Last updated: November 18th, 2024
IC Markets is a popular brokerage for foreign currency exchange (forex) and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) trading. Australian-based, it offers an outstanding range of trading tools, low fees and a good selection of currency pairs and derivative products.
The platform will appeal to high-frequency, high-volume traders, but the risk-laden product offering and other hiccups (see below) pose limitations for traders without solid trading experience.
(Related: IG Review: Good Platform For CFD Traders?)
IC Markets Is Best For:
- Tight spreads and great liquidity, drawing on more than 25 different liquidity providers to help improve cost-competitiveness and speed of trades.
- Access to best-in-class platforms including MetaTrader 4 & 5, cTrader and TradingView, and the ability to trial all the platforms for practice.
- Simple account and fee structures with a zero commission spread-only standard account with MetaTrader and raw spread accounts (for various trading platforms) with a commission.
(Related: eToro Review: Pros, Cons & Verdict).
Biggest Drawbacks Of IC Markets:
- Fewer CFD trading instruments than some other brokers known for forex and CFDs, like Plus500. Although it’s strong on stock CFDs.
- Complexity of withdrawals can throw some users, and can lead to delays that are a key source of negative user reviews.
- Limited asset range. While IC Markets recently made it possible for Australian investors to buy shares (No ETFs), you can’t build a truly diverse portfolio with only this platform.
IC Markets At A Glance.
| Trading Fees To Watch Out For. | Overnight forex swap rates and triple-rate swap fees on Wednesday nights. |
| Available CFD Markets. | Forex, shares, indices, commodities, bonds, futures, cryptocurrency. |
| Leverage Available. | From 1:1 to 1:30. |
| Available Share CFD Markets. | 2100+ stock CFDs across ASX, NYSE and NASDAQ stock exchanges. 24 major indices including FTSE 100, S&P/ASX 200. |
| Available Commodities CFD Markets. | 20 commodities including metals. |
| Available Forex CFD Markets. | 61+ currency pairs. |
| Available Crypto CFD Markets. | Bitcoin and 20 popular altcoins including ETH, XRP, ADA, DOGE. |
| Available Share Markets. | You can invest directly in more than 2000 stocks listed on the ASX. |
| Support. | 24/7 customer support via live chat, telephone or email for CFD trading. Share investing support is available 9am-5pm Mon-Fri. |
| Trading Platforms. | cTrader, TradingView, MetaTrader 4 & 5, WebTrader, mobile apps. |
What Experience Level Is IC Markets A Good Broker For?
Opening an account on IC Markets is relatively easy. But there can be a steep learning curve to understand the trading software, analytical tools and order types provided.
Even if you’ve used MetaTrader before, and you understand the mechanics of how to open and monitor multiple short-term positions, here’s a caveat — IC Markets specialises in helping you make riskier Contracts for Difference (CFDs) trades.
For that reason, trading on IC Markets is:
- Not ideal for beginners who don’t have a deep knowledge of markets, trading and risk management strategies, and don’t have much spare time or cash to invest (and potentially lose).
- Effective for informed traders that want an ECN (Electronic Communication Network) pricing model with MetaTrader access, low fees, competitive spreads and fast execution of trades.
Did You Know?
The problem with margin trading is that it magnifies both gains and losses. Small market moves against you can cause your position to be immediately liquidated. If you don’t manage your order types well or you’re not paying attention, you can quickly lose a lot.
If you’re highly experienced in trading strategies, with a nuanced understanding of markets and robust risk management practices, IC Markets has the functionality and instrument range needed to trade CFDs.
IC Markets Pros And Cons For Beginners.
There are a number of videos, webinars and articles provided by IC Markets to help you get started, but make sure you take the broker’s analysis blogs with a grain of salt.
For beginners considering IC Markets, the platform offers these beneficial features:
- Negative balance protection: As a retail investor, you’re protected under Australian regulation from losing more than the amount deposited in your accounts if fail to meet margin calls and you make losses on your trades.
- Ability to create a free demo account and practice applying your trading approach across all account types and tools. It pays to play virtually for at least a month to see whether your strategies work consistently, before you commit any real cash.
