brownsfan019

I'm having internet backup issues here and since my internet providers are very limited (basically one) I was wondering if a new router could help the situation. During the day I am hitting some packets of information overload apparently, which can slow things down. Would a new router help this at all? I am hard wired into the router (not using wireless) but still going through the router nonetheless. I actually have a switch into the router as well b/c I needed more plugs. I've seen those newer routers that brag about speed, but I am wondering if that's mainly for the wireless portion or not. Thanks! Also -any suggestions for a new router if that is a good way to go?

Good b/c I have a router question.

James - idea for a forum section - Computers/Hardware/Software We seem to discuss monitors, computers, Vista, etc. and there's no real place to put those threads. A 'tools of the trade' area would be nice.

Tim - OEC does now have tick and volume charts as an available setting on their charting. If I may say so myself, the volume setting was a suggestion that I highly recommended to them. No time and sales currently. That's on my list as well.

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.

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.

What a short that was James.... WOW. Nice find.

Thanks for sharing James (and James). I'm a little weary of playing for real in terms of possible hacks, bots, etc. but the same can be said of trading, right? I mean, how many times have we seen on other forums people complaining that 'the market is rigged' 'you can't win against bots' 'only the biggest bankrolls survive' etc. etc. I don't plan to start with any huge sum by any means, more of a testing ground to see how it goes. I do enjoy the sit & go tourneys. Those seems to fit my style of playing the best so far.

So I'm about to make the plunge into the real money, online poker world. I don't know what it is about playing poker but it's something I really enjoy outside of trading hours. Maybe it's the similarities of trading that has attracted me to it. Anyways, I was curious if anyone else plays online with real money and what your experiences have been. A poker friend of mine said there's plenty of donkeys at the real money tables and there's money to be had. I personally have not played online with real money, so I have no idea. I'd prefer to play face-to-face but online is just so convenient. So any experiences to share? I'm currently on PokerStars and plan to just stay there since I know the software.

Interesting post James. W/o reading through it, if he is using a home equity loan for his trading account, not only is his trading account done, his home is at risk as well. That's about as piss poor money management as I've ever seen. :thumbs down: Good example of WHAT NOT TO DO.

DS - I would stick with the ES at 50+ contracts. Just too much slippage on the YM to scalp with that many.

MrPaul brings up a completely separate discussion of the merits of scalping. Grabbing 4 ticks on the YM looks great on paper but turning that into a regularly consistent profitable trading plan is a different story.

It's a tough call as Hlm said b/c a part of your question is a function of the volume being traded. I would say the YM is probably 'easier' to get those ticks but you are also limited by how many contracts you can easily scalp on the YM as well. With the ES, the sky is the limit.

I would be surprised if the trade sticks as well according to what I read. I hope it sticks for Ronin, but don't be surprised if come Tue the account reads differently.

Good question. Never put much into it myself. You?

Ronin - where is the 'inside story' from? Is this something you typed up or receive in an email? Just curious.

Just wanted to let anyone know that cares I won't be in the chat room as much going forward as I have the last 2 weeks. While I've enjoyed my time in there, it is a distraction that's for sure. I'll try to stop in periodically during slower times, but I did want to thank everyone in there that I was able to converse with. Good trading!

I picked up a 22" Acer @ MicroCenter here recently. Was the best price after factoring in shipping costs on different websites. Being that I am about 20 min's away from one made it an easy decision.

Ronin - thanks for joining us! Great posts!!! If I was one of the two you were referring to, thanks! If not, I'll just pretend it was intended for me. Good trading!

Keep us posted Ravin if anything of fruition comes of this thread. I forgot about this one till you posted again.

GSX - I can see what you are looking at here. I would like to see a retest of the other levels I've highlighted here, but as we know, the market doesn't always cooperate as planned. And if we drill down to a daily chart, the buying candle has already occurred:

Well this CL short is working nicely: What I really like about the above snapshot is that every candle since the trade has been bearish candles. Nothing in the way so far on this one. Nice find gsx.

I wouldn't hold my breath. I have nothing to base that on, but I do not believe the CME offers ANY data for free.... I doubt that will change here. Who knows, maybe the YM traders will unite and revolt!

Taz, I've been lucky and not had many issues in my time trading. In terms of broker error on the trade side, the steps I would suggest are: 1) Informal inquiry to the broker (expect fluff) 2) Formal complaint to the broker's compliance department 3) Formal complaint to the proper authorities (depends on what instrument being traded. For example, the NFA governs futures. The SEC for stocks/options. The NFA can help as well in some forex cases.) Keep records of all correspondence and only communicate in written fashion. Tell the broker to put all answers in writing. From there it's a matter of how far you want to push it. In a serious matter, contacting a securities lawyer is next. And as for data errors, I would simply suggest getting a new data provider. There are so many outs for the vendor with the agreement that you agree to that it's really much easier to get new data. And if need be, a new broker in the process. I was having a major issue with DTN data at one point that after spending MONTHS going round and round with them it was just easier to find something new. The one thing I learned about data issues is that every party can point to another party as the one at fault that you will never really know what the issue is - broker points to data feed company who points to the exchange who points to YOUR ISP who says their stuff is fine so it must be someone else's fault.... You'll end up doing this - :crap:

Hey Nick! Our little long here did not go as planned. :doh: Very bearish momentum at the moment so stay tuned.