TS versus Interactive brokers

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Dutchtrader67
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TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby Dutchtrader67 » 07 Aug 2014

The last weeks i am very frustrated about the very very very slow data that interactive brokers delivers when to open a 350 milliseconds chart. (tick chart) I do have a extra package off 30 dollars for more symbols but not any results. I like to switch to TS because i can get forex, stock and futures data and can connect tot multicharts.

Does some have any suggestions?

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MAtricks
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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 07 Aug 2014

Questions:
1. Are you using this for back-testing data or live trading data?
2. Are you automated or discretionary?
3. Who is your broker?

For Forex, always use your broker's provided data and no others. This point is ignored by most and inevitably realized by all.

IB and TS are the two slowest feeds I can think of. If its speed you're looking for... I'd look elsewhere.

Dutchtrader67
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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby Dutchtrader67 » 07 Aug 2014

Hello MAtricks,

I use interactive brokers as my broker and the data for backtesting my strategies with i run in realtime automatically mode. I am building these strategies to sell them on several sites like Collective2.

But it is mostly impossible to create a strategy on several new instruments like stocks when you have to wait hours and hours to download 40 days of 300 milliseconds stockdata. In the past it took perhaps 5 minutes to download this data but now you have to wait hours and hours.

I think interactive brokers has to come with a solution for is customers.

Sorry for my grammar i am from the Netherlands.

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MAtricks
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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 07 Aug 2014

No apologies for grammar needed here :)

Interactive Brokers has a horrid data feed and don't ever hope for any changes which are to the customer benefit from these guys. Most IB customers look to IQ Feed for their live and historical data. I'd highly suggest looking into this solution. IQ Feed is cheaper and MUCH more reliable.

If you would rather use TS data, you can sign up for an account there and use their data to back-test with while still executing at IB which has a more client friendly account setup while trading so many markets. Note that you may not executing orders Multicharts orders in a TS account so this would be a historical data-only solution.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby hilbert » 07 Aug 2014

But it is mostly impossible to create a strategy on several new instruments like stocks when you have to wait hours and hours to download 40 days of 300 milliseconds stockdata. In the past it took perhaps 5 minutes to download this data but now you have to wait hours and hours.
Are you saying download speed of historical data from Interactive Brokers has reduced compared to before?

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MAtricks
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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 07 Aug 2014

I believe he is saying that its worse than before.
But it is mostly impossible to create a strategy on several new instruments like stocks when you have to wait hours and hours to download 40 days of 300 milliseconds stockdata. In the past it took perhaps 5 minutes to download this data but now you have to wait hours and hours.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby Dutchtrader67 » 07 Aug 2014

Hello Matricks,

Thanks for you're recommendation.

I will have contact tomorrow witt both parties TS and Iqfeed. And i hope to test both software in a week so i can what is the best solution.

Hello Hilbert,

Yes downloading new data takes much longer then 4 month ago. In my view interactive brokers did change the possibility to download much data in a short time for tickdata (300 milliseconds snapshot data). When you're are downloading 3 or more charts at the same time you get a message pacing violation. More information you can find in this link.
https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/s ... ations.htm

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby janus » 08 Aug 2014

Oh that pacing violation. It's very annoying; almost enough for me to look for another data provider but still use IB for trading. Another point to note is IB does not offer true tick data as hinted above (eg, blocks of x ms). From my understanding TS does provide true tick data for those who need it (and many do but I don't).

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 08 Aug 2014

Note that TS tick data is poor quality.

If you must stick with IB as a broker (I feel bad for you), definitely use IQ Feed for your data feed. Cheaper, clean&quick, and reliable history.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby janus » 08 Aug 2014

Note that TS tick data is poor quality.

If you must stick with IB as a broker (I feel bad for you), definitely use IQ Feed for your data feed. Cheaper, clean&quick, and reliable history.
That may be so but IB's is much worse according to those I know who used both. As for using IQ, I can't. It doesn't offer all the instruments I trade locally in Australia. That's the great thing about IB - it covers almost everything.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 08 Aug 2014

Yes, nothing is worse than IB... but they do offer a lot of markets.

Have you tried Barchart? I use them for the symbols not offered by my data provider.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby Dutchtrader67 » 08 Aug 2014

I will open a account with TS the data is beter and faster than the 300 milliseconds snapshot data that interactive brokers offers and is good enough for providing signals.

At the moment the problem is that only a view brokers do offer a whole package off forex, stock, option and futures data.
It would be nice if Multicharts would get a brokerage firm or would offer special offer for data from a third party provider like Iqfeed.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby MAtricks » 08 Aug 2014

MC offers several connections to several data feeds. Being independent is what makes MC very nice. Almost all of these data feeds offer stocks, FX, and futures data.

As far as MC having a brokerage.... be careful what you wish for. When a platform becomes a brokerage, the platform is completely neglected. See TS for example... revolutionizing the way traders trade. Then they became a brokerage and prioritized all of their efforts on that side of the business. TS is now a dinosaur of a platform...

Let's see what happens to NT's platform seeing as they just did this.

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Re: TS versus Interactive brokers

Postby Dutchtrader67 » 08 Aug 2014

The problem with the nt platform is that it is not stable and offers only futures as a brokerage. I do have also a nt license and in my experience nt is far behind the ts platform.


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