Compare CFD Brokers

Compare CFD Brokers and Contracts for Difference Providers
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Comparing the Main Global CFD Providers

There are 3 main providers to choose from -:

	CMC Markets	IG Group	Global Forex Trading
Company	CMC Markets	IG Markets	GFT
Parent Establishment Date	UK 1989 (FSA)	UK 1974 (FSA)	USA 1997 (SEC)
Regulated by products	NFA(USA), FSA(UK), ASIC(AU), BAFIN(DE), OSC(CA) and CBRC(China).	NFA (USA), CFTC (USA), FSA Authority (UK), ASIC (AU), MAS (SG), FSA (JP).	NFA(USA), CFTC (USA), FSA(UK), ASIC(AU), MAS (SG), FSA (JP). DGCX (Dubai).
Tradeable Markets	UK, Australian and International Share CFDs, indices, sectors, treasury and commodities.	Australian, UK & Global Share CFDs, Indices, FX, Commodities, Interest Rates, Bonds and Options.	UK 350, global shares and indices, commodities, bonds, interest rates, FX
Platform Type	Market Maker Only.	Both Market Maker and Direct Market Access.	Market Maker Only.
Web or Download Application	Web Platform / Download / Mobile	Web Platform / Download / Mobile	Web Platform / Download / Mobile
Margin requirement	Margins for major shares start at 5%. 1% on Sectors and Treasuries. 0.5% to 3% on Indices. 0.5 to 1% on Forex Spots.	1% on Main Forex Pairs and most Indices. Major UK shares is 10%. while the constituents of major global indices are also margined at 10%. The Margin Percentage for all other shares will be 10% or higher.	1% on most Indices. Major UK shares is 10%. while the constituents of major global indices are also margined at 10%. The Margin Percentage for all other shares will be 10% or higher.
Commission rate (stocks)	Commission on a standard CFD account when trading UK and US equities is 0.08%. No minimum commission.	UK Shares CFDS 0.10% with a minimum commission of £10 for online dealing and a minimum commission of £15 for phone dealing. For US Stocks, the commission is 2 cents per share ($15 being the minimum ticket charge). DMA is available on UK and International Exchanges.	For all non-US stocks, the commission is 10 basis points (0.10%), and the minimum ticket charge is £7.0. For US Stocks, the standard charge is 2.95 cents per share for U.S. equities with a minimum of £7, $10 or €10.
Commission rate (CFD Stock Indices (Cash))	Amongst Others: FTSE 100: 2, Wall Street: 4, Dax 30: 2, ASX200: 4, CAC 40: 3, EU Stocks 50: 3, India 50: 5, MIB 40: 12, S&P 500: 5, Spain 35: 5, Sweden 30: 7,	Amongst Others: FTSE 100: 2, Wall Street: 4, Nasdaq: 2, Dax 30: 2, ASX200: 2, CAC 40: 2, EU Stocks 50: 2, Japan 225: 20, Japan All-Share: 2, India 50: 4, MIB 40: 12, Netherlands 25: 0.6, S&P 500: 0.7, Singapore Blue Chip: 0.4, Spain 35: 8, Sweden 30: 2,	Amongst Others: FTSE 100: 1, Wall Street: 2, Nasdaq: 2, Dax 30: 1 , ASX200: 2, CAC 40: 1, EU Stocks 50: 2, Japan 225: 5, Japan All-Share: N/A, India 50: N/A, MIB 40: 1, Netherlands 25: 0.2, S&P 500:0.5, Singapore Blue Chip: N/A, Spain 35:5 , Sweden 30: N/A,
Financing cost	Cash rate 2.5% on long positions; Cash rate -2.5% on short positions	Cash rate 2.5% on long positions; Cash rate -2.5% on short positions	Cash rate 3% on long positions; Cash rate -3% on short positions
Charting Tools	Basic Charts.	Professional Charts: IG currently have 3 chart levels - basic quick charts, advanced charts and (pro)realtime charts.	In-house Developed Charting.
Supplementary Tools	Level 2 Data is provided free of charge on certain UK equities. Price Alarms.	Free Level 2 Data (subject to one trade per month). Free Professional Charts (subject to 4 trades per month), Free Reuters News, Commentary, Equity Research, Ransquawk, Economic Calendar, Price Alarms.	Free Dow Jones News (minimums apply). Free Commentary and analysis services. Auto risk-notifications. Price alarms. Free Foresight-A.I. and DiNapoli D-Levels technical analysis/indicators are included for the first 3 months (will cost EUR60 per month to retain after the 3 month period has elapsed).
