Best Brokers For Research
Cutting-edge research tools can transform the way you trade. Imagine having a personal trading assistant that provides live charting analysis, insightful market outlooks, timely news updates, and even social sentiment data that reveals whether traders are bullish or bearish on hot stocks like Tesla.
Explore the best brokers for research. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you – investigating and rating the research tools of countless brokers, with each of our recommended trading platforms standing out in the field – providing insights to help you identify short-term trading opportunities.
Top 5 Trading Platforms For Research Tools
Our hands-on tests and analysis show these 5 brokers offer the best research, either through in-house services or third-party integration:
- IG - IG continues to provide a comprehensive package with an intuitive web platform and best-in-class education for beginners, plus advanced charting tools, real-time data, and fast execution speeds for experienced day traders.
- FOREX.com - FOREX.com remains a best-in-class brokerage for active forex traders of all experience levels, with over 80 currency pairs, tight spreads from 0.0 pips and low commissions. The powerful charting platforms collectively offer over 100 technical indicators, as well as extensive research tools.
- XM - XM is one of the best forex and CFD brokers we have tested. The flexible account types will suit a variety of short-term trading styles while the $5 minimum deposit and smooth sign-up process make it easy to start trading.
- CMC Markets - With advanced charting tools and an extensive range of tradable CFDs, including an almost unrivalled selection of currencies and custom indices, CMC Markets provides a fantastic online platform for traders of all levels.
- eToro - eToro's social trading platform leads the pack with a terrific user experience and active community chat that can help beginners find opportunities. There are also competitive fees on thousands of CFDs and real stocks, plus excellent rewards for experienced strategy providers.
Best Brokers For Research Comparison
| Broker | Research Rating | Trading Central | Auto Chartist | Minimum Deposit | Markets | Regulator | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4.9 / 5 |
✔ | ✔ | $0 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting | FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA | Visit |
|
4.8 / 5 |
✔ | ✔ | $100 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Cryptos, Futures, Options, Commodities | NFA, CFTC, CIRO, FCA, CYSEC, ASIC, SFC, FSA, MAS, CIMA | Visit |
|
4.5 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | $5 | Forex, Stock CFDs, Turbo Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Precious Metals, Energies, Shares, Crypto, Futures | ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSC, FSCA | Visit |
|
4.5 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | $0 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting | FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA | Visit |
|
4.5 / 5 |
✔ | ✘ | $50 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Futures, Commodities, Bonds | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSA, FSRA, MFSA | Visit |
|
4.4 / 5 |
✔ | ✘ | $0 | Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies | FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB | Visit |
|
4.3 / 5 |
✘ | ✔ | $0 | Forex, Crypto | NFA, CFTC | Visit |
|
|
4.3 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | $10 | Stocks, Options, ETFs, Crypto | SEC, FINRA | Visit |
|
4.3 / 5 |
✔ | ✘ | $10 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto | FSA, CySEC, FCA, FSCA, FSC, CBCS | Visit |
|
4.3 / 5 |
✘ | ✔ | $0 | CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto, Spread Betting | FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB | Visit |
|
4.3 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | £0 | Forex, CFDs, Indices, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto, Bonds, Interest Rates, ETFs, Options, Spread Betting | FCA | Visit |
|
4.3 / 5 |
✔ | ✘ | - | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds, Crypto, Spread Betting, Futures | ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, ISA, CBol, FSA, FSRA, BVI, ADGM | Visit |
|
4.1 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | $0 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs | FCA, CySEC, KNF, CNMV, DFSA, FSC | Visit |
|
4 / 5 |
✔ | ✘ | $50 | CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto | ASIC, FSCA, FSA | Visit |
|
4 / 5 |
✘ | ✘ | $0 | Forex, Stocks, Options, Commodities, Futures, Crypto | NFA, CFTC | Visit |
#1 - IG
Why We Chose IG
Founded in 1974, IG is part of IG Group Holdings Plc, a publicly traded (LSE: IGG) brokerage. The brand offers spread betting, CFD and forex trading across an almost unrivalled selection of 17,000+ markets, with a range of user-friendly platforms and investing apps. For 50 years, IG has maintained its position as an industry leader, excelling in all key areas for traders.
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Futures, Options, Crypto, Spread Betting
- Regulator: FCA, ASIC, NFA, CFTC, DFSA, BaFin, MAS, FSCA
- Platforms: Web, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, MT4, AutoChartist, TradingCentral
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:30 (Retail), 1:250 (Pro)
#2 - FOREX.com
Why We Chose FOREX.com
Founded in 1999, FOREX.com is now part of StoneX, a financial services organization serving over one million customers worldwide. Regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia and beyond, the broker offers thousands of markets, not just forex, and provides excellent pricing on cutting-edge platforms.
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Cryptos, Futures, Options, Commodities
- Regulator: NFA, CFTC, CIRO, FCA, CYSEC, ASIC, SFC, FSA, MAS, CIMA
- Platforms: MT4, MT5, TradingView, eSignal, AutoChartist, TradingCentral
- Minimum Deposit: $100
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:400
#3 - XM
Why We Chose XM
XM is a globally recognized forex and CFD broker with 10+ million clients in 190+ countries. Since 2009, this trusted broker has been known for its low fees on 1000+ instruments. XM is regulated by multiple financial bodies, including the ASIC and CySEC.
