CPT Markets Review 2023

Trust

CPT Markets Regulations

In our reviews, we examine the licenses and regulations of each entity operated by a broker. This allows us to compare their different levels of protection. We rank licenses by various regulatory bodies on a three-tier system, where Tier-1 licensing indicates the highest level of regulation.

Here is what we found concerning CPT’s three subsidiaries:

• CPT Markets is the trading name of CPT Markets Limited, authorized and regulated by the International Financial Services Commission (IFSC) of Belize. IFSC ranks as a Tier-3 regulator on our system.
• CPT Markets UK Limited is a company closely linked to CPT Markets Ltd. It is licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. The FCA ranks as a Tier-1 regulator on our system.
• CPT Markets PTY LTD is also closely linked to CPT Markets Ltd. It is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa. The FSCA ranks as a Tier-2 regulator on our system.

We have summarized the most essential aspects of CPT in terms of regulation and safety in the table below:

Why is it Important to Know Where Your Broker’s Subsidiaries are Regulated?

A broker might operate multiple entities, each one being authorized in a different jurisdiction. This is usually done so that the company can serve clients from all over the world. But it is important to keep in mind that different regulators entail varying degrees of protection for the retail trader due to discrepancies in national legislation. That is why it is so important to be well-informed about these discrepancies and the protections you are entitled to.

Here is a detailed list of the most important protections to look for in a broker:

• Segregation of client funds. Keeping client funds in separate bank accounts from the ones used for the broker’s own capital is crucial for minimizing the risk of accounting errors. CPT Markets guarantees that client funds are held in segregated funds.
• Negative balance protection. Negative balance protection is a safety mechanism that protects retail traders by ensuring that their losses can never exceed their account balances. CPT Markets Limited adheres to this requirement.
• Compensation scheme. A compensation scheme essentially protects the broker’s clients against their credit risk and liabilities. In the unlikely event that the company should become insolvent, a compensation scheme would reimburse traders for any losses incurred as a result of the bankruptcy. In the case of CPT Markets, there is no such compensation scheme in place.
• Maximum leverage. Capping the maximum leverage allowed effectively limits retail traders’ market exposure. CPT Markets offers a maximum leverage of 1:500, which is quite high. Moreover, its minimum leverage is 1:50, which is still above the required maximum under stricter regulatory frameworks, such as MiFID II in Europe.

Is CPT Markets Safe to Trade With?

CPT Markets has narrow stop-out levels (at 30%) and negative balance protection. If traders are judicious and implement tight risk management, this should be enough to cap their trading risk. That is not to say that CPT Markets removes all underlying risks, only that it affords all the essential safety tools to do so.

However, traders should be especially cautious when setting a preferred leverage rate. While it’s good that the broker gives traders the freedom to choose for themselves, beginners, in particular, may not have the experience necessary to appreciate just how dangerous the combination of high leverage and high volatility could be. All things considered, CPT Markets is safe to trade with, though the trader is ultimately responsible for their safety on the market.

Stability and Transparency

In our tests for the Trust category, we also cover factors relating to stability and transparency. Here, we focus on how long the broker has been in business, how big the company is, and how transparent it is in terms of readily available information.

CPT Markets was founded in 2010 and employs more than 50 people. It is a generally transparent broker, affording easy access to its licensing and regulation info. Moreover, there is a section of the website introducing visitors to the company’s management team.

However, we found a few minor issues in preparation for our review. For instance, the broker offers futures and cryptocurrency trading, but there is no relevant information on the website. Also, the average order execution speed is said to be below 0.3 seconds, but there is no best execution policy among the legal docs listed on the website. The latter ensures that brokers always fill orders at the best possible quotes.

In summary, our findings indicate that CPT Markets can be regarded as having a good level of trust and stability due to the following factors:

• CPT Markets has negative balance protection.
• Client funds are kept in segregated funds.
• Licensing info is easily accessible.

Fees

CPT Markets Trading Fees

CPT Markets’ Spreads

We tested CPT Markets’ spreads during the most actively traded times – the London open at 8:00 a.m. GMT and just after the U.S. open at 2:45 p.m. GMT. The test was conducted on 16 January 2023.

