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Please follow these instructions to install Firefox. Market Makers. Market makers play a very important role in options trading, and in fact they exist in the markets for all kinds of different financial instruments. They are essentially there to keep the financial markets running efficiently by ensuring a certain level of liquidity. They are not your average trader they are professionals that have contractual relationships with the relevant exchanges and carry out a large volume of transactions. It is by no means vital that you know what market makers do, unless you have aspirations to join a financial institution and get a job as one. However, an understanding of why they exist and the effect they have is nonetheless useful. To that effect, we have provided some further details about them on this page. The Role of Market Makers. The basic role of market makers in the options exchanges is to ensure that the markets run smoothly by enabling traders to buy and sell options even if there are no public orders to match the required trade.
They do this by maintaining large and diverse portfolios of a wide range of different options contracts. For example, if a trader wanted to buy specific options contracts but there was no-one else at that time selling those contracts, then a market maker would sell the options from their own portfolio, or reserve, to facilitate the transaction. Likewise, if a trader wanted to sell specific contracts but there was no public buyer, then a market maker could execute the transaction by buying those contracts and adding them to their portfolio. Market makers basically make sure that there is both depth and liquidity in the options exchanges. In their absence, there would be significantly less transactions carried out and it would be much harder to buy and sell options. There would also be less options in the way of different contracts available in the market. Enabling traders to execute transactions quickly, even if there is no willing buyer or seller, in turn ensures that the exchanges operate efficiently and traders can usually buy and sell the options they wish to. How Do Market Makers Operate? As we have mentioned, market makers keep their own portfolios that consist of a large number of different options contracts. They trade in large volumes and are able to buy options from traders wishing to sell and sell them to traders wishing to buy. Without the makers, the market could easily stagnate and options trading would become significantly more difficult. In return for the important role they play in options trading, they have a major privilege within the market place which enables them to basically make some form of profit on each and every transaction they make due to the way options are priced. There are two main aspects to the price of options that any options trader should understand. First, the actual price is made up of two main components: intrinsic value and extrinsic value. Secondly, and this is relevant to how market makers operate, they are priced on the exchanges with a bid price and an ask price.
Anyone looking to buy options contracts would pay the ask price of those contracts, while anyone selling or writing contracts would receive the bid price. The ask price is higher than the bid price, so an individual buying contracts would pay a higher price than the individual selling them would receive. The difference between these two prices is known as the spread, and it's from this spread that the market makers benefit. They are basically permitted to buy at the bid price and sell at the ask price, thus profiting from the spread. LetЂ™s assume an example of specific options contracts that are trading with a bid price of $2 and an ask price of $2.20. If an individual places an order to buy these contracts at the same time as another individual places an order to sell these contracts, the market maker basically acts as a middle man. They buy from the seller, paying the bid price of $2.00, and then sell to the buyer at the ask price of $2.20, thus making a $.20 profit per contract traded. Of course, it will not always be possible for a market maker to buy and sell contracts simultaneously Ђ“ otherwise there would be little need for them in the first place. So they are still potentially exposed to the risk of price movements and time decay of the options they own. The primary aim of a market maker is to trade as many contracts as possible to benefit from the spread, but must also use effective positioning strategies to ensure that they are not exposed to too much risk. Despite the inherent advantage of being a market maker offered by the spread, it's still perfectly possible for a them to lose money. Who are the Market Makers?
Market makers are typically individuals that work for brokerage firms, banks, and other financial institutions that are specifically contracted with an exchange or exchanges, to fulfill the role. As they are not allowed to trade on behalf of public investors and traders, they must use their own capital to fund all their transactions. They have to be incredibly skilled at what they do, with excellent analytical abilities and a lot of mental strength. When the relevant firms recruit market makers they would usually be looking for a lot of suitable experience and a clear indication of the required skill set. Option Types: Calls & Puts. In the special language of options, contracts fall into two categories - Calls and Puts. A Call represents the right of the holder to buy stock. A Put represents the right of the holder to sell stock. Call Options. A Call option is a contract that gives the buyer the right to buy 100 shares of an underlying equity at a predetermined price (the strike price) for a preset period of time. The seller of a Call option is obligated to sell the underlying security if the Call buyer exercises his or her option to buy on or before the option expiration date. For example, an American-style WXYZ Corporation May 21, 2011 60 Call entitles the buyer to purchase 100 shares of WXYZ Corporation common stock at $60 per share at any time prior to the option's expiration date of May 21, 2011. A Put option is a contract that gives the buyer the right to sell 100 shares of an underlying stock at a predetermined price for a preset time period. The seller of a Put option is obligated to buy the underlying security if the Put buyer exercises his or her option to sell on or before the option expiration date.
Likewise, an American-style WXYZ Corporation May 21, 2011 60 Put entitles the buyer to sell 100 shares of WXYZ Corp. common stock at $60 per share at any time prior to the option's expiration date in May. The Expiration Process. At any given time, an option can be bought or sold with multiple expiration dates. This is indicated by a date description. The expiration date is the last day an option exists. For listed stock options, this is traditionally the Saturday following the third Friday of the expiration month. Please note that this is the deadline by which brokerage firms must submit exercise notices. You should ask your firm to explain its exercise procedures including any deadline the firm may have for exercise instructions on the last trading day before expiration. Certain options exist for and expire at the end of week, the end of a quarter or at other times. It is very important to understand when an option will expire, as the value of the option is directly related to its expiration. Exercising the Option. Options investors don’t actually have to buy or sell the underlying shares that are associated with their options. They can and often do simply opt to resell their options - or "trade out of their options positions".
If they do choose to purchase or sell the underlying shares represented by their options, this is called exercising the option. Enter a company name or symbol below to view its options chain sheet: Edit Favorites. Enter up to 25 symbols separated by commas or spaces in the text box below. These symbols will be available during your session for use on applicable pages. Customize your NASDAQ. com experience. Select the background color of your choice: Select a default target page for your quote search: Please confirm your selection: You have selected to change your default setting for the Quote Search. This will now be your default target page unless you change your configuration again, or you delete your cookies. Are you sure you want to change your settings? Please disable your ad blocker (or update your settings to ensure that javascript and cookies are enabled), so that we can continue to provide you with the first-rate market news and data you've come to expect from us. Options Basics: What Are Options?
