Ib

[Buddha]

:idea:

I am looking for someone who has got their head around the IB's complicated trading software- I am vey computer literate but it would be a real time saver to sit with someone who has some experience and knowledge.

any help wlecome and there is a lunch in it

regards

Buddha

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Buddha:

you've not said what exactly it is you want to do with the software, ie what you need to know.

I'm sure you're not just after knowing which is the buy button and which is the sell button :cheesy:

 

[Buddha]

IB Help


Hi Skim

Yes good point

I really want to sit with someone using this system who has experience, so i get to understand the real pro's and con's when
its in use and also to find the best way to set it up

The process of which button to hit is not the real issue for me but I find it a big help to sit with an experienced user in these situations and it nearly always saves me from making some terrible mistake.

do you use IB ?


thanks for yout time

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Yes I do use IB, and I trade US futures. So I have TWS (IB's Trader Work Station trading platform) set up with one ticker entry (ES), and I changed the default entry from limit to market, and the number of contracts I need.

It really is a doddle to set up, and if women can do it, so I'm sure you can too :cheesy:

 

[Buddha]

On Track



didnt realise you were a trader chick

how do you get on with the S&P

are you trading full time

regards

Buddha

 

[be-positive]

Buddha,
I believe from what i,ve read on this BB that Skimbleshanks is a very successful lady trader.

PS. Take some time out and read her top class postings

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Oh dear, looks like I've been outed! :cheesy: Yes, I'm female, I trade full-time, and ES treats me well.

Thanks be-positive (mwah!); in my posts I try and tell it 'as it is', even if that upsets a few namby-pambys who want to hear that trading is as easy as taking sweets from a child. But I have no axe to grind (yes, really), and nothing to gain, and if I can give back some of the things I have had to learn the hard way over the years, then that just puts an even bigger smile on my face!

 

[rglenn]

Come on Skim

Stop trying to be modest- I thought trading was a piece of cake for you!!

 

[Buddha]

Looks like this is turning into a Love in - yeah baby

back to business

I have now completed the rather long and strange task
of form filling and testing with IB so account should be ready
soon - cant wait to get away from spreads eating up
big chunks of my profit.

any tips on the IB software and set up front that you think
would be useful would be appreciated.

Cheers

Wayne

 

[rglenn]

Buddha

How did you know I was in love with Skim?

Was it the sound of my voice or what!

 

[Skimbleshanks]

rglenn - trading IS a piece of cake; you just press the buy button, and then press the sell button :cheesy:

Buddha - are you trading ES? If so, just get the ES symbol on a trading line (type ES under Underlying), then Future, June (USD), 2003 (USD), and then File, Save Settings. This will keep ES on a line in the trading platform.

Configure, Order, Order Defaults will get you to where you change the default entry (ie, whether you want limit, market, order size, etc).

Page, Layout will get you to where you change the columns listed in your market data row, change the colours of everything, etc. This is also where you can reduce the size of the trading platform by unchecking Show Window under Rapid Order Entry - that is personal preference though.

View, Executions, will show you all your trades (or click the Trades icon). View, Account shows you how much you have gained or lost, the margin requirement, etc.

It really is a piece of cake - just two clicks and you're in a trade, another two clicks and you're out of a trade. When you are filled (takes about one or two seconds on ES) you will hear a ping sound. Of course, if you are using the speakers for anything else you won't hear the ping!

Just try this all out on the Demo - you can play all day and do no damage. Just wait until your account is opened, then you can do as much damage as you want to! :cheesy:

 

[Buddha]

Cheers Skim - what a hot bunny you are

Have been trading part time for the past year and
been through the 'shake out the 90%' tunnel but
have spent a ton of screen time and read more books
than a packing supervisor at amazon.

Am now real happy with my consistent risk orientated
system that is delivering the goodies ( about bloody
time ) and now I am only moments away from having
the cash to shop at George ( in ASDA that is).

Well is 2.30 the old shermans will be up and about

thanks again

Keep your tail up!

regards

 

[fillyerboots]

Buddha,

Try playing around with the demo, for a while. If you still want help you can probably get a demo at IB's London office. Let me know if you want their details.

