‘Top 5’ easyMarkets Strengths
Our easyMarkets review updated in June 2019 found the provider was the best beginner forex based on five key strengths:
Fees + Commissions
| easyMarkets platform | easyMarkets MT4 platform | |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD Average Spread (VIP account) | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| JPY/USD (VIP account) | 1.5 | 1 |
| AUD/USD (VIP account) | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| GBP/USD (VIP account) | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| EasyMarkets Commission | $0 | $0 |
| Minimum deposit outside Europe (Standard / VIP) | $200 / $10,000 | $200 / $10,000 |
| Minimum deposit within Europe (VIP account) | 100 euro | 100 euro |
| Maximum leverage outside Europe (easyMarkets platform / MT4 platform) | 200:1 | 400:1 |
| Maximum leverage within Europe - Retails / Professional | 30:1 / 200:1 | 30:1 / 400:1 |
1) DealCancellation – Cancel Trades Within 60 Minutes
dealCancellation (sometimes called Deal Cancellation) is a feature unique to easyMarkets.
The feature allows a trader to cancel a trade within 60 minutes of taking their position to avoid trading losses.
To access this feature you need to be using the easyMarkets platform, not the MetaTrader 4 platform which easyMarkets also offers. When taking your position, you must activate dealCancellation as shown on the screenshot below. When you do this, a small premium in the form of slightly wiser spread will be charged.
Once a trade is made a countdown clock shows how much time is left for the trade to be cancelled without realising a loss using this feature. If a stop-loss is also reached within 60 minutes and dealCancellation is active, no trading loss will be realised.
Overall the process for dealCancellation is:
- Opt for dealCancellation on a trade
- Cancel the trade within 60 minutes if it’s making a loss
- Have your original funds returned minus fees
The feature is perfect for those new to forex trading, those who like to trade during turbulent periods (eg rate decisions) or those looking to manage the risks of currency trading.
2) Standard Risk Management Tools
easyMarkets are the only forex broker to offer Guaranteed stops and Guaranteed negative balance protection for all trades. (to have guaranteed stops you must be using easyMarkets trading platform, it is not available with MT4)
i) Guaranteed Stops
When forex trading, one type of ‘safety mechanism’ is guaranteed stop-loss. This risk management feature is recommended to those new to forex and CFDs trading. This is a major reason during our easyMarkets review vs Plus500 we recommended the broker for new & intermediate traders.
A guaranteed stop means that you can set the maximum amount you are willing to lose in a single trade and the broker will ‘guarantee’ you will not lose more than this amount.
Guaranteed stops provide a ‘safety net’ in extreme situations when currency movements can be dramatic. While all brokers offer ‘stop-loss’ orders, most are not guaranteed. No guarantee means you may experience slippage. The broker will try to exit you at your stop loss but if they can’t exit you, you bear the loss.
As leverage exposes all traders to high risk when forex trading, a ‘guaranteed stop’ at least provides peace of mind in that you will know the maximum you can lose on a trade. Easy Forex (now easyMarkets broker) is of the few forex brokers offering this feature.
ii) Guaranteed Negative Balance Protection
easyMarkets (formally Easy Forex) includes guaranteed negative balance protection for all their clients. This risk management feature means your account balance will not go into negative. If your account goes below the brokers’ margin requirements, then they will seek to exit you from trades, if they cannot exit you before your account goes below zero, the broker will reset your account back to zero and bear the cost.
Guaranteed negative balance provides peace of mind as volatile economic events are known to lead to large losses for traders without protection.
3) The Fees And Spreads Charged By easyMarkets
easyMarkets charges no commissions on any trades. It also offers fixed spreads which are relatively unique in the online broker market.
The fixed spreads are based on the type of account chosen which is determined by the deposit:
Clients in the UK and Europe:
Clients Outside the UK and Europe:
- $200 Deposit = Standard Account
- $3,000 Deposit = Premium
- $10,000 Deposit = VIP
Leverage
It’s worth noting that leverage is the difference the broker offers varies by the regulator that applies to the relevant territory.
