Introduction:
Plus500 is a reliable CFD broker that offers traders a user-friendly platform. The principal offering of Plus500 is Contracts For Difference (CFD), which is delivered via its proprietary trading platform through the web and other electronic channels. Plus500 was founded in 2008 as an Israel-based company. The best thing about the broker is that it is regulated by several relevant regulatory bodies. Just like many other CFD brokers, Plus500 too does not accept U.S. clients. However, it does offer them a unique trading platform called TradeSniper for futures trading.
Plus500 has clients in more than 50 countries and provides them access to a comprehensive CFD product line, including Forex, shares, commodities, stock indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs and options. It’s worth mentioning that Plus500 is the first broker who has introduced a Bitcoin CFD in the year 2013. Plus500 offers 2800+ CFDs on its simple yet functional trading platform, along with competitive spreads and no commissions. This particularly entices traders who look for lower costs without compromising the functionality aspect.
Features of Plus500:
Range of Offerings:
Plus500 provides access to 2800+ CFDs across diverse asset classes such as indices, Forex, commodities, ETFs, options, individual shares and cryptocurrencies (their availability is subject to regulation). The only difference between standard and CFD trading is that you don’t own the underlying asset.
Customer Service:
Another significant feature of Plus500 is its Live Chat feature along with 24*7 Whatsapp and email support. However, telephonic support is a big omission. Despite this, their live chat and email support system is pretty solid, as their response time is prompt. Overall, customer service is quite satisfactory.
Education:
Plus500 provides some useful educational resources to help potential traders, particularly those who are new to CFD trading, get started. The broker has its own “Trading Academy” with a wide range of educational products like FAQs, eBooks and guides to provide ease of trading to both novices and professional traders. Additionally, they offer market news as well as risk management resources to help them understand the risks associated with trading specific trading instruments.
Research Amenities:
Plus500’s research amenities are not extraordinary; however, it does provide access to the economic calendar which is highly useful. Furthermore, there is a separate section for news and market insights. In addition, Plus500 provides charting tools for traders to conduct technical analysis on any trading instrument of their choice.
Security:
Although Plus500 does not have the provision for additional deposit insurance, it is registered with several top-tier regulatory authorities throughout Europe and Asia-Pacific region. Thus, Plus500 is required to take all the necessary steps to ensure its clients’ funds are not mingled with corporate funds. Plus500 also promotes negative balance protection to ensure clients do not lose more than what they have deposited into their accounts. This safeguards clients’ money and assets in case the broker becomes insolvent.
Trading Conditions For Plus500:
Costs:
Plus500 generates its revenue through the bid/ask price (spread), which is pretty competitive. Furthermore, the broker does not charge any commissions on clients’ transactions. One of the selling points of Plus500 is there are no ancillary fees. Hence, there are no charges for normal withdrawals or terminating the account.
Plus500 charges premiums for holding positions overnight, along with currency conversion charges if you trade in a currency other than the base currency of the account. Furthermore, there are also inactivity fees if there has been no login activity on the account for three consecutive months.
Plus 500 Account Types:
Plus500 only offers individual trading accounts, and not institutional trading accounts, which can be opened on other CFD trading platforms. The minimum deposit limit varies according to the country of origin and payment method to comply with relevant jurisdictions.
Apart from the standard account, Plus500 also offers Professional trading accounts with leverage as high as 1:300 on certain instrument categories. However, note that Professional Accounts don’t have ICF rights. In addition, traders must meet two out of three criteria as set by Plus500 in order to obtain a Professional account.
Miscellaneous Trading Conditions:
Plus500 is a “Market Maker” broker type with maximum Forex leverage up to 30:1 on the standard account. Plus500 can be a disappointment for traders interested in hedging and scalping as the broker does not offer both as of now. Furthermore, Plus500 does not accept U.S. clients.
Pros and Cons of Plus500:
Pros:
- Zero commission broker and tighter spreads
- Publically traded on LSE (London Stock Exchange)
- Safe broker as it is regulated by top-tier regulators.
- Quick and reliable order execution
- Advanced analytical tools available
- Demo account available
- Easy withdrawals
- Real-time quot
Cons:
- CFD traders don’t actually own underlying assets.
- Corporate trading accounts are not available.
- Social trading is not available.
- Research amenities are not up to the mark.
- Only basic features are available, which might not be enough to attract advanced traders.
Conclusion:
Plus500 has a utilitarian interface which is visually appealing for traders. With its zero-commission model, it helps several traders get a solid hold in CFD markets. Furthermore, users can put their knowledge to practice with the help of a demo account that has no expiration date. Thus, traders can easily deploy it side-by-side while trading on the live account. The broker still has room for improvement in terms of educational materials. On the reliability front, the broker’s support team is readily available to offer assistance through several channels and in 32 different languages. Also, the credit payments are secured using SSL technology, keeping everything anonymous and safe.
Plus500 particularly targets those traders who want an easy-to-work-with interface to execute their trades with no advanced functionality. The broker’s spreads are competitive, keeping the trading costs low, and the proprietary WebTrader platform is intuitively functional. However, Plus500 does not provide MT4 as an alternate platform. Auto-trading is also not available, making Plus500 unsuitable for technically advanced traders. Furthermore, Plus500 is not so beginner friendly broker considering the complexity and risk associated with CFD trading. However, experienced traders who can enter and exit trades manually can find it worth a try to lower their overall expenses.