 

[Pollux]

Hi Skimble
Very interested to hear from an experienced es AND IB user/trader. I have recently started on IB trading es as well as nq & ym. I amsure it is somewhere on the site but was wondering what charting pack you use. I use esignal which I think is vg indeed, recognising there are cheaper ways to do it as well.
Have you spoke elsewhere re your set up and time horizon settings for your es trading? That would be very useful to many I am sure. fwiw I use 1, 3 & 5 min charts with standard stochastics to show broad extremes but mainly using support/resistance lines looking for ones and twos here and there. Now & again, i am in the right place at right time, like yesterday's sharp am move, and bobs your uncle! Nice when it works well isn't it??

Good luck and thanks again for the posts...

Pollux

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Hi Pollux

You're a busy boy, trading ES, NQ and YM! Only ES for me, but then I do know it exceedingly well indeed. The US indices tend to move together (if you get a non-confluence then you know you're in for some whiplash ... or even whipsaw, but you know what I mean).

I use Qcharts, mainly because they're such pretty charts. To me, that's important because I just use price bars and volume bars on 5 and 10 min charts - nothing else. So if I'm looking at bars all day, they might as well be pretty ones!

I also use Sierra for a back-up, although if the feed goes down I'm OK at tape reading, so I'm happy to use bid and ask prices on TWS until the data feed is restored. I play horizontal support and resistance areas and patterns.

Most of my trades are for one to three points, but a good set-up lets me sit back and relax while waiting for the trade to complete. As an example, I went long ES at 964.75 at 14:05 EST on Tuesday (against previous support and a double bottom, so if it went wrong my risk was tiny) and closed out at 971.75 at 16:03 EST as it was nearly the end of the day, for 7 points ($350 per contract). So a good setup and you sit back and wait for the end of a trend run (which can be tedious), otherwise grab 'em when you can!

The sharp Wednesday a.m. move you described was just the continuation from the double bottom on Tuesday, with a pullback at Wednesday open (wave 2), then up wave 3, the triangle/flag was a messy wave 4, so that meant wave 5 would take us up into the close. So today I would expect to see the ABC waves, so down into US lunchtime (wave a), then a flag or retracement over lunch (wave b), and then down into the close (wave c) - but I trade what I see and keep an open mind as the market leads and I just follow in her footsteps.

 

[Buddha]

Bracket / Basket Orders

:idea: Skrim

If i want to set up a 3 contract order - 2 with a limit for profit
at different levels and 1 to run with the market but all with a safety stop loss do you know if can this be set up as a template
so I do not have to create everytime - IB seem a little unsure

The rest of the IB platform seems fine now so just a few more
practice sessions and its buy,buy to SB.

ON the ES i have been pulling about 10 points a day on my
SB account trading single orders - but would be glad to have
any tips / advice you may have on the ES at Opening my favourite
is getting in when the market opens and takes out the high and
low of the previous day in the first 30 mins as i find this a strong
sign of the day to come

thanks for your help

Buddha

 

[Pollux]

Skimble
Thank you for such a full reply. YOu may be right that I am a bit of a 'tart' with all 3! Maybe I will try one at a time and see at the end of the period which one makes most sense to me. The ym is a real scalper's tool isn't it? Perhaps I'll leave that one alone.
Interesting re the charts - I will stay for now with esignal and not do anything to lower my overhead...the challenge is to justify the price by using more than 2% of the programme.
Hope to chat again,
Thanks for all above...
Pollux

 

[Trader333]

Bear in mind that you get a discount with esignal if you have an IB account and it is definitely worth speaking to them about it.

Paul

 

[Pollux]

T333
Thanks for the reminder. I am definitely getting more keen on esignal so may continue past the 30 day period.
HOw is the US trading going, ok?
P

 

[kinglatfan]

when I have enough spare sterling to transfer into $ I will open an IB account to day trade Nasdaq. Hopefully I will be able to do this in the near future to take advantage of the exchange rate. People keep talking about the Euro but forget the £/$ rate and of course oil is still bought in $.

The thing that appeals to me about IB is its low trading costs and order routing. I suspect that using the trading keys will take time to learn. I could stay in demo mode but fancy trading small lots of 100 shares whilst I learn. I believe the pricing structure makes this possible.

The only serious competitor to IB in my mind is E*Trade. Does anyone have any comparative experience?

Kinglatfan