City Index is a U.K.-based brokerage that specializes in CFDs, spread betting, and options on forex, indexes, stocks, commodities, bonds, and interest rates. The broker also supports cryptocurrencies, although only for Australian clients. Founded in 1983, it offers an impressive product catalog, a good choice of platforms, and robust research facilities. The company’s impressive technology, lightning-fast executions, and an intuitive trading interface make it a solid choice for traders of all levels. City Index is a subsidiary of StoneX Group Inc. (NASDAQ:SNEX), a Nasdaq-listed financial services company with a market cap of around $3.5B as of February 2025. 

City Index scored well in most review categories, but it does have certain flaws, including confusing fee disclosures, uncompetitive volume discounts, an𓄧d no secondary insurance coverage.

Trust

The broker is licensed through Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Ref No. 446717 and is compliant with European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) rules that limit leverage and provide negative balance protection (so you don't lose more money than you put in the platform). An ESMA-mandated disclosure indicates that 70% of retail accounts currently lose money when trading CFDs with City Index, which is about average in the Eurozone. The U.K. Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) provides up to £85,000 coverage in case of a broker default, but they list no additional or private coverage.

City Index offers guaranteed stop-loss protection for a premium, as well as a sophisticated set of conditional orders within their trading platforms. Oddly, the firm's small Singapore branch utilizes two-factor authentication for added security, but this useful feature isn’t listed on the U.K. site. Like most European CFD brokers, the broker acts primarily as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market maker, raising 𒊎some conflict of interest issues. 

Fee and spread disclosures at City Index are extensive, but hard to navigate. Information on fee schedules is conflicting, it is hard to find cost comparisons, and the pricing of options trades in particular is very poorly disclosed. They offer fixed and/or variable spreads, depending on the venue, but the disclosures would greatly benefit from side-by-side cost itemization. It also isn't clear how much spreads widen during off-market hours, raising the potential for unanticipated trading costs

Desktop Experience

The broker's proprietary Web Trader platform offers advanced charts, custom indicators, and fully customizable workspaces, While there’s no downloadable version of the platform, its functionality is on par with some of the industry’s most advanced desktop software offerings. The well-designed, intuitive interface is packed with features such as multiple chart types, 14 time intervals, advanced drawing tools, and one-click trading directly from charts. The platform also offers Performance Analytics, designed to help traders set up a trading plan, track their executions, and review trades. The feature that stands out most, however, is Trading Central - an advanced, AI-based research and idea generation tool. Overall, City Index offers an all-around solid desktop trading experience, even if it lacks a downloadable platform.

As an alternative to Web Trader, City Index also integrates directly with TradingView, allowing traders to seamlessly execute trades while harnessing the full power of TradingView’s charting and social capabilities.

Mobile Experience

City Index iOS and Android mobile apps provide a great experience for those who want to trade on the go, with efficient design and well-organized menus, and the ability to manage all accounts in one place. Users can set custom price alerts, build watch lists, and chat with customer service. The apps integrate TradingView for charting, allowing users to take full advantage of its advanced charting capabilities and extensive technical analysis tools. The order interface looks identical to the web programs, allowing adequate risk management while on-the-go.

Research Tools and Insights

City Index has built an impressive research portal, with in-house analysts providing daily market outlooks and updates through a tag-based news page that's full of fundamental and technical reports. The company also posts regular news and analysts videos on YouTube, as well as on its site. Other research material is well-organized, and many categories are also accessible through the trading platforms.

Dozens of trading ideas and opportunities utilizing diverse market approaches are offered on the platform. Web Trader’s most stand out feature, however, is Trading Central - a research tool that provides extensive scanners capabilities, and also offers AI-based technical and fundamental insights. Trading Central also features Market Buzz, a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:sentiment engine that scans thousands of news and analysis articles to give traders a clear market pulse on a particular asset.

