HF Markets review (ECN STP broker)

HF Markets and HotForex are unified brands of the HF Markets group which includes the following companies:

HF Markets (Europe) Ltd is a Cypriot Investment Firm (CIF) regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). CySEC is the supervisory and regulatory authority for investment services firms in Cyprus and is a member of the European Securities and Markets Authority's (ESMA) committee.

HF Markets (Europe) Ltd. is required to disclose information relating to its capital, the risks to which the company is exposed, and to promote market discipline. It must also comply with the EU's Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) which is in place to provide a standardised regulatory regime for investment services in Europe. The main objectives of MiFID are to increase efficiency, improve financial transparency, increase competition and provide greater consumer protection in investment services.

HF Markets (UK) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA is an independent public body governed by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), which works alongside the UK Treasury to support and ensure a healthy and prosperous financial system where businesses can thrive and where consumers benefit from honest, fair and efficient markets that are both trustworthy and transparent.

UK and European companies are subject to certain trading restrictions due to the influence of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). This includes a maximum leverage of 1:30.

HF Markets (DIFC) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Aiming to develop, administer and enforce world-class financial services regulation within the main financial hub of the Middle East, the DFSA is the independent regulator of financial services performed in or from the Dubai International Financial Center.

HF Markets SA (PTY) Ltd is a financial services provider licensed by South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). The FSCA is an independent institution established by law to oversee South Africa's non-bank financial services sector. It regulates the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Africa's largest stock exchange.

HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd is regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA). The authority is the regulator of non-bank financial services in the country and is responsible for the licensing, supervision and development of Seychelles' non-banking financial services sector.

HF Markets Ltd is regulated by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of the Republic of Mauritius.

Each of the companies in HF Markets is subject to strict regulations which provide traders with the confidence that they are using a trusted and reliable broker that must adhere to strict regulatory rules. You may choose to open an account with the relevant entity depending on your jurisdiction and trading requirements.

Regulated brokers must adhere to strict financial standards which include capital adequacy requirements. HF Markets is required to submit financial reports to the regulator on a quarterly basis while maintaining a sufficient amount of liquid capital to cover all of its traders' deposits, potential fluctuations in the company's currency positions and current expenses. A detailed annual audit is carried out by an independent auditor in order to inform the regulatory authority of any shortcomings.

The safety of client funds is a top priority. In order to allow the entities to concentrate on their operations without having to worry about the safety of funds, they have implemented additional security measures.

Client funds are protected. As part of regulatory requirements and to better protect traders' liabilities, HF Markets EU has implemented an insurance program at no additional cost to clients. This insurance is limited to 5 million and covers risks that can lead to financial loss such as errors, negligence, omissions, fraud, etc.

HF Markets EU holds its clients' funds in segregated accounts with major global banks, so they cannot be used for other purposes. There is negative balance protection, which means that in the event of market volatility, the client is not responsible for a negative balance scenario.

HF Markets EU is a member of the Investor Compensation Fund - ICF. The objective of the ICF is to secure the claims of traders against the members of the ICF through the payment of compensation if the necessary preconditions are met. This fund was established under the 2002 Investment Firms Law and the 2004 Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of an Investor Compensation Fund for clients of CIFs. The fund is a private legal entity which is administered by a committee of 5 members who are each appointed for a 3-year term. The fund has been operational since 30 May 2004.

HF Markets offers different types of accounts, trading software and tools to help both individuals and institutional clients trade forex and CFDs online.

All retail clients have the ability to access interbank spreads and liquidity through state-of-the-art automated trading platforms. HF Markets offers an unmatched variety of account options that clients can choose from to enjoy a tailored trading experience that perfectly meets their needs.

Coupled with superior trading conditions and lightning-fast execution, HF Markets provides all the necessary tools and services for clients of all skill levels to achieve their trading ambitions.

The broker's policy is to offer tight spreads starting at 0 pips and competitive commissions.

HF Markets offers the popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 trading platforms. MetaTrader is available for desktop, web and mobiles. It should be noted that HF ​​Markets offers a wide range of trading tools which can be added to the platforms to improve the overall functionality.

HF Markets MetaTrader 4 (MT4)

Developed by MetaQuotes Software and released in 2006, the MetaTrader 4 platform, also known as MT4, is today's most used electronic trading platform. It is often seen as the entry platform for those new to online trading, while being advanced enough to meet the needs of more experienced traders.

MT4 is known for its user-friendly interface, variety of trading tools, and resources. It allows users to analyse different asset charts over multiple time periods with over 50 built-in indicators and tools to perform in-depth technical analysis.

The integrated MetaEditor can be used to develop your own custom indicators and automated trading systems (Experts-Advisors) in the MQL4 programming language. There is also a large online community where users share indicators and Expert-Advisors.

MT4 allows fast one-click trading, the placing orders of multiple types, the display of live prices in the market watch window, features an integrated information feed directly into the platform and a view of the client's account summary in real time, including account balance, equity, margin and floating profit/loss.

