IB Paper Trader Fills Realistic?

[up23 10]

I'm trying to day trade AAPL with IB Paper Trader. Am I right to assume that I get filled if my price is traded through regardless of the exchange it occurs on?

 

Sometimes I see price spike through my limit order, but I don't get filled. Does anyone know why this is the case?

 

In real life, are fills better than what Paper Trader simulates for AAPL?

 

Thanks

[JEHs 10]

I'm trying to day trade AAPL with IB Paper Trader. Am I right to assume that I get filled if my price is traded through regardless of the exchange it occurs on?

 

Sometimes I see price spike through my limit order, but I don't get filled. Does anyone know why this is the case?

 

In real life, are fills better than what Paper Trader simulates for AAPL?

 

Thanks

 

All you can know for sure is that fills will be occasionally different in paper than in real.

Sometimes worse and sometimes better. For the most part, most paper trading approximates real pretty well from what I have seen. I remember using an IB paper account years ago, and I think it worked pretty well.

 

I believe with stocks the fills will be a little slower than with futures. I don't know why price would spike through a limit order and not fill at your price or better unless you mean price spiked through and back very quickly and you didn't get a fill, then I would say sure, this could definitely happen in real life. Especially if you are trading odd sized lots or something. The only way to know for sure is try for real and see if it happens.

my

[Do Or Die 10]

I'm trying to day trade AAPL with IB Paper Trader. Am I right to assume that I get filled if my price is traded through regardless of the exchange it occurs on?

 

Sometimes I see price spike through my limit order, but I don't get filled. Does anyone know why this is the case?

 

In real life, are fills better than what Paper Trader simulates for AAPL?

 

Thanks

 

AAPL is a sufficiently liquid stock. Unless you are trading spikes or trading sub-minute time frames, there should not be much difference in paper or actual trading.

 

There are few "bad prints" outside the best bid/order which may appear as a spike on charts, and through which you do not actually get filled in real trading. But these are occasional. It never really happened with me that a stock will spike up through my limit order without filling them.

[ACS 10]

Are those spikes real trades or just bad data?

[Handlowiec 10]

Put some real money on the line. Get your emotions going and you will gain more insight.

 

You can do this by buying just 1 share of the Apple. This way you are more tied to it, get a real fill, and you will stay on top of the trade. If you trade at IB you are taking $1 buck for the trade.

[morningtrader 10]

Paper trading execution is usually quite realistic with the exception of penny stocks. On systems such as virtualexchange you get your fill without affecting the volume which will should affect price of a thinly traded stock.