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Cobra Trading vs Core Spreads

Cobra Trading vs Core Spreads Comparison Table 2024
Cobra Trading Core Spreads
Review
3.3
Review
3.9

Established in 2003, Cobra Trading is a US-based brokerage specializing in equities and options contracts. The firm offers 3 powerful platforms and is aimed at professional clients or those looking for retirement accounts. Cobra Trading is regulated by the NFA and SIPC and is a member of FINRA.

Core Spreads is an FCA-licensed broker offering CFD and spread betting opportunities on a proprietary platform or MetaTrader 4. Traders can access more than 1000 instruments, including company shares, commodities, indices and forex. Spread bets have fixed spreads that start from 0.4 with no commission, while CFDs start from 1 pip plus a $1.50 charge per lot.

Comment by Reviewer
"After exploring this popular US brokerage, I think experienced stock traders who can deposit at least $30,000 to open an account with appreciate the broker’s low trading fees of $0.0015 per share." "Core Spreads, now Trade Nation, will suit UK traders seeking a secure and reliable spread betting environment with good all-round service."
Pros
  • I’m happy with the broker’s regulatory status in the US, with oversight from reputable bodies including the SIPC, NFA and FINRA. This, coupled, with the broker’s strong reputation since 2003 is a great sign of a trustworthy firm
  • I think the choice of 3 platforms means all strategies and trading styles are catered to. All platforms offer comprehensive charting packages, with sophisticated analysis tools and advanced order types
  • I found some reasonably low fees at Cobra Trading, including shares from $0.0015, options from $0.30 and margin rates as low as 8%
  • Cobra Trading offers a good range of account types, including traditional and Roth IRA’s, plus joint, corporate and trust accounts
  • I like that Cobra Trading doesn’t enforce any minimums on trades and there are also no locate fees
  • Reliable, FCA-regulated broker with FSCS protection and good customer service
  • Strong range of assets with 1000+ stocks and shares and 40 forex pairs
  • MT4 support plus proprietary platform for spread betting
  • Good spreads available on spread betting
  • Demo account on both platforms
  • Free deposits and withdrawals
  • No inactivity fee
Cons
  • Despite the low trading fees, this broker does charge several other platform and admin fees which will soon add up, including monthly software fees from $100 and market data packages from $18 per month
  • Unfortunately, Cobra Trading isn’t going to be suitable for novices, as the minimum deposit to open an account is $30,000. I think it’s a shame that there are no beginner-friendly accounts at this broker
  • I did find that pattern day trading (PDT) restrictions will apply, though this is expected from a US brokerage
  • CFD spreads and charges are more expensive than some competitors
  • Narrow range of CFDs
  • No MetaTrader 5 platform
Awards
  • Best Value Forex Broker 2017 - UK Forex Awards
Instruments
Stocks, options Spread betting, forex, commodities, indices, equities
Demo Account
Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit
$0
Trading Platforms
  • Own
  • MT4
Payment Methods
Minimum Trade
$1 0.01 Lots
Regulator
FINRA FCA
Margin Trading
No No
Margin Rate
8%
STP Account
No No
ECN Account
No No
DMA Account
No No
MAM Account
No No
PAMM Account
No No
LAMM Account
No No
Demat Account
No No
AI / Machine Learning
No No
Robo Advisor
No No
Negative Balance Protection
No No
Market Maker
No No
P2P Trading
No No
Spot Trading
No No
Mobile Apps
Yes Yes (iOS & Android)
Auto Trading
Yes Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader
Copy Trading
No No
Social Trading
No No
Trade Signals
Yes
VPS Hosting
No No
Tournaments
No No
Demo Competitions
No No
Ethical Investing
No No
Custodial Account
No No
Guaranteed Stop Loss
No No
Islamic Account
No No
Commodities
CFD Trading
CFD trading not offered Core Spreads offers CFD trading on 40 forex pairs plus 13 commodities, including metals and energies, and 13 global stock indices including the UK100 and US30. CFDs are traded through the MT4 platform with leverage up to 1:30 in line with UK regulations.
Leverage
1:30
FTSE Spread
1.0
GBPUSD Spread
0.6
Oil Spread
3.5
Stocks Spread
Variable
Forex Trading
Forex trading not offered Core Spreads offers trading on 34 forex pairs through spread betting and 40 currencies through CFDs, with both vehicles covering major and minor pairs. Spread betting spreads start from 0.6 for EUR/GBP; CFD spreads are variable and start from 1.2 pips on EUR/GBP.
GBPUSD Spread
1.2
EURUSD Spread
0.6
EURGBP Spread
1.2
Assets
40
Review
Review
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