Porter, I'm not making a comprehensive comparison of buying/selling options on US vs CDN stocks. That would not be too bright on my part since, if I recall correctly, you're the TSE specialist on BLD et al.
Neither did I say I'm entirely thrilled with options on US stocks. I've been screwed more than once on US options. I tried to sell a Morgan Stanley Tech 35 put this morning at the bid. It sat there for 18 minutes before they changed their bid, and despite a call from TD Greenline to the AMEX, the response was "tough luck bud".
I'm also less than impressed with the designation of a primary exchange on US options. Often when the CBOE is the primary exchange, the AMEX has better bid/ask prices, but it requires a "fill or fade" request to make it happen. Pretty much a pointless phone call.
All I'm saying is that in my experience, there have been numerous times (mostly with PD, some with BLD) when I've tried to buy or sell more than 10 contracts of calls. Many times, ten were filled and then the bid/ask was moved away from me, without a move in the stock price. I have not found this to be the case with US stock options. My guess is that it is because of the significantly higher volume on US options. |
