Nord FX

NordFX is an online broker company that allows users to create accounts to trade forex online. On its website, www.nordfx.com, the company reviews it account options and policies, its company history and the advantages of choosing to trade with NordFX.

NordFX was founded in 2008 as a way to bring forex trading opportunities to a wide audience of customers. On its website, NordFX reviews the many advantages of using the company: a quick and easy account registration, wide range of account funding options, three types of trading accounts suited to the individual’s needs, small required initial deposits to allow clients to trade with minimal financial risk, minimal spreads, the ability to trade a wide range of instruments, corporate mobility, and a large choice of platforms with which to trade.

NordFX reviews its software platform options for those looking to trade forex online. NordFX offers use of MultiTerminal, Strategy Runner, MetaTrader 4 and MT4 Mobile, and MetaTrader5. Each of these platforms has specific customization that allows users to pick and choose the info they want prominently displayed to aid them in trading online.

NordFX reviews a number of trading tools it offers on its site, which includes free charts and calendars to give users access to essential information to plan their trades properly, as well as online analytics and monitoring to keep users up to date on changes in trends in the marketplace that can affect the value of their investments. NordFX reviews the procedure for opening an account on their site: users choose an account type based on the investment they want to make, and then send their information online. Following a NordFX review, users can fund their account, download trading software and begin trading forex online. The company offers extensive email and phone support to current and prospective clients to attend to the needs and questions of customers.

PFD NZ

Pacific Financial Derivatives Limited (PFD-NZ) may be based in New Zealand, but its Forex services have a decidedly global reach.  The company is authorized by the Financial Markets Authority in New Zealand and is a member of Dubai Gold Commodities Exchange.  It is also a member of the Financial Dispute Resolution scheme in New Zealand, a third party service that helps settle resolutions between companies and their clients.  And yet, while this is comforting, we would expect that you should have no reason to launch a claim against PFD-NZ, as throughout our dealings with the company during our Pacific Financial Derivatives review, they seemed entirely approachable and willing to help.

Traders looking for a platform that varies from the standard MT4 platform will appreciate the Kiwi Trader platform offered by Pacific Financial Derivatives.  Although it looks quite similar to the standard MetaTrader 4 platform, the company has clearly made an effort to personalize the platform and to reduce the clutter that plagues many MT4 users.  PFD-NZ platform includes advanced charting abilities, customizable sounds, and the integration of critical indicators, among other benefits.  Traders who prefer web-based trading can try out the PFD Trader platform, which offers online Forex trading in a web-based MT4 platform.

The Kiwi Trader platform is available for both standard accounts and Kiwi Trader Gold accounts.  The differences are as follows:

Kiwi Trader Gold Zero

Minimum deposit: $200

Minimum deal size: 0.01 lot (micro lot)

Maximum leverage: 1:500

Spread: 0 pips on EUR/USD, USD/JPY

Commission: 1 pip on profitable trades, no commission for losing trades

Kiwi Trader Gold

Minimum deposit: $200

Minimum deal size: 0.01 lot (micro lot)

Maximum leverage: 1:500

Spread: 0.8 pips on EUR/USD, USD/JPY

Commission: None

There’s no question that PFD-NZ offers excellent trading conditions in both accounts, though we could not find information about spreads for other currency pairs on the site.  Customer service can be reached via email, phone (with a local New Zealand number only), or via Skype.  We missed the option of a live chat, though traders who have Skype accounts may find it useful to have Pacific Financial Derivatives always accessible on Skype.   It should be noted, however, that the company must first approve your Skype invite, which may mean that you won’t have immediate assistance when you first attempt to contact the company.

During the course of our Pacific Financial review we were satisfied to see that most information about the service was listed clearly on their website.   The website is clear, intuitive and suited to new users who want to learn about the company without being distracted by irrelevant or unnecessary features.  One thing we did notice missing during our PFD review was whether the company offers regular market analysis as so many other brokerages do.

With PFD-NZ, Traders can register online or can fill out printable paperwork and send it in to the company.  Funds can be deposited and withdrawn via credit card, MoneyBookers or bank transfer.

TradeRush

With the crop of new binary options brokers that is popping up regularly, it’s often hard to tell which ones are worthwhile and which ones are still a bit rough around the edges.  To help you make this determination we’ve set out to test each binary options broker methodically, and we’ve recently tested TradeRush, a binary options platform that offers a range of trading options including a 60 second option which can be suitable for traders who love the rush of a quick profit.  Check out our findings in the TradeRush review below to determine if this is the right binary options solution for you.

