Those investors who only want to trade US stocks and options need a specialized solution in order to have all advantages on their side. The solution we offer consists of the below components and allows you trade NYSE, Amex, Nasdaq, OTCBB and Pink Sheets stocks.
What are the main advantages of a direct access trading plaform?
Speed. Direct access is fast, very fast. Much faster than a website. When you enter an order using a website you give the order to the broker. The broker will execute the order for you. Often he will do this at a moment and/or a price unfavorable to you. With a direct access platform YOU put the order in the market yourself. Orders can thus be placed (and cancelled) much more quickly. This results in much better execution prices.
Best execution price. US stocks trade in parallel on the market (e.g. Nasdaq) and various ECNs (e.g. Island, Arca). Often the volume and/or the prices are better on these ECNs. We have direct lines to the market and all ECNs. Thus you are guaranteed for every one of your orders the best execution price.
Best execution price options. We have direct lines to all the US option markets. The same option usually trades on five or six markets. Since we have access to ALL options markets you are guaranteed the best execution price. In addition you can route your order to those markets which are fully electronic and which have your volume available in their order book. This results in incredibly swift order execution.
Clear order management. Users can see their own order in the exchange’s order book. You can see when your order comes up for execution and, if so desired, you can quickly cancel the order.
Trade outside market hours. Clients have unlimited access to all ECNs. The ECNs allow trading from 13.30 hrs CET onwards (two hours before the US markets open) to long after the US markets is closed (the time varies from stock to stock).
Inside market information. The order books show the live orders on the market and on each ECN. For stocks trading on the Nasdaq you can even see in the level 2 screens the orders identified by the financial institutions who are placing them. Hence you know who the big players are for each stock and what direction they are taking.
