Whirl, I realize it's been a few months since you posted this, but I just saw it, and you may still see the reply. You might want to try http://www.mbtrading.com/ for your broker. I've read good things about them on the forums. They have software that tracks your profit and loss and a sophisticated order execution system which has many varied order types including trailing stops. I just started playing with their demo account, so I can only quote what I've read. Also, I think their data feed works with http://www.quotetracker.com/ which you could use for charting. I just downloaded QuoteTracker yesterday, and I have to wait until the forex markets open to play with it. Another good charting program appears to be http://www.aspenres.com/ which is Aspen Graphics. It works great with the FXCM data feed and you can put multiple charts up at the same time. I don't know yet if it works with MB Trading's data feed. The FXCM data feed could be used to show sell prices, which are within a couple of pips of MB Trading based on my observations. I originally started playing with the demo account for FXCM. I was, and still am impressed with their user interface as well as their customer support. However, based on several things I read here, I'm moving to MB Trading. It is said that FXCM has poor execution during volatile markets and that they apparently put traders on manual execution mode when the company doesn't like your trading patterns, etc. This means the dealing desk must process each trade, rather than it going through automatically. Also, you should go to each website: http://www.fxcm.com/spreads-and-margins-exchange.jsp and http://www.mbtrading.com/fx/spreads.asp (click on view all currency pairs). Compare the spreads. While FXCM guarantees fixed spreads during "normal market conditions", the spreads at MB Trading are variable and they charge a commission. MB's spreads are quoted to be "as low as". Looking at the quote board shows they're frequently not at their lower limit. However, if you compare even the typical spreads on the MB quote board vs the fixed spreads of FXCM, you will find that you save 1-10 pips on most trades with MB. Overall, I think I'll save money with MB and get better execution. The commission runs from $0.62 to $1.86 per trade for a mini lot of 10,000 units of currency. I couldn't find that on the website, but you can determine it by experimentation on the demo account. Just buy and sell a currency and see what your commissions were and what margin was required. From what I observed, the margin requirement was 100X the commission for a 10K lot and 1000X for a 100K lot. For standard lots of 100,000, the commission would be 10X what's quoted above, as far as I know. I believe you can also buy and sell fractional lots, which can be useful for controlling your risk. I think they allow 100:1 leverage. Here are some example costs when I tried the demo account. EUR/USD - 10K Lot - Commission = $1.26 / trade Margin Req = $126.00 / trade Pip Value ~ $1.00 can be displayed on screen EUR/USD - 100K Lot - Commission = $12.66 / trade Margin Req = $1260.00 / trade Pip Value ~ $10.00 Here's a link where you can check out their features: http://www.mbtrading.com/fx/comparison.asp . Also, check to see if your broker is regulated in your home country and if the accounts are insured. Hope this info is helpful. Sincerely, Ron
http://www.fxpalace.com/ is a good site with forex tutorials, well organized, with colors and images, recommended for those who uses metatrader platform