Trade.com Broker - Review

Why Trade Online with Trade.com?

Trade.com is a well-known name in the trading world, with a great selection of assets. Some of its most important selling points include:

• Industry-standard platforms, including MT4
• Cyprus-based, authorized, and regulated only by CySEC
• Great selection of markets and trading options
• Good reviews of customer support
• Wide trading spreads that could drive up costs

Is Trade.com safe?

Trade.com is a company operated by Trade Capital Markets (TCM) Ltd and Livemarkets Limited. TCM is licensed and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission under the license number 227/14, while it is also authorized in South Africa by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, under the FSP number 47857. Finally, Livemarkets is also authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority, under Firm Reference Number 738538.

Since it is regulated by CySEC, Trade.com adheres to industry standards set by the EU, such as anti-money laundering legislation, the Financial Instruments Directive 2014/65/EU, and EU Directive 2014/49/EU. This means that all client deposits up to €20,000 are protected under the Investor Compensation Fund. Parent company Livemarkets also participates in the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which offers protection of up to €85,000. Furthermore, client funds are kept in segregated accounts across Tier 1 banks. As such, the money is not accessed by Trade.com to fund its daily operations, while customers are protected up to an extent in case of insolvency.

So far, there have been no known allegations of financial wrongdoing by Trade.com. It is considered a reputable and legitimate operator that is regulated across three jurisdictions. However, it lacks regulation by leading financial authority FCA, which explains restrictions to access by US residents.

Trading Online with Trade.com

Trade.com offers an impeccable selection of assets to trade, which amount to more than 2,100 options across several categories. Let's take a closer look at its tradeable assets by type.

Forex

Trade.com offers over 55 currency pairs in the forex market, including major, minor, and exotic pairs. Forex trading is available both on its WebTrader platform and on MT4, and is available 24 hours, 5 days a week. Trade.com also offers a 30:1 leverage for major currency pairs and 20: leverage for non-major pairs. Major pairs include:

• EUR/USD at 3 pips
• GBP/USD at 3 pips
• USD/CAD at 4 pips
• USD/CHF at 3 pips
• USD/JPY at 3 pips
• Minor pairs include:
• AUD/CAD at 10 pips
• CAD/CHF at 10 pips
• EUR/AUD at 9 pips
• EUR/GBP at 4 pips
• EUR/NZD at 15 pips
• EUR/SEK at 51 pips
• Exotic pairs include:
• CHF/PLN at 40 pips
• EUR/RON at 250 pips
• EUR/TRY at 326.8 pips
• USD/BRL at 7 pips
• USD/INR at 1 pip
• USD/MXN at 6.9 pips

Crypto

Crypto trading is available with Trade.com on the WebTrader platform, on the web, and on mobile devices on the Trade.com mobile app. There is no commission for trading crypto and leverage is up to 1:2. CFDs on cryptocurrencies expire after 7 days, and trades that remain open are automatically closed at any available price.

These are the cryptocurrency options offered by Trade.com and their lowest offered spreads:

• Bitcoin at a spread of 120 USD
• BitcoinW at a spread of 90 USD
• BCHUSD at a spread of 50 USD
• BitcoincashW at a spread of 20 USD
• DASH at a spread of 20 USD
• DASHW at a spread of 10 USD
• Ethereum at a spread of 12 USD
• EthereumW at a spread of 5 USD
• Litecoin at a spread of 8 USD
• LitecoinW at a spread of 1.5 USD
• RippleW at a spread of 0.02 USD

Stocks

Trade.com offers stocks CFD trading at an up to 1:5 leverage. According to its website, there are over 2000 company stocks available to trade on, with a variety of stock CFS, also available 24/5. Stocks include big names such as Amazon (spread: 0.64 USD), Apple (spread: 0.02 USD), Facebook (spread: 0.04 USD), Deutsche Bank (spread: 0.00 EUR), Google (spread: 0.73 USD), Barclays (spread: 0.08 PNC), Netflix (spread: 0.19 USD), Vodafone (spread: 0.06 PNC), and more.

Indices

Trade.com covers the major 26 global indices on its platform. For major indices, leverage is up to 20:1, while for other indices it can reach 10:1. Trading on indices is available both on the WebTrader and the MT4 platform and includes the following primary indices:

• France 40
• Germany 30
• Japan 225
• TECH 100
• UK 100
• USA 30
• USA 500

It also includes the following futures:

• Amsterdam 25
• Australia 200
• DollarIndex
• Europe 50
• France 40
• Germany 30
• Hong Kong 45
• Italy 40
• Japan 225
• Norway 20
• Poland 20
• Spain 35
• Sweden 30
• Swiss 20
• TECH 100
• UK 200
• USA 2000
• USA 30
• USA 500
• VIXX

Commodities

Trade.com has enabled traders to invest in an impressive yet carefully crafted selection of the main hard and soft commodities.

