It's nice to look for a firm that has low rates and good platforms. But everyone should be aware of the financial health of their Broker. The metric I like to look at is Adjusted Net Capital and Excess Net Capital. Check out your broker here.
FX data is difficult to find. What are you looking for? If it's counter party risk totals......good luck. FX is still the wild wild west like the OTC market back int he 70's. Try contacting the NFA and ask directly. I believe all US FX licensed dealers must be NFA members: Chicago Headquarters 300 S. Riverside Plaza, #1800 Chicago, IL 60606-6615 (312) 781-1300 New York Office 120 Broadway, #1125 New York, NY 10271 (212) 608-8660
Here is the official site for these reports, including a spreadsheet format: http://www.cftc.gov/MarketReports/FinancialDataforFCMs/index.htm Looking at the report, does anyone see any grounds for concern about specific firms?
this is def required reading before opening a futures account. a quick note, IIRC, the numbers for IB are skewed down b/c of the sweep function meaning they actually having higher customer balances. if i'm wrong pls correct. i don't know how this might change after the recent change in sweep policy.
How do you interpret these metrics ? What red flags are there for MF Global in the Aug 2011 statement --- the last statement before it went bust ?