- 24/7 customer support for CFD trading including live chat, phone and email support channels. Online reviewers often mention IC Markets’ responsive and helpful customer service, which is reassuring when you’re learning.
Important!
Although your account balance can’t go into negative, be aware that IC Markets may take money from any and all accounts you have with them to offset amounts owing. It’s a good reason to not deposit too much at once, and only what you can afford to lose.
On the downside:
- Risk management is crucial. Some of the strongest online complaints about IC Markets come from traders who haven’t fully accounted for margin stop out, volatility, liquidity changes, overnight swap costs and slippage when using stop-loss and take-profit orders.
- Limits portfolio construction, as CFDs are derivatives so you don’t own the underlying assets. The broker recently expanded from a CFD-only trading platform to offer ASX stock trading for Australian customers only, but your options are far less than a true multi-asset platform.
- Withdrawal procedures seem more clunky than many other brokers. There’s a daily cut-off time for making withdrawal requests and different conditions depending on the method you used to deposit funds, which can be confusing or add delays that make newbies nervous.
(Related: What Is Slippage In Trading – And How To Avoid It?)
How Does IC Markets Stand Out For Experienced Traders?
Of course, if you know what you’re doing and can afford to take more risks, IC Markets can be a great avenue for CFD trading to open larger trades through leverage and maximise potential profits.
It’s best for active day traders, scalpers, hedgers and automated traders. IC Markets ranks highly for its:
- Depth of liquidity, with a network of up to 25 liquidity providers and asynchronous spot prices to ensure tighter spreads.
- Low-latency connections that deliver fast execution speeds (less than 1 millisecond). It uses enterprise-grade hardware on our trade servers in the NY4 & LD5 data centres.
- Flexible lot sizing, with trades from 1 micro lot (1,000 base currency) to 200 lots (20 million base currency).
- No minimum order distance and a freeze level of 0, so you can place stop-loss orders as close to the market price as desired — ideal for high-frequency strategies.
Pro trader account holders can also set up a Virtual Private Server (VPS) to maximise execution speeds, which you can access for free if you trade at least 15 lots per month — with higher performance tiers if you trade at higher volumes.
In addition to providing access to what are considered the leading software platforms used in trading — MetaTrader 4 and 5 — IC Markets also enhances their platforms with additional features that traders will actually find useful.
(Related: Best CFD Trading Platforms In Australia).
Its range of advanced trading tools augments MetaTrader 4 with additional indicators and applications such as:
- A variety of tick charts including line charts, timed tick charts and tick candles.
- A sentiment gauge based on real open positions and the number of traders going long/short.
- Stealth orders that let you hide your pending orders from other market participants.
Important!
For experienced traders who truly understand the risks, CFD trading on IC Markets can help you get exposure to a wide selection of instruments, in small lots, in a cost-effective way.
IC Markets Accounts, Spreads, And Commissions.
While IC Markets boasts spreads as low as 0.0, it’s often wise to pay a commission to get the tightest spreads possible.
However, if you’re more comfortable navigating variable spreads to avoid paying a commission, the broker does offer a no-commission Standard account.
- The Standard Account charges no commission but applies a mark-up of 0.8 pip above the raw Inter-bank rate received from liquidity providers.
- The Raw Spread Account offers low spreads based on institutional-grade pricing direct from liquidity providers, and a commission of USD$7 (AUD$9) per standard lot round turn.
The brokers’ forex swap rate — the overnight interest charged for holding a position open — is dependent on the currency pair, which can be viewed within MetaTrader 4 and 5.
It’s important to note that to account for settlement timeframe delays:
- The usual swap rate is tripled on Wednesday nights for FX, Metals, Bonds and Commodities.
- On Friday nights the swap rate triples for Energies, Indices and Cryptocurrencies.
For share investing in Australia, it’s free to open an IC Markets share trading account, and there are no monthly or inactivity fees.
- The ‘minimum marketable parcel of shares’ applies. So if you wanted to invest in CommBank shares, you’ll need to buy a minimum of $500 worth of CBA in your first transaction (plus brokerage fee).
- You’ll pay a AUD$7.70 flat fee for trades up to $100,000. That’s not the cheapest in the market but its definitely within the competitive range.
