Interactive Brokers – Page 28

Posted on September 17, 2012 by user — Leave a comment

Brokerages Gone Social

Even though discount brokerages haven’t traditionally portrayed the most “fun and friendly” image, more and more of them are starting to become visible on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. While you (hopefully) won’t find those embarrassing pictures of a drunken night gone wild or an angry rant about a horrible boss, plugging into the news feeds of a discount brokerage can be an interesting way to get insight into the organization, follow any promotions that may be underway as well as get a glimpse at the conversations they’re having with their customers.

While some Canadian discount brokers, such as Interactive Brokers, Jitneytrade, Questrade, Scotia iTrade and Virtual Brokers, have their own dedicated twitter and Facebook pages, others such as Disnat Direct, TD Waterhouse and BMO InvestorLine bundle messages about their other financial products and services along with discount brokerage news.

Social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, are tricky territory for companies (especially financial services companies) because these channels are public and interactions between the company and customers are visible for everyone to see. On the other hand these social media sites offer the opportunity for you to share what you love, or love to hate about your brokerage, giving straight feedback and having your voice heard as a client.

One handy feature of being plugged into something like a discount brokerage’s Twitter feed is that it offers a fast way of seeing what other investors or traders are experiencing. If a website is down or there is an outage of service, one of the best places to check (outside of the trading platform itself) and see what’s going on is via the ‘twittersphere’. Active traders especially are among the first to let others know if something is amiss.

Our table below has those Canadian discount brokerages that are currently on either Facebook and/or Twitter as well as links to their respective feeds.

Brokerage Name	Twitter	Facebook
BMO Investorline	part of @BMO	part of “BMO Community Facebook Page
CIBC Investors Edge
Credential Direct
Disnat Direct	@DesjardinsGroup	Disnat Direct Facebook Page
HSBC InvestDirect
Interactive Brokers	@IBGroupLLC	Interactive Brokers Facebook Page
Jitneytrade	@Jitneytrade
National Bank Direct Brokerage	part of @nationalbank
Options Express
Qtrade
Questrade	@Questrade	Questrade Facebook Page
RBC Direct Investing
Scotia iTrade	@Scotia_iTRADE
TD Waterhouse Discount Brokerage	part of @TD_Canada	Part of the TD Waterhouse Discount Brokerage Facebook Page
Virtual Brokers	@Virtual_Brokers	Virtual Brokers Facebook Page

Posted on September 12, 2012January 30, 2021 by user — Leave a comment

On Demand Webinar & Seminar Videos

Below is a list of “on demand” educational seminars and webinars from a variety of Canadian discount brokerages on a variety of investing-related topics. To access them, simply click on the video links. As this list will be constantly reviewed and updated, check back for more links/videos.

