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HighLow

HighLow Review
Trader's rating 1
Editor's rating 4.6

 

Basic Information

 

Min.deposit

Min./Max. bet size

Payout %

Promotion

Trading platform

$50

$10/ $2,000 

Up to 88%*

up to $50 cashback

In-house web-based

 

*Up to 100%, spread included

 

HighLow is an ASIC-regulated binary options broker, that offers industry leading payouts on its unique trading platform. Unlike most binary options brokers, it offers a single trading account type.

 

In terms of assets, however, the broker’s portfolio appears rather limited. It includes less than 20 currency pairs, less than 10 indices CFDs and gold.

 

The Company. Security of Funds

 

Company

Country

Regulation

Highlow Markets Pty. Ltd.

Australia

ASIC

 

HighLow is a brand name Highlow Markets Pty. Ltd., a firm regulated by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).

 

ASIC requires licensed companies to meet certain requirements and to comply with various rules. Australian forex brokers must hold at least $ 1 million in order to operate legitimately, to keep  clients’ money segregated trust accounts and to report transactions regularly.

 

Unlike other European brokers, however, Australian ones are not covered by any compensation scheme.

 

Trading Conditions

 

Trading Options: High/Low, High/Low Spread, Turbo, Turbo Spread

Assets:  Currencies, Indices and Commodities

Expiry Times: High/Low, High/Low Spread – from 15 min to 1 day 3

Turbo, Turbo Spread - from 30 seconds to 5 minutes

 

As you can see, popular trading options such as long-term binary options, One Touch, Ladder and Pairs are not available with HighLow. Also, there is no option to follow other traders, such as SpotFollow or iFollow.

 

On the other hand, this broker offers an unusual type of options that show a bid/ask spread, the standard method of price making in the forex markets. These are Turbo Spread and High/Low Spread options.

 

Minimum Initial Deposit

The minimum initial deposit for clients of HighLow is $50, which is a low initial amount. Many binary options brokers require $100 - $200 from traders as a start, and they are not even regulated.

 

Min. bet size

The minimum bet size with this broker is $10, which is average. By comparison, with mobile-only binary options broker NenX one can place a trade with just €1. A bet size as low as this allows lower-risk trades.

 

Payout amount

HighLow's payouts are expresses in their platform as decimal odds. In fact, this broker offers rather high payouts, those for Turbo Spread and High/Low Spreadwhich actually being among the highest in the industry, reaching 100%.  However, with those instruments traders have also pay a spread, as their name suggests.  This is how the broker gets paid for its services and is able to offer 100% returns.

 

On the other hand, the payout amount for HighLow’s non-Spread instruments is 88%, which is also attractive.

 

Trading Platform

 

HighLow uses its in-house web-based platform, which is also available as mobile applications for iPhone/iPad and Android devices. It is quite unique and easy to use at the same time.

 

 

Once an asset is selected, the chart below will update, showing current price levels, trader sentiment, payout and the expiry. The platform’s charts, however, are basic, lacking advanced technical analysis features.

 

Besides, the platform provides a sentiment indicator, Trader’s Choice, that allows users to monitor current trading trends in real time.

 

Promotions

HighLow currently offers up to $50 cashback on initial trades for new clients.  

 

Methods of Payment

 

There are several payment methods available to HighLow’ clients: Credit cards (Visa), bank wire and e-payment service Neteller. Other region-based methods are also available.

 

There is a $20 fee for international transfers to overseas bank accounts.  

 

Conclusion

 

HighLow is an ASIC-regulated binary options broker whose offerings are pretty unique in terms of instruments and platform. It offers 100% payouts but these instruments also include a spread. To sum up the above, here are the advantages and drawbacks in relation to this broker:

 

Pros Cons
ASIC-regulated No long-term options, OneTouch, Ladder
Attractively high payout amounts Rather limited asset offering
Unique and easy to use trading platform  

 

FBS

FBS Review
Trader's rating 4
Editor's rating 4.4

Trading Accounts

Account type Minimum deposit Minimum trade size Maximum leverage Spreads
Cent $1 0.01 lot 1:1000 from 1 pips
Standard $100 0.01 lot 1:3000 from 0.5 pips
Zero Spread $500 0.01 lot 1:3000 0 pips + $20/lot
Micro $5 0.01 lot 1:3000 fixed, from 3 pips
ECN $1000 0.1 lot 1:500 from -1 pip + $6/lot

 

While most brokers provide several account type options, Clients of FBS are offered a choice of four. All of them offer market execution and the chance to trade in micro lots in Cent account for more precise risk management. Besides, FBS’s clients may choose between variable spreads, commission-free trading and zero spread plus commission.

 

In addition, FBS provides swap-free (Islamic) accounts as well as VIP Services. STP/ECN environment is also available with this broker.

 

Keep in mind that this broker does not provide financial services to residents of Belize, USA and Russia.

 

The Company. Security of Funds

 

Company

Country

Regulation

FBS Markets Inc.

