Alan

I was at 1.50 with TOS for years. About a year ago (maybe a bit longer), suddenly TOS became open to lowering the rates. I managed to get down to 0.75, and I know many others who also managed the same. I also heard that some managed to get down to 0.60, but they were doing very large volume. I do not know if they are still quite as accommodating. An added bonus for TOS, at least for me, is that customer support has been very good. That said, if the smart routing at IB really is much better than TOS, that could make a big difference. Ergo, my original question.

I happen to be with TOS. One of the benefits of IB that has been mentioned is "Smart Routing". Today I called TOS and asked them about smart routing. Specifically, I asked whether the legs of a multilegged position would be sent to different exchanges in order to facilitate a fill. He said that TOS, like IB, does do it this way. Does anyone happen to know whether this is true or not?

@greenspan76.When you say Short Put Spread is this the same as a put credit spread (a bullish trade), or is the "Short" referring to a bearish trade (i.e. a put debit spread)? Also, is the latter trade something that has been discussed somewhere here on SO?

Although I have not purchased a subscription to Market Chameleon, I became aware of their site through SO and & had contacted them a while back. They send me emails from time to time to try to get me to join, and below is one of them. I am sure others here get the same emails, and I am sure some of you are members. My question is whether any of you have investigated any of what they are promoting? They are suggesting a win rate of over 60% & average returns of over 10%. That does not sound too bad. Analyzing Recent Week-by-Week ATM Straddle Results MarketChameleon has sifted through the last 6 weeks of at-the-money option straddle returns to find symbols that had the most consistent positive performance to enhance your trading portfolio. Results Summary Over the most recent 6-week period, MarketChameleon has detected 118 stocks with unhedged option straddles that had historical win rates of over 60%, average returns of better than +10%, and median returns of greater than +10%. Within the same time frame, we found 103 stocks that had straddles that met those conditions when the straddles were hedged only once at the initial trade delta and then held for the remainder of the week. If we change the hedging technique to re-hedge the delta at the end of each day, we discovered 73 symbols that met those same conditions. Standouts Among the symbols analyzed, using the unhedged delta results, KORS had notable returns -- a 100% win rate with an average weekly return of +64%. When looking at hedged-once straddle performance, UA had a 100% win rate and an average return of +71%. A standout from the results of the hedged-daily straddle analysis, TOL had a 100% win rate and an average return of +57%. Methodology The objective of this analysis is to backtest potentially undervalued (or overvalued) option straddles with high historical win rates and the best average returns over a period of 6 weeks. The benefit of buying long straddles is that the risk is limited while the potential profit is boundless. Long straddles also offer protection against increasing volatility and sudden market moves. We analyze at-the-money option straddles for each symbol's nearest expiration, and compare the value of the straddle from the initial value on Monday morning to the closing value on Friday afternoon. It would be considered a "win" if the theoretical trade increased in value from the opening to the closing. Additionally, we provide the flexibility of multiple hedging strategies -- first would be unhedged, which is a naked option straddle with no stock attached; then hedged once at time of trade, which is a delta-neutral straddle hedging the net deltas at the time of the trade and then holding until close; and last daily re-hedged, which also hedges the net delta at the end of each day through the week. Using the Report To take a look at the results for yourself, follow this link to the full report. Below is included a screenshot as to how we set the filters for this report.

I was just wondering whether he was doing it in some way that is different from the above discussions (which I have read). I was just curious. For right now I am happy just pursuing what is taught at SO.

Hi Kim. Very nice summary. When you mentioned a SO member who has been doing backtesting and identifying the best days to enter prior to earnings, to whom were you referring? Also, have you (or, for that matter, has anyone else here) ever taken a look at Kirk Du Plessis's strategy - the one he mentioned where he trades the IV crush after earnings?

When I read the first post a while back, the 50% discount for SO members had expired last year. It appears that the discount has been re-established and extended until June 30 of this year.

What is the current price for a subscription?