- Instruments: Forex, Stock CFDs, Turbo Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Precious Metals, Energies, Shares, Crypto, Futures
- Regulator: ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSC, FSCA
- Platforms: MT4, MT5
- Minimum Deposit: $5
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
#4 - CMC Markets
Why We Chose CMC Markets
Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a respected broker listed on the London Stock Exchange and authorized by several tier-one regulators, including the FCA, ASIC and CIRO. More than 1 million traders from around the world have signed up with the multi-award winning brokerage.
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Treasuries, Custom Indices, Spread Betting
- Regulator: FCA, ASIC, MAS, CIRO, BaFin, FMA, DFSA
- Platforms: Web, MT4
- Minimum Deposit: $0
- Minimum Trade: 0.01 Lots
- Leverage: 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro)
#5 - eToro
Why We Chose eToro
eToro is a top-rated multi-asset platform which offers trading services in thousands of CFDs, stocks and cryptoassets. Launched in 2007, the brand has millions of active traders globally and is authorized by tier one regulators, including the FCA and CySEC. The brand is particularly popular for its comprehensive social trading platform. Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in the UK and some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply. 76% of retail accounts lose money.
- Instruments: CFDs, Forex, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos, Futures, Commodities, Bonds
- Regulator: FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSA, FSRA, MFSA
- Platforms: eToro Web, CopyTrader, TradingCentral
- Minimum Deposit: $50
- Minimum Trade: $10
How We Chose The Best Brokers For Research
We rate brokers’ research offerings from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Then we’ve ranked them by this research rating to reveal the very best.
To assign a score for a trading platform’s research services we weigh several elements:
- The range of research tools, with a preference for technical and fundamental summaries, market screeners, news streams, pre-open bulletins, forward-looking insights, and community research.
- The quality of research providers, with a preference for excellent in-house insights or third-party tools like Trading Central, Autochartist, TipRanks, and Seeking Alpha.
- The frequency of market insights, with a preference for daily coverage via in-app notifications, email alerts and increasingly video channels to support active day traders.
- The usability of the research tools, with a preference for beginner-friendly features integrated directly into the trading platform or app for a seamless user experience.
- The breadth of market coverage, with a preference for insights and actionable trading ideas spanning popular financial markets, such as stocks, forex, indices, and commodities.
- The ability to tailor research tools to individual preferences, with a focus on customizable workspaces, market filters, impact ratings, and the option to set up personal notifications.
What Types Of Research Tools Are Available For Trading?
This depends on the broker but can generally be split into in-house and third-party tools.
XTB, for example, focuses on insights from its in-house analysts with almost hourly news coverage, a filterable stock scanner, a heatmap (forex, US and EU stocks), plus well-presented charting analysis that’s great for short-term traders.
The user experience is also fantastic – I can access all the tools from the top of the web platform in one click, though I’d like to see them carried through to the XTB app too (there is no calendar, heatmap or stock scanner).
Alternatively, IG supplements its superb in-house research with access to leading third-party tools like Autochartist, Trading Central, TipRanks and Reuters, culminating in the best research tools I’ve seen.
The benefits of integrating third-party resources are plentiful; they specialize in what they do so the depth of market coverage is often excellent.
For day traders, in particular, tools like Autochartist also provide fantastic features for short-term trading, notably chart patterns, horizontal support & resistance levels, extreme movements, hourly volatility analysis, plus risk calculators.
My only criticism of IG’s research tools is the scatter gun approach to where they’re stored. While TipRanks is available directly in the platform and I added it to my workspace with ease, the financial calendar takes you to a separate web page, while IGTV, which is brilliant for discussing trading opportunities, is located within the IG Community.
This can all make navigation fiddly and potentially overwhelming for newer traders who will understandably want to access everything from one place, preferably the account area or platform.
How Can I Use Research Tools For Online Trading?
To illustrate how you can use market insights from online brokers, let’s walk through an example using real research from Pepperstone.
A report focusing on the tech momentum following a Federal Reserve meeting highlighted Apple’s 7% surge in after-hours trading due to a positive earnings announcement and a $100 billion share buyback, which pushed its stock price above recent highs.
This bullish signal in technology, especially influencing NASDAQ futures, prompts an idea…
I could place a long position on NASDAQ futures early the next morning, expecting a continued uptrend spurred on by the technology sector.
I could set a stop loss below the recent significant low on a 5-minute chart and target a profit near the next resistance level, around 1.5% higher.
If the tech rally persists, I could close my position near my profit target, benefiting from a well-timed entry into technology stocks thanks to research and data from my broker.
Will Research Tools Improve My Trading Results?
Potentially, but only if you understand what they can, and can’t, do.
- They can help you identify markets where there may be trading opportunities, whether due to news events, geopolitical shifts, sector trends, technological innovations, or other influences.
- However, they can’t be relied upon in isolation. You’ll still need to conduct your own analysis to confirm there is an opportunity and how best to capitalize on the opportunity, for example, whether to go long or short, over what duration, and how to approach risk management.
Ultimately, research services can be a valuable tool in your toolkit, but you’ll need the rest of the tools to trade successfully.
FAQ
Which Online Broker Has The Best Research?
Use our list of the best online brokers for research to find the trading platform that best meets your needs. This is because research tools are only one piece of the puzzle.
It’s also important to weigh the broker’s industry standing (only use tightly regulated brokers), trading fees (short-term traders especially need low-cost brokers), market coverage (make sure the assets you want to trade are supported), education (beginners in particular should look for trading guides and demo accounts), and customer support (day traders especially need fast, dependable assistance should they encounter urgent issues).