Options are a type of derivative security. They are a derivative because the price of an option is intrinsically linked to the price of something else. Specifically, options are contracts that grant the right, but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set price on or before a certain date. The right to buy is called a call option and the right to sell is a put option. People somewhat familiar with derivatives may not see an obvious difference between this definition and what a future or forward contract does. The answer is that futures or forwards confer both the right and obligation to buy or sell at some point in the future. For example, somebody short a futures contract for cattle is obliged to deliver physical cows to a buyer unless they close out their positions before expiration. An options contract does not carry the same obligation, which is precisely why it is called an “option.” Call and Put Options. A call option might be thought of as a deposit for a future purpose. For example, a land developer may want the right to purchase a vacant lot in the future, but will only want to exercise that right if certain zoning laws are put into place. The developer can buy a call option from the landowner to buy the lot at say $250,000 at any point in the next 3 years.
Of course, the landowner will not grant such an option for free, the developer needs to contribute a down payment to lock in that right. With respect to options, this cost is known as the premium, and is the price of the options contract. In this example, the premium might be $6,000 that the developer pays the landowner. Two years have passed, and now the zoning has been approved the developer exercises his option and buys the land for $250,000 – even though the market value of that plot has doubled. In an alternative scenario, the zoning approval doesn’t come through until year 4, one year past the expiration of this option. Now the developer must pay market price. In either case, the landowner keeps the $6,000. A put option, on the other hand, might be thought of as an insurance policy. Our land developer owns a large portfolio of blue chip stocks and is worried that there might be a recession within the next two years. He wants to be sure that if a bear market hits, his portfolio won’t lose more than 10% of its value.
If the S&P 500 is currently trading at 2500, he can purchase a put option giving him the right to sell the index at 2250 at any point in the next two years. If in six months time the market crashes by 20%, 500 points in his portfolio, he has made 250 points by being able to sell the index at 2250 when it is trading at 2000 – a combined loss of just 10%. In fact, even if the market drops to zero, he will still only lose 10% given his put option. Again, purchasing the option will carry a cost (its premium) and if the market doesn’t drop during that period the premium is lost. These examples demonstrate a couple of very important points. First, when you buy an option, you have a right but not an obligation to do something with it. You can always let the expiration date go by, at which point the option becomes worthless. If this happens, however, you lose 100% of your investment, which is the money you used to pay for the option premium. Second, an option is merely a contract that deals with an underlying asset. For this reason, options are derivatives. In this tutorial, the underlying asset will typically be a stock or stock index, but options are actively traded on all sorts of financial securities such as bonds, foreign currencies, commodities, and even other derivatives. Buying and Selling Calls and Puts: Four Cardinal Coordinates. Owning a call option gives you a long position in the market, and therefore the seller of a call option is a short position. Owning a put option gives you a short position in the market, and selling a put is a long position. Keeping these four straight is crucial as they relate to the four things you can do with options: buy calls sell calls buy puts and sell puts. People who buy options are called holders and those who sell options are called writers of options.
Here is the important distinction between buyers and sellers: Call holders and put holders (buyers) are not obligated to buy or sell. They have the choice to exercise their rights if they choose. This limits the risk of buyers of options, so that the most they can ever lose is the premium of their options. Call writers and put writers (sellers), however, are obligated to buy or sell. This means that a seller may be required to make good on a promise to buy or sell. It also implies that option sellers have unlimited risk , meaning that they can lose much more than the price of the options premium. Don't worry if this seems confusing – it is. For this reason we are going to look at options primarily from the point of view of the buyer. At this point, it is sufficient to understand that there are two sides of an options contract. To understand options, you'll also have to first know the terminology associated with the options market. The price at which an underlying stock can be purchased or sold is called the strike price. This is the price a stock price must go above (for calls) or go below (for puts) before a position can be exercised for a profit. All of this must occur before the expiration date. In our example above, the strike price for the S&P 500 put option was 2250. The expiration date, or expiry of an option is the exact date that the contract terminates.
An option that is traded on a national options exchange such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) is known as a listed option. These have fixed strike prices and expiration dates. Each listed option represents 100 shares of company stock (known as a contract). For call options, the option is said to be in-the-money if the share price is above the strike price. A put option is in-the-money when the share price is below the strike price. The amount by which an option is in-the-money is referred to as intrinsic value. An option is out-of-the-money if the price of the underlying remains below the strike price (for a call), or above the strike price (for a put). An option is at-the-money when the price of the underlying is on or very close to the strike price. As mentioned above, the total cost (the price) of an option is called the premium. This price is determined by factors including the stock price, strike price, time remaining until expiration (time value) and volatility. Because of all these factors, determining the premium of an option is complicated and largely beyond the scope of this tutorial, although we will discuss it briefly. Although employee stock options aren't available for just anyone to trade, this type of option could, in a way, be classified as a type of call option. Many companies use stock options as a way to attract and to keep talented employees, especially management. They are similar to regular stock options in that the holder has the right but not the obligation to purchase company stock.
The contract, however, exists only between the holder and the company and cannot typically be exchanged with anybody else, whereas a normal option is a contract between two parties that are completely unrelated to the company and can be traded freely. Proprietary Trading Firms. Listing of Proprietary Trading Firms. Akuna Capital Akuna Capital is a fast-growing boutique trading house that specializes in derivative market-making and arbitrage. (Chicago) Aldersgate Trading Aldersgate Trading Ltd is a proprietary trading firm specialising in the facilitation, development and management of financial derivative traders. (London) Allston Trading Allston Trading, LLC, is a premier market maker in worldwide financial exchanges. We trade hundreds of different stocks, bonds, futures, options and other financial instruments in over 30 exchanges. (Chicago) Altrion Trading Group Altrion Trading was founded by professional traders to fill a serious void in the market in giving aspiring traders the training and mentorship they needed to be successful as well as the technology, low fees, and capital to keep professionals at the top of their game. (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York) Amplify Trading Amplify Trading is a proprietary trading company specialising in the development of new trading talent offering direct experience in financial markets. (London, Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt, Brisbane) Archelon Group Archelon LLC is an options market maker and proprietary trader of exchange listed options, futures and equities in the US, Europe, and Korea. (Chicago, Frankfurt) Assent Assent is a national equities trading firm that currently serves hundreds of traders across the country. Avatar Securities Avatar Securities, LLC is a proprietary trading firm providing trading services for individual traders and large trading groups.
