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We love giving customers the features and functionality they want.

And today is one of those days. We have made some changes to our Watchlist feature that will allow you to interact with your Watchlists and other “list” components (Sector Monitor, Index Monitor, and Hotlist) in a different, more efficient, streamlined way.

From now on, you can trade directly from the Watchlist. Whether you’re trying to simply buy or sell stock or generate an advanced order, you can do so by simply clicking on the symbol in the Watchlist:

Not only that, you can send a quote for that symbol to the universal quote line at the top of the platform. If any components are linked to that top line (such as the option chain), then you’ll see an option chain load up for that symbol.

With these new changes, these components will have a cleaner feel that should make them easier to use.

But wait—there’s more!

We’re also bringing a new level of customization to the platform to the following components:

-          Positions

-          Orders

-          Watchlist

-          Hotlist

-          Index Monitor

-          Sector Monitor

We’re enabling a new feature that will make these components completely customizable. The new functionality includes:

-          The ability to pick from a variety of columns to display the data you want

-          Drag and drop columns where you want them

These features allow you to set up each component to show the exact data you want to see in the order you want to see it.

All you have to do is hover over the column headers and select the columns you want to see:

So if you want to see the high and low for a stock in your Watchlist, you can do that. Maybe you’d like to show the days to expiration of a position in your positions pane? You can do that too.

It’s all about exposing the information you want and hiding the rest.

Take a look at the new features, play around with them, and let us know what you think. Oh, and if you want to go back to the default column setting, you can always click on “Restore Defaults” and everything will go back to normal.

 

Android App Update!

Thursday, October 13th, 2011


Last week we released a host of new features and general bug fixes for our Android application and we wanted to share some of them here. Click here to download the latest version or go to the market from your Android device.

Light Mode

Don’t like all the dark hues on the current app? Now you can switch to Light Mode and all that black will turn white. A lot of our users wanted this in our main trading platform, so we’ve made the change here as well. You can access Light Mode via Settings->Set UI Mode:

Tip: if you’re in the sun and need to fight glare, light mode might make it easier to see what’s going on.

Watchlist Love

We’ve added the ability to add and delete new Watchlists right from your phone. This feature didn’t make it into the debut version of the app, but now you can create brand-new Watchlists from your phone and they will automatically get carried over into the main trading platform.

System Alerts

System notifications will now show up automatically on the Home screen. This includes margin or day-trading calls, as well as other critical messages that would normally show up in red in the message center of the main trading platform.

Hints and Feedback

This new section on the home page makes it easier to send us your feedback and report issues with the app. We’ve also included a hints area that gives you some good tips on how to get the most out of the app.

One More Thing on Positions

We’ve gotten some feedback from customers wanting more information regarding their positions in the app. So we just wanted to clarify that there is an entire screen devoted to each position that’s accessible from the positions screen.

From this screen you can tap on any individual position and the position-detail screen will come up:

Here you can view things like cost basis, value change, and stock price change. You can also trade out of the position right from this screen.

As usual, we love hearing from our customers, so if you have any thoughts on how to improve the app, please let us know here in the comments. And if you love the app, don’t forget to tell the world on the Android Market.

 

The OptionsHouse Android App is Here!

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

The wait is over—we are proud to announce we have an Android app for OptionsHouse customers.

You’ll notice the app doesn’t look exactly like the iPhone app, and that’s on purpose. We built it specifically for all of our Android users instead of simply porting over our existing iPhone app.

The result? A fast-trading app that takes advantage of all the functionality and usability you’ve grown accustomed to on Android.

From the app, you’ll be able to:

-          Monitor your positions and orders

-          Trade stocks and options

-          Trade option spreads from the options chain

-          Trade out of your positions

-          View your watchlists and trade directly from them

-          View symbol fundamentals and charts

-          View charts in candlestick and OHLC formats

-          Set your trading defaults for app trading

-          Access your virtual account

Check out the app by accessing it directly from your device on the Android Marketplace. You can also send it to your phone from the Android Market website. Don’t forget to rate the app and send us your feedback.

With our Android app available, we now offer an easy, convenient way to access your OptionsHouse account regardless of the mobile device you use. If you aren’t an iPhone or Android user, you can access our mobile website at m.optionshouse.com.

 

Spread Investigators

Monday, July 18th, 2011

Looking for put spread and/or call spread strategy ideas?

