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| BROKERS - LOWEST RATES | LARGEST FCMs | FUTURES TRADING SYSTEMS | FUTURES RESEARCH | CHOOSING A BROKER | |
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Online Discount Futures Broker Comparison Discount Online Futures Brokers are compared at Deep Discount Futures to give Futures Traders a snapshot of the best Online Futures Brokers and check Trading Commissions, Minimum Account Sizes and Services such as Quotes, Charts, Trading Platforms and Commodity Futures Research. Suggestions When Choosing an Online Discount Futures Broker: If you are an experienced futures trader and you are shopping for rates, realize that you need to compare apples to apples. Make sure you ask upfront for an all inclusive rate. This includes: Round-Turn Commissions (in and out, not per side), Exchange Fees, Broker Fees, NFA Fees, Clearing Fees, Platform Fees, Account Maintenance Fees, etc. Some Futures Brokers can be a bit misleading when they quote a low per side rate to get you to open an account. Then, you realize there are alot of hidden fees. Make sure you ask about every fee you could possibly have to pay before you open an account to trade commodities, futures and options. High Volume Traders: Futures Traders who trade a high volume online certainly can get further breaks on trading commissions. All you have to do is ask. Provided you are a good client who trades futures and options regularly and responsibly, you should be able to get a lower commission. Some of the better Online Futures Brokers will publish a breakdown of rates on their websites by frequency of trades. In this case, you may not have much leverage beyond those stated commissions. However, it cannot hurt to ask. Below is a listing of Online Discount Futures Brokers for trading Futures, Commodities and Options. We tried to make an accurate commparison among the Futures Brokers stated rates and fees. Some are not very straightforward about their actual rates. We based our comparison on the "average trader" who trades less that 100 futures contracts and options a month and opens an account with the minimum amount. Obviously rates will be cheaper than stated below for active traders. However, you will be able to find the lowest rates among Online Futures Brokers and what they have to offer. (Updated July 11, 2011) |
| Futures Broker | Notes | Commissions | Minimum Account | Services |
| TradeStation 800-808-9336 tradestation.com |
One of the best Online Brokers, Famous for low rates and software. | Average about $5 per R/T for Eminis, $13.98+ for pit traded | $5,000 | Platform and Data Fee of $99.95 is free if you trade over 10 R/T per month. Excellent back-testing software for system trading. |
| Interactive Brokers Group 877-442-2757 interactivebrokers.com |
Probably the best Commission Rates you'll find. One of the top places to look for an Online Discount Futures Broker. | $3.46 - $4.80 Minis $8 Pit Traded |
$4,000 | Very Low Commissions, Trading Platforms, Geared for the Active Discount Trader. |
| ExpressFutures.com 888-769-9499 expressfutures.com |
Division of Orion Futures. They stress service and good rates. | Starting at $4 RT | $5,000 | Market Research, Trading Tools, Multiple Platforms |
| Generic Trade 800-707-2006 generictrade.com |
59¢ Commissions For All Accounts (any size - any volume), 24 hour Tech and Trading Support, aggressive day trading margins. | 59¢ per side + fees = $3.50 R/T for Emini S&P. Fees vary for other markets but still low. |
No Minimum | Great online futures broker for those who don't want a lot of hand holding. No bells,whistles or salespeople. Excellent rates, no minimum acct size, there is a fee if you want Firetip platform. |
| ProActive Futures 866-570-0735 proactivefutures.com |
One of the newer Online Futures Brokers (2002), but they provide good rates. | $4.73 for Minis w/less than 350 R/T per month Check Platform Fees |
$2,500 | Great Rates, Some Platforms charge fees, Demo Accts, Sim Trading. |
| Apex Futures 800-411-2004 apexfutures.com |
Free platforms: ApexTrader & NinjaTrader. Lowest Commissions and Margins. | $.99 commission for the ES,just mention DeepDiscountFutures.com | $3,000 | Very low commissions and daytrade margins ($400). Free trading platforms |
| Lind Waldock 800-445-2000 lind-waldock.com |
One of oldest brokers, acquired by Man Financial. Rates are a bit high. | $10 - $30 | $5,000 | Research, Simulated Trading, Portfolio Analyzer |
| eFutures 800-446-3887 efutures.com |
Futures Broker that has been around a while, good rates and services. | $10 +/- for online trading | $15,000 for online rates | All around features of a discount futures broker - rates, research, service. |
| Advanced Futures 800-888-3999 advancedfutures.com |
They focus on trading the e-mini. | $7.90 for $2,000 account $5.90 for $10,000 account |
$2,000 | If you only trade the e-mini they may be OK. If you trade many markets, look elsewhere. $500 E-mini daytrade margins |
| Farr Financial 800-676-1562 farrdirect.com |
They are an FCM, normally FCMs don't advertise lower rates to help thei IBs. | $18 with $5,000 account | $2,000 but commissions are higher | They offer alot of services, but their commissions are high for an discount online futures broker. |
| Sonic Futures 800-341-7350 sonicfutures.com |
They have some good features and platforms. | $8 +/- for eminis $14 +/- other markets *check on fees |
$2,000 - higher rates $5,000 for rates listed here |
Clear through Farr Financial, good support, quotes, charts, platforms. |
| Insignia Futures and Options 866-892-2030 insigniafutures.com |
Low account minimum, service and research. | $8 +/- Emini $18 +/- Other Markets *Check on Fees |
$2,000, better rates with larger acctounts | Good amount of services, trading platforms |
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