Searching for the top forex broker for hedging? Based on our hands-on analysis, we’ve identified the 4 best options tailored to various trading needs. Practical tips from our experts are included.
Hedging is a risk management strategy designed to reduce the risk of loss in a portfolio. For example, a trader can open two simultaneous positions on correlated markets to reduce the overall risk of their position.
A simple hedge could be going short on a currency pair that you are already long on. Any gains on the short position will offset any losses on the long position thereby reducing your overall risk which can be useful when trading around uncertain news events. A more advanced hedge is to identify positively correlated currency pairs to other markets such as indices, commodities, and bonds, and trade them in opposite directions.
Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.
This analysis, combined with my personal trading experience, has led to the findings and research presented below. These highlight the best forex brokers for hedging across various categories, tailored to your specific trading needs.
Now let’s dive into the selected brokers.
Established in 2005, FP Markets is regulated by ASIC, CySEC, and FSCA. It also maintains an unregulated entity in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). With 850+ financial CFD instruments available for trading, ECN pricing accounts for low spreads, and 3 distinct trading platforms suitable for hedging, FP Markets ranks as our top overall broker.
Key Features:
With FP Markets, you have the option to open either a commission-free Standard Account or a commission-based Raw ECN Account. Hedging strategies are permitted across all three trading platforms, namely MT4, MT5, and cTrader. I enjoy using cTrader as it is geared toward high-frequency forex traders. Furthermore, combined with the Raw ECN Account, you can trade with spreads starting from 0.0 pips and a low trading commission of 3 USD per lot, per side. This is notably better than the MT4/MT5 commission of 3.50 USD (which is the industry average).
During the course of our live fee test, I observed that the Standard Account offered an average spread of 1.1 pips for EUR/USD during the London and New York sessions. This closely matches the industry’s average of 1.0 pips for a commission-free trading account. With more than 800+ financial instruments to trade on and zero deposit and withdrawal fees, FP Markets is a top broker to consider.
Established in 2007, IC Markets is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, SCB, and FSA Seychelles. With an excellent range of MT4 plugins such as Trading Central and Autochartist, low trading fees, and 2,250+ financial instruments to trade on, IC Markets is a good option for hedging strategies on MT4.
Key Features:
IC Markets has long been established as the go-to broker for dedicated forex traders. They offer institutional-grade liquidity, lightning-fast execution speeds of less than 40 ms through low latency fiber optic connections, and competitive trading fees. During our live test, I found the spread on EUR/USD during the London and New York session averaged 0.65 pips which is much better than the industry average of 1.0 pips for commission-free trading accounts.
While IC Markets offers three robust trading platforms, MT4 has long been considered to be the gold standard for forex trading. With 80+ inbuilt technical indicators and drawing tools, 9 different timeframes, and 3 chart types, MT4 is an excellent platform for hedging. Furthermore, IC Markets enhances the MT4 experience by offering plugins from Trading Central and Autochartist. These plugins provide automated, real-time trading signals via its pattern recognition scanner – a fantastic tool to speed up your trading research and analysis.
Established in 2006, AvaTrade is regulated by the CBI, FSC BVI, ASIC, FSCA, FSRA, ISA, CySEC, and FSA Japan. With more than 1,250 financial instruments to trade and an excellent range of account types and trading platforms suitable for hedging, AvaTrade could be the broker for you.
Key Features:
During our research, I found that AvaTrade offers Spread Betting, CFD, Options, and Islamic swap-free trading accounts. These are excellent options for hedging strategies. I found the Options account via the AvaOptions mobile app the best choice for hedging as it doesn’t require stop loss, unlike spread betting and CFD trading accounts. This is because, with options, you are purchasing the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an instrument at a certain price.
I found the AvaOptions mobile app very user-friendly in comparison to most options platforms. However, it is limited to 40 currency pairs and the trading of gold and silver. From the MT4, MT5, and AvaTradeGO platforms, you can trade on more than 1,250 financial instruments. During our live fee test, the spread for EUR/USD averaged 0.90 pips on their commission-free trading account, surpassing the industry’s average of 1.0 pips.
Established in 2007, eToro is regulated by the UK FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FINRA, and FSA Seychelles. Now the world’s largest social and copy trading platform, eToro provides an excellent range of tools and products for beginner traders, including easy copy trading access and extensive educational materials covering hedging strategies.
Key Features:
More than 25 million people use the eToro copy trading platform. After opening an account, you can view the performance of all the different traders on the platform and copy the same trades on your own account. It is an excellent way for beginner traders to watch seasoned traders in action and foster confidence early on. Additionally, eToro provides an array of educational content, delving deep into areas like technical and fundamental analysis.
From my own experience, the eToro web platform is probably the easiest trading platform to get started with. In our real-time fee test, I found the spread for EUR/USD averaged 0.95 pips during peak trading hours. This is much better than the industry average of 1.0 pips for commission-free accounts.