How IC Markets Handles Deposits And Withdrawals.
The key things to know about adding and withdrawing money from IC Markets include:
- No fees for depositing or withdrawing money, except those that might be charged by your bank or the payment service (e.g., international payment fees).
- A wide range of methods available to deposit and withdraw money including bank transfer, credit/debit card, and Bpay.
- Option to set up your account in 10 different base currencies including AUD, ASD, EUR, GBP, SGD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD, CAD.
- A minimum deposit amount of USD$200 or the equivalent in the currency type you choose.
- No account inactivity fees if you stop trading for a stretch.
Is Your Money Safe With IC Markets?
IC Markets is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, but also runs an international brokerage site available to investors in various locations, and an EU domain for European traders.
CFD trading is banned in the US, so the brokerage is not available to American traders.
- IC Markets Australia is a registered Australian company regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, with an Australian Financial Services Licence.
- IC Markets Global (Raw Trading Ltd) is licensed and authorised by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority as a Security Dealer for the provision of financial services.
- IC Markets (EU) Ltd is a limited company registered in Cyprus, authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.
In Australia, to comply with ASIC regulations, the broker holds all client funds in segregated client trust accounts at AA-rated Australian banks.
Your money isn’t mixed with the company’s cash or used to fund any of its operating expenses.
(Related: Australian CFD Traders Must Know About These ASIC Restrictions).
International Capital Markets (IC Markets) is a privately held company founded in 2007 by Andrew Budzinski and has grown to be one of the largest forex, CFD and cryptocurrency trading platforms in the world.
On the back of the COVID-driven boom in retail investor activity, IC Markets announced it hit a record monthly trading volume of over $1 trillion in November 2021.
Did You Know?
Earlier this year, the brokerage made headlines when two different class action lawsuits were filed against Budzinski and his company.
The class actions seek to recoup some of the losses made by thousands of investors who used the platform before ASIC-mandated restrictions on CFDs came into effect in 2021.
Important!
The allegations being levelled at IC Markets are that the company misled and manipulated potential customers, failed to warn them properly of the risks and didn’t meet all their regulatory requirements.
IC Markets isn’t the only CFD provider being targeted by class action lawsuits in Australia. IG Markets, Plus500 and CMC Markets have also faced suits.
Answers To FAQs About IC Markets Australia.
We’ve answered some of the most basic questions people have about IC Markets when they begin their research on Australian CFD and forex platforms:
What country is IC Markets from?
IC Markets headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia. It’s an Australian company registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
Who is the owner of IC Markets?
IC Markets is a privately-held company founded in 2007 by Andrew Budzinski. Budzinski is also the company’s CEO.
What is the minimum balance for IC Markets?
You’ll need to deposit at least USD$200 to get started, or the equivalent in Australian dollars (or currency of choice), which is currently around AU$295.
Are There Better Options Than IC Markets?
The ‘best’ trading platform is extremely subjective. For CFD trading, well-known brokerages used in Australia include IG Markets, Vantage, CMC Markets, and Plus500. They vary in instruments, fees and features so take some time to compare them against your requirements.
Is IC Markets The Right Broker For You?
IC Markets is a solid choice of CFD platform if you’re committed to trading derivatives and practice robust risk management, mainly due to its tight spreads and reliably fast trade executions.
Experienced and professional traders with a high volume, high frequency trading approach will be well-equipped with market-leading trading platforms, a good product selection, useful tools and decent support from the broker.
Jody
Nelson says:
I attempted to use the “hack” to dodge conversion fees, but sadly after converting AUD to USD on a Wise account, there doesn’t seem to be a way to deposit that money into eToro; i.e. eToro recently disabled Wire transfers and Wise doesn’t support SWIFT transfers for sending USD to a bank in the US?
John Keys says:
CMC Invest are an abysmal in turning around new accounts.
Over 1 month to setup up an account with an investment trust, and still waiting. I was promised 5 business days.
Reg Watson says:
Given that China’s economy is going down the toilet how the heck do we expect an appreciation of the Aussie in 2024 ? We are tied to China.