Our Take

IG has established itself as one of the leading online brokers in the world thanks to its intuitive online trading dashboard, extensive rang🦋e of tradable markets, diverse suite of financial instruments, third-party software integrations, and industry-leading research and educational materials. 

As a publicly traded compaജny that has offered financial services for over 50 years, IG stands out for havin🍬g an excellent reputation for customer service and a strong track record for regulatory compliance, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced traders looking to trade forex, stocks, ETFs, and more.  

Pros & Cons

Pros Explained 

• Offers a wide range of tradable assets: In addition to forex, IG users can trade a wide range of asset classes including but not limited to stocks, cryptocurrencies, commodities, and indices.
• Provides an array of financial products: IG offers a range of financial products, including but not limited to ETFs, CFDs, futures, and options. 
• Excellent platform offerings: IG’s web-based platform and its mobile app are widely regarded for their strong functionality and ease of use and are rightly considered among the best on the market.
• No minimum deposit requirements: There’s no minimum deposit to open a trading account at IG.  
• Publicly traded company subject to strict regulatory requirements: IG is a publicly traded company listed on the London Stock Exchange with a market cap of around GBP 3.5 billion. IG Markets Ltd and IG Index Ltd are authorized and regulated by the FCA in the U.K. Its U.S. subsidiary, branded tastyfx since July 2024, is registered with the CFTC and is a member of the NFA. Moreover, IG holds licenses in over a dozen countries. 

Cons Explained 

• No copy trading feature: IG doesn’t offer automated copy trading, which has become popular among novice traders and first-time investors.   
• MetaTrader 5 is not yet available: While IG offers integrations for ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4, its customers cannot make use of MetaTrader 5 (yet). 

Introduction

IG Group Holdings plc🌃, commonly referred to as IG Group, is a publicly traded online brokerage firm that is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker (LSE:IGG). 

The United Kingdom-based financial services company was founded in 1974 by Stuart Wheeler "as the world’s first spread betting firm.” Originally going by the name IG Index, the company allowed investors to speculate on the price of gold using an index instead of having to buy the underlying asset. 

Today, IG Group has around  360,000 active users across 19 countries, offering an extensive universe of tradable assets—from forex and commodities to stocks and ETFs—to a global audience of traders and investors. 

With licenses in over a dozen countries, including the U.K., the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and Japan, IG stands out as a highly regulated online broker with a strong reputation that it has maintained over the years. The company is the largest CFD provider in the world by revenue. 

In the United States, IG enables its customers to trade forex through its recently rebranded U.S. subsidiary tastyfx. tastyfx charges zero commissions and a 0.8 pip spread on more than 80 currency pairs, with a margin requirement as low as 2%. What’s more, tastyfx offers an intuitive trading platform combined with educational material and responsive customer support. 

Usability

IG provides a user-friendly trading dashboard that stands out for its simplicity despite the richness of itsꦕ features. 

The customizable trading platform can also be accessed using a mobile and tablet application available for Android and iOS, as well as the downloadable third-party desktop trading application MetaTrader 4.  

Trade Experience

IG offers a variety of desktop and mobile-based trading platforms catering to both beginners and more experienced tra💧ders.

Beginners will appreciate the simplicity of IG’s trading dashboards and the basic risk management features su𒐪ch as stop-loss limits and price alerts. 

Experienced traders will appreciate the wide range of tradable assets and investment products combined with features targeted at advanced users, such ꧋as API integrations with third-party charting software like ProRealTime or a Bloomberg Terminal.  

Desktop Trade Experience

Traders and investors who prefer a desktop trading experience will🌼 like what IG offers as its primary trading platform is web-based. You can also download MetaTrader 4 as a desktop꧙ application to access IG’s expanded offering. 

Mobile Trade Experience

IG offer♓s a mobile trading application available for Android and iOS to enable anyone to trade forex and other asset classes on the🀅 go. Additionally, IG also offers a progressive web app that enables you to trade on IG on your mobile-based browser. 

