Best alternative to IGIndex for financial spreads?

[johnfm]

I'm unable to trade on certain securities with IG as they apparently limit their exposure to certain securities, so I cannot buy until someone else sells.

It has cost me about £2k as of this morning. A bit pissed off!

So, which other financial spread platform would people suggest.

Over to you PH...

[ShadownINja]

They're the only ones I trust.

£2k? Aren't you still in learning mode?

[johnfm]

ShadownINja said:

They're the only ones I trust.

£2k? Aren't you still in learning mode?

A great way to learn is to risk money you can afford to lose.

I 'paper traded' forex years ago, and found that unless the money was 'real', it had an effect on your decision making.

I was confident enough with Gulf Keystone to trade with stops at £50/point.

last week I closed a trade in GKP, taking a bit of profit on some earlier news.

When I tried to get back on board, it was 'closing trades only' online.

Really, really hacked off. £2800 would have been a nice little bonus to wake up to this morning.

But, I've not lost any - just not made some. Still a bit gutting though! Live and learn.

Having similar issues with another security - but cannot trade as its market cap is too small for IG.

[dan101smith]

Have you looked at Cityindex?

[isee]

I use cityindex since igindex stopped me out at night despite the market never hitting the stop order (they have paid back after I pointed it out, but I did not want to have to double check all my subsequent trades to see if the market traded there or not) Ironic how such errors never seem to happen the other way round.

Also cityindex spreads seem to be 1-2 cents narrower than ig.

Edited by isee on Tuesday 25th August 13:42

[ShadownINja]

johnfm said:

ShadownINja said:

They're the only ones I trust.

£2k? Aren't you still in learning mode?

A great way to learn is to risk money you can afford to lose.

How many times can you afford to lose £2k?

Oh, wait, you haven't lost... you just missed out on profit?

In any case, yes, risk money but why not £1/point. Still, your choice, your money. You can always top up the account.

Edited by ShadownINja on Tuesday 25th August 15:17

[johnfm]

My longer term trades (ie weeks/months) I use larger size trades. I have trailed my stops manually to lock in profit.

On more the volatile securities I'm 'learning' (ie natural gas, oil, ftse 250 or dow) I am using much lower , as you suggest. No point risking my pot of funds at this stage on securities that may rise or fall 150 points in a day.

[ShadownINja]

Ah, ok!

[maximm]

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

[ShadownINja]

maximm said:

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

Have you tried them???

[maximm]

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

Have you tried them???

I have used capital spreads and cantor index....both seem ok but I think with all spread betting sites you get some probs with rubbish fills that cost you money.

etx is newish I think...owned by the idb Tradition. Some mates use it and seem to think its ok.

I guess its mostly personal pfeference as some people dont have a bad thing to say about IG but I personally use Cantor index most of the time.

[ShadownINja]

maximm said:

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

Have you tried them???

I have used capital spreads and cantor index....both seem ok but I think with all spread betting sites you get some probs with rubbish fills that cost you money.

etx is newish I think...owned by the idb Tradition. Some mates use it and seem to think its ok.

I guess its mostly personal pfeference as some people dont have a bad thing to say about IG but I personally use Cantor index most of the time.

I'm glad you're not having problems. I have heard of too many stories. ETX is not new; they were er... *thinks*... tradindex! Mind you, by new, do you mean only 5-10 years old?

As for personal preference, TBH I only use IG because I've had the least amount of problems or apparent unfairness with them. Not sure that counts as personal preference so much as desire to not be ripped off eg by closing markets when news is released.

(I admit I have only experienced Crapital Spreads and ETX. Wouldn't recommend either.)

Edited by ShadownINja on Tuesday 25th August 17:30

[johnfm]

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

Have you tried them???

I have used capital spreads and cantor index....both seem ok but I think with all spread betting sites you get some probs with rubbish fills that cost you money.

etx is newish I think...owned by the idb Tradition. Some mates use it and seem to think its ok.

I guess its mostly personal pfeference as some people dont have a bad thing to say about IG but I personally use Cantor index most of the time.

I'm glad you're not having problems. I have heard of too many stories. ETX is not new; they were er... *thinks*... tradindex! Mind you, by new, do you mean only 5-10 years old?

As for personal preference, TBH I only use IG because I've had the least amount of problems or apparent unfairness with them. Not sure that counts as personal preference so much as desire to not be ripped off eg by closing markets when news is released.

(I admit I have only experienced Crapital Spreads and ETX. Wouldn't recommend either.)

Edited by ShadownINja on Tuesday 25th August 17:30

Shocking, if that happens. What is the point of having a platform if, when things get interesting, they kill trading.

I get the impression the same thing has happened with GKP at IG.

I find it pretty frustrating that they list a security, list a spread, then tell you you can't trade it because it falls short of their minimum market cap threshold.

Well, why do they bloody display it then!!!

Edited by johnfm on Tuesday 25th August 19:20

[zac510]

I have been helping a friend program ProBackTest with his financial knowledge and my programming. Does anybody else use something like this and what is it?
We've found ProBackTest to be a bit limited in some ways, in the programming sense. Otherwise it seems Ok.

[ShadownINja]

johnfm said:

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

ShadownINja said:

maximm said:

capital spreads/cantor index/etx???

Have you tried them???

I have used capital spreads and cantor index....both seem ok but I think with all spread betting sites you get some probs with rubbish fills that cost you money.

etx is newish I think...owned by the idb Tradition. Some mates use it and seem to think its ok.

I guess its mostly personal pfeference as some people dont have a bad thing to say about IG but I personally use Cantor index most of the time.

I'm glad you're not having problems. I have heard of too many stories. ETX is not new; they were er... *thinks*... tradindex! Mind you, by new, do you mean only 5-10 years old?

As for personal preference, TBH I only use IG because I've had the least amount of problems or apparent unfairness with them. Not sure that counts as personal preference so much as desire to not be ripped off eg by closing markets when news is released.

(I admit I have only experienced Crapital Spreads and ETX. Wouldn't recommend either.)

Edited by ShadownINja on Tuesday 25th August 17:30

Shocking, if that happens. What is the point of having a platform if, when things get interesting, they kill trading.

I get the impression the same thing has happened with GKP at IG.

I find it pretty frustrating that they list a security, list a spread, then tell you you can't trade it because it falls short of their minimum market cap threshold.

Well, why do they bloody display it then!!!

Indeed. ETX was a major culprit I found. IG have minimum stops "widened" (not a problem for a swing trader like me). You can understand why, of course. If you have some news scalping system, they couldn't plan for it.

[ShadownINja]

zac510 said:

I have been helping a friend program ProBackTest with his financial knowledge and my programming. Does anybody else use something like this and what is it?
We've found ProBackTest to be a bit limited in some ways, in the programming sense. Otherwise it seems Ok.

Way off topic so mail me through my profile. I might be able to point you in the right direction depending on what you trade.

[zac510]

Sorry I mentioned it because my friend used it via Ig index but I forgot to mention it!

[ShadownINja]

zac510 said:

Sorry I mentioned it because my friend used it via Ig index but I forgot to mention it!

My reply will take it wayyyyy off topic.