I've always had the desire to trade futures....and I've recently started dabbling although my account is down since I opened it. As much as I would like to blame my current setup, the loss is my responsibility and due tomy bad trades...anyways I do want to fix somethings that are bothering me. I currently use Interactive Brokers but i HATE the platform....Maybe I just haven't gotten used to it, but I'm using TOS desktop to monitor and then switch to IB to place the trade. My problem is that when I see a trade I want to enter on TOS desktop, I want to execute it precisely at that time...it takes a few extra seconds to switch to IB, and fill in all the market/limit/es/go/submit order.... If I was on TOS, I can simply already have the buy set at market, and execute immediately when i see the tick go in my favor. But the cost of switching to TD Ameritrade to trade would be about $3.47/contract whereas I believe IB is around $2.02 for Emini Sp500. Is faster execution with TOS desktop worth the extra commission? Or should I stay with a shitty platform IB with discount commission? Or is there any other futures broker you reccomend?
Commission alone should NEVER be the primary concern. If the difference between profitability or loss is commission, then you will not be in the game very long anyway. Anyway, if what you want to do is trade futures then go to a futures only brokerage. TOS, ETrade, OptionsExpress etc are not futures only and they do have high (futures) commissions and less benefits for futures trading compared to a futures only firm. There are many to choose from. I will not make any specific recommendation but rather will just name a few for you to check out. Again this is not a recommendation. Your needs and wants are yours. An extemporaneous list, In no particular order... http://www.globalfutures.com/ http://deepdiscounttrading.com/ http://tradefutures4less.com/ http://openecry.com/ https://www.cannontrading.com/ http://www.generictrade.com/ There are MANY OTHERS as well.
Learn how to use TWS's BookTrader for immediate order entry. There are also front ends for TWS such as ButtonTrader. It is not a broker that you are looking for, but a trading platform. If you still don't like TWS then find a futures platform you like and a futures broker that offers it. Be aware that most futures platforms have monthly and per contract fees. Look at Advantage Futures and deepdiscounttrading and their platform choioces.
You can use NinjaTrader as a front end to Interactive Brokers, specific to making order submission more efficient, check out our ATM strategies. It allows you to pre-define templates to automatically submit your stop loss and profit targets once your entry order is filled.
My experience with http://deepdiscounttrading.com/ has been first rate. If you decide to stay with IB scalpers love Button Trader. I have never used it but it plays to universal raves.