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19 March 2024: US and global stock averages rebounded Monday led by Alphabet, with Apple in talks with Google, re their Gemini AI; focus now on a possible hike from the Bank of Japan Tuesday, then the Fed dot plot chart Wednesday
James West

James West

Editor

Having started his online career back in 2005, over the years, James has written for scores of websites, covering online poker, eSports, Forex trading, binary options, and digital ledger technology - among other verticals.

Writing under different pen names and sometimes his real name, he provided articles for sites such as Mforex.com, Fxempire.com, Daytrading.com, echofin.co, Brainyforex.com and totalcrypto.io

His recent work has been focused almost entirely on the cryptocurrency space, covering emerging technologies, trading, technical analysis, and industry trends.

He wrote for Cyprobriefing and he is currently one of the in-house writers at BitcoinMarketJournal.com


ActivTrades Review

ActivTrades is a global CFD broker that maintains physical offices in many corners of the world. It currently provides trading services under the regulatory umbrella of five of the world’s top trading jurisdictions. The main selling points of the broker are the exhaustive selection of CFDs it offers and the excellent trading conditions on these … Continued

Intermediate

What MiCA is and What It Means for Crypto

The Markets in Crypto Assets is the EU’s regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Through it, the European Union aims to centralize regulations governing the issuance and sale of digital assets, including bitcoin and various other cryptocurrencies. In addition to replacing a patchwork of national crypto regulations, MiCA will also clarify the playing field … Continued

Beginner

Is Forex Trading Profitable in the UK? Understanding the Potential and Risks

Forex trading, also known as foreign exchange trading or currency trading, involves buying and selling currencies with the aim of profiting from the fluctuating exchange rates.  The forex market is the largest and most liquid financial market globally, with significant trading volumes each day.  As with any form of trading, the profitability of forex trading … Continued

Beginner

Ordinals – NFTs Come to Bitcoin

The NFT craze ran its course over the last couple of years on Ethereum, where smart contracts enabled people to attribute unique digital signatures to off-chain pictures of monkeys and lions. Some of the resulting jpeg images sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in a flare-up of frenzy reminiscent of other crypto-driven fads like … Continued

BCH GBP

Bitcoin cash (BCH) is a second-tier cryptocurrency, in the sense that according to Coinmarketcap, it is currently only the 30th biggest cryptocurrency by market cap. The British Pound is a fiat currency major, but it doesn’t have the weight of the USD and the EUR in the global financial markets. That considered, the BCH/GBP crypto/fiat … Continued

BCH USD

Despite the popularity of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the BCH/USD pair is not one of the crypto/fiat majors. Forked off the bitcoin blockchain in 2017, in response to the Segwit upgrade, the BCH/USD pair gained some traction in the bull market but dropped significantly afterward. Its supporters see BCH as a store of value and a … Continued

Capital.com Review

Capital.com is a CFD broker with a decent regulatory profile and a proprietary web trading platform that serves beginners and experienced traders equally well.  According to the About Us page of the broker, the purpose of the operation is to help regular people gain access to the markets only accredited investors could trade in the … Continued

Khwezi Trade Review

Khwezi Trade is a South Africa-focused online FX and CFD brokerage. It is an STP broker using the MT4 platform as the backbone of its operation. Khwezi Trade is a “division of Khwezi Financial Services.” Khwezi Financial Services is a company registered and licensed in South Africa, founded in 2013. The website of the company … Continued

Oanda Review

Founded in 1996, Oanda is way more than a run-of-the-mill online CFD brokerage. The operation advertises that it does “all things currency”. What this means in practical terms is that its services cover the following. FX and exchange rate data services. A currency converter that major corporations, tax authorities, and auditing firms use around the … Continued

OvalX Review

With its roots reaching back to 1965, OvalX is one of the oldest and best-established online brokerages offering spread betting and CFD trading. The operation started out dealing in mortgage bonds and later expanded into stocks and financial derivatives. The retail derivatives trading side of the brokerage took off in 2002. First called TradIndex, it … Continued