Avatar specializes in direct market access, systematic, and algorithmic trading in equities and exchange listed options with robust trading floors in Manhattan, Chicago and a presence nationwide. (New York, Chicago). (New York, Chicago) Blue Point Trading Blue Point Trading is a unique boutique proprietary trading firm which provides above average trading returns for its investors through its managed fund. (Toulon, France) Bluefin Trading Bluefin Holdings, LLC is a proprietary trading firm focused on market making in exchange-traded derivative products. (New York, London, Chicago, Hong Kong) Blueprint Capital Blueprint Capital is a proprietary trading firm specialising in the development of new trading talent and the facilitation of experienced traders. We are a leading innovator in electronic and algorithmic trading. (London) Belvedere Trading Belvedere Trading is a proprietary trading firm specializing in equity index options. (Chicago) Blue Capital Group Blue Capital Group is a privately held futures and options trading firm based in Deerfield, Illinois. (Chicago, Chapel Hill) Breakwater Trading Breakwater is an agile, focused, proactive organization that strives to integrate technology with intelligence and market vision. (Chicago) Bright Trading Bright Trading, LLC is a professional, proprietary stock trading firm. We have hundreds of independent traders who trade from dozens of locations throughout the United States. In addition, our “Bright-At-Home” traders enjoy the benefits of proprietary trading from the comfort of their homes.
(Las Vegas) Broad Street Trading Broad Street Securities Group (Formerly Broad Street Trading) is a multi-method proprietary trading firm providing state of the art technology and access to firm capital. We are a registered Broker-Dealer, Member CBSX. (New York) Capital Traders Group Capital Traders Group is a proprietary day trading firm providing its members access to firm capital, proprietary trading software, remote & on-site training, and live virtual trading office for remote members. Capstone Trades, equities, commodities, fixed income and money markets around the world. (London, New York, Chicago) Chicago Trading Company Chicago Trading Company (CTC) is a proprietary market making firm and is recognized internationally as a leading provider of pricing and liquidity on all U. S. derivatives exchanges. (Chicago, New York, London) Chicago-WTS Chicago-WTS is a proprietary trading group based in Chicago, a division of WTS Proprietary Trading Group LLC. WTS is a member of the CBSX and is SEC registered. Chopper Trading Driven by pioneering technology and research, Chopper Trading LLC’s multidisciplinary team of traders and analysts rapidly identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities. (Chicago, London, New York, Washington DC) Cube Capital Management Corp. Chicago based proprietary trading firm. Discrete System Proprietary trading firm based in Quebec, Canada. Our traders trade the firm’s capital on several US stock markets: NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX. DRW Trading Group The DRW Trading Group is an aggressive, dedicated organization engaged in many different aspects of the trading industry, including market making and proprietary trading. Offices in Chicago, New York and London.
Dubai Professional Trading Group DPTG was established in 2007 as the first professional trading floor in the Middle East and it continues to be the leader of the industry in the region. DV Trading DV Trading is a proprietary trading firm that executes on all major North American and European futures exchanges in a variety of asset classes. EchoTrade ECHOtrade is a professional trading firm dedicated to the needs of the serious, off-floor trader. Eagle 7 Trading Eagle 7 Trading is a privately owned, proprietary trading firm located at the Chicago Board of Trade in downtown Chicago. Eldorado Trading – Eldorado Trading, LLC, is a proprietary trading firm that capitalizes on global fixed income markets — CME Eurodollars, CBOT Treasuries, LIFFE Euribor—by being the leading innovator of the electronic trading world. The founders of Eldorado have been trading electronically since the inception of screen trading in the early 1990s, giving the company an edge as transactions migrate from open outcry in the trading pits to electronic trading on the screens. (Chicago) Epoch Trading Group Epoch is a fully automated, systematic trading firm with. 50 employees and was founded in 2008. Our head office is located in Sydney, Australia. EUROPROP® Trading A leader in facilitating, training and supporting traders on global electronic markets. The firm is based in Madrid, Spain and part of Alhambra Capital. EUROPROP® provides DMA and low clearing rates to global equities and futures. Flow Traders A leading global technology-enabled liquidity provider specialised in Exchange Traded Products (ETPs). Frontline Capital Frontline Capital is a proprietary trading firm specializing in equities, futures products, and currencies across all North American and European exchanges.
(Toronto) Fusionary Trading Fusionary uses a synthesis of the wisdom of the ages and time-tested tools to help you make more money in less time. Futex Trading – Futex was set up by traders who had been open-outcry trading on the LIFFE floor since 1990. In 1998 when the LIFFE floor was migrating onto computer screens Futex traders were one of the first to establish a professional computer based trading floor. (London, Woking, Singapore, Chicago) Gambit Trading Gambit Trading, LLC is a proprietary trading group currently located in Rolling Meadows, IL. GETCO – GETCO is a privately-held, electronic trading firm dedicated to enhancing liquidity and efficiency in the world’s financial markets. (Chicago, London, New York, Singapore) Gelber Group – Gelber is a unique service provider for the individual professional trader, professional trading group, or institution. We have an unwavering focus on technology management and service, as we seek to expand our access to liquid electronic markets around the world. Gelber Group maintains the philosophy that clear communication and interaction bring successful trading results. (Chicago, Cranford NJ, Greenwich CT, San Diego, London, Schindellegi Switzerland) Genesis Securities – Genesis provides a fully customizable, state of the art DMA platform Laser for the sophisticated trader. Geneva Trading – Geneva Trading is a proprietary electronic trading firm located in Chicago, Illinois USA and Dublin, Ireland. Focus is on electronically traded futures and equity markets in the USA and Europe.
