To facilitate optimal order execution, Interactive Brokers created a software product called Smart Routing, which continually scans competing markets and automatically routes orders directly to the best ECN or market center. Direct market access is available for both stocks and options, allowing traders to decide how they want their orders to be routed. Quality of order execution is of paramount importance to day traders. Penny stocks and fractional share trading are also available. Clients can trade a dizzying range of markets-from stocks on the Mexican Stock Exchange to futures on Italy’s Borsa Italiana. Interactive Brokers clients can trade global stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds all from a single platform.Īccounts can be funded in multiple currencies and assets can be denominated in multiple currencies. This is a streaming record of all stock transactions made throughout the trading day, including trade size, price and time.Ī total of 135 markets in 33 countries are available for trading. Time and sales data, sometimes known as “the tape” is also available. Traders also have access to Level 2 quotes, which show the best bid and ask prices from each market participant.

Trader WorkStation includes essential features for day traders, such as hot keys, which allow traders to rapidly place preset orders with the stroke of a single key. Traders can stay on top of the news with the latest reports from Reuters, Dow Jones and a variety of other sources on the platform. Trader WorkStation offers highly customizable alerts, watchlists and sophisticated charting. We were impressed by the flagship Trader WorkStation platform and the quality of order execution. Note that $0 stock commissions are available on Interactive Brokers’s IBKR Lite platform for non-professional traders.

We also noted lower commissions for futures trading, and the lowest margin rates among the platforms we surveyed. It’s IBKR Pro tiered pricing plan offers better rates for direct access trading than other leading trading platforms for professionals. In our research, we found that Interactive Brokers stood out by charging substantially lower fees than its rivals in several areas. These features and more make Interactive Brokers the preferred trading platform for professionals at hedge funds and investment firms. Interactive Brokersearned the top spot in our listing thanks to its powerful Trader Workstation platform, easy access to a vast selection of global markets and rock-bottom trading commissions.

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