CoinMama Review

Coinmama may not be a cryptocurrency exchange in the traditional sense of the concept. But it is an online spot where those interested in joining the crypto craze can buy and sell their digital assets quickly and fuss-free. That said, Coinmama does require account verification, and to use its services, you will have to deliver … Continued

FBS Review

Launched in 2009, FBS is an online Forex broker with more than 12 years of experience under its belt. Over its decade-long existence, the broker picked up many industry awards for various aspects/components of its operation, such as the Best IB Program, the Best Safety of Client Funds, the Best Investor Education, etc. The numbers … Continued

CMC Markets Review

CMC Markets is one of the oldest and best-regulated providers of online CFD trading and spread betting services. The founder of the brokerage is Peter Andrew Cruddas, who set up the operation back in 1989. Cruddas is a well-known philanthropist, political personality, and one of the richest people in London. He has a more than … Continued

Trade Nation Review

At first glance, Trade Nation may seem like a brand new online brokerage, launched in 2020. There are few reviews of it and no user feedback through any of the regular channels. That said, the operation has been around for quite a while under a different name. Between 2014 and 2019, Trade Nation used to … Continued

StormGain Review

Stormgain does not allow UK traders StormGain is a well-regarded, cryptocurrency-focused online trading and learning destination that acts as a portal for cryptocurrency investments. Through StormGain, users can buy cryptocurrencies, store them in their online wallets, exchange them, trade them, and mine them through a cloud-mining option. If you do not know the StormGain brand, … Continued

BlackBull Markets Review

Founded in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2014, BlackBull Markets has racked up a fair amount of experience over the past six years. It is a true ECN, no dealing desk broker, looking to deliver an institutional-level trading experience to retail clients. How does this objective translate to the real world through what BlackBull Markets offers? … Continued

VT Markets Review

Based in Australia, VTMarkets is a member of Vantage International Group Limited, together with brokers such as KlimexCM.com and VantageFX.com. Launched in 2016, VTMarkets is hardly a new operation. That said, it has thus far failed to accrue much relevant feedback from its users. This lack of trader feedback is peculiar, to say the least. … Continued

Skilling Review

Skilling is an online FX/CFD brokerage of Scandinavian pedigree. Launched in 2016, it is a relatively new broker. At first glance, its main selling point seems to be transparency. Unlike some of its shadier peers, it lays all of its cards on the table from the very beginning. Its founders do not attempt to hide … Continued

Tickmill Review

Founded in 2014, Tickmill is a fairly standard regulated online trading destination. The broker has been around for a while and that means it has accrued relevant trader feedback. It is an NDD broker, meaning that it does not use a dealing desk. The broker boasts more than a quarter-million registered trading accounts. Let us … Continued

Moneta Markets Review

Moneta Markets is a Forex/CFD brokerage which has not yet accrued significant direct user feedback. It is a member of the Vantage International Group, together with other online trading destinations such as VantageFX and VTMarkets. Many of these other group members have less-than-savory reputations among the trading public. The user complaints about the services of … Continued

FXCM Review

FXCM is a currency, CFD trading, and spread betting brokerage established in 1999. As such, it has an enormous amount of experience under its belt. There is no shortage of user feedback regarding FXCM’s services. The brokerage is licensed and regulated in three jurisdictions. It is thus entitled to deliver trading services in an impressive … Continued

PrimeXBT Review

PrimeXBT is an interesting and quite quirky online FX/crypto/commodities/indices CFD trading destination. Unlike most other actors in this space, it does indeed bring something new and unique to the table. Besides its well-defined and attractive main selling point, PrimeXBT has other strengths like its reputation. Thus far, the overwhelming majority of the user feedback concerning … Continued

FXVC Review

As online CFD brokers go, FXVC is a rather peculiar operation. On the one hand, the broker uses a proprietary, browser-based trading platform. This is not common practice these days. Some would consider the lack of an MT4 or MT5 option worrying. On the other hand, there is not much user feedback available on the … Continued