Regulation and Security

IG stands out among its peers as a publicly traded online broker with licenses in over a d✱ozen countries, highlighting the company’s commitment to regulatory compliance.  

IG Group ꦯis licensed to provide specific financial trading s𒐪ervices in Bermuda, the U.K., the U.S., the E.U., Switzerland, Dubai, South Africa, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. 

In its home market, the U.K., IG has two incorporated entities, IG Markets Limited (IGM) and IG Index Limited (IGI), which are both authorized by the FCA. Both entities may deal as principal or agent and execute orders for derivatives and securities. Thanks to the FCA’s client money rules, user funds are not commingled with company funds, adding a layer of security for IG users. IG Markets can also offer discretionary management services to both retail and professional customers i🏅n the U.K. 

Through iꦚts German subsidiary, IG Europe GmbH (IGE), which holds a regulatory license from BaFin and Deutsche Bundesbank, IG is authorized to offer its services to customers in the European Union. 

In the U.S., IG US LLC (IG US) is registered as a retail foreign exchange dealer (RFED) and introducing broker (IB) with the CFTC and is a member of the NFA. Through its U.S. subsidiary tastyfx, IG U.S. offers forex trading services to U.S. residents, ♏with the exception of residents of Arizona and Ohio.

IG also offers negative balance protection, ensuring that its customers can’t lose more th𒁏an they i𓂃nvested on their leverage trading accounts. Unfortunately, this feature is not available to tastyfx customers in the U.S. 

Range of Offerings

IG provides a broad spectrum of over 17,000 tradable instruments globally. While the☂ online broker’s specific offerings vary from region to region, IG’s list of tradable asset classes includes:

• Stocks
• Indices
• Forex
• Cryptocurrencies
• Commodities
• Bonds
• Interest rates

澳洲幸运꧋5官方开奖结果体彩网: IG’s suite of financial products▨ includes:

• Spread betting
• CFDs
• ETFs
• Investment trusts
• Futures
• Options
• Managed portfolios

Order Types

IG offeꦚrs a range of order types to provide its users with flexibility when it comes to trade execution. 

• Limits: A limit order allows you to buy or sell at a specific price or better. 
• Stops: A stop-loss limit order will sell automatically if the price drops below a certain level or buy if it rises above a certain level. 
• Guaranteed stops: A guaranteed stop order executes at the stop price or better. Guaranteed stop orders are not available for U.S. clients.
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Trailing stops: A trailing stop-loss order adjusts the stop price as the asset’s price moves in your favor, typically based on a percentage below or above the prevailing market price.  
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Market orders: A market order buys or sells at the best available market price. 

Using IG’s L2 Dealer advanced trading platform, traders can also execute more sophisticated order types, such as iceberg, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:fill or kill, and good for auction. 

Trading Technology

IG provides a range of trading platforms tailored to different types of experience levels and ဣtrading needs.

Online Trading Platform

The online trading platform is ideal for beginners and anyone looking for a simple web-based tradꦺing dashboard. It’s accessible throu🃏gh the IG website and provides all of the broker’s most important features and functionalities, including charting tools, curated newsfeed, and easy trade execution and position management.

Mobile App

IG also offers a mobile version of its trading dashboard for Android and iOS, which comes with a൩ll the bells and whistles of the online trading platform minus the advanced charting tools available on the browser version. 

Progressive Web App

Traders who want to use IG on the go but prefer not to use the smartphone app can also use IG’s progressive web app accessible🍒 through mobile browsers. Similarly to the mobile app, it offers the same features and functionalities as the web-b♐ased version minus the advanced chart analysis options.  

In addition to its three native applications, IG also offers integrations with third-൲party trading clients, including ProRealTime, MetaTrader 4, and L2 Dealer. 

ProRealTime

ProRealTime is an online charting software and trading platform that allows you to analyze financial markets and trade directly from charts. It's designed for both professional and non-professional traders and offers a variety of markets through its direct integration with your IG trading account. 

Unlike IG’s native trading platforms, ProRealTime allows you to backtest an☂d execute automated trading strategies based on your own algorithms, which makes it a popular t𝄹hird-party tool for experienced traders. 

