CMC Markets

I can't really say anything good about them except that when they screw up (which happens more often than it should) they occasionaly are prepared to acknowledge it and credit in your favour.

I mostly trade major FX pairs with them, I see a lot of bad spike data on minor FX and on stocks

maybe they are the best of a bad bunch? Who knows

They are worth a look for their unique software platform and wide range of markets.

Note- I have been using them for 2+ years, and made hundreds of trades and I haven't lost the money in my account with them, so this is not a sour-grapes review, it's just honest.

Rating: 5/10

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CMC Markets is a nightmare! since I signed up 1 month ago I have been loosing on allmost every single trade I made, but I can't really say Im a good investor, Im a beginner right, but I am constantly trying to improve my self, but to loose on 98% of all positons is way off the probability, technically I have a 50% chance since the price either can go up or down, and I did allways enter on favorable positions, doubble tops and bottoms, head and shoulder patterns and reverse, triangles, etc, anyway, by knowing these strategies, I don't think I am that bad, their spread is too wide and it seems impossible to make any money unless you hit something that will hit the roof, I feel they have constantly been working against me since I signed up, a lot of re-qoutes when you are trying to get out at a limit price when the cource has reversed, if you choose market price they will sell way off underprice, further, their software sux, I had to stop using the desktop version because it frooze on me several times, and it is a real hog, eats all my Ram away, the web version doesn't offer much. if you are looking for a good broker make sure they have DMA (Direct market access) CMC Markets don't, they should be avoided at all costs!

Rating: 1/10

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I've been using CMC for CFD trading of US stocks for about 9 months and have not had a live CFD with any other broker, so I can't compare them to another broker. I only use the MarketMaker platform and it perform OK without the slow downs that some others have reported. The PCs that I use MarketMaker on are quite modest, Athlon 3000 processor with 2GB ram. With MarketMaker I can put several charts on two monitors, but I could not see how to do that with the CMC web trading software so I don't use it - and it just looks naff anyway.

A particular problem is with setting a stop loss. The rule is that stops have to be at least twice the spread plus 1 point away from the current price, but even when I try to place a stop well outside that limit the software complains that there is insufficient distance from the price. The process of repeatedly setting the stop is too cumbersome, but if I keep trying then often the stop will be accepted. I contacted CMC about this problem and the person who responded stated that he could set a stop with no problem. As a result I rarely try to set a hard stop and rely on a manual exit instead.

The representation of OHLC bars on charts is abysmal as the bars are too thin. Again I contacted CMC about this and there has not been any change, so I just use candles.

When placing a market order of 200 or more shares the order can often just sit there not being actioned for several seconds. Often it will be quicker to close out a large position in lots of 100 shares at a time.

The ONE good thing about CMC is that there is no minimum commision, so when learning to trade you can trade as few shares as is wished, the smallest amount I have traded is just 10.

The charts supplied by CMC have the usual indicators but only those that are derived from price. There is no volume data or any form of scanning tools to locate fast moving stocks for example. So if you want a better chance to trade successfully then its necessary to supplement CMC charts with other data sources.

Its dissapointing to me that CMC are developing their next generation charting rather than providing those additional tools that will really help me, and in turn help them to keep me as a client.

Rating: 5/10

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I was recently notified that CMC will be closing thier old Platform end of this month. Ive delayed and delayed transferring my accoun to the new platform, simply becuase one the sinlg biggest issues traders face is being familiar with the tool they use.

I finally found the time to log into next generation, only to find it has at present only a fraction of the instruments to trade as the old platform did. My question to CMC Markets was "How can a platform be better, if it only has a fraction of the instruments?" No answer was really forthcoming. This has no prompted me to look at other platforms

Rating: 4/10

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CMC is perfect for trades lasting seconds or minutes, as they have chart time ranges down to 1 second, which run properly, and offer 0.7 on the DJIA (2 points on IG) and same on FTSE and DAX. Also their 0.7 Dow runs from 7am (IG are 4 pts until 2.30pm when it opens for real). I love this, and do a lot of my index trading on CMC.

Bad points, their US share list is somewhat limited, and their web interface looks like an XBox or PS3 video game, unlike IG and Barclays, which look like a spreadsheet. Also for some reason, their web software times out are a very short time (seems like about a minute) especially if it on a browser tab you are not viewing, whereas IG and Barclays run for hours and hours. The displays use more screen up, and the colour schemes are horrible. Doesn't affect money though which is the main thing.

Overall, the best company for indices day trading. IG are the best overall (IMHO)

Rating: 7/10

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I can't see anything 'Next Generation' about it - lots of slippage and spreads mostly wider than their 'headline' spreads - clumsy, limited platform.

Rating: 1/10

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Deal4free (CMC) was the first spreadbet broker I signed up with back in the day, and I picked them purely for the quoted small spreads. Please don't make my mistake and think all your losses are beginners poor judgement and bad luck, these guys really are out to bleed you dry. Requotes and desperately slow execution to way off the quote prices were the norm, also OCO's didn't (e.g. one-keeps-open), positions would close without getting anywhere near stops, and limits wouldn't be honoured. They even de-listed a company I was betting on and didn't tell anyone, so I had to chase them up to get it closed. Also the MarketMaker software would freeze at inopportune times for no apparent reason. They hated scalpers, or loved them...not sure which, but they wouldn't stop you quick trading they'd just wait to see if you ended up in the money or out. If you were making money then the fun would begin.
I'm sure they'll say things are different now but so long as the same people are at the helm they'll not change that much. They'll never get another penny of mine anyway (if you want a tip: full positions on Prospeads and mini punts on IG, works for me anyway). Last time I logged on with them was a few years ago, I took a look at Activision Blizzard on their new charts. If you wanted to go short it looked like a hedgehog … spikes all over, if you wanted to go long it looked like a comb. That kind of price manipulation is criminal. ...AVOID!

Rating: 1/10

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have a been with CMC for a few years now.
Good points till they launched this new platform
- good spreads
- minimal slippage
- generally mirror the market

With the new platform - there are lot of issues
- you cannot use multiple monitors to keep an eye on multiple charts and watchlists
- if you want to view the chart full size - then you can't view the watchlists etc.
- you cannot even open multiple charts for the same instrument
- no. of instruments available are much lesser than market maker
- data is unstable and incorrect at times
- order ticket and stop loss placing though are much better - but you again can't palce an order off a full size chart - you have reduce its size to get the order ticket to fit in the window.
- overall a major disappointment as it looks to be catering for "mobile traders" on ipad, iphone etc. - which i guess attracts more novice and "want to get rich quick" kind of traders

Will be moving my account to another provider - probably FXCM or TradeStation

Rating: 2/10

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