General Information

Founded in: 2011

Headquarters: Cyprus

Minimum Deposit: $200

Minimum Trade Amount: $5 for 60 Second Option, $10 for all other options.

Maximum Per Option: $1500

Languages available: English

Trading Platform

By their very nature binary options trading platforms are designed to be simple, but the platform offered by TradeRush has several features that set it apart.  For starters, we appreciated how the options noted exactly how much longer there was to place the trade, and how much longer there was until expiry, rather than just listing an expiry time and requiring that we figure it out.  The time left to trade is clearly written just above the payout percent on the asset you are trading.

Clearly defined tabs allow traders to choose from five different trading options, including OneTouch, 60 second, Option Builder and the standard binary options trading platform.  We tested each different option and found each one to be equally clear, well-designed and intuitive to use.  It should be noted that for the Option Builder, the minimum trade size is $100, and the maximum trade size is $1000, slightly less than the standard maximum of $1500 for the other option types however using this feature you can customize your risk reward ratio. 

In addition, TradeRush allows traders to view available options as a list or in a table, options they call the “pro” view versus the “fast” view.  Although this option is not uncommon, it is welcome, and we were not at all surprised to see that the table view was just as organized as the list view.

Live chat assistance is available on the right side of the trading platform, so that if you have a problem help won’t be far away.  Likewise, A Yahoo! Finance feed is located inside of the trading platform, and for anyone who places trades based on news, this may be extremely useful.

Features

In addition to providing a Yahoo! news feed, TradeRush also provides their own market analysis, which can be found on their website and is sent to all of its members daily via email. Although these analyses aren’t long-winded, they do provide an ample snapshot of what’s going on in the markets on any given day. Key economic indicators are also listed, though we did not find any in-depth technical analysis.

Without a doubt, our favorite feature was the 60 second offering which is a rather uncommon trading style, but one that really captures the essence of binary options trading as a quick way to profit.  We also appreciated that TradeRush offers a competitive range of tradable assets including stocks, indices, commodities and currency pairs, such that nearly 70 assets are available on a given trading day.  Because of the OneTouch option available, traders using TradeRush can trade on weekends as well as on weekdays. 

Deposits and withdrawals can be done in EUR or USD via wire transfer, credit card or MoneyBookers. 

Customer Service

TradeRush offers customer support via email and chat, or by phone with a local phone number in the US and Canada. Support is available six days a week. Representatives can be reached in the GMT time zone on Sunday from 8am-7pm, from Monday through Fridays from 8am-1:00AM.

Ease of Use

One thing we immediately noticed about TradeRush is that the site doesn’t trumpet their unrivaled bonuses as many other binary options (and Forex) brokers do.  However, you can contact the TradeRush team to find out what bonuses they offer, as we’ve seen that the company does offer competitive deposit bonuses.

We were very disappointed to see that TradeRush doesn’t have a demo account, though they do have a quick 3 minute video which provides a relatively comprehensive overview of how the platform works.  Despite this, we found TradeRush to be very easy to work with, from registration through trade execution. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, we found TradeRush to provide a very solid binary options experience, with more than ample trading options to meet the needs of traders with different asset preferences and trading styles along with payout levels on the higher end of the industry standard.

Forex Worldwide

Forex worldwide is a company with a global presence in the areas of Foreign Exchange and Contracts for Difference training and support. Being based in Dublin, Ireland, it is represented in the United Kingdom, Spain, and South Africa. Forex worldwide has been in this field since 1999, and, thus, has a great amount of experience to its name.

The bull and bear logo immediately gives the impression of power and adds to the attractiveness of the website. This company's website provides ample information in neat sections. These cover the company, downloads, the bookstore, professional training, resources, opening an account, an introduction to foreign exchange for novices, and much more.

Forex Worldwide Support has a simple, organized website leading you through the world of Forex, teaching you how to be as successful as possible, while warning you of the risks that come along with the job. Opening an account is easy, you are able to choose your country and fill out an application right there on the spot. For those unsure, there is also a demo account helping you understand the process Forex trading entails. There is free training available that comes along with signing up for the demo account, as well as a practice form. There are over 120 currency pairs offered, mobile trading platforms, and easy credit card payment.

