Pepperstone Review 2023
Brokers are an intermediate link between a trader and a financial exchange. They list all the important trading instruments accessible after opening an account with the company. The trader only has to pay a small fee in terms of spreads or commissions to use the exclusive features of any brokerage.
The recent developments in the internet and technology have allowed the general community to trade from the comfort of their homes. There is no need to call or visit your exchange for opening and managing your positions. The increasing number of brokers has introduced overwhelming competition, resulting in lower costs, better execution, and free education.
Peppertstone has been a pioneer in offering the best spreads in the industry. The broker provides over-the-top customer support, learning sections, spreads, and the safety of your funds. We have extensively covered all the essential features of Pepperstone with drawbacks in our impartial review. In the end, you will be able to judge if the broker should be your go-to choice for daily trading. The pros of PepperStone certainly overpower its cons, and if you’re already convinced, head over to their official website to sign up.
Regulation and Security
Since its inception in 2010, Pepperstone has sought out regulation from multiple top-tier regulatory authorities. The broker comes under strict checks and balances from the following regulators:
- United Kingdom: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Australia: Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC)
- Dubai: Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)
- Cyprus: Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
- Kenya: Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA)
- Bahamas: Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB)
- Germany: Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)
The legal documentations are available on the website to verify all of its regulations.
Negative Balance Protection
The negative balance protection ensures that you don’t owe your broker money in case of a losing trade. Under regulators’ compliance, Pepperstone is obligated to liquidate your positions if the equity falls below 50%. Negative balance protection is also available for retail clients.
Funds Segregation
Your funds are held in a separate account away from the broker’s capital.
Insurance
The compensation scheme of Pepperstone varies according to the regulatory entity. Traders under the eyes of FCA have insurance up to £85000 while those in CySEC have €20000/investor.
Is Pepperstone available worldwide?
As Pepperstone is a highly regulated broker, it can only offer its services to regions approved by the regulators. Investors can contact customer support before opening an account to know if they fall on the list of accepted clients.
Supported Platforms
A trading software is a place where you can analyze the live feeds, use various indicators, backtest EAs, place orders, access the financial marketplace, etc. The top brokers in the industry ensure to provide their services via multiple platforms to suit the needs of most.
As a quality brokerage, Pepperstone provides allows traders to trade from desktop, mobile, and web interfaces. The list of available platforms and their respective features are:
- TradingView. TradingView is one of the most popular charting platforms in the financial markets. The platform features many ready-made indicators and allows participants to create their systems using PineScript. Traders can trade on their Pepperstone razor account directly from TV charts.
- MetaTrader 4. MetaTrader 4 is another most popular product used by many veteran and new traders. The platform offers 9 different time frames, multiple charting tools, various order types, and access to an EA tester. The MQL 5 marketplace is one of the top meeting points for many investors to buy/sell scripts and algorithms.
- MetaTrader 5. MT 5 is a more advanced version of the MT 4 platform. Launched on 1st June 2010, the new platform has increased support for time frames, strategy testing, distributed architecture, and coding. It has been subjected to continuous updates from the developers to keep the interface updated with the current market conditions.
- cTrader is a replica of trading software used by big financial institutions. The platform was made available for the general public to provide all the advanced functionalities available in big banks and hedge funds. Traders at Pepperstone can download the cTrader software and use it for controlling slippage and access fix APIs.
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Account Types
Pepperstone has three different account types for its traders. All the portfolios offer institutional grade spreads with AUD, USD, JPY, GBP, EUR, CAD, CHF, NZD, SGD, and HKD as supported base currencies. There are no restrictions on your strategy, i.e., traders can use scalping, hedging, news trading, etc.
The names of available accounts are:
- Swap-free
- Standard
- Razor
Swap-free Account
As the name indicates, a swap-free account has no rollover fee. This portfolio is best for the Muslim community as the Islamic Law inhibits any interest in trading. No commissions are charged on trades, and a fixed admin fee is incurred for rollover swaps.
Standard Account
The standard account is termed best for new traders. It offers raw spreads with no commissions on trades. The average EURUSD spread is 0.6 pips.
Razor Account
Pepperstone charges a small commission of $7 per round lot on their Razor accounts. The portfolio is best for scalpers and algorithmic traders as the spreads are minimal.
Demo Account
Demo accounts follow all the protocols of a live portfolio however consist of paper money instead of real cash. They are perfect for beginners to test their strategies before proceeding to risk actual funds. Fortunately, with Pepperstone, market participants can open a virtual portfolio free of cost.
Your account type can play a crucial role in your profitability and trading charges. Analyze the offerings for each account type to make the most of your investment.
Signing Up
The registration process at Pepperstone is simple and would only require a few minutes of your time. The whole process involves only four steps:
- Enter your email address and click on get started
- Fill out the application form
- Verify your identity if required
- Deposit funds in your account and start trading
KYC policies set up by regulators must be fulfilled in some instances. This is to avoid money laundering and, consequently, terrorism financing.
You can set up a reminder if you feel like you have no time to fill out the application form. It is also possible to register via Google and Facebook IDs.