Hedging is a risk management strategy used in forex trading to protect a current position moving in the opposite direction of your trade. It involves offsetting potential losses to try and limit any drawdowns.
To effectively implement a hedging strategy, you need a reliable forex broker. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a forex broker for hedging:
When it comes to hedging in forex trading, safety is paramount. After all, you’re entrusting your hard-earned money to a broker, and you want to ensure that your investment is secure.
Look for a broker that is regulated by a reputable financial authority. A regulator from a well-known financial jurisdiction, such as the UK FCA, ASIC, or CySEC, sets strict standards that brokers must adhere to, which helps to protect your capital from fraud and negligence.
In our broker rating reviews, we classify regulators into four categories and tiers:
Brokers regulated by Tier-1 financial regulators, such as the UK FCA, CySEC, and ASIC, offer the highest level of protection for traders. These regulators require brokers to segregate client funds from their own, which means that your money is kept separate from the broker’s money. You can check out our detailed guides on the best FCA, best CySEC and best ASIC-regulated forex brokers.
Tier-1 regulators also require brokers to offer negative balance protection, which means that your account cannot go below zero. Consequently, you cannot lose more than you’ve deposited.
In addition, the FCA and CySEC require brokers to be part of a compensation scheme, which means that you are protected up to a certain amount if the broker becomes insolvent.
Be sure to check the terms and conditions of the broker entity you are opening an account with, as many brokers will have entities all over the world. You can confirm the regulatory status of a broker by visiting the regulator’s online register. To save you time, we have created a comprehensive guide on the best regulated forex brokers.
There are a range of fees that you should be aware of when choosing a forex broker to trade with. These fees can be categorized into trading fees and non-trading fees.
Trading fees are charged for opening, closing, and holding a trade. They include:
The best way to test the fees for yourself is to use a demo trading account or open a live account with the minimum deposit first. Alternatively, you can read the review of a broker from the FX Empire website, in which our team of analysts has tested the spreads for you.
Brokers will often provide a range of different account types. Each account type will come with different features, services, and products. It is important to check that the account type you are opening allows for hedging.
For some fixed-spread trading accounts, hedging may not be allowed as the broker is already hedging your trades to provide you with a fixed spread. Most brokers will offer accounts that have floating spreads based on the underlying market. These types of accounts are more likely to allow hedging.
Many brokers offer the use of a demo trading account nowadays. This allows you to test each trading account without risk, providing an excellent starting point. Explore forex brokers with the best forex trading demo account in our guide.
The invention of CFDs has led to a huge rise in the popularity of forex market trading. CFDs, or contracts for difference, allow traders to trade long and short using leverage.
Leverage is a powerful tool that can amplify both profits and losses. If a broker offers 1:30 leverage, this means that you can control a position 30 times larger than your deposit. So, with a $1,000 deposit, you could manage a $30,000 position. You can check out FX Empire’s carefully selected list of the best forex brokers with high leverage.
The amount of leverage that a broker offers depends on your categorization as a client (retail or professional) and which financial regulator the broker falls under.
In 2018, the MiFID II European Market Act Directive legally required Tier-1 regulators to impose a 1:30 leverage restriction on retail clients trading forex. This is because many retail traders were wiping out their trading accounts using too much leverage.
If you’re classified as a professional trader, brokers overseen by Tier-1 regulators can provide higher leverage, sometimes reaching 1:500 for forex. However, you may lose some of the protections afforded to retail traders, such as negative balance protection.
Brokers typically offer a range of trading platforms. Here are some of the most common platforms that provide hedging capabilities:
It is wise to test each trading platform using a demo account first. Utilize the broker’s educational materials to find the platform that works best for you. Read more about the platforms in our detailed guides on the best MT4 brokers, best MT5 brokers, and best cTrader brokers.
When selecting a Forex broker for hedging, there are some red flags that you should be aware of. These include:
Hedging is an advanced trading strategy that requires a reliable and supportive broker. By avoiding these red flags, you can increase your chances of success when hedging with Forex.
The Forex market is a global marketplace where traders can buy and sell currencies. However, there are many scam brokers out there who prey on unsuspecting traders. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from scam Forex brokers:
By following these tips, you can better protect yourself from scam Forex brokers.
FX Empire has been pioneering the broker rating review industry for many years. Our review process has expanded and diversified over the years and now includes 250 data points covering nine core categories – Trust, Fees, Platforms and Tools, Tradable Instruments, Customer Service, Deposit and Withdrawals, Account Types, Research, and Education.
Our team of analysts identified the best forex brokers for hedging by utilizing the results of our live testing on each of these categories, as well as the following factors:
We believe that these factors are essential for traders who are looking for a safe and reliable broker to trade with. Our reviews are designed to help you make an informed decision about which broker is right for you.
The team of forex and CFD writers and editors at FX Empire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our writers have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.