Execution speed

Hi all
I will be shortly getting some computer gear to set up my little futures trading workspace at home. Does anyone have some tips on what hardware/internet specs will maximise my execution speed...or isnt it really critical at this end? Are any of the data providers/brokers any quicker than others? I will be trading,most likely the ES, and maybe the Eurostoxx50 futures indices, and even less maybe, the SPI.

thanks
Lindsay

Just some quick advice, I would use a platform with a sim so you can find (and know what it is) an edge before you start trading live futs.

Also, I would concentrate on one market to start with, won't have to pay for data for multiple markets and you have to trade each market a bit (or completely) different.

Execution speed is mainly needed by intraday traders. Different platforms speed varies greatly.

As stated all over this site, best you will get is probably IB.

Thanks MRC
Yes I am currently sim trading with Ninjatrader and real live data from Mira Futures. I am paper tradiing a single contract on the ES, trading the last hour or so of the session... I have 40 trades completed thus far..of the scalping variety..average time in a trade about 2 minutes. So yes I am in the process of seeing what my expectancy may be..and early sighns are good...but too early to say atm! I am also seeking guidance as to how to make an allowance for slippage that will occur when trading live on this instrument. I wonder if having superfast gear and broker will minimise slippage, I would expect so.

Must say I am a bit obsessed by all this at the moment! I had dreams with charts in them last night!:

Yeh good stuff, sounds like your on the right track then. Maybe make the ES your market.

Faster execution will definately decrease slippage (though if you set stops, you should be fine on your exits even without the fastest execution, just may not be able to bank open profits as quick and may loose some of them), though it's hard to know the difference between the sim and live until you jump in and do it. But definately get a positive expectancy and know how you got it before you switch to the live market. A whole new array of things come into the scenario then (not just execution speed).

Obsessed? ha ha, I know that feeling! And a good one it is! Though I never seem to have dreams about it......only nightmares!

Good luck bud.