Monthly Costs/Other Costs	No monthly fee.	There is a fee to access stock exchange prices like the LSE L2 prices but this is reimbursed if you trade once in that monthly period. There is also a £30 charge per month (opt-in) for accessing the Real Time Charts which is reimbursed if you trade 4 times on IG Markets within the contract month.	N/A.
Inactivity Fees	No inactivity fee.	No inactivity fee.	There is an inactivity fee of USD50 (or currency equivalent), if you don't trade once in 60 days.
Client money held in segregated account	Yes	Yes	Yes
Minimum required to open standard account	$250	$0	$2500 (about £1600)
Supported base currencies	(GBP / USD / EUR / CHF / AUD / CAD / and other major currencies)	(GBP / USD / EUR / CHF / JPY / SGD / AUD / CAD / SEK and others available on request)	GBP / USD / EUR / CHF / JPY / AUD / PLN.
Do you earn interest on free equity?	Yes, for account balances US$15,000 or over, Applicable Base Rate - 2%	No.	Considered on an individual basis.
Client service support	Usually no specific account manager is assigned. However, if you deposit a large amount, such as over 15k, then you will be given access to their Sales Traders Desk, where you can deal with one specific person.	Each client is allocated their own personal Account Manager.	All accounts at GFT have their own personal account manager to look after clients needs.
Level of Customer Support	Good with Live Chat.	Excellent.	Very Good with Live Chat.
Do you provide CFD specific education/ training?	Free Trial is available. Offer Trading IQ, an 8-week training programme which comes with a 40 min DVD, 8 modules of info, a free full day seminar and the ability to trade without incurring losses for one full day.	Yes. TradeSense is for anyone wanting to learn more about trading CFDs whilst trading with reduced minimum trading sizes during the training period. Available with all new accounts.	Permanent Demo Account is available.
Stop Loss Orders	Market, Limit, Stop, OCO and If Done Orders are available	Stop and Limit Orders, Contingent Orders, Trailing Stops.	Free stop loss, stop entry, trailing stops.
Do you offer GSO orders?	Guaranteed stops at CMC Markets are available for all instruments for additional small charge.	Guaranteed stop loss orders are offered on all markets and attract minimal fee.	Guaranteed stops offered on some indices but not on stocks.
Do you offer limited risk accounts?	Yes.	Yes.	No.
Do you offer discount on volume trades	By negotiation.	If trade $2,000,000/ month then 0.08%.	Slider scale - the greater the level of equity in your account, the lower the rate of commission charged.
Company	CMC Markets	IG Markets	GFT

Note: You MUST apply through this site to guarantee any commission listed.

There are different types of CFDs, depending on the CFD provider you are dealing with. These are not standardised products and each provider can have different brokerage rates, interest rates, dealing platforms, and so on.

You need to examine the features provided and find the one that satisfy your needs. Of course, there is no stopping you from having an account with more than one CFD broker although then you would need to have funds in both accounts for trading. It will depend on the markets you want to trade, the size of your trading account, the frequency of your trading and the trading platform (DMA or Market Maker?) you want to use.

Top CFD Providers rated by Canstar Cannex

Choose your CFD provider like you would choose your stock broker. With many CFD providers vying for your business, you should do your homework and choose carefully who you deal with. Make sure that your CFD provider gives you access to domestic markets as well as other international markets that will provide maximum trading opportunities.

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Compare CFD Brokers and Contracts for Difference Providers

Comparing the Main Global CFD Providers