Title	Category	Length	Company	Host	url	Description	Registration Required
Investing Ideas: Research Tips for Dividend Investors	Dividends	0:06	TD Waterhouse	Bob Gorman	video link	Learn why investors use dividend-paying stock strategies in their portfolios during low interest rate environments. And, see how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investors use the Screener tool in WebBroker Markets & Research to find the right dividend-paying stocks.	N
Discover Exchange-Traded Funds	Exchange-Traded Funds	n/a	National Bank Direct Brokerage	Daniel Trempe	video link	This webinar will introduce the main fund families, their unique characteristics and advantages	N
Turning Equity Volatility into Yield	Exchange-Traded Funds	0:52	Scotia iTrade	Horizons ETFs	video link	Discover how to implement alternative strategies to reduce downside risk in a portfolio while generating attractive monthly income with Horizons Actively Managed enhanced income solutions. This innovative approach provides investors with reduced cost and increased tax
Portfolio Drivers: Investing in Gold, Natural Gas & Other Broad Commodities	Exchange-Traded Funds	0:53	Scotia iTrade	iShares	video link	We introduce investors to the options, benefits and reasoning behind commodity investing. Discussion topics will include how to access commodities through different vehicles as well as the structural intricacies behind each method. This includes direct investing through the physical commodities, accessing contracts and equities.
Converting Market Volatility Into Income Using ETFs	Exchange-Traded Funds	0:32	Scotia iTrade	Horizons ETFs	video link	Currently we see a great deal of volatility in the markets. Join us to learn how to effectively use Exchange Traded Funds to turn market ups and downs into income.
Income Investing Using ETFs	Exchange-Traded Funds	0:34	Scotia iTrade	Horizons ETFs	video link	There has been a great deal of growth in the ETF market recently allowing individual investors a great deal of choice when tracking a particular market. Did you know that ETFs can also be used to effectively generate income? Join us to learn about ways to use ETFs to produce an income stream within your portfolio.
Bonds, The Better Investment	Fixed Income	0:57	Scotia iTrade	Scotia iTrade	video link	There’s misconceptions around bonds – investors are often unsure of how they work. Joey Mack will provide some surprising facts about bond market returns, and provide guidance over how investors can participate in the top performing asset classes in Canada.
Educational Summit	Investing	1:55	Scotia iTrade	Scotia iTrade	video link	Featuring presentations by recognized industry speakers, AJ Monte of The Market Guys who will discuss Managing Risk in today’s markets and Marcus Schlechta of iShares who will discuss how ETFs can help support your investing objectives.
Take advantage of margin accounts	Margin	0:34	National Bank Direct Brokerage	Daniel Bonilla	video link	This webinar is an introduction of the characteristics and function, as well as the advantages, of margin accounts.	N
Contract Selection	Options	0:58	Scotia iTrade	The Montreal Exchange	video link	Find out which option contracts are best suited to meet your specific objectives and how you can apply some simple rules to make contract selection easier.
The Power of the Put Option	Options	1:00	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	AJ Monte of The Market Guys will cover key strategies you can implement when markets take a downturn which will appeal to both traders and investors at all skill levels.
Investing Ideas: Investing with Covered Calls	Options	0:05	TD Waterhouse	Dino Bourdos	video link	Learn more about the covered call options strategy as our TD Expert highlights some basic risk and rewards involved in the strategy and why investors may consider using it in a low interest rate environment. Also, see how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) investors use WebBroker to implement a covered call strategy.	N
Five mistakes that options traders make	Options	n/a	Questrade	InvestView	video link	Options can be a good strategy for leveraging your portfolio. However, many new options traders (and, frankly, many seasoned options traders) make the same mistakes over and again. Sign up for this webinar to learn how to avoid the five most common mistakes:
Advanced Options Strategies: Straddles & Strangles	Options	0:57	Scotia iTrade	The Montreal Exchange	video link	The purchase of a call and a put simultaneously on the same underlying security allows the investor to take advantage of a volatile move in share price in either direction. Learn which market conditions favour this strategy, what types of stocks to look for and which strike prices and expiration months are
How to Manage Risk in Volatile Markets	Risk Management	0:54	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Join The Market Guys as they describe strategies you can use to limit the downside risk while protecting profits in your stock portfolio.
The Science of Setting Stops	Risk Management	0:59	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Come prepared to join The Market Guys for a REAL-TIME stock charting session where you are invited to provide your own stock symbols for analysis.
How to Manage Risk Using the 1% Rule	Risk Management	0:58	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Join us as Rick and A.J. talk about protecting your downside in these volatile markets
Profit from Knowing the Best Times to Trade	Risk Management	0:46	Scotia iTrade	CyberTradingUniversity.com	video link	Many professional traders pick & choose their spots to trade because they know what periods of the day are most likely to lead to profits. Let Fausto teach you the “rhythms” of the market from his decades of experience.
The 10 Most Frequent Mistakes Traders/Investors Make	Risk Management	1:00	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Join AJ Monte of The Market Guy as he covers the major repetitive errors made by traders and investors alike and how to avoid them in your own portfolio.
