I track a wide range of tickers across multiple asset classes on Interactive Brokers’ Trading Workstation (TWS). My watchlists include bonds, volatility products, stocks, commodities, and many other instruments. When all of these assets are dumped into a single list, it becomes chaotic and hard to read. There’s too much information in one place, and I end up missing important moves because the screen just feels cluttered.
To make sense of it all, I started organizing my watchlists using manual Group Headings. This simple feature lets me separate assets by category – for example, I have one section for bonds, another for volatility, one for stocks, and so on. Instead of scrolling endlessly through a messy list, I can now quickly jump to the group I want and see what’s happening at a glance. It saves time, reduces stress, and helps me stay focused on the big picture.
Setting it up is easy. I use the classic TWS layout, and all I do is right-click inside my watchlist and select “Add Group Heading.”
From there, I type a label for the section, like “Equities” or “Commodities,” and start placing tickers underneath.
You can create as many groups as you like, and rearrange them whenever needed. It’s a small tweak, but it makes a huge difference in how clean and structured the watchlist feels.
If you’re not already using this feature, I highly recommend trying it out. It’s one of those small tricks that makes trading smoother. A well-organized screen means you can react faster and see market movements more clearly. Sometimes it’s the simple things – like a clean layout – that give you the edge. Give Group Headings a shot; you might end up liking them as much as I do.