The spread investigators seek out call and put debit spread opportunities with potentially high theoretical returns. Note that these are typically low-dollar, low-probability spreads using out-of-the-money options.

You can choose to view put or call spreads from the drop down, as well as select the expiration month for the spread:

Call spreads are generated by:

  • Multiplying the potential return if the underlying stock in the spread were to reach the higher of the two strike prices by the probability that it will reach that price (as determined by option Greeks).
  • Subtracting from this amount the cost of acquiring the call spread (using market prices for the call options).
  • Finally, dividing the resulting amount by the cost of acquiring the call spread to determine the theoretical return.

Put spreads are generated by:

  • Multiplying the potential return if the underlying stock in the spread were to reach the lower of the two strike prices by the probability that it will reach that price (as determined by option Greeks).
  • Subtracting from this amount the cost of acquiring the put spread (using market prices for the put options).
  • Finally, dividing the resulting amount by the cost of acquiring the put spread to determine the theoretical return.

The Spread Investigator attempts to filter out bad data and spreads that may be overly complicated because they are the result of a corporate reorganization.

The cost column tells you how much each spread costs, while the Max Value column shows you the maximum potential value of the spread.

You can trade the spread by clicking anywhere in the row where you see blue font, as well as the from the trade icon ().

Get $150 or 30 Free Trades in Rewards

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

We appreciate it when our customers spread the word about OptionsHouse’s low rates and robust trading platform. That’s why we’ve modified our referral policy by making it three times as valuable.

Initial registration is required, and then for every person you refer that completes and funds an account, you’ll be eligible to receive $150 in cash (via PayPal) or 30 free trades.1 You can even choose to get the $150 in the form of an Amazon Gift card or you can donate it to the Red Cross.

Refer a Friend

All you have to do is log in and input your friends’ e-mail addresses and we’ll send them a short invitation to join OptionsHouse. There’s no limit to the number of referral bonuses you can receive, so don’t hesitate to send to your entire extended family or college alum group.

We’ve even made it super easy to share via your social networks.  In just a few seconds, you can spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, or Blogger.  It’s a great way to up your referrals and your rewards!

To start spreading the word today, click here and you’ll be taken to a site where you can register to start referring friends and family to OptionsHouse.

Then sit back and watch the rewards roll in!

 

Today we’re excited to announce a change to the charts that are used within the new OptionsHouse platform. We are replacing our old charts with new charts that carry some exciting new functionality.

There are two new features that come with these new charts:

-          Charts refresh automatically, meaning you’ll see the latest data as it unfolds.

-          More visual options via a drop down—you can choose to show a chart in four different modes: (more…)

New Feature: Set Your Own Logout Time

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

Today we’re happy to announce a feature that will allow our customers to access their trading account with fewer interruptions throughout the day.

Until today, the platform would log you out after an hour of inactivity. But today we’re releasing the ability to set your own logout time via the Manage Accounts area.

This new menu can be accessed via Manage Accounts-> Preferences-> Application. From there, you can set the logout time to one of four options:

  • 30 minutes
  • 60 minutes
  • 120 minutes
  • 8 hours

We encourage you to use these new settings carefully and to always log out if you’re going to be away from your computer for an extended period of time.

The New OptionsHouse Order Ticket

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011


The New OptionsHouse Order Ticket
Now that the new OptionsHouse trading platform has been out for a few months, we’d like to spend some time talking about some of the new features.

And what better place to focus on than the place where the magic happens: the order ticket.

There are three new features that we believe will make it easier for customers to get the information they need to place the right trades at the right time.

Spread Market Bar

If you trade spreads, it’s important to know what the market is for each individual leg, but it’s even more important to know what the bid and the ask are for your spread as a whole.

That’s what the new spread market bar is for. (more…)

You can turn off streaming in the Settings screen (in the More tab). Data will refresh every time you change screens—almost like you’re surfing a website.

How can I set a PIN on the iPhone?

Friday, May 27th, 2011

You can set up a PIN via the  Passcode Lock feature on the Settings screen (in the More tab). Your Passcode is a four-digit code that allows you to secure your account access upon closing the app (or navigating to another app on your device).

Note that this added security measure is different from your account password.  After a period of time, you will still be prompted for your account password.  You can select this period of time from the Settings screen as well (every time, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes).

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