The Market Guys Risk Management Strategies for Traders	Risk Management	1:00	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	We kick off the first of 3 Risk Management sessions this month with one of the top teachers in the industry. Join us to learn how to protect your stock and ETF positions using various methods. Presented by AJ Monte of The Market Guys.
Stay Out of Market Maker Traps – and Watch Your Profits Grow	Risk Management	0:48	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Learn about common market maker set-ups and how to identify traps from a distance & avoid them to enhance your profits. Presented by: Fausto Pugliese, Founder & President of Cyber Trading University.
Mechanics of a Short Sale	Short Selling	<10 min	Interactive Brokers	Interactive Brokers	video link	The Mechanics of a Short Sale is a tutorial that is designed to show you the inner workings of how a Short Sale works.
Short Selling	Short Selling	0:33	National Bank Direct Brokerage	Daniel Bonilla	video link	This webinar is an introduction of the characteristics and function, as well as the advantages, of short selling accounts	N
Charts & Patterns (a picture is worth 1000 words)	Strategy	0:58	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Join The Market Guys as they give you the tools you need to identify patterns and simplify charting.
Trading Strategies to Consider for 2012	Strategy	1:01	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	It’s a new year with new beginnings and new challenges. What new ideas can you place in your trading and investing toolbox for 2012? Let AJ Monte explore some possibilities with you.
Combining Technical & Fundamental Analysis	Strategy	0:53	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Far too many investors and traders make the mistake of preferring one method of stock analysis over the other. Join The Market Guys as they show you how and why you need to use both.
Benefit from investing in the U.S.	Strategy	0:05	BMO Investorline		video link		N
Key Strategies for a Bear Market	Strategy	1:00	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Have past market downturns made you shy away from investing? Does today’s market volatility have you scratching your head over what to do? Let AJ Monte show you how to position yourself in order to take advantage of a market downturn. This session will be followed by an open Q&A session on Aug. 20th where you can volunteer stocks for analysis.
Picking Profitable Stocks in Volatile Markets	Strategy	1:01	Scotia iTrade	AJ Monte of The Market Guys	video link	Does volatility scare you as as investor? Wish you could understand how trends can influence the future possible direction of the markets? Join AJ Monte as he shows you how to make volatility your best friend in the markets by teaching you how to “Follow The Money”.
Bollinger Bands	Technical Analysis	n/a	Questrade	InvestView	video link	Bollinger bands are a powerful indicator for measuring volatility, which is essentially price movement. Register for InvestView?s Bollinger bands webinar and learn how to effectively use this important tool in your technical analyses.
Introduction to Technical Analysis	Technical Analysis	0:25	Interactive Brokers	Interactive Brokers	video link	The Technical Analysis Tour explains the important role of the chart analyst and how technical and fundamental analyses differ. In this introductory tour, you will learn how to identify areas of support and resistance on a chart, the role of different time frames, and how to interpret basic trend formation
Introduction to Technical Analysis with Recognia	Technical Analysis	1:04	National Bank Direct Brokerage	Kathryn Griffiths – Recognia	video link	This webinar provides an overview of technical analysis and how it can be used to help make investment and trading decisions. It includes a review of actual patterns and charts as they are identified by the Recognia system and made available to clients on National Bank Direct Brokerage’s transactional website.	N
ETFs best practices	Exchange-Traded Funds	0:40	Disnat	John Gabriel – Morningstar	video link	John Gabriel from Morningstar discuss ETF best practices, how investors should use ETFs and how to make them part of your portfolio.
The five pillars of evaluating mutual funds	Mutual Funds	0:41	Disnat	Nick Dedes – Morningstar	video link	Nick Dedes, Mutual Fund Analyst at Morningstar to discuss the five pillars of evaluating mutual funds.
Stockscores Canadian Active Trader Expo (SCATE) – 2012	Strategy	0:56	Disnat	Tyler Bolhorn – Stockscores	video link	Tyler Bolhorn from Stockscores explains the basics of stock analysis and trading at the 2012 Stockscores Canadian Active Traders Expo (SCATE)
How to Make a Living Trading the Stock Market	Strategy	0:12	Disnat	Tyler Bolhorn – Stockscores	video link	Tyler Bolhorn from Stockscores explains how to make trades holding stocks for minutes or days. This is a video to watch if you want to quit your day job to become a full time trader
Manage Your Retirement Portfolio in Only Minutes a Day	Strategy	0:20	Disnat	Tyler Bolhorn – Stockscores	video link	Tyler Bolhorn from Stockscores explains how to manage your retirement portfolio in only minutes a day using Stockscores, stops and technical analysis.
How do you limit your losses? Use options to hedge your portfolio	Options	0:51	Disnat	Jason Ayres – Montreal Exchange	video link	This recorded webinar explains the safe usage of options as a means to hedge a portfolio against market risk. Learn to use options to help maintain profits and limit losses.
Emotion Control & Trading – The Mindless Investor	Strategy	0:21	Disnat	Tyler Bolhorn – Stockscores	video link	Tyler Bolhorn from Stockscores explains to investors how to manage their emotions and risk. Taking emotion out of trading is probably the most important element a trader as to obtain to be successful at stock trading.