(Chicago, Dublin) GGT Trading Proprietary Equity Options Trading Firm. (Chicago) GHF Group GHF Group drives its vigorous growth by building strong local relationships, recruiting the brightest talent, and identifying and capturing opportunities ahead of the market. Grace Hall Trading Grace Hall Trading is a proprietary trading firm specializing in transactional arbitrage, volatility arbitrage, and event driven trading. Based in Chicago and established in 2008 the firm utilizes cutting edge technology as it trades futures, equities, and equity options. Great Point Capital Great Point Capital is a FINRA registered trading firm, headquartered in Chicago. Group One Trading – Group One is one of the largest proprietary options trading firms in the country. (New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco) Hard Eight Trading Hard Eight Futures, LLC and Hard Eight Trading, LLC are proprietary trading firms headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. (Chicago) Heron Futures Heron Futures is a leading independent trading firm backing traders in the futures market. (London) HTG Capital Partners The HTG mission is to enable the success of its traders. (Chicago, New York) Hold Brothers – Proprietary Online Stock Trading. IMC Financial Markets – The IMC Group is a global financial organization with a presence in Amsterdam, London, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Zug. Infinium Capital Management – Infinium Capital Management is a proprietary capital management firm with offices in Chicago and New York. Founded in Chicago in 2001, our firm was built by a core team with decades of experience in trading, software development, and financial modeling.
The founders share entrepreneurial pasts, having built and sold a variety of companies and technologies both in and out of the financial markets. Integra Capital Integra Capital is a New York based proprietary trading firm and a division of T3 Trading Group. Integra is home to in-house and remote traders around the country. They provide capital leverage, professional trading platforms, and exceptional concierge service & support to active equities, options, and forex traders. Intelligent Market Trading Company – The Intelligent Market Trading Company is a Chicago-based proprietary trading company with the core focus of applying cutting edge technology, and trading techniques to the problem of floor traded and electronically traded derivative securities. International Trading Group DE Trading Corporation – Privately held proprietary trading firm in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Jane Street Capital – Jane Street is a quantitative proprietary trading firm that brings a deep understanding of markets, a scientific approach, and innovative technology together to trade profitably in financial markets. Jane Street doesn’t seek outside investment and doesn’t have customers. Founded in 2000, Jane Street is 190 committed people in New York, Chicago, London, and Tokyo. Jump Trading – Jump Trading, LLC is a proprietary trading firm, focused on trading index futures, options, and equities. Because we are not a brokerage firm, we do not have clients.
Revenues come solely from trading Jump’s proprietary account. Jump Trading is a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and the American Stock Exchange (AMEX). Jump is also a non-clearing member of the European Exchange (Eurex). (Chicago, London, Singapore) Kershner Trading Group – Since 1993, Kershner Trading has been built on the idea of shared success. We are a classic proprietary trading business providing full service, support and capital to our traders, including state-of-the-art proprietary technology applications with direct access to US markets. Our traders currently trade in our Austin, Tx office, however we are always interested in hearing from groups of successful traders in other locations. Member NASD, SEC registered. Ketchum Trading Ketchum Trading, LLC is a privately held, proprietary trading firm with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Kingstree Trading – Chicago prop trading firm that at one time reputedly did one third of the volume in the e-mini S&P. (Chicago) Lake Street Trading Lake Street Trading (LST) is a proprietary trading firm with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. League Traders Limited Independently backing London based financial futures traders. Focusing on the main financial futures markets on LIFFE, EUREX and CME. L. E.S. Trading Traders trade through a CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX) member and SEC registered broker-dealer.
Equity traders, Quantitative traders, black boxes, grey box applications, and remote traders are all welcome. London Global Invetsments London Global Investments ltd is a proprietary trading company specialising in the training and management of proprietary traders trading leveraged products. Mako Group Mako Group is a global diversified financial company comprising sales, trading and investment management. Man Over Market Headed by Lewis Borsellino, Man Over Market is a new program designed for young professionals eager to get into the investment game. Marex Trading – MAREX Financial is an Independent Broker Dealer offering worldwide coverage of Commodities, Financial Futures and Options and FX Markets. Marquette Partners – Marquette Partners is a leading liquidity provider to the world’s largest derivatives exchanges. As an early pioneer in electronic futures trading, Marquette has successfully developed individuals to trade on exchanges throughout the globe, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, Eurex, Euronext-Paris, Euronext-LIFFE and Borsa Italia. (Chicago) Mercury Financial Futures An algorithmic trading firm, based in the heart of the City of London. MET Traders A leading financial futures trading house specialising in proprietary trading providing access to the world’s foremost derivative exchanges including Euronext. LIFFE, CME, CBOT, Eurex and ICE Futures. (London) MGB Trading MGB Trading is a privately owned proprietary trading firm based in Montreal, Canada. Traders at MGB, trade the firm’s capital on the NASDAQ, NYSE & AMEX market. Nico Trading – Nico Holdings LLC is a proprietary trading firm.
We make markets and take positions 24 hours a day. We are active in exchange-traded and over-the-counter markets, including spot and derivative contracts. Oak Futures Located in the Financial Capital of Europe Oak Futures City of London office is ideally positioned to take advantage of the hard working, professional and vibrant environment created by like minded people. (London) Optiver – Optiver is an international proprietary trading house dealing mainly in derivatives, shares and bonds. The firm has expanded from a few Amsterdam based market makers to a global arbitrage group with subsidiaries in Chicago and Sydney. Patak Trading Partners Patak Trading Partners is a boutique proprietary trading group based in Chicago. Peak6 Trading – One of the largest equity options market-making firms in the U. S. (Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, New York) Philadelphia Proprietary Trading Group A boutique firm paired with the global resources of WTS Proprietary Trading, the leading liquidity provider on the CBSX. Positive Equity Limited Positive Equity was founded in 2008 and focuses on discipline, hard work and innovation in strategies and products for success. We trade futures and equities. We hire both experienced traders and trainees who are prepared to work hard for long-term success. Prime International Trading Our traders do not fit any real mold.
Some are very large and many more are niche traders. They concentrate on market making and arbitrage opportunities with sound risk reward payoffs. Pulsar Capital Pulsar Capital is an International Proprietary Trading Firm, operating globally on a broad range of asset classes (Equities, Currencies, Interest Rates, Metals, Energy, Livestock, Softs and Agriculture). Reverb Capital – Reverb Capital is making itself heard from the epicenter of Chicago’s Financial District. Focused on “high frequency” trading in the equities, futures and options markets, Reverb is a proprietary trading firm that beats to a different drum. Ronin Capital – Proprietary trading operations covering a variety of markets including equity securities, government bonds, corporate bonds, and related derivatives on global exchanges and electronically. Savius, LLC Savius, LLC is a boutique proprietary trading firm with headquarters in Chicago and traders in the US and Europe. SKTY Trading – SKTY Trading was founded in 2002 as a market making firm in EuroDollar options on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Since inception, SKTY has expanded its focus to include multiple products on several exchanges. SMB Capital – SMB Capital, LLC is a privately owned investment partnership engaged in day trading NYSE and NASDAQ equities.