ATFX Review

As of November 30th ATFX does not allow retail traders.ATFX is a brand of branches providing CFD/forex trading services within the global financial consortium, AT Group. ATFX (UK) started as a FX/CFD broker in 2017 and has quickly risen to notoriety due to the company’s well-tailored offerings of competitive spreads and zero commissions, across a … Continued

CMTrading Review

Advertised as “your local international broker” CMTrading is an FX/CFD broker based in South Africa. The true reputation of this operator is difficult to establish. On the one hand, affiliated reviewers have posted scores of positive feedback on it. On the other hand, there are some rather heavy scam allegations floating around the search results … Continued

XTB Review

XTB is a relatively small Forex/CFD brokerage. It has 170,000 clients worldwide. What it lacks in weight, it makes up in reputation, however. This is not empty talk either. We took a look at some of the popular consumer protection/feedback sites before drawing this conclusion. At one of these sites, the operation has earned a … Continued

Tradeview Review

Tradeview Forex is an online Forex/CFD stockbroker, launched in 2004. That makes the operation 17 this year. This sort of longevity is impressive in and of itself in this industry. What is more impressive about the broker is the fact that its users still have an overwhelmingly positive opinion about its services to this day. … Continued

Alpari Review

A well-known FX broker based in Mauritius, Alpari is one of the oldest players of the scene. It has racked up some 20 years worth of experience and it has served more than 2 million customers through good and bad. As far as its regulatory status is concerned, Alpari’s case is a little shaky these … Continued

Copper

Copper is a reddish/gold metal, which is relatively abundant on Earth. The physical and chemical characteristics of this metal make it one of the most needed commodities for various modern industries. Copper is malleable and ductile. It is an excellent conductor of electricity (though it is not up to par with Silver and Gold in … Continued

USD CNY Rate

Despite China’s economy being on course to become the biggest in the world, the USD/CNY pair is usually not counted as a major currency pair. This may be due to the fact that it is not traded as much as some of the majors. The USD/CNY pair showcases the value of the US dollar against … Continued

BDSwiss Forex Broker Review

Launched in 2012, BDSwiss may not be an industry veteran yet. But over its relatively brief existence, it has registered massive growth, becoming one of Europe’s most trusted, and popular online brokerages. It has not all been smooth sailing for BDSwiss though…Its growth from some 130,000 processed transactions in 2012, to more than 9 million … Continued

EverFX Review

EverFX’s current global corporate model seems to be confusing for many. There are two websites out there, both pushing the same online FX/CFD deals and the same EverFX brand: everfx.com and everfxglobal.com. Some people seem to think that everfx.com is where the broker used to operate, before it moved to everfxglobal.com. Here’s what is really … Continued

Axi Forex Broker Review

Launched in 2007 in Australia, Axi is one of the oldest actors of the online Fx/CFD trading scene. Axi is well regulated and it seems to enjoy a decent reputation among actual users. In addition to its Australian headquarters (located at Level 10, 90 Arthur Street, North Sydney, 2060, Australia), the broker maintains regional offices … Continued

ThinkMarkets Forex Broker Review

Established in 2010, ThinkMarkets has its act together in regards to regulation and pretty much every other operational aspect too. ThinkMarkets is based in Australia, but it maintains offices in other parts of the world as well. Its second headquarters are located in London. In addition to that, the company is present in Europe, the … Continued

HYCM Fx/CFD Broker Review

Regulation is usually a sensitive issue with online FX/CFD providers. Many such operators seem to try to avoid the matter altogether when advertising their products. Not so HYCM. Launched in 1977 in the UK and still headquartered there, HYCM has made regulation its focus apparently. The broker does not accept traders from the US. Outside … Continued

Vantage Review

Vantage is one of Australia’s top Forex/CFD brokers, regulated by ASIC, CIMA and the FCA. Some may be confused by the fact that the broker’s international site used to list CIMA as its only regulator and the Cayman Islands as its sole headquarters. The confusion was caused by ASIC’s moves to prevent Australian brokers from … Continued