MetaTrader 4

MetaTrader 4 is a popular online trading platform that enables you to develop and execute automated trading strategies by connecting it to your IG account. The platform is highly customizable and is the go-to option for experienced traders looking to create and deploy algorithmic trading strategies in forex, but also in other asset class𒆙es, such as indices and commodities. 

L2 Dealer

L2 Dealer is a direct market access (DMA) trading platform that allows you to access the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:order books of exchanges from around the world directly from the comfort of your home. In addition to providing access to 17,000-plus tradable markets, L2 Dealer also provides more advanced orders, such as ওfill or kill and iceberg orders, targeting professional traders who require deep liquidity and institutional-level execution. 

Costs 

IG offers competitive fees globally, with spreads as low as 0.6✅ pips for major🌃 FX pairs, 0.8 on leading indices, and 0.1 on commodities. 

While IG does charge🃏 an account inactivity fee, there are no account opening, deposit, or withdraꦉwal fees. 

Commissions on shares vary from region to region, while the overnight funding rate varies depending on asset class. There is also a fee for guaranteed stops (available to clients outside of the U.S.) that als𝓡o depends on the underlying asset. 

IG also offers negative balance protection to ensure that your account can’t go below zero when you are trading with margin. You won’t be charged for this serv💙ice. Unfortunately, tastyfx users in the U.S. can’t benefit from negative balance protection. 

Costs Overview 

Account and Research Amenities

IG ensures that its users remain up to dateꦅ with what’s happening in the global markets via its real-time feed, which you can sort by market, category, country, or keyword. 

What’s more, you can vieꦓw posts from popular commentators and media outlets in the integrated X (formerly Twitter) feed on your dashboard. 

Those who prefer to consume market-moving news in video format will appreciate the daily IGTV coverage of the latest market news and events, which can be accessed in the News s꧂ection of the trading platform. 

Forex Screener

IG doesn’t offer a forex or stock screeneܫr tool on its platform🅺. 

Tools and Calculators

IG offers a CFD trading calculator that explains how 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:contracts for difference work to help beginners understand what they are actually interacting with on IG’s CFD trading platform. It also provid🐲es a forex trading calculator to explain the payoff structure and how much you would make or risk losing given the money you put down o💝n a forex trade. 

Additionally, you can also view an analysis of your trading activity using IG’s Trade analytics tool, where you can look at metrics such as your win rate, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:profit and loss ratio, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:return rate, and more. 

Charting

IG offers user-friendly charts with 32 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:indicators and 19 drawing tools, making 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:technical analysis accessible for traders of all experience levels. Users can also trade directly from the charts, enabling them to make lightning-fast trading decisions when the situation de🥃mands it. 

Users can also integrate ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4 with their IG trading accounts if they prefer more advanced chart analysis tools. ProRealTime comes with a $෴40 monthly fee if you transact less than four times ꦡa month, while MetaTrader 4 is free.  

News

IG’s trading dashboard comes with a newsfeed that you can customize to suit your needs. With feeds from Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, and o🍌thers, IG makes it easy to stay on top of the news flow.

Third-Party Research

IG⛦ provides third-party research and analysis from TipRanks and Autochart🔯ist. 

TipRank ana𒀰lyzes financial data to provide stock market research in a very consumer-friendly manner for retail investors. Autochartist provides trading signals based on chart patterns.

Social and Copy Trading Capabilities

IG doesn’t offer automated social trading like at eToro, where users can copy other users💜’ trades in a fully automated fashion to attempt to repli🔥cate their returns. 

However, IG doe🅰s have a large community of traders who discuss the markets and interact with each other in the community fo🌞rum, adding a social trading aspect.

Funding Methods

IG offers a range of funding methods including debit cards, credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, and more. The🦩 availability of each funding method depen♏ds on your location. 

For example, in the U.S. you can deposit funds into your tastyfx account using a debit card, wire 💃transfer, or ACH transfer. 

Portfolio Analysis

IG’s online trading dashboard is very intuitive and beginner-friendly, showꦇing all the most important metrics related to trading activity, such as open positions, working orders, and trade signals. 

