IB Communique´
Paper Trading Now Available
Interactive Brokers is pleased to announce IB Papertrader, which will provide trade simulation functionality. Customers wishing to simulate their strategies before they trade can open a paper trading account from Account Management/Trading Access. Your paper trading account will have its own account number, username and password, and will be given the same real-time market data and trading permissions as your actual account. When you log into Trader Workstation with your paper trading username, your trading screen will clearly indicate you are trading in simulated mode to avoid any confusion. Your paper trading account may also be used to test any of your programmed Application Program Interface (API) applications. The beta version of the IB Papertrader, currently only available for US customers trading US products, is being rolled out. It will be fully functional on December 12, 2005. We are looking for feedback on the beta version of IB Papertrader, and encourage you to send an email to
ibmarketing@interactivebrokers.com with your suggestions.
Arca Early Morning Trading
Archipelago is now available for an early morning trading session beginning at 04:00 ET. As other US stock exchange destinations open throughout the morning, they will be included as potential smart routing destinations.
New Low UK Stock Commissions
We are now offering flat commissions of GBP 6.00 (for trade value of < GBP 50,000) for all UK stocks. IB continues to lead the industry in deep discount commissions.
Real-Time Trade Confirms
Real-time trade confirms are now available under Account Management/Report Management. We are making available your entire transaction history from January 1, 2005 up through your latest trades.
Student Trading Olympiad with $400,000 in Prizes
IB is sponsoring the first student trading Olympiad to promote careers in trading technology throughout academia. Participants are required to write a programmed trading application that utilizes our Application Program Interface. If you know of a student who is an undergraduate senior in computer science or engineering, a graduate student (in any discipline) with an undergraduate degree in computer science or engineering, or a graduate student in computer science or engineering, encourage him or her to apply immediately at
www.interactivebrokers.com/ibtradingolympiad. The deadline for entry is December 31, 2005, but you must also submit a one-page trading plan by that date.
New TWS “Ease of Use” Features
We have introduced two new windows to make your everyday use of TWS even easier. Our Global Configuration window allows you to modify all TWS settings from a single screen. Our Feature Selector allows first-time users to start trading with simple features and then expand your functionality over time as needed. Experienced users can elect to hide features they don’t use. Both windows are available under the Configuration menu, and as toolbar icons. To add icons, right-click the toolbar and select Configure, then click the reset button to display all available toolbar buttons.
Other TWS Enhancements
We have been hard at work ensuring that TWS continues to be the premier direct access trading platform. Over the last few months we have added many new enhancements including:
New market scanner parameters including scanners based on volatility, a first for the industry
Real-time chart upgrades including the ability to trade from charts
New Hot Keys which allow you to append bracket orders, set alarms, and change order type to market
Market if Touched and Limit if Touched order types
Last price is highlighted when greater than or equal to the high for the day
Columns can be added or deleted from the account window by right clicking
Automatic determination of the correct forex trading destination based on your order size
To view the plethora of TWS features added during the last few months, we encourage you to read our release notes and attend the Latest TWS Enhancements Webinar on December 8th at 4:30 ET.
Weekly CBOE Options
The CBOE is now offering options with weekly expirations, and these options are now available through the Trader Workstation.
New Commercial Tool Partners
IB has recently added a number of partners and upgrades to our Commercial Tools third-party add-ons, which includes offerings from Button Trader, Stormchaser Technologies, Fund Manager Advisor, and Trade-Ideas. For details on these products and our other Commercial Tool partner offerings, please visit our Commercial Tools page.
Web Change Log
We have added a new web change page to our website to highlight changes at Interactive Brokers. This page may be accessed from the Help & Contacts menu.
New IBAN Required for EUR Withdrawals
As of 3 January 2005, all EUR withdrawal wire instructions must include a bank IBAN number. IBAN numbers are the international standard for wiring funds and your bank should be able to provide this information. In anticipation of this, we encourage you to update your bank wire instructions through Account Management.