Belize

IFSC

Tradestone Limited

Cyprus

CySEC

 

Established back in 2009, FBS is now a popular international broker which has won numerous awards. It offers its clients competitive trading conditions, wide range of trading accounts, payment methods, a choice of fixed and variable spreads, Metatrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, as well as various promotions.

 

Behind the brand is FBS Markets Inc., a company licensed and regulated by the International Financial Services Commission of Belize (IFSC).IFSC has very liberal control over forex brokers, but still, the regime in Belize is far better than those in other offshore jurisdictions.

 

In 2017 FBS, undertook an important step and got licensed in one of the most popular destinations for forex brokers – Cyprus. Its EU entity Tradestone Limited operates under the regulatory oversight of the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, a.k.a. CySEC.

 

Forex brokers licensed by CySEC must comply with a number of requirements regarding capital adequacy, transaction reporting, clients’ funds segregation, AML policies, etc. Besides, all licensed entities are members of the Investor Compensation Fund, which may cover a maximum of 20,000 EUR per person in the event of broker insolvency.

 

Furthermore, under the MiFID regulations every CySEC-regulated ibroker is entitled to operate throughout the EU and the EEA.  

 

Trading Conditions

 

Minimum Initial Deposit

One may open an account with FBS with just $1 – a symbolically low initial amount. In comparison, FX Choice (which also holds a license from IFSC) requires at least $100 as a minimum for opening an account, but it offers pure STP/ECN environment.

 

Average spreads & Commissions

According to us, the best spreads of FBS are offered on the ECN account type. Spreads on ECN account start from -1 pip (negative spread) and the commission is just $6 per lot.

 

In comparison, Fx Choice offers typical spreads amounting to 0.5 pips on EUR/USD, and commission of $3.86 per lot applies. For further information, you may look up real-time spreads of 15 leading brokers here.

 

Maximum Leverage

The maximum leverage levels available with this broker are among the highest in the industry, reaching 1:3000. While this may sound attractive, especially to traders on a small budget, since it allows them to operate with significantly higher amounts, keep in mind that higher leverage involves greater risk.

We advise traders to exercise caution when using higher leverage levels.

 

Trading Platforms

 

FBS provides its clients with a choice of three trading platforms: Metatradeer 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and mobile trading platform by FBS.  All platforms are offered as desktop, web and mobile versions.

 

MetaTrader 4 is the most popular forex trading platform. Equipped wirth a number of technical indicators, advanced charting tools, extensive back-testing environment, and a wide range of Expert Advisors (EA), it is preferred by most traders.  allowing clients to fully automate their trades. MT4 comes in desktop, and mobile versions.

 

As most MT4’s indicators and Expert Advisors (EA) are not supported on the MT5 platform, the latter is still in the shadow of its predecessor. Recently, however, a number of enhancements were made to the MetaTrader 5 and the hedging option was finally added to it and it gains popularity. What is more, Russian developer MetaQuotes announced it will no longer issue updates to the MT4 and will instead concentrate on the MT5.

More brokers using the MT5 can be viewed here.

 

Promotions

FBS runs a variety of promotions. At the time of writing this review the following bonuses are available:

 

- Welcome trade 100$ bonus

- 100% bonus for deposit;

- Cashback program, allowing traders to receive up to $7 per lot.

 

Methods of Payment

 

FBS offers its clients a wide range of payment methods: credit cards (Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard), bank wire, Skrill, Neteller, Perfect Money, OKPAY, YuuPay, LaoForexBoard, FBS Asia Exchanger.

 

Conclusion

 

FBS appears to be a decent broker, who has operated for more than 9 years and has won many awards. It offers reasonable conditions for trading in a variety of products through different platforms. Here are, in a nutshell, the advantages and disadvantages of FBS:

 

Pros Cons
   
Variety of platforms, MT4 available  No significant disadvantages
Competitive spreads (especially on ECN accounts)  
Low minimum deposits required  
Variety of promotions  
ECN/STP environment available  

 

Headquarters:  Suite 5, Garden City Plaza, Mountain View Boulevard, BELMOPAN, Belize, C. A.

Country: Belize 

Regulated by: IFSC, CRFIN

Website: www.IdnFBS.com

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Awards:
 
2015 - Best ECN/STP Forex Broker
2015 - The Best Broker Insurance & Service. Excellent of The Year. 
2014 - Best Broker in Southeast Asia (Forex Report Awards by World Finance)
2014 – Best Broker Asia Pacific (International Finance Magazine)
2014 – Best Forex Brand Asia (Global Brands Magazine) 
2013 - Best Partnership Program (Masterforex-v)
2013 - Best Trading Platform (China Finance Online) 
2013 - Best Forex Broker South-East Asia (World Finance)
2013 - Best Broker in Asian Region (Forex Expo)
2012 - Best MT4 Platform (9th China (Guangzhou) International Investment & Finance Expo)
2012 - Best Forex Broker Asia (World Finance Awards)
2012 - Fastest Growing Forex Broker Asia (Global Banking and Finance Review)
2011 - Best Mini Forex Broker (World Finance Awards)
2010 - Best Mini Forex Broker (ShowFX World)
 

 

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