Thanks Pazienza. This goes for Black Swan as well but if you don't mind me asking, which brokers do you use? Cheers.
Believe it or not (and this is not a criticism, because I understand why you're asking) that is not a useful question to ask. There are so many variables and it really comes down to what broker / bucket shop suits you best. What do you trade, what size, what style, do you want to spread bet, etc etc.
For example, I don't trade forex and I don't scalp. So things that would be an issue for someone that does are not an issue for me.
I would not recommend anybody therefore, but just for the sake of giving you some names:
In terms of bucket shops, I think IG are fine, I've certainly never had any problems and the platform / spreads / charting is plenty good enough for me. If you're reasonably active and trade goodish size Prospreads are worth a look too, a (sort of) DMA / spread bet hybrid. But they won't be any good for you if you're trading 2 lots a week for example.
For a proper all round broker, IB is probably a good choice - I like them anyway. For futures there are lots of good ones, Velocity for example.
If you're trading forex and need serious granularity, Alpari are OK I think, but I've just got that second hand. As you move up, you'll probably want to consider something more serious, although like I say I've got no interest in forex.
These are just opinions, other people will no doubt say that IG hunted their stops, IB has got terrible customer service, Velocity are blah blah blah. You really need to investigate them and see which is most suitable for you. There are plenty to choose from so (and this is important) if you don't like what you're getting, just move.
Just be sure that your complaints are legitimate and that you understand how markets work. Things like slippage do happen legitimately, for example, it's not necessarily your broker trying to screw you.