• Gold
• Silver
• Oil
• Natural Gas
• Brent Oil
• Copper
• Aluminium
• Palladium
• Platinum
• Zinc
• Heating Oil

It also includes the following soft commodities:

• Cocoa
• Coffee
• Corn
• Cotton
• Rice
• Soybean
• Sugar
• Wheat
• Bonds

While many online brokers out there confine themselves to forex and indices, Trade.com has taken an extra step by including bonds in its selection of assets available to traders. Dollar, Sterling, Euro, and Yen bonds are available at up to 1:5 leverage for investors looking to diversify their portfolios. Trading in bonds is enabled both on the WebTrader and the MT4 platform. It includes the following options:

• GER10YBond at a spread of 0.60 EUR
• Gilt10Y at a spread of 0.60 GBP
• TBOND30 at a spread of 0.07 USD
• TNOTE10 at a spread of 0.06 USD

ETFs

Finally, Trade.com offers the option to trade leveraged ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds, on its WebTrader platform across Web and mobile. Leverage is up to 1:5. ETFs are bundles of securities traded on stock exchanges, and can include any asset class. Popular ETFs focus on commodities (e.g. gold or silver), financial markets, specific industries etc. Trade.com offers popular ETFs including ACWI, AGQ, ChinaCSI300, FXE, MSCIMexico, SDOW and many more.

Opening a Trade.com Account

Traders in some markets, including the US, Canada, and Japan, do not have access to Trade.com. 

Trade.com offers a staggering five different types of CFD account, so make sure to do your research before deciding on which one is the best for you. Both newcomers and experienced traders should be able to find an account type tailored to their needs.

What are the Different Types of Account?

The account types on offer at Trade.com are the following:

Micro account: At an account size of just $100, it is perfect for beginners or those looking to try Trade.com out. It offers access to the broker’s desktop and mobile trading, as well as 24 Hour customer support.

Silver account: An upgrade from micro, the Silver account size is $1,000. Beyond the standard package included with any account, it also offers a morning daily review with trading analysis, as well as a dedicated account manager.

Gold account: At an account size of $10,000. Besides what is offered on Silver, a Gold account also gives traders a premium daily analysis and access to trading central.

Platinum account: At an account size of $50,000. This type of account also includes Premium customer support.

Exclusive account: At an account size of $100,000. It has all the features of the Gold account, plus better rates on spreads.

Spreads vary between the different types of accounts. For example, the spread for Gold goes from 0.7 on a Micro account and 0.56 on a Gold account, to 0.4 on an Exclusive account. Similarly, the EUR/USD spread varies between 3 on a Micro account to just 1 on the Exclusive account.

Trade.com also offers a DMA account and the option to be classified as elective professional if you are a professional trader. In order to be classified as a professional, you need to meet at least two out of three relevant criteria:

• If your financial portfolio reaches over €500,000;
• You must have placed at least 10 relevant trades in significant sizes over the last four quarters; and/or
• You must have at least one year of experience working for the financial sector.

Professional traders have access to leveraged trading across all assets of up to 1:300.

How to Open an Account at Trade.com

Opening an account at Trade.com is easy and simple, as the website takes you through the process step by step, and claims it takes only two minutes. First, you register by providing your details. Then you transfer funds into your account and start trading instantly. You can get started by clicking on the link below:

Trade.com Fees

Unfortunately, charges and fees are not the strongest point at Trade.com. The company is mainly generating revenue through the mark-up on spreads, which is as a rule higher than other brokers. It also charges several types of fees.

Trading Fees

Trade.com charges high on spreads, which places traders at a disadvantage when compared with other online traders. For an analysis of some spreads, see the information above, and verify on the company’s website, as spreads might change.

Non-Trading Fees

Trade.com charges overnight charges on positions that remain open overnight. It also charges conversion fees when your account and the asset being traded are in different currencies. Some traders might be surprised to find that Trade.com also charges an inactivity fee when accounts remain idle for more than 90 days. However, there are no deposit or withdrawal fees.

Trade.com Deposits & Withdrawals

Trade.com accepts deposits in all currencies supported by a wide array of payment options, which include bank transfer.

What is the minimum deposit?

The minimum deposit at Trade.com varies by account type, and it is currently set at €100 for a Micro account. It goes up to €100,000 for an exclusive account.

Deposit Methods and Fees

Trade.com does not charge fees for deposits. It offers the following deposit options:

• Credit cards/debit cards through several providers
• Fast bank transfer
• Skrill
• Neteller

Withdrawals methods and fees

Trade.com does not charge fees for withdrawals. The options offered are the same as the ones for deposits.

Customer support

Trade.com customer support is available by email, mail, Live Chat, an enquiry form on their website, and WhatsApp.

• Email is available from Sunday 22:00 GMT until Friday 22:00 GMT
• WhatsApp and LiveChat do not indicate availability

Trade.com Review - Conclusion

Trade.com is a reliable and regulated broker that offers an impressive selection of assets and several types of account. However, mark-up on spreads is higher than other brokers, while it also charges fees for inactivity and overnight open positions. While it claims to be open to novice traders, expert traders will be able to navigate its selection with better results. There is a high-risk warning for Trade.com, as 76.7% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this broker.