addendum to today's earlier post

In today's earlier post on price improvement, retrieval of the Barron's story is inconsistent.  At times, the full story popped up.  At other times, only the story's introduction popped up, with an invitation to subscribe to Barron's.  I've tried Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge with the same experience.  This Fidelity link is very helpful, albeit it's not a 3rd party reference:  Fidelity Investments, trade execution

To sell (& buy) options, I prefer market orders, & rely on "price improvement."

Many traders say, "too much risk of getting jabbed when using market orders to trade options...especially with big spreads...always use limit orders." But I use market orders most of the time.  With limit orders, I fear missing the trade to save a few pennies.  I use Fidelity Investments & Fidelity's price improvement has been a gigantic benefit.  (Full disclosure:  I retired from Fidelity Investments in 2017.)  Here's what I mean:  On 7/20/18, I sold 12 contracts of the TLT (US Treasury ETF), August 17, 2018, $119 (covered) call, at the market, & received a $2.21 premium.  A $2.14 BID & (around) $2.25 ASK was displayed before my trade.  As the seller, I was entitled to receive the $2.14 BID.  The buyer was obliged to pay the $2.25 ASK.  I could have placed a $2.21 limit order, but I didn't want to miss the trade.  The market maker wanted that 11 cent spread, & if I requested $2.21, I was asking them to nick their take to 4 pennies.  I was extremely trusting of Fidelity's trade execution & price improvement reputation.  With my market order, I was really asking Fidelity to get the market maker to better my price.  If I received $2.14 (or less ["jabbed?"], which could have happened), fine; I wanted the trade executed.  I know that Fidelity invests a ton of money into trade execution technology & market makers keenly want Fidelity's business.  On my trade, the market maker agreed to accepting a lower spread & I received $2.21.  That's price improvement of 7 cents.  12 contracts control 1,200 shares; at $0.07, that's $84 in price improvement.  On my account's balance page, Fidelity reports my rolling 12 month price improvement:  $1,062 in my rollover IRA among my 53 trades.  I've linked a Barron's story.  It's 3 years old, but serves as a good primer.  Barron's, price improvement