Knowing this is the difference between making a profit and losing your shirt. Some people say they haven't even been able to get onto Web sites at the height of the trading day.
Brokerages admit to the delays.
Michael Anderson, president of Ameritrade, says demand has been overwhelming. Daily trades over his system grew from 21,000 in September to 34,000 in December. The number was even higher in January. He says Ameritrade has installed new Web servers to handle demand. Protection from delays.