Schneider Group Schneider Group is a leading global facilitation company servicing traders and brokers worldwide with the fastest connectivity, the latest trading technology and expert IT and Risk Management support. Schonfeld Group Schonfeld Securities, LLC pioneered the short term trading industry when it began operations in 1988. It is one of the largest U. S. proprietary equity trading firms in terms of number of traders and volume traded on the NYSE and NASDAQ. SFG Trading Services A global trading service firm providing quantitative and automated custom solutions to experienced , high volume traders and professional trading groups around the globe specializing in U. S, Canadian and European equities and futures markets. Simplex Investments – Chicago based off-floor proprietary trading firm focused on the active trader. Spot Trading Spot Trading is an off-floor trading firm specializing in equity options. (Chicago) Starmark Prop Trading Starmark is a proprietary trading company dedicated to enabling financial traders access to global markets at competitive rates, with the best technology available. Sun Trading Sun Trading is a privately held, proprietary firm dedicated to algorithmic trading of various asset classes in the world’s financial markets. Susquehanna International Group (SIG) Susquehanna International Group is global quantitative trading firm that has built virtually all of their own trading technology from scratch. SIG’s traders compete in the financial markets by leveraging their quantitative skills to take calculated risks with SIG’s proprietary capital. They have a best-in-class trader development program. The firm’s success lies at the intersection of trading, quantitative, and technology. System 2 Trading System 2 Trading was founded for traders by traders.
We knew what we wanted: low cost option trading, proprietary technology, and a relaxed collaborative trading floor. But we couldn’t find it. So we built it ourselves. Tibra Capital A global prop firm specialising in market making and arbitrage. (Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Sydney, Wollongong) Title Trading – Title Trading is privately owned proprietary trading firm. Title traders trade the firm’s capital on several US stock markets: NYSE, NASDAQ and AMEX. (Ville St-Laurent , QC) TopstepTrader TopstepTrader invites you to experience the power of our trading Combine. We are financially backing consistent, profitable, and disciplined futures traders. Toro Trading Toro Trading LLC is a dynamic derivatives market making firm specializing in equity options, futures, and ETFs. Toro is a member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the NYSE Euronext and the New York Biotech Association. (New York) Torus Capital Torus Capital is a proprietary trading firm specializing in options and futures across a broad spectrum of exchanges and products. (Chicago, Greenwich, New York) Tower Hill Trading Tower Hill Trading is a leading proprietary trading firm based in downtown Chicago. We offer a superior working environment, the opportunity to learn from the best, state of the art technology, extremely competitive payouts and access to substantial trading capital.
(Chicago) Trade Vision Capital Trade Vision Capital provides its customers with the highest end order entry software available. It is the only software to receive the NASD’s platinum certification. Tradebot Systems Tradebot Systems provides liquidity to the stock market. (Kansas City, MO) Traditum Group Traditum is a diversified proprietary trading firm that specializes in market making, valuation arbitrage, and fundamentally-oriented trading strategies across a variety of domestic and international markets. Transmarket Group TransMarket Group LLC is a global private trading and investment company. Provide risk capital and market access to individuals for the purpose of trading the global financial markets. Employees trade all global exchange listed derivatives, equities, commodities and selected cash markets. (London, Madrid, Mumbai, New York, Singapore, Sydney) Trillium Trading Trillium Trading L. L.C. is a premier proprietary trading firm that excels in short term equity trading, and portfolio management. (New York, Edison NJ, Princeton NJ, Miami FL) Twitch LLC Twitch LLC is a proprietary trading firm headquartered in the Chicago Board of Trade building. Vankar Trading – Professional management of trading systems. Divisions in North America, Europe, and Australia. Vortex Capital Group Vortex Capital Group Ltd.
(“VCG”) is a proprietary trading firm focused on various trading strategies across multiple markets and asset classes. (Toronto) WH Trading WH Trading LLC is a proprietary futures, options and equities trading firm headquartered in Chicago, IL. Founded in 1994, WH Trading currently serves as a primary liquidity provider on the floor of the major Chicago futures exchanges and also as an exchange designated Lead Market Maker for electronically traded products in a variety of asset classes. (Chicago, London) Wasserman Capital At Wasserman Capital our passion is trading and training others how to trade. Wasserman Capital has a proven apprenticeship program that leverages the same historically proven methods that successful traders have been using for over 100 years. Our training program provides the trading expertise and hands-on coaching necessary to help turn your passion for the financial markets into your career. (Miami Beach, FL) Wolverine Trading Wolverine is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and London. World Trade Securities WTS Proprietary Trading Group LLC, is a privately owned proprietary trading firm based in NYC, New York and a member of the CBSX and is SEC registered. (New York) Xerxes Trading Xerxes Trading represents the Morristown, NJ Office of Hold Brothers Online Investment Services, LLC (member FINRA-SIPC). View Job Listings, Discussions and News in our LinkedIn Group. Join the newsletter and receive updates with news, analysis and trade ideas. © 2017 Traders Log. Trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all individuals. Past Performance is not indicative of future results. Options trading firms definition The Volatility Finder scans for stocks and ETFs with volatility characteristics that may forecast upcoming price movement, or may identify under - or over-valued options in relation to a security's near - and longer-term price history to identify potential buying or selling opportunities.
Volatility Optimizer. The Volatility Optimizer is a suite of free and premium option analysis services and method tools including the IV Index, an Options Calculator, a Strategist Scanner, a Spread Scanner, a Volatility Ranker, and more to identify potential trading opportunities and analyze market moves. The Options Calculator powered by iVolatility. com is an educational tool intended to help individuals understand how options work and provides fair values and Greeks on any option using volatility data and delayed prices. Virtual Options Trading. The Virtual Trade Tool is a state-of-the-art tool designed to test your trading knowledge and lets you try new strategies or complex orders before putting your money on the line. The paperTRADE tool is an easy-to-use, simulated trading system with sophisticated features including what-if and risk analysis, performance charts, easy spread creation using spreadMAKER, and multiple drag and drop customizations. thinkorswim trade w advanced trading tools. Open an account and get up to $600! New TradeStation Pricing. $5Trade + $0.50 Per Contract for Options. Open an Account. Trade free for 60 days on thinkorswim from TD Ameritrade.
