In a separate thread, Howard wrote:

FYI, I find that Fidelity quite often has a larger (and better) selection of bond offer prices compared to E*Trade (although they don’t seem to list as many issues). I think FIDO also uses the Knight Bond Point platform as well as Bond Desk. They have upgraded their search software over the past year, and it is quite good now. And they have knowledgeable fixed-income people to talk too. Fidelity is now my primary bond broker.

Two minutes of poking around confirms much of what he said, though it will take me all morning to thoroughly explore the “new” Fidelity. But here’s one concrete example. At ET, the ASK for Delaize’s 9’s of ’31 is 118.919, with a minimum purchase of 50. At Fidelity, the ASK is more nuanced. You could pay 118.919 for the same 50, or you could pay 117.768 for a lot of 5. Your choice.

Give me a chance to explore some more, and I’ll do a more detailed review, because --like always-- it isn't sea shells and balloons at either broker. Executing at either has its advantages and disadvantages. So where you choose to execute depends on your specific needs, not the number of bells and whistles a broker offers.

Charlie