New to Forex, US-based, broker-related question

  1. Leverage is probably the biggest. You usually get more than US based brokers.
  2. Promos - some of those “free bonus for doing X” type things are often not allowed in the US
  3. Tax savings is a benefit for some, but I think this is mainly for non-US folks
  4. Sometimes lower costs to open various real-money accounts
  5. US brokers are highly regulated (that’s why you get less leverage options), and the cost for that regulation is expensive. Some of that could be passed down to the client.

Enjoy!

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THANK YOU. That’s what I was hoping to see.

If those are the major reasons, then I’m totally fine sticking with locals while I work up the experience.

An advantage of trading with a US-regulated retail FX “broker” is fair pricing and order execution. Order execution reporting requirements are stricter and so as a retail trader, if you have an issue, you can file a complaint with the NFA or CFTC and get a resolution. This incentives brokers to behave properly.

Also, they’re required to maintain a certain level of capital to make sure they can cover their liabilities (like when your trade wins).

With an offshore broker, you have to trust that they treat you properly and that they’re adequately capitalized. And if they’re deficient in either, you have no recourse.

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Good move. Once you gain the experience, and maybe feel something is lacking, head elsewhere, potentially to another broker, offshore or not.

Forex trading is not everyone’s cup of tea. Try to focus on improving your skills so that you can become a consistently profitable trader.

Both ToS and MT4 are different trading platforms. You would need to build another EA for ToS if you want to use it. EA written for MT4 won’t work on ToS.

Yes, right. But if you already have an EA for MT4, I am not sure why you want to trade with ToS. As you said you are a beginner, I think you will be better off with MT4. It’s easy to use, simple to customise, and offers great flexibility throughout your trades.

I don’t have the EAs for MT4, my dad does. But yes. ToS is a very different bag of cats.

I’m using it for the paper-trading sandbox and some learning experiences in stock options, so using it for Forex at the same time seemed like a good idea.

:sweat:

Choosing a trading platform is a trader’s own choice. I too use MT4 quite often but at times, I feel that I need to use a better, feature-rich trading platform that can work as per my requirements. Thanks to my brokers (ICM and Turnkeyforex), I can use different trading platforms whenever I want to. ICM offers ctrader and turnkeyforex acttrader besides MT4, so that’s a good flexibility to have. It’s good to specialise using different platforms so that when one doesn’t work for you, you can go for another one.

You can always open a demo account to see if the broker is any good for you.

And don’t worry about it so much or you’ll end up getting confused. Just stick to the reputed platforms.

I am living in US too and I am using an offshore brokers because there are certain trading restrictions with the local ones like limited leverage, FIFO rule, hedging not allowed etc. Offshore brokers offer flexible trading conditions that are helpful for a profitable trading.

You can trade with a broker that provides a competitive trading environment and has suitable trading conditions.

Yup, plenty of people do that, for the access to options trading as well. Good stuff.

There are multiple reasons why US clients prefer offshore brokers over US regulated broker.

  1. Min deposit fees: If you are a newbie, then I am sure you will not be putting too much money in trading to start with. Offshore brokers normally have a min deposit fees of $5 or $10 while regulated ones have higher requirement.
  2. Leverage: US regulated brokers cannot provide high leverage to US clients while offshore brokers provide leverage of 500-1000X.
  3. Inactivity fees: Since there is tough competition in offshore market, most offshore brokers do not charge inactivity fees while most regulated brokers charge high inactivity fees.
  4. Commission: This is a major point. Being regulated brings with it lots of costs. Regulated brokers charge high commission on trades while offshore brokers charge peanuts and hence we end up making more profits with offshore brokers.
  5. Trading Restrictions: US regulated brokers have lot of trading restrictions while that is not the case with offshore brokers.

That said, I am currently holding accounts with both IG and Turnkey forex. Former is the US regulated broker while latter is an offshore broker.

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I don’t think that recommendations always go well in the forex market. It is all about finding the right kind of stuff that works for you. If it does, that’s what matters only. Other things are temporary and can be avoided. As far as it is about finding the right broker, go for the one that you think will go well with your trading needs.

The reason why you are being recommended not to use US based broker is bacause US based brokers do not provide high leverage. At the same time, they charge very high commission. You can get better services, higher leverage and lower commission if you look at brokers outside US. Infact I prefer offshore brokers because they allow me to use any trading strategy like scalping, hedging as well as use of EAs. Currently I am using Turnkey forex. You can open a demo account with them which is free of cost and check their platform. Their chat support is really quick and prompt. You can even request a call from them in case you need any assistance. But you can definitely look at other offshore brokers too. Just make sure that the broker is reliable and trustworthy.

They’re good to get you started. Once you actually do that, you learn a bit more about your trading needs. i think it’s still better to get opinions from places like here, rather than just blindly jumping in, especially if you’re completely new.

Choosing a right broker is undoubtedly the most important decision in trading and it acts as the base where entire building is built. So, yes it will make a huge difference. Since you are starting, you can try [removed for Forums violation], XTB and Oanda. I have used them personally & I strongly recommend them for being the most client friendly brokers in the market.

You guys must really love Coinexx. You both mention them in every other post you make it seems.

Stick with a US broker to start. You probably don’t need to trade leverage starting out anyway, so that’s not something you need to look for in a broker. Get used to mechanics, demo trade for a long while, and then move off shore if you really see a benefit.

When you’re so new to trading, like most have stated, it’s vital you test the waters to find out what works best for you. The first thing you can look for in a broker is reliability and stability which you will find with regulated brokers. They operate in strict regulatory environments with strong oversight. Another thing to always look for is whether the broker is cost-effective. Are you getting the same valued experience and benefits in comparison to your investments? There’s no easy way to say that besides trying it first-hand while inevitably learning how to trade forex. FOREX.com offers demo accounts for this very reason. With access to easy-to-use platforms, you would get the chance to learn how to trade with over 80 different currency pairs and spot metals.