Cboe Global Markets' Exchanges Trading Schedule for Christmas and New Year's Holidays. *Third Party Advertisement *Third Party Advertisement. Legal & Other Links. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options (ODD). Copies of the ODD are available from your broker or from The Options Clearing Corporation, One North Wacker Drive, Suite 500, Chicago, Illinois 60606. The information on this website is provided solely for general education and information purposes and therefore should not be considered complete, precise, or current. Many of the matters discussed are subject to detailed rules, regulations, and statutory provisions which should be referred to for additional detail and are subject to changes that may not be reflected in the website information. No statement within the website should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell a security or to provide investment advice. The inclusion of non-Cboe advertisements on the website should not be construed as an endorsement or an indication of the value of any product, service, or website. The Terms and Conditions govern use of this website and use of this website will be deemed acceptance of those Terms and Conditions. Top Brokerage Firms for Options Trading.
Options trading is a complex activity with profits ranging from wafer thin to windfall. Features, functionality, and brokerage rates offered by option brokerage firms can make or break an option trader’s business. Here is a list of popular option brokerage firms with a brief mention of available features, functionality, and commissions. (Related: Pick the Right Brokerage Account for Options Trading) OptionsHouse LLC : OptionsHouse offers multiple types of accounts for individuals and joint account holders: individual, corporate, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, traditional IRAs, joint, UTMA, UGMA, trusts, partnerships, investment clubs, LLCs, and educational IRAs. The option trading rates start from $5 for up to five contracts, and decreases (per contract) when more contracts are traded. Currently, OptionsHouse does not require a minimum funding level to open a new account, but funding is required to start trading. Along with plain vanilla call and put option trades, OptionsHouse also offers option strategies including covered callsputs, protective callsputs, collars, etc. Trading platforms offered are desktop and mobile-based applications for convenient trading and include advanced charting, portfolio management, and analysis tools. tradeMONSTER : tradeMONSTER offers useful trading and research tools, including free streaming quotes, liveACTION Scanner, option spread charts, spreadMAKER™ (specific to option trades), spread pricing in option chains, advanced charting and analysis tools, exit plans for all trades, and price alerts. It does not charge a fee for trading platform or maintenance.
A variety of account types are available to suit client needs. Trading commission rates start at $12.5 per 10 contracts (or $1.25 per contract). Effective trading rates per contract go down with more contracts traded (to $0.1 per contract for 100,000+ contracts). optionsXpress : optionsXpress, now part of Charles Schwab & Co., claims to offer one of the most economical option trading commissions, starting at $1.25 and $1.5 per contract for 10+ contracts for Active Trader and Standard accounts respectively. The same fee applies to spreads, straddles, and combos trading. No minimum balance is needed for a standard account, but a margin account (and margin trading) needs funding ranging from 6% to 8.25%, depending on the trade valuation. Available features and functionality includes desktop and mobile-based trading platforms, virtual trade account for trading practice, option method scanner tools, and trade and probability calculators. To provide trading education, regular weekly webinars and local events, on-demand training, and daily newsletter services are also available. thinkorswim : Now part of TD Ameritrade, Inc., thinkorswim offers a variety of option trade types, option spreads, and combinations, including day orders, good-'til-canceled, market, limit, stop, stop limit, trailing stop, trailing stop limit, one-cancels-the-other, contingent orders, one-triggers-other, one-triggers-all, one-triggers-sequence, one-triggers-OCO, blast 6, market-on-close, and limit-on-close. Backed by high-end technology tools such as powerful analytics, streaming quotes, and charting packages through a desktop-based trading platform called "thinkDesktop," thinkorswim also offers virtual trading for practice through its paperMoney trading application. Internet-based orders cost $9.99 + $0.75 per contract, interactive voice response (IVR) orders cost $34.99 + $0.75 per contract, and broker-assisted orders cost $44.99 + $0.75 per contract. TradeKing : TradeKing offers options scanners for selecting option contracts per individual trading style, dynamically updating options chains, probability calculators, and a profit and loss calculator, along with streaming data and a trade platform called TradeKing Live.
A variety of advanced-level option trade orders are available, along with educational resources and a trader network to learn and share best option trading practices. Commission starts from 65 cents per contract, plus a base of $4.95, with spread trades charged for only a single leg (even if it is a two-, three-, or four-leg option trade). Interactive Brokers LLC : With a global presence, Interactive Brokers offers two different commission structures: fixed and tiered. The former charges a fixed cost per contract regardless of how many contracts are traded, while the latter suits traders who want lower commissions with high-trading volumes. The US pricing structure includes charges from $0.25 to $0.7 per contract (apart from applicable fees and charges from exchanges, clearing houses, etc.). Features offered include a real-time margin-based risk management system comprehensive reporting features more than 60 order type and algorithms educational offerings and low-cost, best trade executions backed by robust trading technology platforms, including OptionTrader, available through desktop and mobile applications. Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. : Schwab is another popular option brokerage firm that offers useful option tools like full option chains, a method-based option screener called "Trade Assessor," a method finder to suit client needs, and option pricing calculators. Schwab also offers regular webinars and commentary. There is no account maintenance fee. Online option trading charges start from $8.95 + $0.75 per contract and multi-leg trades (spreads, combos, and straddles) are charged only one $8.95 base commission, plus per-contract fees for the total number of option contracts. Broker-assisted trades and automated phone trades are comparatively costly as they include additional services charges of $25 and $5 respectively. Options trading offers great profit potential, but it also involves a high level of risk and high brokerage fees. Brokerage firms and their account offerings play an important role in option trading business and should be carefully selected to meet your needs.