Finq.com Review 2023

FxExplained does not recommend this broker! Finq is an FX/CFD brokerage that’s regulated in the Seychelles. Finq.com targets traders in Asia, India and South Africa. It offers a high leverage, a very good selection of tradable assets, a minimum deposit of $100 and an extremely nice welcome bonus of up to $4000. Launched in 2017, … Continued

Trade.com

Founded in 2009, Trade.com is an online Forex/CFD brokerage based, regulated and licensed in Cyprus. While at first glance the brokerage seems to be a fair and honest operation, digging up some user feedback on it will unearth some unsettling details. There was apparently at least one person, who took advantage of a slip-up on … Continued

NordFX Review

NordFX is, at first glance, a fairly run-of-the-mill online FX/CFD broker. NordFX is regulated in a rather impressive number of jurisdictions and it offers a fair selection of tradable assets. NordFX also has some special tricks up its sleeves. The broker used to offer a RAMM account option, but this is no longer mentioned anywhere … Continued

Forex.com Review

Forex.com might just be the perfect online FX/CFD provider… The brokerage has many things going: its URL, the fact that it accepts traders from the US (and that it is indeed one of the top options for online Forex trading for US-based traders), and its regulatory profile, which is indeed quite outstanding. Still, the factor … Continued

Alvexo Review

Alvexo was recently founded in 2014 and is owned and operated as a brand of Cyprus-based VPR Safe Financial Group Limited. The CySEC regulated company has its headquarters in Limassol, and its official website can be found at www.alvexo.com. A screenshot of its welcome page appears below: From a regulatory perspective, Alvexo is regulated by … Continued

Markets.com Review

With deep knowledge, start-of-the-art technology, and dedicated support, Markets.com is regarded as a leader in the world of financial trading and offers Forex and CFD trading via their Markets.com sub-brand. Markets.com has been around since 2008, giving access to its Forex and CFDs in a regulated manner, from their Cyprus headquarters. The operation features a … Continued

CAPEX.com Review

2023-09-01: Capex does not allow traders from UK! The CAPEX.com forex broker review summarizes that CAPEX.com is regulated by CySEC, has very high safety standards, offers perfectly capable trading platforms in WebTrader and MetaTrader 5 and several account options as well as tight spreads and a great support, however only open 24/5. CAPEX.com is a great … Continued

Pepperstone Forex Broker Review

Pepperstone is a global Forex and CFD broker, which – among its standard selection of tradable assets – features cryptocurrencies as well, like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Dash. That’s far from being Pepperstone’s main selling point though. The brokerage Pepperstone offers a superb selection of trading platforms and account types that will fulfill the needs … Continued

MultiBank Exchange Group Review

Launched way back in 2005, in California, Multibank Exchange Group has grown into one of the largest and most solid Forex and CFD brokerages, by volume and capitalization. Indeed, the advantages offered by MultiBank Exchange Group are numerous, their trading platforms are solid, and their product selection is more than decent. The operator boasts paid … Continued

FXGiants Review

FXGiants is another major regulated Forex and CFD brokerage, which ended up with a nasty reputation after a 2015 series of debacles. To this day, there are many user complaints online about the operation, most focused on how FXGiants make it difficult for their clients to withdraw funds, while making it extremely easy for them … Continued

IronFX Review

Launched in 2010, IronFX has a long history behind it. Unfortunately, not all of that history is something the operator can be proud of. Around 2015, problems surfaced in the way the brokerage was treating its clients. Eventually, the issues were sorted out, when IronFX reached a settlement with CySEC, its regulator and licensing authority. … Continued

FP Markets Review

FP Markets is an online CFD/Forex broker we can indeed, whole-heartedly, recommend to retail traders, because its market coverage is superb, its trading platforms are solid and it is licensed by one of the world’s most exigent financial authorities. We have to add though that FP Markets is much more than that. It offers a … Continued

