TWS Release Notes


These release notes document the major enhancements and bug fixes distributed in the current TWS version 943.

Probability LabSM (Patent Pending) - Non Delta Neutral Strategies, Underlier as Leg and More

In release 942 we introduced the Probability Lab, the second in our set of workspace tools (following the Option Strategy Lab) designed to optimize the analysis and management of option strategies. The Probability Lab offers a practical way to think about options without the complicated mathematics. Use the Probability Lab to analyze and adjust the market's probability distribution, which tells us what the chances are that certain outcomes will occur. This release includes:

  • The ability to increase and decrease both the custom forward price and custom volatility using up/down arrows next to each price AND using a drag action (left/right and up/down) in the Probability Distribution chart itself.
    • In the top right corner of the tool above the Probability Distribution graph we show the Market Implied Forward Price and Volatility, and the Custom Forward Price and Volatility. These values are identical until you make changes to the custom values. Click the down arrow next to the value to decrease the custom forward price; click the up arrow to increase the custom forward price. Arrows next to the custom volatility work the same.
    • To increase/decrease price and volatility by dragging, hold your cursor over the chart until you see the hand icon. Drag to the right to increase the price; drag to the left to decrease the price. Drag up to decrease the volatility; drag down to increase the volatility.
  • The Strategy Performance Detail chart now clearly highlights in yellow the value of the curve that corresponds to the location of your mouse as you move along the x-axis. The movement of the mouse within the chart is also clearly visible; the cursor displays as a round dot running along the strategy curve.
  • The ability to save a probability chart and email a link to that chart. Click the email envelope icon along the top of the Probability Distribution graph.
  • The ability to have the system search for non Delta Neutral and single-leg option strategies. A new checkbox labeled "DeltaN" is displayed above the Build Strategies button. When left unchecked, you are able to designate the lowest number of legs as "1" (previously "2" was the lowest) and returned strategies may not be delta neutral. When checked, only delta neutral strategies are returned with a minimum of two legs.
  • The ability to require the underlying stock leg to be part of the trading strategy. To include the underlying contract in the strategy, check the Stock Leg checkbox in the Probability Distribution Builder panel.

Also, the "advanced' order extension accessible from the Order Entry panel has been modified to:

  • Remove the Iceberg and All or None order attributes for strategies with more than one leg.

To find out more, visit the Probability Lab page on our website.

Support for Advisor Allocations in Option Strategy and Probability LabSM (Patent Pending)

Both the Option Strategy Lab and the Probability Lab (see above) now support multi-account share allocations. Use the Allocation: selection in the Order Entry panel of the lab.

For more information, see the Option Strategy Lab topic in the Users' Guide and the Probability Lab page on our website.

IB Traders' Insight Added to TWS News Feeds

IB's Traders' Insight, a key source for market participants seeking timely commentary directly from industry professionals on the front lines of today's fast-moving markets, is now available in TWS via the Filtered Feeds news feed. The Traders' Insight is added by default, but to isolate the feed, in Global Configuration select Information Tools > News Configuration and then select Settings. Uncheck all feeds except IB Traders' Insight. To add the feed to Mosaic, in the News panel select Filtered News. To view from TWS, from the Analytical Tools menu, select Filtered News.

API: Receive Primary Exchange in Exchange Field

Because some third-party software doesn't support a separate field for sending the primary exchange, TWS will now support receiving the primary exchange in the exchange field. The syntax is: [exchange][separator][primary_exchange] where [separator] can be a colon (":") or a slash ("/"). For example, to request market data for MSFT, you could send the following in the exchange field: SMART/ISLAND. Note that TWS still supports receiving the primary exchange in the separate designated field.

Additional Short Sale Columns

Three new columns that support short sales have been added, and the display for the existing "Shortable" column has been modified. The three new columns include:

  • Shortable Shares - Displays the number of shares you have available to short.
  • Fee Rate - The current interest rate charged on borrowed shares.
  • Rebate Rate - The current Fed Funds rate - interest charged on borrowed shares.

Additionally, the tooltip for the Shortable column (accessible from the Contract Description category of fields) now displays the number of shares available to short, the fee rate and the rebate rate. This Shortable field has been added to the Order Entry panel in the Mosaic with mouse-over field help.

Fixes and Changes

  • For ScaleTrader and Accumulate/Distribute orders, an exclamation point "!" will be included in the status for orders that are working but that don't have enough buying power to execute the entire order.
  • IB Risk Navigator: Please note that the Hedge feature that creates a basket of hedging orders will only create the hedge basket from within your actual portfolio (My Portfolio). When you use the "Hedge" feature in the What If portfolio, the orders will only be added to your theoretical what if portfolio, not to the basket trader. To create orders from the What If portfolio, check the Trade box from the hypothetical position line in the What If. The order(s) will be created on your quote monitor and must be submitted manually.