By Steve Schaefer, Forbes Staff
Critics often belittle the investing habits of retail traders, arguing that tracking the “dumb money” is most useful as a way to spot market peaks and bottoms — usually it’s buying at the former and selling at the lattter. But the so-called dumb money has been pretty smart this year, says TD Ameritrade’s Steve Quirk. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
TD Ameritrade’s Investor Movement Index: March Numbers Rise as Low Market Volatility Continues
Investors remain bullish as IMX trends upward for seven of the past nine months
OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), a broker-dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYS: AMTD) , is today revealing the Investor Movement IndexSM score for March 2013. The Investor Movement Index, or the IMXSM, is a proprietary, behavior-based index created by TD Ameritrade that aggregates Main Street investor positions and activity to measure what investors are actually doing and how they are positioned in the markets.
The March 2013 Investor Movement Index for the five weeks ending March 28, 2013, reveals:
Following a spike in February, the IMX numbers for March are currently the highest the Company has on record since June 2011, adding to an ongoing bullish trend among the Company’s retail investor base spanning seven of the past nine months. TD Ameritrade’s retail clients continued to rotate their positions throughout the month, selling securities at highs and buying into lows. March also saw an increased number of clients seeking out stocks with higher dividend yields and holding positions with higher relative volatility compared to that of the general market.
“March’s IMX score indicates that our retail clients remain diligent in increasing their exposure carefully,” said Steve Quirk, senior vice president of TD Ameritrade’s Trader Group. “In this period of low volatility and a rising market, clients are leaning toward selection of yields and individual equities.”
The IMX value is calculated based on a complex proprietary formula. Each month, TD Ameritrade pulls a sample from its client base of 6 million funded accounts that includes all accounts that completed a trade in the past two months. The holdings and positions of this statistically significant sample are evaluated to calculate individual scores, and the median of those scores represents the monthly IMX.
For more information on the Investor Movement Index, including historical IMX data going back to December 2010, to view the full …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
TD Ameritrade Offers Mini-Options to Investors and Advisors
OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), a broker-dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYS: AMTD) , will offer retail investors and independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) the ability to trade mini-options effective Monday, March 18, 2013. These innovative new option contracts are 1/10 the size of a standard option contract and were created to respond to the evolving needs of individual investors and advisors who utilize options as part of their trading strategy.
TD Ameritrade is the leader in retail options trading, and nearly 40 percent of its client trades in the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2012, were in derivatives, including options. The availability of mini-options will benefit this client base in a number of ways. For example, investors who hold positions of less than 100 shares in higher-priced securities such as Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Amazon (AMZN), will now be able to write covered calls or purchase protective puts against these shares where previously this was not possible. In addition, they will be able to buy mini-options on these higher-priced securities that were cost-prohibitive in the past.*
“We’re pleased that TD Ameritrade is among the first to offer access to this innovative new product,” said Steve Quirk, senior vice president of TD Ameritrade’s trader group. “Providing our clients with education about new products, paired with the best in options trading technology is what led thinkorswim to be recently named the #1 options platform by Investor’s Business Daily.** Mini-options will help to level the playing field by allowing widespread access to options on some of the most popularly traded companies.”
TD Ameritrade will host a free webcast for all investors who are interested in learning more about the potential benefits and risks associated with mini-options on Monday, March 18, 2013, at 9 a.m. ET. For more information or to register, click here. An archived version of the webcast will also be available online following the initial broadcast.
TD Ameritrade Institutional will also host a free webcast for independent RIAs on Thursday, April 4, 2013. For more information or to attend the webcast, please call 866-547-8431.
To learn more, advisors can call 800-444-6100 or visit www.tdainstitutional.com.
Options are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading may expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options.
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
TD Ameritrade Named Best for Novices and Long-Term Investing
Annual Barron’s Online Broker Survey names TD Ameritrade #1 in multiple categories
OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYS: AMTD) today is pleased to announce that its brokerage subsidiary TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), has been named “Best for Novices” and “Best for Long-term Investing” by Barron’s 2013 online broker survey, published in its Mar. 9, 2013 issue.
The annual study surveyed the capabilities of 24 online brokers in eight categories from the perspective of the wealthy, active trader: Trading Experience & Technology, Usability, Mobile, Range of Offerings, Research Amenities, Portfolio Analysis & Reports, Customer Service & Education, and Costs. TD Ameritrade received an overall rating of 4 stars (out of a possible 5 stars) and received the highest point total in the Research Amenities, Range of Offerings and Customer Service & Education categories.*
The study also ranked brokers in six sub-categories, naming a “best” in each. TD Ameritrade received top billing in:
The broker was also named one of the top five best in three other sub-categories: Best for Frequent Traders, Best for In-Person Service and Best for Options Traders.
“Investors today come in all shapes and sizes, whether you’re just starting out or an experienced trader, and we cover the whole gamut very well,” said Steve Quirk, senior vice president of TD Ameritrade’s Trader Group. “We’re not just interested in providing our clients with innovative, cutting edge technology. All of our offerings are coupled with comprehensive education and best-in-class service as well. We want our clients to be successful in every stage of their financial journey. While we’re never satisfied, these results show that we’re working extremely hard for our clients and that our offering has broad appeal for today’s investors.”
These accolades are …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
TD Ameritrade’s Investor Movement Index: February Numbers Spike as a Result of Increased Equity Exposure and Low Market Volatility
IMX posts highest month-over-month increase as investor bullishness continues
OMAHA, Neb.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– TD Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), a broker-dealer subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (NYS: AMTD) , is today revealing the Investor Movement IndexSM score for February 2013. The Investor Movement Index, or the IMXSM, is a proprietary, behavior-based index created by TD Ameritrade that aggregates Main Street investor positions and activity to measure what investors are actually doing and how they are actually positioned in the markets.
The February 2013 Investor Movement Index for the four weeks ending Feb. 22, 2013, reveals:
February’s IMX score is the highest seen since June 2011 and part of an increasingly bullish trend spanning much of the last seven months. In February, retail investors at TD Ameritrade continued to show signs of bullishness. Net buyers in the markets, investors were rotating their equity exposure, selling securities at highs and buying into lows. Portfolio positioning also played a role in the higher monthly score. Volatility across the broad market, as measured by indicators like the VIX, was quite low in February. TD Ameritrade clients held or increased their exposure to securities with higher relative volatility compared to that of the general market. This was a key factor in the higher IMX score seen in February.
“This score is a contrast to January’s IMX number, which dipped slightly from December after several months of gains,” said Steve Quirk, senior vice president of TD Ameritrade’s Trader Group. “Given the circumstances around that time frame, such as uncertainty regarding the fiscal cliff and annual portfolio adjustments typically made at that time of year, it likely reflected unique conditions at year end. Now that those events are behind us, we are seeing results more aligned with national consumer sentiment indices.”
The IMX value is calculated based on a complex proprietary formula. Each month, TD Ameritrade pulls a sample from its client base of 6 million …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
