Can I algo trade as an individual investor?

Folks .. quick question for you...

Is there a broker out there that allows me, as an individual investor, to trade using custom logic / algorithms, e.g. if stock A falls below price X then buy stock Y OR Buy stock Z as soon as it becomes one of the S&P 500, etc..

Ideally, I would like to be able to feed in my logic/expectations in the morning for some stocks I am speculating about ... then go to work and not worry about it for the rest of the day.. thoughts?

14 Comments
 

Quantopian and Quantconnect are the two best options in this space if you're looking for a full algo trading setup. If you just want a broker then there are quite a few (like Interactive Brokers) who will service algo accounts.

Also, Ernest Chan has two quasi-textbooks on the market about individual algo trading and his blog is also worth a follow.

 
Best Response

InteractiveBrokers.com has had an API for over a decade. If you know how to code, these brokers are definitely out there.

Word to the wise- I'd start out without a margin agreement. Algo trading can get you into a lot of trouble if you fat-finger something (cc: Knight Capital) and it's smart to limit your contractual responsibility if you screw something up. As a guy with five years of financial programming/quantitative development experience, I can attest that even the professional coders screw up. It's a 1 in 10,000 prod commit event (which really means 1 in 10 over the course of the year), but it's certainly possible that a tail event happens. Be kind to yourself and limit your liability- and make sure your broker does, too!

 

Nisi et voluptate veniam repellat laborum. Ratione minima autem consequatur. Quo maiores optio non itaque fuga quis possimus.

Maiores corrupti id reiciendis vitae. Ex ut maxime possimus aut iste ex. Nihil dolor voluptatum optio sint quis doloribus excepturi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”