There is a negligible difference between the AM and PM spreads, which is nevertheless demonstrative of changing liquidity throughout the day. The one thing worth pointing out is that the recorded spreads on some CFD shares are extremely low, which means that the broker’s services are especially suitable for stock trading.

CPT Markets’ Swap Rates

A swap fee is a trader’s cost for holding an open position overnight because of changing interest rates. Swap long refers to the charge deductible or credit receivable for holding a buy position open overnight. In turn, swap short relates to the charges/credits deductible or receivable for holding a selling position open overnight.

The values listed below are for one full contract (100,000 units) of the base currency.

Rollover charges are subject to changing volatility levels. They can increase or decrease over time, either to a trader’s advantage or disadvantage. That is why it is always worth checking the current swap rates before opening a position.

CPT Markets’ Commissions

Both the CPTClassic and CPTPrime accounts have zero commissions, as stated here. Some trading strategies, like scalping, require frequent getting in and out of trades in order to catch minute price changes. And CPT Markets’ accounts support such trading systems since they do not charge fixed round-turn commissions.

CPT Markets’ Non-Trading Fees

CPT Markets does not charge any handling fees for deposits or withdrawals, regardless of the payment method. Still, third-party banking fees may apply for wire or e-wallet transfers. The broker also does not have a monthly inactivity fee for dormant accounts. However, the balance on accounts on which no activity has been registered for a period longer than one year may be lost.

Are CPT Markets’ Fees Competitive?

CPT’s fees are across the board very competitive. The spreads are low to medium compared to the broader industry, with especially low spreads on instruments from some asset classes. The broker also affords commission-free and swap-free (via its Islamic accounts) trading. And as long as their trading activity does not get interrupted for a protracted period of time, traders are unlikely to be charged any non-trading fees.

Platforms and Tools

MT4 is an established name in the online trading industry. It is one of the first mainstream platforms to become widely popular among CFD traders, helping it set the benchmark for what a comprehensive platform must comprise. It incorporates a wide selection of technical indicators and drawing tools, but its rugged design is outclassed by newer and sleeker platforms.

The mobile app version of the platform retains much of the usability of the desktop version. Its primary goal is to afford quick and easy access to the global capital markets on the go. However, its simplistic design and the fact that it has to be run on low-resolution devices make it less suitable for carrying out complex technical analyses.

Automated trading is available via MT4’s Expert Advisors (EAs) feature. On the other hand, CPT Markets does not accommodate social trading.

CPT Markets’ Desktop MT4 Platform

General Ease of Use

Its simplistic yet highly intuitive design makes MT4 so easy to use. As was mentioned above, MT4’s layout has become more or less the benchmark in the industry.

There is a watch list of selected instruments on the left side of the screen, an options menu at the top of the screen, and a charts window in the middle. Arguably, the weakest link in MT4’s design is the difficulty with which price action is scaled up and down.

Charts

The charts screen is probably the most important component of any platform. It represents price action behavior, which is fundamental for making informed trading decisions. Essentially, the chart allows traders to gauge the underlying market sentiment, which is why its versatility and assortment of supporting tools are so important.

We have listed the most important types of such supporting tools below:

• 30 technical indicators. MT4 comprises trend-based and volume-based indicators as well as oscillators. These are used to gauge market sentiment and determine key support and resistance levels.
• 19 drawing tools. The platform incorporates trend lines, channels, Fibonacci retracement levels, and others. These are used to determine the general market direction and forecast potential breakouts or breakdowns from an established trend.
• 9 timeframes. There are different timeframes, affording traders a multifaceted outlook into price action behavior. This diversity is important for the implementation of multi-timeframe strategies – from scalping to position trading.
• 3 chart types. Price action can be represented as a line, bars, or candlesticks.

Orders

Here is a rundown of MT4’s various order types:

• Market orders. Market orders are used for immediate entry at the best possible price. If triggered, they guarantee volume filling, though there could be a discrepancy between the requested price and the price where the order actually gets filled.
• Limit orders. Unlike market orders, limit orders guarantee exact price execution. However, a limit order will not be filled if the price action does not reach the pre-determined execution price.
• Stop loss orders. They are used to support open positions by limiting the maximum loss that can be incurred if the market turns in the opposite direction. A stop-loss order is placed at a fixed price below or above the spot price. If the market does indeed turn and triggers the stop-loss, it will transform into a market order and get filled at the best possible price.

