IG Group

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IG GroupThis is a massive online broker where you can trade in over 10,000 assets. A little bit of everything is available here, from Spreadbetting, Digital Options and Contracts for Difference, to trading in Equities, Options, FX, and Cryptocurrency.

IG is a popular choice among every type of online trader, from those how are just starting out to seasoned veterans.

IG is a well established broker who has been around for over 40 years, i.e. from the time before the advent of online retail trading. The headquarter for the IG Group is located in London, United Kingdom.

Short facts about IG

  • Also known as:  IG Index
  • Website: https://www.ig.com
  • Minimum deposit: £250 or eqvivalent
  • Minimum trade: £1 or eqvivalent
  • Instruments: Stocks, Options, FX, Cryptocurrency, CFD, Digital Options, Spreadbetting
  • MT4 integration: Yes
  • Mobile trading: Yes, for iOS, Android and Windows
  • Demo account: Yes
  • Islamic account: No
  • Auto trading: No
  • Trade signals: Yes, via Chartist Software

IG Group

Contracts for Difference

  • Stocks spread: 0.1% var
  • GBP/USD spread: 0.9 pips
  • FTSE spread: 1 pt
  • Oil spread: 3 pips

Forex

  • EUR/USD spread: 0.6 pips
  • GBP/USD spread: 0.9 pips
  • EUR/GBP spread: 2 pips

Over 95 different assets are available for FX trading.

Cryptocurrency

Examples of available cryptocurrencies: BCH, BTC, DASH, EOS, ETH, LTC, NEO, XLM, and XRP.

  • BTC spread: 0.6%
  • ETH spread: 1.5%

Regulation

IG Markets works through a series of regional subsidiaries, each with a corresponding local license.

Examples: IG Markets Ltd is regulated in the UK and licensed by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), while IG US is regulated in the USA and licensed and regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trading platform

IG Markets have their own proprietary trading platform, which is generally well liked within the online trading community. The platform is web browser based, so you don’t have to download and install it on your computer.

MT4

At IG Markets, you can elect to trade in the MetaTrader4 platform instead of using the propietary one. The MetaTrader4 (MT4) is a platform used by a wide range of online brokers and similar, so many traders have previous experience with it when they sign up with IG Markets.

Trading on mobile devices

In addition to the browser based platform, IG Markets is offering mobile trading apps for iOS and Android. Trading with IG on smartphones and tablets is easy, even on small screens.

IG Markets trading accounts

IG Markets offers several real-money trading account types:

  • Standard accountThis is the most common account type at IG Markets, and it is for retail traders. The minimum trade amount is just £1 and the maximum per option limit is £300.
  • Premium accountThis account is for high-amount retail traders. It’s a premium version of the Standard Account.
  • Professional accountThis is for professional traders. You have to fulfill certain criteria to get a professional account, e.g. when it comes to trading experience and trading capital. As a professional trader, you have less legal protection, but get access to larger leverage.
  • DMA accountAdvanced traders can open a special DMA account to trade market depth via algorithms. With a DMA account, you also get access to pre-market and post-market auctions.

Demo account

With a demo account, you can learn how to trade using play-money. That way, you don’t have to risk any real money. Also, its a great way of trying out and polishing new trading strategies.

Customer support

Customer support is available through phone, email and live chat.

The support is staffed around the clock from Monday through Friday (UK time). On Saturdays and Sundays, support is available from 9 am to 5 pm (UK time).

Customer support is available in several languages.

Transactions

Examples of accepted transaction methods:

  • VISA
  • MasterCard
  • Debit cards
  • Bank Wire Transfers

The minimum initial deposit is £250 or equivalent.

Withdrawal requests are normally processed quickly. There is no withdrawal fee, but you must meet the minimum withdrawal requirment.

Excluded countries

Examples of excluded countries are Canada and Belgium. Traders can not use IG from excluded countries.

Unlike many other online traders IG do accept traders from the United States. This is possible thanks to IG US, the US regulated arm of the IG Group.