Max,
Actually I just sat there and prayed that the price wouldn't move away before I got some more shares. At the same time, my little brain is computing just how much I'm going to lose by having two tickets for a few measly shares. Luckily, I got filled for my entire order. Now, though, I think long and hard before I buy at the bid or sell at the ask (actually, I was probably shorting and got the balance of my order filled as the price blew past me).
Regarding buying a few ticks above, selling a few below, are you talking about stocks with a wide (1/4 point or more) spread? I've added 1/32 to the bid but ISLD doesn't display it as such. So, someone still has to hit the bid for me to get filled. Depending on how many other shares were available I may have gotten filled without improving the price. However, if you've got a technique that works well for quick fills I'd be most interested in hearing about it.
I generally find ISLD the best way to get filled if the shares are there, but I've had good luck with SOES and SNET as well (I don't have access to ARCA). Usually, when something wacky happens, I've done something wrong. I have also drifted away from the craziest stocks (like DELL) to those that are slightly more serene (AAPL, ORCL) because I'm just not quick enough to compete on the fastest issues.
Regards,
Paul Kaz |