Staff are there via Skype to help with any questions that may arise welcoming you into the wonderful world that the Forex community has to offer.

Deal Book 360 is the trading software used by Forex worldwide. On account of its widespread know-how and highly trained personnel, Forex worldwide is among the leaders in all the fields in which it operates. It places great emphasis on customer service. A unique feature of this website are the client testimonials that are shared: this is a nice touch that inspires confidence and underlines the company's strong service motive. This company prides itself on its discipline and superior technology. A good website to be sure: it brings out the essence and principles of Forex worldwide!

FX Club

Take even a cursory glance at FX Club’s website, and you’ll understand why this Forex broker is one of the most popular brokers not just for US traders, but for Forex traders in 120 countries worldwide. In addition to having an intuitive website and multiple user-friendly trading platforms, FX Club, which is also known as Forex Club, is registered with the CTFC and is a member of the NFA. We’ve put FX Club to the test and evaluated their trading platform, ease of use, customer service and more. Read our comprehensive FX Club review to see if FX Club is right for you.
General Information
Founded in: 2005
Headquarters: New York
Maximum leverage: 50:1
Minimum deposit: $200 (with ExpressFX platform)
Minimum deal size: 1,000 (with ExpressFX platform)
Languages available: English, Chinese (Simplified), Russian
Trading Platform
Unlike some Forex brokers like OANDA that offer a singular trading platform to meet the needs of all Forex traders, FX Club offers three distinct trading platforms, each of which is designed to cater to a different type of trader. The company’s ExpressFX is ideal for new Forex traders who want to take advantage of a lower minimum deposit, a commission refund for non-profitable trade executions (some restrictions apply) and zero spreads. The Rumus platform serves experienced traders and those who rely upon technical analysis, by offering over 50 indicators and oscillators, a customizable user-interface and web access for traders who feel compelled to be connected at all times. 

It is the ActTrader platform, however, that FX Club touts as its tour de force. Designed for traders with minimal experience as well as those who trade Forex for a living, ActTrader is FX Club’s only trading platform that offers auto trading capabilities, customized applications for iPhone and Android and no dealing desk trade executions.  

FX Club offers free $50,000 demo accounts for each of its trading platforms, so that if you’re not sure which one is best for you, you can test them out. Traders who are interested in taking advantage of FX Club’s mobile trading applications should note that only the Rumus and ActTrader platforms support mobile trading. It is worth noting that while traders can change FX Club platforms at any time, a new registration will be required.
Features
FX Club offers a range of features that is on par with those offered by other top Forex brokers such as Ava FX. It’s important to note, however, that not all features are available with every trading platform, so if you have specific features that you prefer, you may want to choose the platform that offers your preferred features or trading tools. Some of our favorite tools include:
ExpressFX:
- Ability to practice on weekends when the markets are closed, to improve your trading skills
- Explanation of each step to make new traders feel extremely comfortable
- Autochartist tool to track emerging trends
ActTrader:
- No dealing desk execution
- Trading Central which offers trading signals based on complex, real-time analyses
- Mobile trading for most cellular phones
- Designated iPhone and Android platforms
- Useful economic calendar
- Autochartist tool to track emerging trends
Rumus:
- Audible alerts ensure you won’t miss critical updates
- Over 50 charts and oscillators for those who rely on technical information
- Custom trend analysis
- Autochartist tool to track emerging trends
Customer Service
Traders needing assistance from FX Club’s staff can receive direct responses 24/5 via phone, chat and email. We tested all three of these services and were extremely pleased with the results. Although it took the team about 10 hours to answer our email, we were satisfied that they responded to our inquiry succinctly and courteously.  

Our experiences with the company’s chat and phone services were dramatically faster, with the wait time for chat assistance under one minute in several tests, and the hold time for phone support being equally prompt. This service dramatically differed from other Forex brokers such as iFOREX, whose customer service team was, for all intents and purposes, entirely unresponsive.  

