the OpenECry demo. Tried it before, but went on because they did not offer Tick or volume charts.

Do you use these kind of charts and what about time & sales? Did they implement it now? And does it work correctly (read some negative comments somewhere)?

In regards to Ninjatrader and X-Trader don't you think that NT with $50 is less expensive in comparison? Do you have other rates?

In general I'm searching for a good package with great data and order entry/modification (and execution of course), good charting (don't need fancy indicators, just working tick or volume charts) and the time & sales feature.

Of course fees and specially commissions play a decent role, but reliability regarding platform and brokerage are in first plays - don't get me wrong, I'm not the guy that is able to afford CQG...