Libertex Review

LIBERTEX DOES NOT ACCEPT UK TRADERS ANYMORE Libertex is the brand for the brokerage division and trading platform of Indication Investments Ltd, The company was founded in 2015 and now offers its clients online brokerage services in forex, soft commodities, oil and natural gas, stocks, indexes, and precious metals. The Libertex Group currently has 2.2 … Continued

Swiss Markets Review

Swiss Markets began as a brand in 2016 and was originally part of the BDSwiss Holding PLC group, which was founded in 2012. Swiss Markets was founded with the vision of creating a competitive environment for its clients where they could reliably and securely execute trades in multiple markets via an STP or Straight Through … Continued

City Index Review

City Index dates back to 1983 when it began operation as one of the first spread betting companies in the United Kingdom. In 2001, it started offering Contracts for Difference to clients, and in 2005, City Index acquired spread betting competitor Finspreads that had been active online since 1999. From a regulatory perspective, City Index’s … Continued

USD ZAR

USD/ZAR – Live and Historical Rates The pairing of the USD with the ZAR (South African Rand) is one of a major currency and a non-major one. It is indeed quite obvious that the major is the USD. The resulting pair is not a commodity pair, nor is it a major one. The chart featured … Continued

Trade360 Review

Founded in 2013, Trade360 is a registered trade name of MPF Global Markets Ltd. Based in Limassol, Cyprus, the company is authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 202/13 and also has offices in the United Kingdom. In addition, Trade360 is approved by regulatory organizations in Europe and the … Continued

FxPro Review

FxPro has been one of the best forex brokers since its founding in 2006. The company has a broad client base, high volume turnover, and a global presence serving customers in more than 150 countries around the world, although the company does not accept U.S. based clients at this time. FxPro UK Limited is regulated … Continued

FXTM Review 2023

FXTM is a licensed and well regulated broker with an impressive list of awards. FXTM offers many different payment methods, tight spreads, PAMM accounts, trading in all currency pairs as well as a wide range of other financial products and derivatives and a minimum deposit of $10. FXTM or ForexTime is owned and managed by … Continued

eToro Review

This content does not apply to US customers. Founded in 2006 by brothers Yoni and Ronen Assia and David Ring, eToro is based in Tel Aviv, Israel and was established with the vision of creating a financial investment platform for everyone. The company currently boasts more than 15 million users from over 170 countries, who … Continued

easyMarkets Review

easyMarkets was originally founded as easyForex in 2001 but changed its name when it expanded its product offerings to include other asset classes. By 2013, the company had grown to have more than 100,000 active traders using its trading platform to amass over $1.5 trillion in accumulated trade turnover in its first decade in business. … Continued

OctaFX Review

OctaFX does not accept UK clients anymore. OctaFX is a quite recently formed Straight Through Processing (STP) ECN forex broker. OctaFX offers both the MetaTrader and cTrader platforms, all major currency pairs and commodities, leverage 1:500, and a minimum deposit of $5. OctaFX has been operating since 2011 out of its main center in Jakarta, … Continued

Plus500 Review

Plus500 is an online multi-asset broker that presently offers a wide range of Contracts for Difference or CFDs for its clients on over 2,800 underlying assets such as Forex, Options, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies(Availability subject to regulation). It is operated in Europe by Plus500CY Ltd., which has its base offices situated in Limassol, Cyprus and is regulated … Continued

HotForex Review

HotForex is a member of HF Markets Group and was formed in 2008 as a Straight Through Processing (STP) forex broker. Based in Mauritius, the company is regulated by both the Financial Services Commission or FSC which handles its Mauritius compliance, and CySEC which regulates it’s Cyprus offices. This dual regulatory status gives HotForex’s clients … Continued

AvaTrade Review

AvaTrade operates as a multi-national corporation, and it has regional offices and sales centers in Dublin, Paris, Tokyo, Milan and Sydney. The company bases its administrative headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Its official website is located at www.avatrade.com and a screenshot of its home page appears below. From a regulatory perspective, AVA Trade EU Ltd is … Continued