For those who wish to find answers about Forex trading independently, FX Club offers an excellent Forex education center which includes videos, ebooks, webinars and other materials that are meant to help traders of all levels improve their trading skills. Finally, we were surprised to see that FX Club offers free training seminars in New York City on weekends and some weekdays. Although we haven’t (yet) attended one of these seminars, they sound both interesting and useful for those who want to get a better grasp of the Forex industry and of all that FX Club has to offer.
Ease of Use
After viewing FX Club’s neat homepage, we weren’t surprised to find that both registering for and using FX Club’s services were extremely easy. Registering for the free demo accounts is a simple, one-step process, and practice trading can begin instantly. Registration for a real account is a four-step process, but it’s quite straightforward and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Because FX Club is registered with the CTFC, users are also asked to confirm that you’ve read several pages of disclaimers and other industry information before opening a real account. Although it is possible to accept and agree without reading the information, it’s a good idea to browse the provided materials to become a well-informed Forex trader.
Once your FX Club registration is complete, you’ll be able to begin trading immediately. The easiest way to begin is to download the trading platform of your choice, which requires little more than approving the action when prompted to do so. We were especially impressed with the ExpressFX platform which makes trading pleasurable and understandable for first time users. Interestingly, ExpressFX transforms simple Forex transactions into multi-step processes so that new traders will understand exactly what they are doing and how their decisions may impact their finances regarding both profits and losses. While this elongated process should be considered annoying, we found it rather comforting, as the platform eliminates uncertainty for those who are unfamiliar with the trading process. 

The ActTrader trading platform also provided a straightforward experience, though it did not provide the ‘hand-holding’ features that are the hallmark of the ExpressFX platform. ActTrade’s user interface is neither too busy nor too overwhelming, as tabbed browsing allows traders to see only the information that they want without being distracted by other information. Buttons that have both text and images enable users to know exactly how to execute desired trading moves without reading any of the user guides or welcome tutorials that are found in many other trading platforms.
Lastly, we found that FX Club offers multiple payment options, which makes it easy to fund your Forex trading account in the way that’s most comfortable for you. Payment methods include credit card, MoneyBookers, online check, wire transfer, money order and via AlertPay services. Unfortunately, PayPal is not an acceptable form of payment, but we were willing to overlook this inconvenience because so many other payment options are available.  

Finexo

Finexo has been in the retail forex broker business since 2003 and a white label of Saxo Bank since 2004.  Simplicity and ease-of-use are the themes for this broker, and they state on their website that they want to make the entry into the foreign exchange market easy for the beginner.  But easy is not always a good thing, and dig a little deeper and some disturbing red flags are revealed.
Finexo does offer some nice features to the retail forex trader.  Registration is extremely easy and if you fund your live account by credit card you can be trading in just a few minutes.  If you do not wish to use a credit card, they do accept several ways to fund an account, including Paypal, MoneyBookers, Neteller, Click and Buy, Liberty Reserve and Giro Pay, or via bank wire transfer.  Their website is very easy to navigate, albeit minimal in information and rudimentary for the experienced trader.  A 24-hour live chat is available, as well as customer service via telephone and email.
Their platform is called ForexTrader and is derived from Saxo Bank's saxotrader. It is a web-based trading platform that is very user-friendly and suited to both beginners and experienced traders.  One-click trading is offered, along with typical market, limit and stop orders, and trailing stops.  As with most web-based platforms the charting capabilities are very basic and do not offer many features.  But the mobile phone trading is good with this web-based application.  Traders are not charged trading commissions or fees with this service. Like other retail brokers, Finexo takes a fixed spread on each currency pair, varying from 3 pips to 14 pips.  They are a dealing desk retail broker, and as such, they take the other side of all of your trades.  The platform is not customizable, but all the features a trader needs is right on the front page.  Account reports can be viewed and printed from this application as well.
Some very basic amenities are offered to support Finexo’s traders.  They do provide a daily market update, via email and via the trading platform which includes mostly fundamental trading points and some broad based trade ideas.  They also offer a daily economic events calendar that includes expectations of those events.  They do not, however, provide any sort of training, user forums, webinars, or forex news services.
Here are the points where this broker’s services raise some red flags. After speaking to the chat representative from their site, it became apparent to me that they do not have the standard demo account, present in most current forex brokers. I was told that if you sign up for a full account, you also receive a free demo account to practice. It later became clear to me that this is not the case, and you can open a demo account via their site.
Another point of concern was the withdrawal process. Yes, the registration and deposit process is very easy and quick (as easy as opening an account with any other standard website), but the withdrawal process is a bit longer and harder.  Yes, they offer many methods to contact them, but when this reviewer attempted to ask questions and open a live account with them, it was difficult to get appropriate responses or answers.  If they are not willing to answer questions of a potential new client, how good is their service going to be afterwards?  A Finexo representative explained to me that the long withdrawal process is to protect their users from fraud. This is of course a positive initiative, but they need to make the process a little more user friendly.
Finally, read the Terms and Conditions before signing anything.  There is actually a clause stating that they do not like “sniping” trades, which are scalping trades, and can and will remove any profits that are deemed to be made in this fashion.  This clause actually makes it legal for them to take away your profits if they want to!
Overall, this retail forex broker receives a rating of 3 stars.