CPT Markets’ Mobile MT4 App

Mobile apps are most commonly used by traders to monitor the performance of their running positions and possibly adjust them in order to maximize their profits and limit their losses.

General Ease of Use

The mobile app generally has fewer features than MT4’s desktop version, but its high practicality compensates for its even more simplistic design. However, the app is highly unsuitable for conducting probing technical analyses because it has to be run on small-screened smartphones. As can be seen from the screenshot above, even adding just one indicator can make the chart seem cramped and the price action hard to examine.

Charts

Here is a list of the supporting features available on the app:

• 30 trading indicators. The app incorporates trend-based, range-based, volume-based, and other types of indicators.
• 21 drawing tools. These include trend lines and channels.
• 9 timeframes. There are different timeframes, ranging from 1 minute to 1 month.
• 3 chart types. Price action can be represented as a line, bars, and candlesticks.

Orders

Here is a rundown of the different order types that can be executed through the app:

• Market orders. Market orders are used for immediate entry at the best possible price. If triggered, they guarantee volume filling, though there could be a discrepancy between the requested price and the price where the order gets actually filled.
• Limit orders. Unlike market orders, limit orders guarantee exact price execution. However, a limit order will not be filled if the price action does not reach the pre-determined execution price.
• Stop loss orders. They are used to support open positions by limiting the maximum loss that can be incurred if the market turns in the opposite direction. A stop-loss order is placed at a fixed price below or above the spot price.

Tradable Instruments

CPT Markets scored average in the Tradable Instruments category. It offers 70+ CFDs of instruments from the most popular asset classes – FX pairs, commodities, shares, and indices. There are also 14 CFD futures and cryptocurrencies.

Even though the broker affords access to various markets, the overall diversity of available instruments is not great. For instance, there are only 21 CFD shares, which confines traders who might want to take advantage of the low spreads that were recorded on instruments from this asset class.

What are CFDs?

Contracts for difference (CFDs) are derivatives used to speculate on the price of the underlying without physical delivery. For example, a long position on gold would generate a profit as the price rises or incur a loss as it falls. This is achieved without having to purchase actual bars of gold. One of the biggest advantages of trading CFDs is that traders can get in and out of the market almost instantaneously, thereby catching even minute changes in the price of the derivative.

What Can You Trade With CPT Markets?

Here is a rundown of CPT’s instruments, broken down by asset class:

• 36 Currency Pairs
  • Major, Minors, and Exotic
• 5 Commodities
  • Metals and Energy
• 21 CFD Shares
  • Tech, Retail, and Finance
• 9 Indices
  • EU, U.S., Asia
• 5 Cryptocurrencies
  • Majors and Minors
• 9 Futures
  • Commodities and Indices

The broker offers an average amount of currency pairs, commodities, and indices compared to the broader industry and a low amount of CFD shares. There are also 5 of the most popular cryptocurrencies and a few CFD futures on major indices and commodities, accommodating high-volatility trading.

Customer Support

For more general queries, traders can turn to CPT’s dedicated FAQ section on the website. Alternatively, they can try to contact the support team via one of the few above-mentioned channels. If you try to get in touch via live chat, you must first provide a phone number and email address.  

CPT Markets’ Customer Support Test

When we test a broker’s customer support team, we evaluate the agent’s knowledge of their own website, how long it takes them to respond to questions, and how detailed their answers are. 

We asked CPT about their fixed commission policy on the two retail accounts. An agent connected to the chat fairly quickly. She was polite and with a good command of the English language; her answers were detailed and informative.  

Deposit and Withdrawal

CPT Markets Deposit Methods

CPT Markets Withdrawal Methods

*The time it takes CPT Markets to process a withdrawal request

Even though CPT Markets does not charge deposits or withdrawals, this does not include third-party banking fees. The broker processes all withdrawal requests within one working day, however, it may take up to 8 business days for the funds to arrive in your account, depending on your bank.

