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Let's review some of the most important tools in an electronic trading platform.
Stock Window
This window is used to read detailed pricing information for one stock at a time. It will be your source to find the very best price in the market, which is your key to saving or making money on every transaction.
The top section of each stock window is the basic quote, which is called level I information and includes: the last trade, up or down tick, yesterday's close, today's open, today's high, today's low, and today's volume. A sample window is shown in Figure 6.3.
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Figure 6.3
Sample Stock Window
Copyright 2000, TradeCast® Ltd.
The bottom section of this window will display one of two configurations, based on the market you have chosen:
Nasdaq Level II Window
When you choose to display information about a Nasdaq stock, this screen, shown in Figure 6.4, gives you more than just real-time quotes, it provides you with a look at the limit order book for the entire Nasdaq market, showing all posted bids and offers, along with order sizes. This depth of market display gives you valuable information about the direction of the market. The prices quoted by market makers and ECNs show you where to execute your trade for the best possible price.

 
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