Trade 12,000+ products with competitive spreads across forex.
CMC Markets was founded in 1989 and is a well-established and highly trusted forex and CFD (contract for difference) trading platform. It offers access to more than 12,000 CFD instruments through its own Next Generation platform and MetaTrader 4.
With strong educational resources and demo accounts, as well as professional-level trading tools, competitive fees and advanced functionality, it's a great platform for beginners and experts alike.
CMC Markets is one of the world's leading trading platforms, offering a feature-rich, professional trading platform with competitive fees and low spreads.
This review is for CMC Markets CFD trading platform, which is separate to its regular share trading platform. If you were looking for more information on the basic share trading account, you can check out our review of CMC's share trading account here.
| Type of broker | Online |
| Available markets | 330+ global currency pairs, stock CFDs, cryptocurrency, index CFDs, bonds, commodities |
| Minimum Spreads for Major Currencies | 0.60 - 1.80 pips |
| Commission | $0 |
| Minimum opening balance | $0 |
| Minimum Trade Size | 0.01 lots |
| Leverage | 1:1 - 30:1 |
| Platforms | Next Generation, MetaTrader 4 |
| Support | Phone, email and live chat |
| More Info |
CMC Markets received the following awards in the 2024 Product Awards:
CMC Markets offers two CFD platforms - its own Next Generation platform and MetaTrader 4:
The CMC Markets Next Generation trading platform gives you access to more than 12,000 Australian and international CFD instruments, including:
You can also trade more than 220 instruments using MetaTrader 4 (MT4), the world's most popular trading platform, including:
CMC markets offers a range of advanced tools and functionality, including:
You have the option of two account types: a standard CFD account or the FX Active account. Both accounts offer mobile trading, up to 30:1 leverage, hedging and come with no minimum deposit requirements.
Standard CFD account
Designed for regular traders.
Trade more than 12,000 instruments on CMC Markets' Next Generation platform or 220 instruments on MetaTrader4 with variable spreads and commissions on share CFDs and forex.
FX Active account
Designed for active FX traders.
Trade the same instruments you would normally access on either Next Generation or MetaTrader 4 platforms, with the addition of a flat low commission and FX spreads starting from 0.0 pips on 6 major pairs.
There are a number of fees or costs to consider when trading CFDs and other instruments, including commissions, spreads and margins.
Given the vast range of products and markets available on CMC Markets, there's no universal trading fee you can expect to pay when using the platform.
While CMC Markets has a competitive fee structure, your trading fees could vary significantly depending on both the instrument you're trading and the market it is trading from.
We've broken down the basic fee structure for each CMC Markets account type below.
Standard CFD account
Share CFD commissions start from 0.10% or $0.02 per unit, depending on which country's market you are trading. Minimum commissions also apply and again will vary by market.
Forex spreads start from 0.5 points for EUR/USD, while indices spreads start from 1.0 points. CFD margins start from 3.3% on currency pairs and treasuries, or 5% for indices and commodities. Margins start at 20% for UK and US shares.
FX Active account
You'll pay a flat 0.0025% commission on all forex transactions, with minimum spreads of 0.0 on 6 major currency pairs. There's also a 25% reduction on spreads compared to the standard CFD account.
If you want to access CMC Markets' price data for share CFDs, you may need to pay a monthly subscription fee.
While no fee applies when you want to access US and other international market data, a $20 fee applies to Australian market data.
Holding costs may also apply to positions that are held open at the end of a trading day.
CMC Markets is a publicly listed, UK-based financial service company that allows you to trade contracts for difference or foreign exchange markets from a number of countries including Australia.
Founded in 1989 and with over 1 million investors, CMC is one of the most well-established and highly regarded brokers in the world.
CMC Markets is regulated in Australia by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC).
CMC Markets is primarily aimed at experienced traders, especially through its CFD trading platforms. It lets users trade a huge variety of CFD instruments, offers fast executions, advanced orders and competitive fees.
However, it also offers a number of features designed to help beginner traders, including a free demo account, educational resources and an easy-to-use interface.
If you need assistance with a particular trade or with any aspect of your CMC Markets account, it’s easy to get in touch with CMC Markets.
Phone, email and live chat support are all available and the CMC Markets client services team is available 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday (24/5).
There are also plenty of educational resources to improve your trading knowledge. These include instructional articles and videos, trading guides, a blog, events run by market experts and much more, plus a free demo account.
| Payment type | Payment type supported | Charge | Transfer time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct debit (debit card) |  | 0.6% of transaction | 1–2 days |
| Direct debit (credit card) | | 1% of transaction | 1–2 days |
| PayPal | | 1% | Instant |
| Cheque |  | N/A | N/A |
| Cash | | N/A | N/A |
| AMEX / Diners | | N/A | N/A |
| Payment over the phone | Only available if your account is approaching margin call | As above | As above |
To apply for a Trading Account from CMC Markets, simply click the "Go to site" link on this page to be securely redirected to an online application form.
To apply for an account you will need to provide:
Of course, it’s vital that you are fully aware of all the risks involved in trading CFDs before you sign up for an account.
Cameron Finder
Writer
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