No deposit bonus

yes, i used them for a year or so, they have fixed spreads on the major indices and currency pairs, no conditions apply apart from the usual bumf, easy to use platform etc...
 
nice what i didnt like is that statement below the offer which says losses may exceed deposits,.. i will have a look on there terms and conditions. Thank you for the recommendation though Mike.
 
nice what i didnt like is that statement below the offer which says losses may exceed deposits

This is "statutory wording". Since it happens to be true (something to be aware of), they're legally obliged to point it out to you.
 
Just to add on to what Alexa has said, imo, things like negative balance protection, guaranteed stops etc are things i would be looking more closer at as opposed to a free bonus. Remember, this is a business and a risky one at that, you can accumulate huge losses within minutes and a broker will take legal action to recover those losses, its not a game..
 
If you are looking for a spread betting broker activtrades is the only spreadbetting broker I've come across that provides negative balance protection. They also insure your capital up to £500k instead of the standard £50k.
 
Thanks Mike and Alexa for clarifying, malcr001 i have already checked them they seem nice but i read a few bad things on other forums regarding them any experience ?
 
Thanks Mike and Alexa for clarifying, malcr001 i have already checked them they seem nice but i read a few bad things on other forums regarding them any experience ?

The negatives seem to be that they are a market maker and don't have the best execution times. In general all the spread betting brokers I've come across have a lot of bad feedback but activtrades doesn't come off too bad from what I've read but this simply may be because they aren't as large as it's competitors. These days I'm leaning more towards CFD brokers but wanted to point out activtrades as they offer decent client protection.
 
i see thank you for sharing your knowledge, do you mind if i ask you why do you lean towards CFD brokers nowadays ?
 
The negatives seem to be that they are a market maker and don't have the best execution times. In general all the spread betting brokers I've come across have a lot of bad feedback but activtrades doesn't come off too bad from what I've read but this simply may be because they aren't as large as it's competitors. These days I'm leaning more towards CFD brokers but wanted to point out activtrades as they offer decent client protection.

What kind of protection are you talking about? NBP? If your broker offers NBP I would steer clear from it as reputable one would never venture that feature especially in highly-leveraged market.
 
i see thank you for sharing your knowledge, do you mind if i ask you why do you lean towards CFD brokers nowadays ?

Too much conflict of interest for me, SB brokers and their traders are true counterparties and considering the broker controls the data you base your trades on, can delay the price feed as well as requote you the broker has the edge over you. Some of the above applies to CFD brokers too but it depends on the type of broker but in general the reviews of SB brokers are bad which hasn't filled me with a lot of confidence. Trading is tough enough as it is.

What kind of protection are you talking about? NBP? If your broker offers NBP I would steer clear from it as reputable one would never venture that feature especially in highly-leveraged market.

NBP and protection of client funds up to 500k instead of the standard 50k.
 
Nice explanation malcr001 although i agree with your reasoning, would you advise me as a not so experienced trader to focus more on CFD trading ?
 
Nice explanation malcr001 although i agree with your reasoning, would you advise me as a not so experienced trader to focus more on CFD trading ?

CFD brokers and Spread bet brokers are very similar. Actually quite often they are the same firm (think of IG Index (S/B) and IG Markets (CFD) )

Both a CFD and a Spread bet are synthetic products that are derived from an exchange that actually physically delivers something whether that be a foreign exchange of currency or transfer of stock ownership.

When you trade either a CFD or a Spread bet product you are betting on the difference in pips between your open price and closing price multiplied by the size of your bet. Your bet size is determined in either units of currency per point movement (spreadbet) or Lot sizes (CFD) which are multiples of a notional trade amount (eg, 1 lot of EURUSD = €100k notional = $10 per point)

The advantage of a spreadbet is unique to the UK in terms of it being a tax free product for most of the participants. there is a misconception that trading a product as a CFD gives you a spread advantage because you are trading directly on to the exchange or with professional counterparties and that's not correct.

You may find a CFD provider who gives you raw spreads plus comm but you may find a spreadbet provider who offers you something better.

Don't dismiss a spreadbet because you think a CFD is better until you compare the CFD offering with the spreadbet offering. There are plenty of spreadbet products and firms that offer better conditions than some CFD providers (and vice versa)
 
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