Re: IB
With the low $.01 commission one does not get Level II, but I believe one can pay extra to have it. I think there is a demo of their traders workstation on their site at www.interactivebrokers.com. I like the TWS setup because I can watch trades going by tick-by-tick and with two clicks reach out and grab a bid or ask to place my trades, no delay filling out order screens allowing the trade to possibly move away from you.
I have other accounts at other brokerages that offer Level II, better charts, and other tools, but they charge a lot more in commissions as well (think Cybertrader is the best for providing traders' tools). I also use MedVed Quote Tracker (free).
IB has the lowest commissions I know of, with the fastest executions I've experienced, so I am very, very happy to daytrade there. Trading at my other brokerages only makes sense for swing or longer-term trading, since I have to cover the higher commissions before making a profit, so need to trade for a home run rather than a base hit.
Good luck.
Newly
