I'm happy to support ASF and I started the survey, but won't complete it as I thought it a survey with no substance.
However I do have something to contribute, an idea that I had looking at the ASF improvement question. ASF needs more individual stock specific content and I was thinking that this might improve if ASF included the ASX corporate news releases into their stock threads. I believe this is done in other forums, but ASF could do it better with a little bit of filtering so that only price sensitive news is included.
ASF could consider an arrangement with a news provider (even a news service) to link stock specific published news articles to the ASF stock threads. eg If AFR publishes a news and/or opinion piece on a stock, a link is created in the ASF stock thread enabling any member (not visitors) to read the article.
This service could then be rolled out to multiple news providers, enriching the ASF stock threads significantly. It would also help the news services by increasing the number of potential readers (the ASF membership).
Is ASF interested in becoming the main news hub for all ASX companies? I wont subscribe to multiple news vendors and it would take up too much time to find the one that best suits my needs. If most stock specific news is located in one place. I'd pay for that.
------------------
To CMC. I'm surprised you're still going. Your link to an ASX broker enhanced your credibility enormously in the pliable minds of retail traders. I'm not familiar with your platform and it's functionality for a chartist. Nor can I comment on the transparency of the pricing, nor the reliability of execution at the prices on display. In short "I know nothing" about the current CMC.
I tolerate the nuances of my current broking providers. None of them are great and I'll never promote any of them. They aren't worthy. I use multiple providers because I can't trust any of them. My main concern (worry?) is the security of my funds and if you have access to them I'm worried. The few bad apples in your peer group damaged the public's trust in the whole batch irreparably.
I'd love a broker that can provide trading access to any financial instrument in the world. ASX only brokers are dinosaurs. I want my trading funds securely held in an account in my name, not in a "segregated" group account. Obviously the broker needs access to withdraw funds for purchases and commissions, but I'd like to approve every withdrawal. No withdrawals without my permission. Not one cent. I want every financial instrument to be held in my name in a regulated manner (exchange or approved register), not held by a third party that has the right to do anything with my holdings (like lend them to others). CFDS are different, of course, as they are provided by the broker. The important attributes for CFDS are transparent prices and liquidity at those prices.
Do you know how much time and effort is required to evaluate another broking platform? There is a significant difference in the execution prices between a demo and real platform. It takes time to assess the reliability of the platform. Interruptions to the service during the Euro session means nothing to the ASX stock traders, but it's very significant for the fx/index traders.
It would take me months to assess the reliability of a new broker and their platform(s). It's less effort to stay with the devil I know, until they become unreliable (and they will, they all do). I'll be trading a lot longer than any broker will remain in business and that's why I have to be very careful and spread the risk.