Apart from the above-mentioned option trading firms, other popular option brokerage firms include E*TRADE, Questrade, SpeedTrader, Fidelity, and Scottrade. Disclaimer: At the time of writing this article, the author does not hold any brokerage accounts with any of the mentioned brokerage firms. The details provided are sourced from the official brokerage sites, available at the time of writing, and may change in the future. Introduction to Options Trading. Puts, calls, strike prices, premiums, derivatives, bear put spreads and bull call spreads — the jargon is just one of the complex aspects of options trading. But don’t let any of it scare you away. Options can provide flexibility for investors at every level and help them manage risk. To see if options trading has a place in your portfolio, here are the basics of what options are, why investors use them and how to get started. An option is a contract to buy or sell a stock, usually 100 shares of the stock per contract, at a pre-negotiated price and by a certain date. Just as you can buy a stock because you think the price will go up or short a stock when you think its price is going to drop, an option allows you to bet on which direction you think the price of a stock will go. But instead of buying or shorting the asset outright, when you buy an option you’re buying a contract that allows — but doesn’t obligate — you to do a number of things, including: Buy or sell shares of a stock at an agreed-upon price (the “strike price”) for a limited period of time. Sell the contract to another investor. Let the option contract expire and walk away without further financial obligation.
Options trading may sound like it’s only for commitment-phobes, and it can be if you’re simply looking to capitalize on short-term price movements and trade in and out of contracts — which we don’t recommend. But options are useful for long-term buy-and-hold investors, too. Investors use options for different reasons, but the main advantages are: Buying an option requires a smaller initial outlay than buying the stock. An option buys an investor time to see how things play out. An option protects investors from downside risk by locking in the price without the obligation to buy. If there’s a company you’ve had your eye on and you believe the stock price is going to rise, a “call” option gives you the right to purchase shares at a specified price at a later date. If your prediction pans out you get to buy the stock for less than it’s selling for on the open market. If it doesn’t, your financial losses are limited to the price of the contract. You also can limit your exposure to risk on stock positions you already have. Let’s say you own stock in a company but are worried about short-term volatility wiping out your investment gains. To hedge against losses, you can buy a “put” option that gives you the right to sell a particular number of shares at a predetermined price. If the share price does indeed tank, the option limits your losses, and the gains from selling help offset some of the financial hurt. How to start trading options.
In order to trade options, you’ll need a broker. Check out our detailed roundup of the best brokers for options traders, so you can compare commission costs, minimums, and more. Or stay here and answer a few questions to get a personalized recommendation on the best broker for your needs. More about options and trading. Here are some more of our articles on the ins and outs of trading options: Dayana Yochim is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website: Email: dyochim@nerdwallet. com. Twitter: @DayanaYochim. This post has been updated. Options Trading 101. How to Trade Options. How to Trade Options. Options trading can be complex, even more so than stock trading. When you buy a stock, you decide how many shares you want, and your broker fills the order at the prevailing market price or at a limit price. Trading options not only requires some of these elements, but also many others, including a more extensive process for opening an account.
Indeed, before you can even get started you have to clear a few hurdles. Because of the amount of capital required and the complexity of predicting multiple moving parts, brokers need to know a bit more about a potential investor before awarding them a permission slip to start trading options. Opening an options trading account. Brokerage firms screen potential options traders to assess their trading experience, their understanding of the risks in options and their financial preparedness. Before you can start trading options, a broker will determine which trading level to assign to you. You’ll need to provide a prospective broker: Investment objectives such as income, growth, capital preservation or speculation Trading experience, including your knowledge of investing, how long you’ve been trading stocks or options, how many trades you make per year and the size of your trades Personal financial information, including liquid net worth (or investments easily sold for cash), annual income, total net worth and employment information The types of options you want to trade. Based on your answers, the broker assigns you an initial trading level (typically 1 to 4, though a fifth level is becoming more common) that is your key to placing certain types of options trades. Screening should go both ways. The broker you choose to trade options with is your most important investing partner. Finding the broker that offers the tools, research, guidance and support you need is especially important for investors who are new to options trading. For more information on the best options brokers, read our detailed roundup to compares costs, minimums and other features. Or answer a few questions and get a recommendation of which ones are best for you.
Consider the core elements in an options trade. When you take out an option, you’re purchasing a contract to buy or sell a stock, usually 100 shares of the stock per contract, at a pre-negotiated price by a certain date. In order to place the trade, you must make three strategic choices: Decide which direction you think the stock is going to move. Predict how high or low the stock price will move from its current price. Determine the time frame during which the stock is likely to move. 1. Decide which direction you think the stock is going to move. This determines what type of options contract you take on. If you think the price of a stock will rise, you’ll buy a call option. A call option is a contract that gives you the right, but not the obligation, to buy a stock at a predetermined price (called the strike price) within a certain time period. If you think the price of a stock will decline, you’ll buy a put option. A put option gives you the right, but not the obligation, to sell shares at a stated price before the contract expires. 2. Predict how high or low the stock price will move from its current price.
An option remains valuable only if the stock price closes the option’s expiration period “in the money.” That means either above or below the strike price. (For call options, it’s above the strike for puts it’s below the strike.) You’ll want to buy an option with a strike price that reflects where you predict the stock will be during the option’s lifetime. For example, if you believe the share price of a company currently trading for $100 is going to rise to $120 by some future date, you’d buy a call option with a strike price less than $120 (ideally a strike price no higher than $120 minus the cost of the option, so that the option remains profitable at $120). If the stock does indeed rise above the strike price, your option is in the money. Similarly, if you believe the company’s share price is going to dip to $80, you’d buy a put option (giving you the right to sell shares) with a strike price above $80 (ideally a strike price no lower than $80 minus the cost of the option, so that the option remains profitable at $80). If the stock drops below the strike price, your option is in the money. You can’t choose just any strike price. Option quotes, technically called option chains, contain a range of available strike prices. The increments between strike prices are standardized across the industry — for example, $1, $2.50, $5, $10 — and are based on the stock price. The price you pay for an option has two components: intrinsic value and time value. The price you pay for an option, called the premium, has two components: intrinsic value and time value. Intrinsic value is the difference between the strike price and the share price, if the stock price is above the strike. Time value is whatever is left, and factors in how volatile the stock is, the time to expiration and interest rates, among other elements.