Trading Dashboard
The trading dashboard of Pepperstone is user-friendly, with all the details of your accounts and funds. A number of technical tools are available such as pip, margin, and profit calculator alongside chart analysis. Traders can deposit/withdraw money in their accounts using the dedicated Funding section. New applications for live
Deposit and Withdrawals
Pepperstone provides a wide range of deposit options for traders, including bank transfers, credit/debit cards, and e-wallets such as Neteller and Skrill. There are no deposit fees, and the transfer process is instant except for bank deposits which require 3-5 business days.
Traders can submit withdrawal requests within the funds’ tab. The request should be confirmed within an hour of submission from the confirmation email. Third-party regulations are also in full force here, as the cashouts can only be processed to an account under your name.
Pepperstone will process withdrawals on the same day if the request is submitted before 07:00 (AEST). You should analyze their withdrawal policy to understand the best transfer and withdrawal methods.
Instruments
Pepperstone supports CFD trading on forex, indexes, commodities, ETFs, shares, cryptocurrencies, and currency indexes. A wide range of available assets is beneficial in diversifying your portfolio.
The available spreads on major instruments and the associated leverage are shown in the table below.
Instrument | Spread | Min Contract size | Max Leverage |
EURUSD | 0.6 | 0.01 | Relative |
VIX | 0.1 | 0.1 | Relative |
Bitcoin | 30 | N/A | 1:2 |
Gold | 5 | 0.01 | 1:20 |
Silver | 0.5 | 0.01 | 1:10 |
Commissions and Fees
There are no deposit and withdrawal fees at Pepperstone. Charges may only incur from the intermediate payment processor.
Spreads
The spreads can be as low as 0.6 pips for major currency pairs for the standard accounts. The Razor portfolio has negligible differences between the bid and asking price. The costs come from a fixed commission at $7 per round lot size.
The swap rates incur for positions held overnight. The formula for calculating the costs for currencies is as follows:
Daily swap charge/credit = (One point/exchange rate) x (Trade size [or notional amount] x tom next)
There are no inactivity fees if your account is dormant for an extensive period.
Available Leverage
Leverage is one way to increase your overall profits by 10 or even 100 folds. The reward comes at the cost of risk. With available margin, investors can open big positions; however, once the equity depletes to zero, the broker will withdraw its money to safeguard its cash.
The amount of leverage available at Pepperstone differs according to the regulatory entity. Traders under ASIC can have as much as 1:30, while those under SCB are entitled to 1:200.
Analysis and Education
A good knowledge of the financial markets can help you save your portfolio from potential margin calls. The education and analysis section is made widely available with most brokers. They are aimed at helping beginners and professionals with their trading consistency.
The education section at Pepperstone covers learning techniques for forex, cryptocurrencies, and shares. Investors also have access to multiple webinars and trading guides free of cost.
The top veterans with multiple years of trading experience cover the market analysis section. They provide daily analysis on various instruments and upload videos explaining all the technicalities in detail. Various trading tools are also at hand, such as cTrader automate, API trading, and smart trader tools.
Customer Service
Pepperstone is a step ahead of other brokerages in terms of customer support. The website has a separate FAQ section where traders can get answers to their general inquiries. Besides this, help is also available via phone and email. Live chat service is present 24 hours 5 days a week.
Premium clients with an account value of $15 million or more get a personal manager. They get access to professional market insights provided by none other.
CONNECT WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE
Reputation amongst Traders
Pepperstone has been regarded as an excellent choice for trading by multiple traders. Trustpilot, a noted review platform, features Pepperstone with a total rating of 4.7 for over 1500 feedback.
Traders commemorate the support for cTrading platform and the customer services offered by the broker.
Awards
As a credible broker, Pepperstone has won many rewards over 12 years. Some of the notable mentions are:
- #1 Overall Client Satisfaction by Australia FX Investment Trends Report Winner
- Growth Company of the Year Awards by Australian Growth Company Awards
- Best Forex ECN Broker by UK Forex Awards
- Best Tailored Professional Trading Conditions by Professional Trader Awards
- Best Forex Trading Execution 2021 by FxScouts Forex Awards 2021
Partnerships
Pepperstone has a range of partnership programs that aid both the trader and the company. The benefits are comprehensive, coming with mobile-friendly marketing tools, a customizable analysis dashboard, and much more.
- Affiliate. By signing up as an affiliate, it is possible to earn up to $1300 CPA with commission tears. All the payouts are handed over at the end of 30 days. The affiliate applications are all reviewed within a single business day to help you start earning ASAP.
- IB. As an introducing broker, traders can work alongside the sales team at Pepperstone and earn flexible rebates. The earnings are handed out to the participants daily.
- Fund manager. The PAMM and MAM services at Pepperstone are developed for professional traders. For managing funds, pro traders get compensated through a performance fee.
Can beginners trade with Pepperstone?
Pepperstone caters its services to traders of all levels. Beginner traders can access the comprehensive education section to improve their risk management, strategy, and trading psychology. They can, later on, practice their techniques with a demo account.
Summing Up
Pepperstone is a highly regulated broker with multiple financial awards and excellent customer support. The brokerage offers razor-sharp spreads and the lowest fees when it comes to pricing. It is the primary choice of many traders due to the superb trading conditions per customer reviews.