MT4 is available for desktops (Windows/Mac), web browsers and mobiles (iPhones/iPads/ Androids/Tablets).

HF Markets MetaTrader 5 (MT5)

MT5 gives you all the benefits of MT4 with a few additional features including 21 different time frames, over 100 technical indicators, the ability to view over 100 charts simultaneously, enhanced order management capabilities and much more.

MT5 is a powerful yet user-friendly platform that offers full control over your trades for an enhanced trading experience. While MT4 is suitable for most traders, MT5 is also easily accessible and available on desktops (Windows/Mac), web browsers and mobile devices (iPhones/iPads/Androids/Tablets).

HF Markets clients have access to downloads of top-notch trading tools that provide institutional grade technology, market news and in-depth analysis. Premium tools can be used by traders of all skill levels and for different needs. They evolve over time based on user feedback and each tool includes detailed user guides and instructional videos.

Trading terminal

This useful tool is packed with features for asset analysis and trade execution. There are a number of additional features which aren't generally included by default in trading platforms and which can improve the speed and ease of trading.

The trading terminal supports 1-click transactions, provides an overview of current account settings, displays a list of all open positions and pending orders, allows users to perform multiple trades at once and to define models of both monetary management rules and position analysis.

Mini terminal

This is a trading terminal extension designed for traders who want to focus on a specific market. It displays the same transaction ticket as the trading terminal in the context of a specific chart and can be detached from its chart in a floating window. Smart lines allow you to set stop loss levels and take profits by drawing lines. The mini-terminal transaction ticket allows you to set risk management options and create templates for frequently used functions. There are quick links to buy, sell, close all positions, reverse positions and hedge them.

Connect

The Connect tool provides a fully customisable and automatically updated news flow and economic calendar. You can choose to receive real-time news that affects you and set alerts.

Traders' sentiment

The sentiment tool shows the current and historical market sentiment on a chosen instrument by displaying the number of HF Market traders that are either long or short. This tool is often used as part of a counter-sentiment trading strategy.

Trading session map

This session map gives you an overview of the main markets and time zones. It shows the current time, which is adjustable according to your location, markers for upcoming economic report releases, an overview of the price movements of each trading session. The main trading sessions are those in New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney.

Alarm manager

The alarm manager is like a personal assistant who notifies you and your social media followers of specific events and can perform a number of automatic actions for you, including opening positions, sending emails and more.

Excel RTD

This tool can use simple formulas to send real-time account, ticket and price data directly to an Excel spreadsheet. If you have programming skills, it can also send trading orders from Excel or any other COM environment.

Market manager

The market manager is a small window that stays at the top so you can keep it in view while using other applications such as your web browser or media player. It provides an overview of account activity and allows multiple actions to be performed from the window.

Correlation matrix

The correlation matrix displays the correlation between different markets with areas of low or high correlation highlighted by a color code. This correlation information can be used as part of the technical analysis of a trading strategy.

Correlation Trader

The correlator allows traders to compare the correlation between 2 different instruments to spot emerging differences. It also indicates any open positions on the chosen symbol and recent price activity.

Tick Chart Trader

This tool displays different types of tick charts and can be used for quick order entry using basic mouse clicks or keyboard shortcuts.

MT4 indicator set

This is a very useful and often requested set of additional chart indicators for the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) trading platform. Indicators include Renko bars, pivot points, high and low points, order history, chart grouping and freehand drawing directly on the chart.

Autochartist

The free Autochartist tool analyses your chosen instruments to find charts and technical diagrams, then alerts you when it finds an opportunity. This saves you from having to scan multiple charts yourself and the patterns can be filtered by probability.

HFcopy

HFcopy allows traders to offer signals that followers can automatically copy to their trading account. Signal providers can receive a performance fee while followers retain full control of their account and can choose and manage the traders they follow at any time. Please note, though, that past performance of signals is not a guarantee of future performance.

Economic calendar

The customisable economic calendar allows traders to keep up with the latest developments in global economic news with hints on the potential impact of that news. Actual results, consensus and previous results from press releases are displayed. Users can filter news based on date, country, and impact level. This timeline can be used to facilitate your fundamental analysis.

Trader's Board

The trader's board allows users to get the latest market news, identify the biggest currency movements, gauge market sentiment with a breakdown of client positions, and analyse volumes traded by symbol.

HF Markets' VPS hosting

HF Markets offers a Virtual Private Server (VPS) starting at $30/month or free on request for eligible clients who meet the minimum account requirements of $5,000 to be eligible.

A VPS allows you to run your trading platform 24/7 without having to keep your computer on, which can be useful for traders who want to use automated systems (Experts-Advisors) and those with unreliable internet connections. VPS systems minimise downtime and can be accessed from a remote location.

HF Markets' VPS provider is Beeks Financial Cloud which is present in 10 global data centres to ensure lightning fast response times. Their goal is to provide rock-solid, low latency VPS and infrastructure solutions for traders with an easily accessible trading platform.