OptionBit

There are lots of binary options brokers flooding the internet today, but few are as sophisticated and polished as OptionBit, a top binary options broker whose user-friendly platform, multiple trading options and low minimum position enable traders to customize their trading experience from the get-go.  Read our full OptionBit review to determine if this is the best binary options broker for you. 

General Information

Founded in: 2009

Headquarters: Cyprus

Minimum Deposit: $100

Minimum Trade Amount: $10

Maximum Per Option: $3000

Languages available: English, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Turkish, Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Romanian

Trading Platform

Anyone who has seen other binary options trading platforms will recognize immediately that OptionBit’s platform is more developed in many ways than those of most of its competitors.  One thing that sets OptionBit’s trading platform apart is that it focuses on one asset at a time, instead of offering all of the options in a dizzying display that might confuse traders.  Another thing that we thought was fantastic was the easy way traders can store their favorites so that they’ll have their frequently traded assets easily available.

One thing that was unusual is that OptionBit requires you to choose from one of their provided expiry times, whereas other top binary options brokers allow you to choose your own expiry time.  While this shouldn’t necessarily constitute as a deterrent, it is something to consider if you’re a more experienced trader and you’re accustomed to choosing very specific expiry times. 

Finally, OptionBit offers digital trading, one-touch trading and range trading, all of which are clearly explained in the company’s user manuals.  Experienced traders will find these options welcome, though we encourage new binary options traders to stick with digital trading until they’re comfortable with the way the trading system works.  

Features

OptionBit has a team of market analysts who are available to help traders looking for some additional insights into the market.  In addition, the brokerage offers excellent bonuses for both new and veteran traders.  Deposits of $500 are eligible for a 20% bonus, while higher deposits can earn up to 40% bonus. 

OptionBit also offers several trading features that are worth mentioning, including a rollover option which allows you to extend the option if it isn’t set to expire in the money.  In contrast, OptionBit’s ‘close now’ option allows you to close a trade before its scheduled expiry time if you’re in the money but don’t want to  wait until expiry time, lest the trade change directions. 

Though all of the best binary options brokers claim to have the highest payouts, OptionBit really seems to make good on this claim, by offering payouts as much as 181%.  This alone may be a good reason to try out this binary options broker. 

Customer Support

You can contact OptionBit via phone, email or chat.  Chat service is available for about 17 hours/day, from about 2am EST to 7pm EST.  Phone support is available locally in France, the US, UK and Spain.  Email inquiries can be submitted via on-site form submission, or by traditional email.  

We chatted with OptionBit’s customer support team during our OptionBit review and found their representatives to be helpful, friendly and prompt, especially as compared with some other binary brokers whose chat support left us on hold indefinitely.  

Ease of Use

OptionBit has the most impressive binary options resource center we’ve seen, with a live (and active) user forum, extensive user guides, tutorials, market analysis and trading strategy suggestions.  What was noticeably missing was a video tutorial and a demo account which could give traders a real sense of how to implement trades.  The company does offer an ebook, but accounts must be funded in order to access this offering. 

Deposits can be made on-site via credit card or wire transfer.  You can also choose to deposit via Western Union, but this deposit method is available only by phone once you’ve opened an account with OptionBit.  The company promises to process all withdrawals in 3-5 days, which is a perfectly acceptable time frame as compared with other binary options and Forex brokers. 

All in all, we found OptionBit pretty easy to use throughout our OptionBit review, and we were able to quickly clarify any questions thanks to the company’s accessible chat support.

Final Thoughts

Binary options trading as an industry is only about 2 years old, and there’s no doubt that OptionBit is among the oldest and most established brokers in the field.  We could tell from our research that OptionBit is a broker that is constantly evolving, and striving to improve its services on a regular basis.  Still, we were wholly impressed during our OptionBit review, and have very few suggestions for improvement.  That being said, we look forward to seeing what this broker will roll out next.