DAS with TD Ameritrade account

[JP 0]

Hey all,

New to the community.  What a great resource!  Quick question, did search the forum but don't see much recently about this and realize most here are likely on DAS with CMEG or IBKR...

Wondering, has anyone recently tried DAS with TDA?  If so, is it still glitchy, and is the trade speed/accuracy etc similar to the experience with IB DAS?  Would love to use my TDA account with no commissions if similar.  Have used TDA TOS but not thrilled with it for day trading and the sim has significant lag even when set to "real time".

 

Thanks ahead for any input!

[Abiel 475]

Hi Joe, please see this forum thread 

 

[JP 0]

Thank you Abiel!   Did see that but doesn't look like much new since the posts last month. 

Will keep an eye on that thread...

Joe

 

[Hansabraun 7]

Hey Joe, I was chatting with a BBT trader named Jessie and he referred me to 2 videos he put on the BBT you tube channel regarding TDA with Das.  He trades live in the vid's at open and he even has a very unusual confirmation problem in the beginning of the 1st vid.  I really got a lot out of watching them, hopefully you will too.  I've spent  a bundle on commissions with IB since mar. 2020 when I went live and I would say that Jessie's videos have pretty much convinced me to switch to TDA with Das.  Hopefully they help you too.

 

 

[JP 0]

Much appreciated, thank you! 

Have been using DAS now for a month with TDA and haven't had any issues.  Still use TOS charting as well but not the order platform.

[cjsimon07 16]

I have been using DAS with TD for about a month now. In my opinion it's way better than TOS. It's worth it for the level 2 and hotkeys alone. My fills are usually good, but still have the same problems I had with TOS. It's really only an issue when there is high volume. I don't usually trade the first 5 minutes anymore because of it and I've had some bad fills on a couple BHOD/BLOD trades. Usually my trades go through, but sometimes the confirmations are slow. I have a very small sample size of opening trades, but twice I've had my stop order not show up because I hadn't gotten the confirmation on the fill. It's a little unnerving at the open when that happens. I only take a trade in the first 5 minutes if I love the setup and so far that hasn't been a problem for me. 

In my opinion TD is fine if you are a trend trader (which is what I'm learning to be). If you are a scalper I would recommend trying IB.

[cjsimon07 16]

12 hours ago, someguyinthesky said:

my biggest problem was that DAS would be showing an order as still open even though it had executed.  A stop placed in DAS would be for an incorrect quantity, or an “All out” order sent would also be for an incorrect quantity.

I have the same problem and have a couple suggestions to help with it.

I keep TOS open with just my monitor and a chart with trade ladder open. I enable sound so when a trade executes in DAS I get the sound from TOS which tells me the order filled.  

Whenever an order fills I look at the order window in DAS. If it is still showing an order just right click on the order and click refresh to clear the order from DAS. 

For stop loss quantity issue. I've gotten in the habit of checking the quantity in the order window. I use Thor's fixed risk hotkey so as soon as I enter a trade I look at my position to see how many shares I have then confirm it's the same for my stop in the order window. Usually I'm good here. My problems usually start when I take a partial. I click the partial button then stop to break even. If I do this too quickly it uses the original amount of shares I had before the partial for the stop and TOS rejects the order when it tries to fill. I try to wait a few seconds after a partial before setting my b/e stop and that usually works fine. Again I'm trying to get in the habit of always checking the quantity of my position and make sure it matches my stop. I also keep my finger on the all out hot key in case there's an issue. 

If you are having intermittent issues with hotkeys/buttons, make sure you are not using smart routes. I copied the hotkey scripts from Thor, but you have to change all the routes to market or limit. The smart route will work sometimes, but not always (I'm not sure why they work at all). 

 

Personally, I have stopped trading the open for the most part. If I do it's small size. During the trading day I'm working on only taking A setups and staying in my trades longer (trying to learn from Thor. I want dollars not dimes). I find the issues with DAS/TD have made me pay more attention and take fewer poor trades. It's not ideal, but you can make it work if it fits your trading style. My advice is don't use DAS TD if you are an open trader or scalper.   

[lkmtnorman 0]

All of your post have been so helpful!  I use TOS with my Ameritrade acct and was thinking of switching over to DAS.  After using TOS and practicing in DAS, DAS seems way more user friendly.  If I switch, would you continue to leave TOS open continually so you are able to hear the sounds of executions?   Before I switch, is there anything you wish you would have know prior to doing so?

 

[zulkafil 38]

I am using TOS and I am thinking of switching over to DAS and IB. This topic was really helpful. Thanks.

[slingbd3 1]

I am new to the community and thinking about DAS with TDA to avoid commission.