Do not invest more money than you can afford to lose.
Multi-asset automated brokerage Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ:IBKR) reported on Tuesday its daily average revenue trades (DARTs) numbered 592,000 in December 2016, which is the second lowest monthly value for the year after August when its DARTs stood at 576,000. The figure represents a drop of 19% from the previous month and 6% from a year earlier.
In comparison, the highest number of DARTs the broker saw in a single month in 2016 was 830,000 and was reported in January. In 2015, the lowest value was 737,000 and was registered in August, while the lowest one was 600,000 and was reported in June.
Last month’s annualized average cleared DARTs also declined significantly by a monthly 20% and an annual 18%, reaching the lowest for the year of 359 per client account.
The number of executed contracts also dropped by double digit across all segments for which the broker provided data in its monthly metrics report – options, futures, and stocks.
However, December brought an increase in the number of trading accounts with Interactive Brokers. The broker handled 385,100 accounts after adding 5,000 net new ones last month alone. The new accounts represent a slight drop of 4% from November, while posting a 150% growth year-on-year.
Client money metrics also performed well in December. Ending client credit balances stood at $41.5 billion, which is 1% lower than in November and 13% higher than the prior year. Meanwhile, ending client margin loan balances were $19.4 billion, posting a growth of 8% from a month earlier and 14% higher than the same month in 2015.
More details about Interactive Brokers’ monthly metrics in 2016 follow:
Traders with Interactive Brokers paid last month an average commission of $4.01 per cleared order. This includes exchange, clearing and regulatory fees, which for some instruments could reach up to 57% of the total commission. More data for the commissions the broker’s clients paid in December on the most popular trading instruments follows:
| December 2016 | Average Commission per Cleared Client Order | Average Order Size |
| Stocks | $2.34 | 2,009 shares |
| Equity Options | $6.12 | 8.9 contracts |
| Futures | $6.33 | 3.6 contracts |
Connecticut-based Interactive Brokers is a broker and a market maker. Through its numerous subsidiaries, the company offers online automated trading in stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds, contracts for difference (CFDs) and funds. It serves retail and institutional clients in over 100 market across the globe. The brokerage has offices in the North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The group companies hold licenses by the relevant authorities in the US and the UK.
