FXcast Review
FXcast is an offshore forex broker, based in the small island country of Mauritius. Using a highly automated dealing system, FXcast is able to use advanced risk algorithms to decide whether or not to trade against its clients or to pass client trades on to a higher tier. This ensures that the back-end runs quickly and efficiently, eliminating a lot of unnecessary costs and lags. It is a double-edged sword however, because not all traders are treated equally - when the algorithm decides that a trader is unprofitable, the system trades against that trader, creating a conflict of interest (the company profits if the trader loses). The result is a mixed bag of fairly low fixed spreads AND guaranteed limit order execution with NO slippage, but a noticeable amount of price manipulation. Please note that guaranteed fills and fixed spreads are normally too good to be true for scalpers, as is the case here. FXcast has a strict no scalping policy and sophisticated algorithms to detect it.
FXcast is regulated by the FSC (Mauritius), which is a regulatory body with more teeth than what many other offshore jurisdictions offer. Although the FSC may not have quite the reach of its American or European counterparts, the advantages of having an offshore forex account could easily outweigh this, particularly so as a result of recent "over-regulation" on the part of the NFA and CFTC.
Using the industry standard Metatrader 4 (MT4) trading platform, FXcast is able to attract a good number of discretionary and system traders. Use of Expert Advisors is welcome, although the functionality has to be enabled by management before EAs can be run on the platform, and once again, scalping is not allowed.
Islamic traders are eligible for no swap accounts, which are charged an extra $0.05 per 1,000 unit round trade. This is great for longer timeframe Islamic traders, since the extra fee is per round turn and not per day.
Finally, when it comes to funding your FXcast account, you have many options (listed below). Please be aware however, that PayPal is NOT available.
Overall, FXcast gets decent marks if you are dead-set on going offshore, but a poor substitute for a fully regulated US or UK based forex broker.
Subjective Ratings
| Charting: |  |
 This is our subjective view on how good the package is in this broker platform. For brokers offering multiple trading platforms, we rate the best one. |
| Execution: |  |
From our experience trading a real account, this is how we rate this broker's order execution. Brokers with guaranteed fills get a boost in rating. |
| User-friendliness: | |
How user-friendly is the trading platform? For brokers offering multiple trading platforms, we rate best one. |
| Customer support: |  |
How good a company's client support manage questions and problems is a very important aspect of their overall performance as a business. For this rating we consider the hours of operation, the different modes of contact (such as call back service, live chat, toll-free numbers etc.) as well as the staff's patience, eagerness to help, and most importantly, knowledge. |
| Transaction costs (spreads): |  |
Since different brokers offer different currency pairs with different spreads, variable or fixed, commission or commission-free trading etc., the idea of judging transactions costs overall becomes somewhat subjective. This is where we try to capture the broker's overall willingness to keep your trading costs low. |
| Rollover interest rates: | |
Again, since each broker has their own way to calculate overnight interest rate, or swap for each currency, it is not feasible to have an objective, quantitative way to judge their swap rates. The issue is further complicated because some brokers decide to offer swap-free accounts, some with extra fees added, some not, some for Islamic traders only, and some for the general public. This rating attempts to roll all of that into one. |
| Withdrawal processing: | |
One of the often-overlooked aspects of a brokers business is how quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively they process your withdrawals. For this rating we take into account the time it took us to get our withdrawals processed, the fees that were charged for those withdrawals (if any), any problems we encountered during the process, as well as the number of withdrawal methods available (such as PayPal, Moneybookers, etc.) |
| Platform Functionality: | |
Different platforms have very different levels of complexity. In general, more complex trading platforms give the user more flexibility in their trading, but involve a longer learning curve for new users to get accustomed to their idiosyncrasies. This rating measures the ability of the trading platform to complete complex tasks, most importantly in order management and reporting. For brokers offering multiple platforms, we rate the best one. |
| Platform Reliability: | |
One of the most annoying (and costly) complaints traders have about their brokers is that the trading platform crashes at the most crucial times. This rating attempts to get a handle on how the trading platform performs in terms of stability and reliability. Is the platform always available? Does it crash or freeze? How often? For brokers offering multiple platforms, we rate the best one. |
| Average rating: | |
The arithmetic mean of all the above ratings, rounded to the nearest half-star. |
Business Details
| Broker Headquarters: | Mauritius | The geographical location of the broker's headquarters. |
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| Regulated By: | FSC Mauritius under the Financial Services Development Act 2001 | Which regulating body, if any, is responsible for regulating this broker? |
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| Client Account Segregation: | Yes, funds held at Pireaeus Bank, Cyprus | Some brokers choose on their own and others are required by regulators to keep client funds separate from the company's operating capital. This gives clients an extra layer of security in case the broker becomes insolvent and needs to go into bankruptcy. It should be noted that segregation does NOT constitute absolute safety of client funds in case of bankruptcy, but is a significant step nonetheless. |
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| Collect Taxes on Earnings: | No | Does this broker report client earnings to any tax authorities? If so, which ones? |
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| Accept US traders?: |  |
Some brokers, either due to government regulation, or due to their own risk management policies, choose to prohibit clients from the United States. |
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| Main liquidity providers: | Unknown | Most brokers are somewhat secretive about this aspect of their business, but those who aren't certainly provide their clients with a valuable piece of information. The more liquidity that is available, the better order execution clients can expect. Knowing the institutions which provide this liquidity can also offer a glimpse into which currency pairs have sufficiently deep liquidity for your needs. |
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| Broker Capital as of 02-2009 | Unknown | The amount of capital the company has on hand. CFTC registered companies are required to report this, but most other brokers do not. |
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| Also has offices in: | Central Europe, Indonesia, China, Middle East, Malaysia, Africa | A list of other places, besides the headquarters, where the broker has offices. |
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| Registered Business Name: | FXcast, a Surplus Finance S.A. Company | The name of the parent company of the broker, if any, or the business name under which the broker operates. |
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| In business since year: | 2007 | When was the business established? This is a measure of trustworthiness. If a business has been around for a long time, it is less likely to scam you or disappear overnight. |
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| Deposit/Withdrawal methods: | What methods are available to deposit and withdraw money to and from your trading account? |
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Trading Conditions
* The high degree of leverage available in foreign exchange trading can work against you as well as for you. Investors should ensure they are fully aware of the benefits and risks before putting any money on the line.
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