IQTrade

IQTrade primarily offers futures trading. For me, this is somewhat limiting, as I prefer a broker that offers a wider variety of assets such as forex, commodities, or indices. However, if I’m specifically interested in futures, this might work for my trading style.

IQTrade offers competitive spreads, with the Standard account starting from 1.5 pips, the ECN account from 0.6 pips, and the PRO account from 0.1 pips. The spreads are reasonable, and the trading commissions are more favorable for the ECN and PRO accounts. However, for futures trading, there's a $0.50 transaction fee, which I’d need to account for in my trading costs.

No, IQTrade is not regulated by any recognized financial authority. It is registered in Greece but lacks proper regulation, which makes me wary about trading with them. Without regulation, there's no guarantee that the broker will act in my best interest or follow industry standards.

To open a Standard account with IQTrade, the minimum deposit is $100, which seems affordable to me. However, if I wanted to upgrade to the ECN or PRO accounts, I’d need to deposit at least $2,000 and $5,000, respectively. The $100 minimum is great for beginners, but the higher minimums for advanced accounts might be a concern.