Interactive Brokers Adds One-Click Trading to Desktop Platform
Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ: IBKR) rolled out an updated version of its desktop trading software this week, adding faster order placement features that the company says its most active clients have been requesting.
Version 1.2 of IBKR Desktop includes one-click order transmission through what the broker calls “QuickTrade” buttons, along with expanded keyboard shortcuts for submitting trades.
Faster Execution Targets Active Interactive Brokers Traders
The new version lets users submit orders instantly with either mouse clicks or keyboard commands, a change from earlier versions that required multiple steps. Traders can also select specific tax lots when closing positions, choosing which holdings to sell based on short-term or long-term capital gains treatment.Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers added an AI tool called “Ask IBKR” that responds to typed questions about portfolio performance and holdings. The platform now displays profit and loss figures in a single currency, even when accounts hold multiple currencies.
“With each update, we add the features our clients value most,” Milan Galik, Chief Executive of Interactive Brokers, said in a statement. “Version 1.2 introduces new, user-friendly functionality.”
Brokerage Platforms Race to Attract Volume
The platform improvements come as Interactive Brokers shares have climbed 56% this year. The company's stock now trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 19 times forward revenue, above the industry average of 4.3 times but below rival Robinhood Markets' 26 times multiple.
IBKR shares test all-time high. Source: Tradingview.com
For comparison, shares of Warsaw-listed XTB fell to six-month lows earlier this month, pulling back from their recent record highs.
Trading platforms have been adding features aimed at sophisticated retail investors, who've become more active during periods of market volatility. Interactive Brokers launched the first version of IBKR Desktop in July, positioning it as a middle ground between its mobile app and its more complex Trader Workstation software used by professional traders.
The broker also operates Client Portal for web-based access and ForecastTrader, a platform for trading predictions on economic and financial indicators. All platforms run on the same infrastructure, allowing clients to switch between interfaces.
The Nasdaq-listed broker reported a market value of roughly $120 billion as of mid-October. The company has said it focuses on automated execution and low-cost trading to attract assets.