There are two types of DMA (direct market access) Forex trading and both are very different and not at all like DMA equities trading.
You can trade forex with direct exchange market access, through Interactive Brokers or Saxo.
First off, there is DMA FX trading on exchange with futures.
Most FX futures are denominated in USD and traded through exchanges like the CME. You can see more info on the CME FX Futures here.
FX futures are set in lot sizes and deliverable at a certain date in the future. So the price will be slightly different from the underlying mid-market because the futures price is based on the cost of carry (determined by the prevailing currency interest rates).
When trading on exchange you can see the order book (in lots) and work bids and offers inside the market prices, just like trading stocks on the stock market.
When trading on exchange FX, you can also trade FX options – to do so you need a futures broker (not a CFD broker).
- Want to trade forex? See our picks of the best forex trading platforms in the UK
The other type of DMA FX trading is through liquidity pools.
For spot FX there is no central market – foreign exchange prices are determined through various liquidity providers.
Platforms like Currenex offer a form of DMA, whereby the platform aggregates orders from multiple brokers showing liquidity depth. Although this is still an OTC market.
You can work orders inside the price, but it’s not as functional as an established exchange.
Also, when trading SPOT FX, your positions are rolled T+1, rather than settling at a set date in the future.
Things to consider when trading FX DMA:
- With DMA FX trading there will be commission added to the trades.
- With CFD FX brokers and spread betting commission is generally built into the price making it easier to calculate P&L.
- It may not be work trading DMA FX if you only have a small account.
- DMA brokers tend to only offer accounts with competitive pricing to large private and institutional accounts.
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