Jump to content

Welcome to the new Traders Laboratory! Please bear with us as we finish the migration over the next few days. If you find any issues, want to leave feedback, get in touch with us, or offer suggestions please post to the Support forum here.

  • Welcome Guests

    Welcome. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest which does not give you access to all the great features at Traders Laboratory such as interacting with members, access to all forums, downloading attachments, and eligibility to win free giveaways. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free. Create a FREE Traders Laboratory account here.

Darquan

Novice Needs New Broker

Recommended Posts

Hi, i'm new here and not long ago I started trading with Synthesis bank (a small Swiss brokerage) which was fine till Saxobank (crooks from what i've read) took them over. Now i'm trying to find a good broker and have been trauling the internet for 2 days looking at many reviews most of which contradict each other, are many years old or untrustworthy and there are only a couple of reviews on this site so I'd really appreciate it if someone could direct me to a suitable broker.

 

I started trading stocks but after many hours of reading this site it seems that options have much more potential due to the leverage possibilities. I would like to be able to trade both (ideally have access to currencies too). I live in UK with £2000 funds to transfer and have been studying swing trading (as i'm novice) but that may change down the road.

 

Any advice on which broker or the best way to get off the ground with trading is greatly appreciated.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Darquan,

 

What markets are you interested in? Keep in mind there are few ideal brokers, it is usually some sort of compromise between commissions, market access, account flexibility and features, software, and customer service.

 

I use Interactive Brokers because of their wide variety of available markets. Their only real flaw in my opinion is the customer service, which can be crucial in some situations.

 

With kind regards,

MK

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for responding. I'm interrested in UK and USA markets. I've read horror stories for just about every broker, I realise it's a trade off and am not certain which to prioritise as i'm a novice. It seems to me commissions are always important for profit with limited funds and experience (making small trades). From what i've read customer service can be cruicial if your unlucky but as I understand it even if they have great customer service it's doubtful you'll get any money back when they make a mistake.

 

I did look at IB but they require $10000 deposit and i have approx $4200 to start with, otherwise i'd go with them as they seem to be the most rated broker and mainly favourable reviews despite their customer service. Is there another broker like IB without the $10k restriction as I like the low commissions and variety available. I'm currently looking at 'think or swim' the canadian brokers that were recommended by someone on this site but mixed reviews elsewhere as usual. They mainly deal with options but i've heard these are more difficult to trade than stocks, is it recommended for a novice to launch into trading options or stick with stocks for a year or more?

 

Thanks for the help :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am not sure why you want high leverage?

 

I am loath to mention them (as they don't have a great reputation) but you might want to consider spread betting. They will take money from you as you enter and exit but if you are holding for a decent amount of time it might be a possibility. Because of the small bet size most allow it would allow you some flexibility in position sizing, scaling in and out, money management in general.

 

I should point out that having tried spread betting a couple of times it does not suit me but I like to try and fitness entries and exits. If you where swing trading or intraday 'position' trading they might suffice.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Be wary of simply jumping into options; while the leverage and risk safety net look attractive, you're paying a premium on it. What kind of trader are you (day, swing, longer)? I urge you to use as little margin as possible (less leverage, if any) when you're still new, because that will only steepen the learning curve.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the advice guys. I considered options because I read posts by a numbers of veterans on this site who prefered them to stocks for the leverage and I was thinking if this is the case then I would benefit most in the long term by learning the skills in trading these instead of stocks as eventually i'd be looking for more leverage for more purchase power. However if the premiums cost alot more than I guess I should look to the short term and stick to stocks as I will be keeping things small for the first year, untill i've built up my confidence.

 

I'm not ready to do any intraday trading so in terms of a broker this isn't important for me and it sounds like i'd learn most from non-margined stock trading (possibly CFD's then if theres a trustworthy broker out there that does them) and am really looking for a broker that offers good price and serivces for a novice.

 

I havn't looked at spread betting at all and prefer successful trades to last days or a few weeks at most. I will take a look but from the little i've read I don't think they're what i'd like to do in the long term and I am keen to focus on one area of the market to focus my attention.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not new to trading, but I'm considering getting into currency

trading which I've never done. But, my broker doesn't offer anything

but stocks and options.

Anyone have any good currency brokers to recommend ?

