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[abcd1234] 01/7/2004 09:33

Help!

Barclays Stockbrokers (which took over Charles Schwab UK/Europe last year) is up to something, and it's made life more difficult for the investor, but boy are the market makers delighted.

Barclays have decided that when you now trade with them you will only be given the BUY price (if buying) or the Sell price (if selling) i.e. no longer when you are about to BUY some stock will you be able to see the real opposing "sell" price that the mm's are offering at that point (which as we all know gives you the indication as to whether the mm's are short of stock or not etc etc.). And visa versa for when you are Selling a holding.

Now this spectacular retrograde step is very very suspecious. Barclays have considerable clout in the market. One suggestion is that mm's have argued that too many investors now have access to much of what the REAL mm prices are (i.e. going beyond Level 2 and showing too many ordinary investors the real buy & sell prices available). Yes we know this is offered by many online stockbrokers etc, but that the mm's problem here is the sheer volume of investors that have been using this information through Barclays/Schwab Stockbrokers.

Market makers attempting to protect their advantage from the biggest online broker that supplies this information?? Barclays working in cooperation with mm's to protect concessions given to Barclays?? This is worse.

Surely it's not back to the days before of undermining the investor by giving less information. Then it's even less of a level playing field?

We all expect mm's to attempt to feather only their OWN nest. But arn't the stockbrokers supposed to work on the behalf of their clients....the investor?? Surely the City can be trusted?

Either way the investor is losing out. Is Braclays protecting it's own and the mm's interests?

Information/views appreciated