Posted on May 5, 2012 by user — Leave a comment

Event Review – Options Education Day – Vancouver 2012

Options Education Day is an annual series of events organized and hosted by the Montreal Exchange (part of the TMX Group) as part of their goal to better educate retail investors about options and derivatives products. While options and derivative products are more complex than your average stock, there has been an enormous growth in availability and interest in these types of investment products because of the versatility of strategies they offer investors. So, even though it takes some extra effort to learn them, there are many more potential strategies for creating wealth as well as preserving it that options offer investors.

There were three great speakers at the Vancouver stop on the Options Education Day: Jason Ayres, President of Learn to Trade Global and founder of optionsource.net; Joseph Burgoyne, director of institutional and retail marketing for the Options Industry Council and Patrick Ceresna, chief derivative market strategist for Learn to Trade Global. Click on the following links to see our interviews with Jason, Joseph and Patrick.

The event itself had workshops for “beginner” and “advanced” topics that provided information appropriate to the level of complexity investors were willing to dive into. The beginner sessions covered an “introduction to options trading” and “introduction to ETFs” whilst the more advanced sessions covered “advanced options spreads” and “getting to know the greeks and the impact of volatility”. A final workshop covered using options as a tool for creating a balanced portfolio.

Exhibitors at the event included Canadian discount brokerages such as Disnat Direct, Interactive Brokers, Jitneytrade, TD Waterhouse, Virtual Brokers and National Bank Direct Brokerage, as well options education firm Learn to Trade Global, and also the most awesome Canadian discount brokerage comparison company Sparx Trading (yes it is a shameless self-plug!). We had a chance to talk to lots of investors of all levels who were all there not only for the great food, but also to get a better understanding of options and how to use them in their investing and trading strategies.

Overall this is an excellent event for individuals who want to learn about options at a live event and also network with fellow investors. It was well-organized, the venue choice great and the cost was nominal and included materials, breakfast and lunch – a great deal for their price of $45. The conference organizers did a great job of preparing materials that attendees could use during the presentations and take with them after the sessions were done.

For those that could not attend in person, the Montreal Exchange also has a lot of the material that was covered at prior options education days in the education section on its website. Another excellent source of education materials for individuals looking to learn more about options is the Options Industry Council website available here.

Upcoming stops for the 2012 sessions of Options Education Day include Winnipeg (June 2), Montreal (September 8), Toronto (September 29), Calgary (October 20) and Edmonton (October 21). You can find out more details for these and other education events checking our events calendar here.

Posted on April 12, 2012 by user — Leave a comment

Interactive Brokers Releases Trading Data for March 2012

One of the largest publicly traded discount brokers, Interactive Brokers Group Inc. (better known as Interactive Brokers or ‘IB’) published their monthly trading data for March 2012. Many industry commentators and trader’s alike have observed a decrease in the trading volumes over the past several months. An interesting data point that confirms that observation comes from the March 2012 report which shows a decrease of 7% in Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) from the past month. Options contracts also decreased about 19% relative to last year, however it actually increased 6% over the previous month.

Both volume and volatility are attractive to traders, and the recent decline of both trading volumes and share price volatility mean more than a few traders are growing impatient with the current market environment. Odd as it may sound, markets have to make participants money in order for them to survive. Active traders are key to efficiently functioning markets however low price volatility or fewer numbers of participants mean less than ideal trading conditions and therefore less profitability.

Eventually as people exit the trading game or stop trading stocks, there are fewer participants and prices are likely to get volatile. That volatility will signal profitability for traders and traders may want to step back in at that point.

The lesson – supply and demand also applies to volatility in stock prices and right now equity markets appear to be quietly frustrating volatility seekers. Using discount brokerage data is a great proxy on the retail investor’s trading behaviour in the marketplace and also a helpful way to figure out trends in the market.

To read more about their results you can find a great article here: http://yhoo.it/HFGoHq or if you want to read the report directly you can find it on Interactive Brokers’ website here: http://bit.ly/IFDYvH

Posted on February 18, 2012 by user — Leave a comment

Technical Analysis

With so many people talking about technical analysis and using stock charts to help make trading and investing decisions, here are some good tutorials to get your feet wet with some of the key concepts and terms used in technical approaches.

Top marks go to the folks at Interactive Brokers for preparing this handy introduction to technical analysis:

http://www.interactivebrokers.com/images/flash/TechnicalAnalysis/index.html

This is a great tutorial on charting prepared by Marketwatch explains many terms and concepts used by investors and traders and can be found here:

http://design.dowjones.com/mwls/Tool-school/r1_charthelp_menu.html