To dig deeper🦂 into your trading activity, however, you have to leave the dashboard and access the Trade Analyt🎃ics section under My IG to gain access to more in-depth analytics for your trading history and portfolio. 

Education

IG provides an excellent suite of educational products through its IG Academy. Users can learn more about the financial markets from the academy’s online courses and liv🃏e webinars. 

Interestingly, the IG Academy doesn’t only help beginners learn how to trade the financial markets, but also provides advanced learning maꦐterials for traders of higher experience levels.   

IG has also managed t☂o build and nurture a community where users can interact and learn from one anoth💃er in its community forums. 

Customer Service

IG puts a lot of emphasis on customer service. In its help and su😼pport center, you can find answers to most of your questions related to the platform, instruments, or markets on offer♓. 

IG also provides support via a telephone hotline 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday, as well as assistance over WhatsApp, 🅠live chat, email, and via a dedicated custꦜomer service account on X (formerly Twitter).  

Online customer sup🔯port i❀s available in multiple languages, catering to IG’s global audience. 

Transparency

IG stands out for b♔eing very transparent abo💮ut its fee structure, making it easy to find how much you can expect to be charged for trading different financial products on the platform. 

The company also provides a risk disclaimer, hig♎hlighting the riskiness of trading CFDs and other assets. IG also highlights on its website exactly how it makes its money, alleviating concerns that the online broker could potentially trade against its clients. Additionally, a section of its website outlines the company’s corporate structure, as well as its status with diff⭕erent regulators.

🍎 In general, IG does an excellent job of providꦫing existing and prospective users with key information, highlighting the company’s commitment to excellent customer service. 

Available Account Types

IG offers personal accountꦺs and corporate accounts. 

A personal account is for retail traders and investors lo🍨oking for an intuitive online trading experience to manage their personal investments. In addition to the personal IG trading account, there is also a professional version, the IG professional account, catering to experienced traders who require less protection, allowing them to make use of additional features. 

Corporate accounts are split into institutional corporate accounts and retail corporate accounts. Institutional corporate ꦿclients benefit from solutions tailored specifically to their needs, while reta🏅il corporate account users are able to trade through a corporate structure even if they are not institutional clients. 

The Bottom Line

IG is an excellent online broker for anyone looking to trade forex or any other major asset class, regardless of their experience level. With competitive spreads, a broad range of tradable assets and investment 🐲products, in-house research and m༒arket updates, and a feature-rich but user-friendly trading dashboard, IG stands out as one of the best online brokers in the industry. 

As a highly regulated financial services company that has been successfully providing trading services for over 50 years, IG has built a reputation as a reliable online broke🥀rage platform that provides everything you ꧂need to access the global markets as an individual or corporate investor. 

Compare IG to Similar Forex Brokers

How We Chose the Best Brokers for Forex Trading

Our commitment to providing unbiased, comprehensive 𝄹reviews of forex brokers is rooted in extensive research and expert analysis. We evaluated 18 forex brokers based on rigorous criteria, focusing on key aspects such as regulatory oversight, costs, trading experience, and available offerings. Our methodology ensures that our recommendations are based on reliable data and a thorough understanding of the industry.

To gather data, we sent a questionnaire to each of the 18 brokers, covering multiple areas critical to a forex trader's experience. Our researchers and editors verified the responses and supplemented the data with additional online research and direct communication with each broker. This research was conducted between May 13 and July 30, 2024, ensuring that our evaluations reflect current information.

Our proprietary scoring model evaluated each broker across 11 major categories and 73 weighted criteria, plus an additional 15 non-weigh♉ted criteria. The overall ratings are a weighted average oꦦf the weighted criteria, ensuring a balanced and fair assessment.

Some brokers also demonstrated their platforms live via videoconferencing, and our experts conducted hands-on testing with live accounts to further validate the platforms' functionality and user experience. This comprehensive approach allows us to present an unbiased, detailed review of today's best forex brokers.

For more information, read our full 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:methodology explanation.