Education

City Index has a dedicated “Academy” section on its website, offering a variety of courses and lessons that cover both basic concepts, and the more advanced trading strategies and ideas. The material can be accessed on the structured “Courses” page, which bundles lessons on a specific subject into a course, or on the unstructured “Lessons” page, which just lists all lessons available. Each lesson features written and, in rare cases, video explanations of the material, and a quiz at the end. Additionally, the company’s YouTube channel features several playlists educating viewers on topics such as fundamental and technical analysis, and trading strategies.

Special Features

Professional clients at City Index are eligible to earn interest on cash in their accounts, and the company will apply “an initial interest rate of 2.5% to the average tradable funds in your account(s) each calendar month.” Additionally, they can also receive monthly cash rebates, based on their trading volumes, although the rebates only begin when your monthly trading volumes exceed £25 million๊. Lastly, Professional clients trade with lower margin rates.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, beginners looking to get their feet wet without risking real money can open a demo account with City Index, and receive “£10,000 in virtual funds for 12 weeks.”

Investment Products

City Index has an impressive catalog of over 13,500 tradable products across forex, CFDs, and spread bets, as well as options on indexes, shares, commodities, metals, bonds, and interest rates. Clients can trade more than 4,700 stocks from multiple exchanges while index and metal CFDs can be traded on a cash or futures basis. Additionally, traders enjoy access to pre-market and after-hours trading on over 70 popular U.S. stocks. City Index also offers cryptocurrencies, but only for its Australian clients.

Commissions and Fees

Minimum and average spreads are fairly competitive, at 0.70 pips minimum and 0.80 pips typical for the EUR/USD currency pair. Indexes list a 0.40 minimܫum ♌spread on S&P 500 CFD and spread bets, but the broker does not disclose an average spread. Disclosures on many other markets are also limited to minimum spreads or real-time bid/ask spreads.

The broker offers fixed spreads for many indexes and commodities and variable spreads for forex and other markets, but this categorization isn't intuitive.

No minimum deposit is needed to open an account in the United Kingdom, but clients from two other supported jurisdictions, Australia and Singapore, will have to deposit at least $150. Also, £12 monthly fee is charged to accounts with no activity for one year or longer. There are no withdrawal fees. Other miscellaneous charges are fully disclosed on an easy-to-read pricing page.

Customer Support

Customer support hits all the bases, with 24/5 phone support through London local and international phone numbers. Online chat is available to new and prospective clients, but users need to "talk" with an annoying chat robot before getting to a human customer representative. The broker accepts support questions through phone, chat, or email, and a fairly strong social media presence is used primarily to distribute research and marketing materials. The help and support FAQs are well-organized, allowing for quick retrieval of needed information.

Final Verdict

City Index is an excellent fit for new and mid-level traders seeking excellent research, solid education, reliable customer service, and a broad range of competitively-priced markets. The StoneX connection goes a long way in building trust, while the broker's history and London location will instill confidence. Full-time and professional traders may be forced to look elsewhere due to uncompetitive volume and margin discounts, and lack of advanced functionality such as connectivity through VPS and API interfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does City Index Do?

City Index is a brokerage that specializes in CFD trading, spread betting, and Forex trading. Investing in CFDs involves making price bets as to whether the opening and closing prices of an underlying asset or security will rise or fall. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Spread betting is betting on the price movement of an underlying security or asset without actually owning the security or asset. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Forex trading involves trading foreign currencies.

Is City Index Available in the USA?

City is available only 🐻in Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. It is not available f🌳or traders located in the U.S.

Does City Index Allow Scalping?

Scalping is available through City Index. This practice involves multiple short-term positions, each with small profit margins. Scalpers may make multiple trades over the course of a day and don't leave positions open over night.

Does City Index Have Options?

Spread betting and CFD trading are available on options with City Index. Options give traders just that—an option—to buy or sell an underlying asset at an agreed-upon price o✱n a certain date. However, traders are not obligated to make the deal.