For example, suppose you have a $100 call option while the stock costs $110. Let’s assume the option’s premium is $15. The intrinsic value is $10 ($110 minus $100), while time value is $5. This leads us to the final choice you need to make before buying an options contract. 3. Determine the time frame during which the stock is likely to move. Every options contract has an expiration date that indicates the last day you can exercise the option. Here, too, you can’t just pull a date out of thin air. Your choices are limited to the ones offered when you call up an option chain. Expiration dates can range from days to months to years. Daily and weekly options tend to be the riskiest and are reserved for seasoned option traders. For long-term investors, monthly and yearly expiration dates are preferable. Longer expirations give the stock more time to move and time for your investment thesis to play out. A longer expiration is also useful because the option can retain time value, even if the stock trades below the strike price. An option’s time value decays as expiration approaches, and options buyers don’t want to watch their purchased options decline in value, potentially expiring worthless if the stock finishes below the strike price.
If a trade has gone against them, they can usually still sell any time value remaining on the option — and this is more likely if the option contract is longer. More about the types of options trades. Find the best broker for options traders. Dig into options trading strategies. Learn the essential options trading terms. James F. Royal, Ph. D., and Dayana Yochim are staff writers at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: jroyal@nerdwallet. com, dyochim@nerdwallet. com. Twitter: @JimRoyalPhD, @DayanaYochim. This post has been updated. Options Trading 101. 5 Tips for Choosing an Options Broker.
5 Tips for Choosing an Options Broker. Options trading can be complicated. But if you choose your options broker with care, you’ll quickly master how to conduct research, place trades and track positions. Here’s our advice on finding a broker that offers the service and the account features that best serve your options trading needs. 1. Look for a free education. If you’re new to options trading or want to expand your trading strategies, finding a broker that has resources for educating customers is a must. That education can come in many forms, including: Online options trading courses. Live or recorded webinars. One-on-one guidance online or by phone Face-to-face meetings with a larger broker that has branches across the country. It’s a good idea to spend a while in student-driver mode and soak up as much education and advice as you can. Even better, if a broker offers a simulated version of its options trading platform, test-drive the process with a paper trading account before putting any real money on the line. 2. Put your broker’s customer service to the test. Reliable customer service should be a high priority, particularly for newer options traders.
It’s also important for those who are switching brokers or conducting complex trades they may need help with. Consider what kind of contact you prefer. Live online chat? Email? Phone support? Does the broker have a dedicated trading desk on call? What hours is it staffed? Is technical support available 247 or only weekdays? What about representatives who can answer questions about your account? Even before you apply for an account, reach out and ask some questions to see if the answers and response time are satisfactory. 3. Make sure the trading platform is easy to use. Options trading platforms come in all shapes and sizes. They can be web - or software-based, desktop or online only, have separate platforms for basic and advanced trading, offer full or partial mobile functionality, or some combination of the above.
Visit a broker’s website and look for a guided tour of its platform and tools. Screenshots and video tutorials are nice, but trying out a broker’s simulated trading platform, if it has one, will give you the best sense of whether the broker is a good fit. Some things to consider: Is the platform design user-friendly or do you have to hunt and peck to find what you need? How easy is it to place a trade? Can the platform do the things you need, like creating alerts based on specific criteria or letting you fill out a trade ticket in advance to submit later? Will you need mobile access to the full suite of services when you’re on the go, or will a pared-down version of the platform suffice? How reliable is the website, and how speedily are orders executed? This is a high priority if your method involves quickly entering and exiting positions. Does the broker charge a monthly or annual platform fee? If so, are there ways to get the fee waived, such as keeping a minimum account balance or conducting a certain number of trades during a specific period? 4. Assess the breadth, depth and cost of data and tools. Data and research are an options trader’s lifeblood. Some of the basics to look for: A frequently updated quotes feed.
Basic charting to help pick your entry and exit points. The ability to analyze a trade’s potential risks and rewards (maximum upside and maximum downside). Screening tools. Those venturing into more advanced trading strategies may need deeper analytical and trade modeling tools, such as customizable screeners the ability to build, test, track and back-test trading strategies and real-time market data from multiple providers. Check to see if the fancy stuff costs extra. For example, most brokers provide free delayed quotes, lagging 20 minutes behind market data, but charge a fee for a real-time feed. Similarly, some pro-level tools may be available only to customers who meet monthly or quarterly trading activity or account balance minimums. 5. Don’t weigh the price of commissions too heavily. There’s a reason commission costs are lower on our list. Price isn’t everything, and it’s certainly not as important as the other items we’ve covered. But because commissions provide a convenient side-by-side comparison, they often are the first things people look at when picking an options broker. A few things to know about how much brokers charge to trade options: The two components of an options trading commission are the base rate — essentially the same as thing as the trading commission that investors pay when they buy a stock — and the per-contract fee.
Commissions typically range from $3 to $9.99 per trade contract fees run from 15 cents to $1.25 or more. Some brokers bundle the trading commission and the per-contract fee into a single flat fee. Some brokers also offer discounted commissions based on trading frequency, volume or average account balance. The definition of “high volume” or “active trader” varies by brokerage. If you’re new to options trading or use the method only sparingly you’ll be well-served by choosing either a broker that offers a single flat rate to trade or one that charges a commission plus per-contract fee. If you’re a more active trader, you should review your trading cadence to see if a tiered pricing plan would save you money. Of course, the less you pay in fees the more profit you keep. But let’s put things in perspective: Platform fees, data fees, inactivity fees and fill-in-the-blank fees can easily cancel out the savings you might get from going with a broker that charges a few bucks less for commissions. There’s another potential problem if you base your decision solely on commissions. Discount brokers can charge rock-bottom prices because they provide only bare-bones platforms or tack on extra fees for data and tools. On the other hand, at some of the larger, more established brokers you’ll pay higher commissions, but in exchange you get free access to all the information you need to perform due diligence. Dayana Yochim is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website: Email: dyochim@nerdwallet.
com. Twitter: @DayanaYochim. Disclaimer: NerdWallet has entered into referral and advertising arrangements with certain broker-dealers under which we receive compensation (in the form of flat fees per qualifying action) when you click on links to our partner broker-dealers andor submit an application or get approved for a brokerage account. At times, we may receive incentives (such as an increase in the flat fee) depending on how many users click on links to the broker-dealer and complete a qualifying action.
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