If you are in the UK or Europe then you be able to access leverage of 30:1 for major currency pairs and 20:1 for minor currency pairs. This is because easyMarkets are regulated by the Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC) for this region.
CySEC have low leverage because they want to protect retail clients as leverage can increase the risk of losing money. Low leverage means less money will be lost if forex movements are unfavourable. The flip side is, leverage be very profitable if currency movement go in your favour.
Clients from anywhere else in the world will have a leverage of 200:1 if using easyMarkets platform and 400:1 if using the MetaTrader 4 platform. This because easyMarkets must conform to regulation set by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
What fixed spreads mean?
Spreads are the difference between a buy and sell rate on any trade. It’s similar to the situation at the airport when you try to exchange your currency with a forex provider who advertises one rate they will buy the currency off you and another rate they will sell it to you. The difference between these rates is one of the ways that when forex trading that the brokers make money. easyMarkets are market makers, like with the example with an exchange at the airport with the provider who sets their own rates, easyMarkets are your counterparty with each trade. This means you are buying and selling with their liquidity.
Fixed spreads mean that you will always know what the difference is between the buy and sell rate for currency pairings (eg AUD/USD). The provides certainty that you know the fees of every transaction unlike most other brokers who’s fees will vary depending on the market. Variable spreads such as offered by Pepperstone, IC Markets and AxiTrader can be lower compared to easyMarkets as the spreads are raw. This means the spread is determined by liquidity pool without intervention from dealing desk.
Payment Options
Another positive aspect found when completing the easyMarkets review was that there are no charge or any fees on withdrawal requests. easyMarkets also accommodates many payment options including most major credit cards, EFT and Skrill.
4) Customer Service And Forex Training Available With easyMarkets
Our easyMarkets review found that customer service and training were the two key strengths of the forex broker.
When it comes to customer support, three of the four accounts offer a personal account manager. If is advised that a premium account be considered if you want regular customer service to assist with your day-to-day forex trading.
As the table above highlighted, two of the most popular contact methods are the phone and live chat. Live chat is not offered by all the forex broker and is ideal for short questions relating to traders.
Live chat is complemented by Viber and even Facebook messenger. The key is that these communication channels including live chat are available to all forex accounts offered by easyMarkets.
Based on this it’s strongly recommended to open a premium account as it ensure you receive lower spreads and better customer service and only requires a larger minimum deposit (which you don’t actually have to trade)
When it comes to online training there is a plethora of options including:
- An online community
- eBooks
- Seminars
- Articles & News
- Online Simulators
5) The easyMarkets Forex Trading Platforms
This easyMarkets review focused on their own trading platform. easyMarkets also offer MetaTrader 4 (the most popular forex trading platform) but features unique to this forex broker are not offered.
Only with easyMarkets platform a trader can:
- Activate dealCancellation
- Avoid Slippage
- Freeze Rate
- Easy Trade
- Guaranteed Stop-Orders / Take Profit
- Trade all FX and CFD products
- Trade forward deals
MetaTrader 4 has some great features such as Expert Advisors (EAs) which utilise automation and but if your interested in this platform than another forex broker is recommended.
Overall, easyMarkets platform is easy to use, doesn’t require a download and is ideal for new to currency trading.
Our Overall easyMarkets Review
easyMarkets is recommended for two types of traders only:
- Those new to forex trading
- Those looking to reduce their trading risks
If your an advanced or expert forex trader and looking for features such as Expert Advisors (EAs) then easyMarkets may not be suitable to your needs.
An added incentive to try easyMarkets is their current joining bonus. This is a 20% bonus on a minimum of $100USD deposit.
It’s important to claim the bonus with your ‘relationship manager’ when opening the account by quoting the ‘first deposit’ bonus as part of the registration process. The bonus is only for those who have not traded with easyMarkets (easyForex) in the past and require the trader to trade within 30 days.
