Interactive Brokers (IB) is a direct access brokerage, that provides real time and historical market data to their day traders, via their Trader Workstation (TWS) software. IB's market data is only available via an IB trading account, so market data is only available to traders that deposit at least $5,000 with IB.
Available Markets
IB offers real time and historical market data for all of their day trading markets, which include futures markets, options markets, stock markets, and currency (forex) markets. IB's market data is organized by exchange, so once a trader has subscribed to a particular exchange, they will have access to all of the market data for that exchange. Some of the most popular exchanges that IB offers, and the type of markets available, are as follows :
US Exchanges
- CBOT - Futures, and Options
- CME - Futures, and Options
- NYSE - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
- NASDAQ - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
- AMEX - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
European Exchanges
- Eurex - Futures, Options, and Indices
- Euronext - Futures, Options, and Indices
- Borsa Italiana - Futures, and Options
- XETRA - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
- Swiss Exchange - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
- LSE - Stocks, Indices, and ETFs
Asian Exchanges
- HKFE - Futures, and Options
- Hong Kong Stock Exchange - Stocks
- SNFE - Futures, and Options
- Singapore Exchange - Futures, Options, and Indices
Market Data Fees
Interactive Brokers provides market data at little or no cost to its day traders, so the only fees that apply are the exchange fees. Exchange fees vary from one exchange to another, but are usually low for non professional traders (individual day traders not affiliated with a financial company). Examples of IB's market data fees are as follows :
US Exchanges
- US Bundle (includes all US exchanges) - Free, or $10 per month if less then $30 in trading commissions
- NASDAQ Level 2 - $20 per month
- Currencies (forex) - Free
European Exchanges
- Euronext Level 1 Bundle - 5 EUR per month
- Euronext Level 2 Bundle - 30 EUR per month
- Eurex Level 1 - 8 EUR per month
- Eurex Level 2 - 12 EUR per month
Asian Exchanges
- Hong Kong Futures Exchange - Free
- Hong Kong Stock Exchange - 200 HKD per month
- Sydney Futures Exchange - Free
Market Data Interface
Interactive Brokers' market data feed is received via their Trader Workstation (TWS) trading software, and its API (programming interface). The API is available in several different programming languages (including C/C++, and Java), and enables market data to be used by independant order entry and charting software.
Additional Information
Further information about Interactive Brokers' market data, including how the market data fees are deducted from the trading account, and how market data subscriptions can be managed, can be found at their web site.
