FXCM vs IC Markets

FXCM or IC Markets?

Low spreads or ECN execution?

• Written by Marcus Taylor
• Founder & CEO

If you’re a trader looking for a broker with low spreads on popular instruments like EUR/USD, FXCM is likely a better option. However, if you want a broker with ECN execution, IC Markets may be more appropriate.

Which broker is more reliable?

You can determine a broker’s reliability & trustworthiness by looking at eight factors:

• Who are they regulated by?
• How long have they been around for?
• Do they hold your money in a separate bank account?
• Do they use reputable “tier-1” banks like Barclays, Goldman Sachs or HSBC?
• Have they been fined or penalised in the last five years?
• The popularity of their service/website
• Are they publicly listed?
• Where are they located?

Based on these eight factors, we consider FXCM to be the more reliable broker. We’ve broken down why below:

Who are they regulated by?

FXCM is regulated by Financial Conduct Authority, while IC Markets is regulated by ASIC.

Pepperstone are also regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

How long have they been around for?

If a broker has been around for a long period of time, they’re likely to be more reliable (in comparison, most scam brokers only exist for several years before they disappear).

This also suggests that a broker has good risk management processes that have prevented them being caught out by major financial events, as was the case with Alpari UK going bust when they were there was a policy reversal of capping the Swiss Franc against the Euro.

FXCM has been around for 21 years, while IC Markets have been around for 13 years. Our third alternative broker, Pepperstone, have been around for 10 years.

Do they hold your money in a separate bank account?

You wouldn’t want your broker paying their staff out of the same bank account account that you’re depositing your trading funds into, would you?

Fortunately, all regulated brokers must use segregated bank accounts to hold client money. This is one of the reasons why we only feature regulated brokers here on BrokerNotes.

All three brokers above will hold your money in a separate bank account.

Do they use reputable “tier-1” banks like Barclays, Goldman Sachs or HSBC?

Most tier-1 banks like Barclays and HSBC have been around for over 100 years and manage trillions of dollars of assets, proving that they have stood the test of time.

Both FXCM and IC Markets use tier one banks, but we are not sure of which bank specifically.

Have they been fined or penalised in the last five years?

If a broker has been penalised by a regulator in the past five years, it may mean that they were caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing - which may be of concern to you as an end client.

We’re not aware of any penalties or fines imposed by regulators on FXCM or IC Markets in the past five years.

How popular is their service/website?

While not always the case, the number of traders a broker has can be a good metric for understanding how reputable a brokers is.

Are they publicly listed?

Companies that are publicly listed on a stock exchange tend to be considered more reputable as they will be required to disclose their financials, and aspects of their operations, to the public.

FXCM is a publicly listed company, while on the other hand IC Markets is still a privately owned company.

Where are they located?

Most reputable brokers tend to be headquartered in a major capital city or a financial hub such as Cyprus.

FXCM are based in NY, USA, while IC Markets are based in Sydney, Australia .

Do they offer the features you need?

Assuming the brokers you’re choosing between are reputable, the next point to consider is whether they offer all of the features you require to trade.

This can be broken down into three categories:

• Services & instruments
• Platforms & account types
• Trading features, risk management tools & funding methods

Services and Instruments

If you’re looking to trade currency pairs, both FXCM and IC Markets offer forex trading. IC Markets have a slightly larger variety of currency pairs with 60 pairs, compared to 39 offered by FXCM. Also, if you’re looking to trade cryptocurrencies, IC Markets offers a handful of cryptocurrency CFDs to trade, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.

If you’re looking to trade commodities like gold, silver or oil, FXCM may be a better fit as IC Markets does not offer commodity trading.

FXCM and IC Markets both offer social trading, which is a modern approach to trading that allows you to follow like-minded traders, copy their trading activity, and engage in discussion around trading strategies.

Platforms & Account Types

If you trade forex, there’s a good chance you might want a broker that offers the popular MT4 trading platform. If that’s the case, both FXCM and IC Markets offer this. IC Markets also offer the new & improved MT5 platform. Our alternative broker, Pepperstone, also offers MT4 and MT5.

In addition to the platform, you’ll also want to ensure that the broker you choose offers the account type best suited to your needs.

Trading features, risk management tools & funding methods

If you have a certain trading style (e.g. scalping, hedging, or using EAs), you’ll want to double check that the broker you choose allows this, as not all of them do.

FXCM does allow scalping and hedging. While IC Markets also allows scalping and hedging. You can trade with EAs (expert advisors) on both FXCM and IC Markets.

In terms of risk management tools, neither FXCM or IC Markets offers negative balance protection. Negative balance protection prevents you owing your broker more than you’ve deposited.

FXCM also offer stop losses, limit orders, and price alerts to help you automate aspects of your trading strategy.

FXCM accept Payoneer while IC Markets accept Paypal.

Are they affordable for what you need?

Comparing the fee structures of different brokers can be a minefield at times. The important thing to consider is what the spreads & fees are on the specific instruments and account type that you will be using.

For trading EUR/USD, FXCM charges 0.30 points, while IC Markets charges 0.00 points. Therefore, IC Markets is the more affordable for this instrument. If you want to compare their spreads across more instruments, You can jump back up to our comparison of their currency pair & indice spreads above.

Another consideration is whether or not your broker charges inactivity, deposit/withdrawal fees, or commissions on trades. If you’re a frequent trader, inactivity fees are unlikely to be an issue.

The Verdict: FXCM or IC Markets?

There’s no such thing as a perfect broker, but some are going to be a better fit for you than others.

Objectively, FXCM is more reliable based on our criteria above. FXCM has a wider range of instruments to trade. IC Markets offer lower spreads on popular forex instruments like EUR/USD and are used by more traders.

Both brokers offer demo accounts, allowing you to test their platforms to see which is suitable for you. You can test drive their demos using the links below:

• Try FXCM’s demo account
• Try IC Markets’s demo account
• Try Pepperstone’s demo account

Finally, if you’re really not sure you can always use our free tool (takes 15 seconds) that will help you find a suitable broker based on your precise requirements here.