 

Thanks,

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Be careful who you blame.   I can tell you one thing for sure.   Effective traders don’t blame others when things start to go wrong.   You can hang onto your tendency to play the victim, or the martyr… but if you want to achieve in trading, you have to be prepared to take responsibility.   People assign reasons to outcomes, whether based on internal or external factors.   When traders face losses, it's common for them to blame bad luck, poor advice, or other external factors, rather than reflecting on their own personal attributes like arrogance, fear, or greed.   This is a challenging lesson to grasp in your trading journey, but one that holds immense value.   This is called attribution theory. Taking responsibility for your actions is the key to improving your trading skills. Pause and ask yourself - What role did I play in my financial decisions?   After all, you were the one who listened to that source, and decided to act on that trade based on the rumour. Attributing results solely to external circumstances is what is known as having an ‘external locus of control’.   It's a concept coined by psychologist Julian Rotter in 1954. A trader with an external locus of control might say, "I made a profit because the markets are currently favourable."   Instead, strive to develop an "internal locus of control" and take ownership of your actions.   Assume that all trading results are within your realm of responsibility and actively seek ways to improve your own behaviour.   This is the fastest route to enhancing your trading abilities. A trader with an internal locus of control might proudly state, "My equity curve is rising because I am a disciplined trader who faithfully follows my trading plan." Author: Louise Bedford Source: https://www.tradinggame.com.au/
    • SELF IMPROVEMENT.   The whole self-help industry began when Dale Carnegie published How to Win Friends and Influence People in 1936. Then came other classics like Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins toward the end of the century.   Today, teaching people how to improve themselves is a business. A pure ruthless business where some people sell utter bullshit.   There are broke Instagrammers and YouTubers with literally no solid background teaching men how to be attractive to women, how to begin a start-up, how to become successful — most of these guys speaking nothing more than hollow motivational words and cliche stuff. They waste your time. Some of these people who present themselves as hugely successful also give talks and write books.   There are so many books on financial advice, self-improvement, love, etc and some people actually try to read them. They are a waste of time, mostly.   When you start reading a dozen books on finance you realize that they all say the same stuff.   You are not going to live forever in the learning phase. Don't procrastinate by reading bull-shit or the same good knowledge in 10 books. What we ought to do is choose wisely.   Yes. A good book can change your life, given you do what it asks you to do.   All the books I have named up to now are worthy of reading. Tim Ferriss, Simon Sinek, Robert Greene — these guys are worthy of reading. These guys teach what others don't. Their books are unique and actually, come from relevant and successful people.   When Richard Branson writes a book about entrepreneurship, go read it. Every line in that book is said by one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time.   When a Chinese millionaire( he claims to be) Youtuber who releases a video titled “Why reading books keeps you broke” and a year later another one “My recommendation of books for grand success” you should be wise to tell him to jump from Victoria Falls.   These self-improvement gurus sell you delusions.   They say they have those little tricks that only they know that if you use, everything in your life will be perfect. Those little tricks. We are just “making of a to-do-list before sleeping” away from becoming the next Bill Gates.   There are no little tricks.   There is no success-mantra.   Self-improvement is a trap for 99% of the people. You can't do that unless you are very, very strong.   If you are looking for easy ways, you will only keep wasting your time forgetting that your time on this planet is limited, as alive humans that is.   Also, I feel that people who claim to read like a book a day or promote it are idiots. You retain nothing. When you do read a good book, you read slow, sometimes a whole paragraph, again and again, dwelling on it, trying to internalize its knowledge. You try to understand. You think. It takes time.   It's better to read a good book 10 times than 1000 stupid ones.   So be choosy. Read from the guys who actually know something, not some wannabe ‘influencers’.   Edit: Think And Grow Rich was written as a result of a project assigned to Napoleon Hill by Andrew Carnegie(the 2nd richest man in recent history). He was asked to study the most successful people on the planet and document which characteristics made them great. He did extensive work in studying hundreds of the most successful people of that time. The result was that little book.   Nowadays some people just study Instagram algorithms and think of themselves as a Dale Carnegie or Anthony Robbins. By Nupur Nishant, Quora Profits from free accurate cryptos signals: https://www.predictmag.com/    
    • there is no avoiding loses to be honest, its just how the market is. you win some and hopefully more, but u do lose some. 
    • $CSCO Cisco Systems stock, nice top of range breakout, from Stocks to Watch at https://stockconsultant.com/?CSCOSEPN Septerna stock watch for a bottom breakout, good upside price gap
    • $CSCO Cisco Systems stock, nice top of range breakout, from Stocks to Watch at https://stockconsultant.com/?CSCOSEPN Septerna stock watch for a bottom breakout, good upside price gap
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.