What People Say About easyMarkets
While comparing easyMarkets reviews from several trading-related websites, we found that people generally regard their easyMarkets experience as positive. The easyMarkets review analysis found that most forex trading Australia individuals praised the adoption of fixed spreads as they are competitive and affordable. People also like the MT4 trading platform and its ease of use for new traders. Trading accounts can be set up with as little as $200 which comparatively is extremely affordable. Customers also are quite fond of the multitude of payment options and fast payouts citing very few issues or difficulties.
It’s also worth pointing out that we made this easyMarkets review because like other brokers compared on this site including IG Markets, they have an AFSL. This means that deposits are segregated to a separate account, there are training standards and the requirements for external auditing. It’s strongly recommended that all Forex Trading Australia be done through an Australian regulated broker to avoid Forex scams that occur internationally. Forex scams are attributed to non-regulated forex brokers
Leverage Offered By easyMarkets
Leverage is a critical element for any forex trader, particularly experienced traders, due to small movements in currency markets over time. Based on this, leverage is critical and easyMarkets offers one of the higher levels in Australia at 400:1
It should be noted that the broker (easyMarkets) previously offered different leverage options so it’s worth closely monitoring the leverage available at any one time. Leverage will amplify any movements within currency markets which are generally modest. This means that small movements can lead to big gains or losses. Risk therefore is the central outcome of leverage so understanding your level of forex trading knowledge and risk appetite is critical when factoring in this variable.
Why Does Forex Leverage Matter?
Leverage allows Australian forex trading with a multiple of their deposit. So at the maximum 400:1 level you can trade 400x your deposit or the amount your willing to trade on a currency pairing. An example of a $1,000 deposits at 400:1 means the forex trader is effectively trading $400,000 on currency markets. If during a forex trading Australia session a pairing then moves 0.1% a profit or loss of $400 will be recorded. This may not sound significant but it’s in fact 40% of the initial amount traded. This means that leverage will increase the profits of smart trading but also increases the risks and ability to lose large sums. Due to this increase in risk profile traders should understand the risks and consider risk reduction strategies that some forex brokers offer such as guaranteed stops discussed next.
Deposits And Withdrawals
Deposits And WithdrawalseasyMarkets holds all funds in a segregated bank account ‘Bankwest’. This is owned by the CBA (Commonwealth Bank of Australia) providing stability to the bank account and allowing for fast transfers.
The easyMarkets minimum deposit varies by the account chosen. The lowest minimum amount relates to the standard account which is $200AUD. The largest minimum amount relates to the super VIP which is $50,000. The incentive to choose an account with a higher minimum deposit are lower fixed spreads and a personal account manager.
The easyMarkets minimum withdrawal account is $50USD to bank accounts. Other withdrawal methods to eWallets or credit/debit cards have no minimum withdrawal amounts. There are no easyMarkets fees on any deposits and withdrawals although some vendors may charge their own fees which are worth investigating.
As the table on the right shows, there are a number of deposit and withdrawal methods including:
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Online Banking
- eWallets
With no fees applicable to any of these methods, the key factors of which method comes down to convenience for the forex trader and the deposit processing times that varies considerably.
Background to easyMarkets Trading Australia Comparison
This forex broker comparison for easyMarkets was updated in 2019 by a panel of Forex trading Australia experts who have considerable experience with the Forex market. The easy markets review came from this forex comparison chart focusing on low fees which factored in pips and fixed vs variable models. All the information above and on our forex broker comparison tables are based on data found on the listed broker’s official website forex scams. This information is compiled manually and if you happen to come across any type of inaccuracy or misinterpretation of information please let us know; this is likely due to human error. From time to time brokers update information such as fees and bonuses. Our forex trading Australia team aim to update these frequently so we are always relevant to users. However, it is for this reason that the information included in our comparison tables be considered for indicative purposes only.
