
I don't know your level of expertise trading, but another possible issue is, even with a limit order, I do find that my Fidelity trades usually take longer than with my accounts with other brokers.
I think Fidelity does some simple stuff very well, but with more complex stuff, they're very far behind their competitors.
I've put through spread orders into Fidelity and other brokerages at the same time (giving Fidelity the first crack) and I've gotten filled on other brokerages before Fidelity, with the Fidelity order still sitting there. But it could just be me.
So if you are, or plan to do a lot of more complex spread or other trades, you might start looking elsewhere.
As Muncie says though, give them a call. Some of their folks can be helpful.
Many people have asked me how to get short the Chinese market using maximum leverage and the only products I can think of are these:
FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Futures & Options
Hang Seng China H - Financials Index Futures
Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (H-Shares) Index Futures & Options
You can see from the average daily volume numbers (April 2007) that the liquidity is nothing to write home about, except maybe for the H-shares Index Futures (the H - Financials Index Futures just started trading on April 16 - early days).
If you have an account at Interactive Brokers, you should have access to these products. I’m not recommending you take a leveraged short position in any of these markets, just as I don’t recommend standing in front of a loaded freight train going 100 miles per hour.
Anyone have any brighter ideas than these?


You will need a broker to make stock trades for you but different types of brokers will charge different amounts. Full-service brokers will provide you with a lot of advice. However, their commission rates are much higher than the ones from discount brokers, who only make the transaction of the trade. Personally, I prefer discount brokers because they are cheaper and they allow me to make my own decisions.
I currently use Firstrade ( http://www.firstrade.com/ ). I prefer them over Scottrade because they offer free dividend reinvestment (DRIPs), which is essential for long term investments. They also have slightly cheaper commission rates and much lower commission rates when compparing to ther big name brokers such as Etrade, Ameritrade, and Schwab. Their customer service and website are great as well. I would definitely recommend that you check them out.
If you aren’t comfortable with your invest skills, instead of getting a full-service broker, I would suggest that you try mutual funds. Mutual funds are diversified, thereby less risky. They are also professionally managed so you don’t have to worry about what to buy or sell. To learn more about mutual funds, you could visit Investopedia ( http://www.investopedia.com/ ).

I have nothing bad to say about them, and I have not heard negatives from others either. In the survey mentioned above, they also scored well on customer satisfaction.
That being said, with the market has been swinging up and down the way it has been in the past few months and I’d like to get in and get out quickly on certain trades.
The fact that some of these brokers expect you to to hold a position for weeks or even months is just ridiculous, especially in a market like this one.
Does day trrading affect the market in a negative way? Hell, it can’t be worse than naked short selling.
Ive found some loop holes in certain online brokers and have been able to successfully day trade but it is very hard and not really fast enough. I was wondering if anyone else knows of any online brokers that allow day trading for the small investor without heavy restriction.

the restriction is to make sure that small investors (i.e. people who don’t even have 25k) don’t lose their shirts, and cheat the IRS out of tax revenue, because you are totally inept and will have carry-forward losses for the next decade.
this, of course, gets re-packaged as concern for small investors who need protection from themselves. but don’t let that fool you - it’s all about the tax revenue. nobody really cares enough about you to bother protecting you.


I'm interested in learning day trading. Is TD Ameritrade the best? Can I open a $100 account to try it out?

I use IG index but have found their spread to be expensive, are there any brokers out there that are cheaper for day trading the Forex and eminis russell 2000 and other index’s?
kind regards
David

The brokerage business is highly competitive and rates are usually subject to negotiation. Unfortunately there are no shortcuts. Use the internet and search for “Futures Broker” or “Forex broker” and compare the prices of 10 brokers. This will give you a feeling for the lower prices possible.
When comparing prices, make sure that they are “all inclusive”, i.e. inclusing exchange and NFA/SEC fees and any other fees that might apply. Sometimes brokers lure you in with “Trade the e-minis for $0.50″ and then you will see that they add all kinds of fees and you end up paying $5 - $6 per round turn.
When trading futures, you can expect to pay $4 - $5 per round turn with a discount broker and $5 - $8 if you need some service. Full service brokers usually charge $10 - $15 per round turn.
Right now you might consider trading the e-mini S&P Midcap. The CME Group and Infinity Futures Brokerage run a promotion until the end of the year: You can trade this contract for $1.50 per round turn ALL INCLUSIVE. I think that’s a heck of a deal.
The e-mini Midcap (Symbol EMD) is comparable to the e-mini Russell (ER).
Regarding Forex: I don’t trade Forex at all. I prefer trading the currencies as futures contracts at the CME. This has there advantages:
1.) Lower spread. The spread is usually 1 tick and not 2-5 pips.
2.) Better leverage: 1 tick in the futures is worth $12.50 and not $10 like in the forex. That’s 25% more!
3.) It’s regulated, and you are trading against other traders and NOT against the house.
Hope that helps.
Markus
PS: Below is the link for the EMD promo I talked about.
What other restrictions are there for trading an average of more than once per day?
I know there are lots of rules and regs. Just a short concise list of the basic reqs is all I'm looking for.

Generally, you need to trade on margin. it is not really the same as margin generally.
Margin is taking a loan from a stock broker to buy more securities.
With day trading, you are borrowing money from your broker because the cash you receive from a trade takes a few days to clear.
The current market exists on a T+3 system it can take up to 3 days fro money and shares to actually change hands.
So to continue to trade on money you do not yet have, youborrow it. Unlike regular margin, there is not the same degree of risk invivled with normal margin purchases.
Some brokers let you do this without a margin accont because their getting the money is a sure thing and they still profit off of you from the commissions.