Account Types and Terms

Opening a live account is a straightforward process that takes several minutes. Traders can choose between MT4 and MT5 and between EUR, USD, and GBP as a base currency for their accounts. Demo accounts can seemingly be opened only on the MT4 platform.

Why is Choosing the Right Account Type Important?

The account should reflect the trader’s particular goals, needs, and style of trading. For instance, traders who are more aggressive by nature may find it more prudent to open an account that allows the implementation of high-volatility strategies. In contrast, more risk-averse traders may find it more convenient to open an account accommodating tighter risk management.

What Account Types Does CPT Markets Offer?

The two account types support tight stop-out and margin call levels, which means that a trader’s market exposure per trade is capped. This is crucial as a means of controlling the overall risk, especially given that the maximum leverage allowed is 1:500.

The CPTClassic account has floating spreads starting from 1.4 pips, which is slightly above the industry average. However, this is offset by the lack of fixed commissions. Commission-free trading is also available on the CPTPrime account, with lower spreads starting from 0.7 pips. Overall, the biggest advantage of the former is that it is accessible to everyone with its minimum deposit requirement of $0. The latter, in turn, accommodates both high-frequency and high-volume trading. However, its barrier to entry is relatively high – at $5000.

What is CFD Leverage?

The leverage determines a trader’s overall market exposure. When trading Contracts for Difference (CFDs), positions can be opened for a fraction of their value because of the leverage. Essentially, the broker lends the trader money so that the latter can open bigger-sized positions. The leverage multiplies the profits a trader generates from winning positions but also the losses incurred from failed trades.

CPT Markets Account Opening Process

Here is a rundown of the steps necessary to set up an account with CPT Markets:

• Step 1. Click the ‘Sign Up’ button at the top-right corner of the main page and fill in your personal details.
• Step 2. Check your email for a confirmation code, which you need in order to continue with the registration.
• Step 3. Fill in the rest of your personal details in the Client Portal.
• Step 4. Verify your account by uploading proof of ID and proof of address.
• Step 5. Choose your platform (MT4 or MT5); account type (Classic or Prime); base currency (EUR, GBP, USD); and your preferred leverage (1:50-1:500).

Why is a Demo Account Important?

Demo accounts serve a twofold purpose. They introduce traders to a broker’s services and allow them to tweak their strategies in a risk-free environment. The market is continually evolving and never static, so it is important to hone your skills in a safe environment afforded by your demo account.

CPT Markets Supported Countries

CPT Markets does not provide financial services to residents of the following countries: Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, and Libya.

Research

Trading Central is an industry leader and provider of market analyses, and clients of CPT Markets can benefit from its research tools. However, they need to have live accounts funded with at least $1000 in order to be granted access to Trading Central’s materials. With regards to CPT Makrets’ own research content, we found that it is seldom updated. Moreover, it is not particularly reliable.

For instance, the author raises several questionable points in this material, arguing why it is better to trade forex than stocks. He asserts that “no one controls the Forex market” as there are many participants, which is true, but the same also applies to the stock market. It is also claimed that there are no middlemen in the market, which is immediately followed by “brokers are merely intermediaries.”

Tautologies aside, the author appears to be unaware of what fundamental trading concepts like ‘volatility’ actually mean. At one point, they assert that “stock market prices are more stable and change over a more extended period, resulting in greater volatility,” which is a self-contradictory statement in itself.

Research Tools

Here is a list of the different types of research materials afforded to CPT Markets’ clients:

• Economic calendar. The most basic of the bunch, the economic calendar is nevertheless an indispensable tool in the arsenal of every trader. It outlines the most important trading events traders can take advantage of each week.
• Weekly market updates. As the name suggests, this type of content is supposed to break down market reactions to top-tier events listed in the economic calendar. However, the section was last updated in May 2022.
• Blog. The blog section of the website contains articles underscoring broader market developments. However, the total amount of written articles at the time of our review is pretty low – only 9. Moreover, the last entry was published back in September 2022.
• Market Buzz. The Market Buzz is a very useful feature provided by TradingCentral. It gauges the underlying market sentiment currently prevailing on a given instrument. It also serves as a news section providing frequent market updates.
• Trading ideas. Also supported by Trading Central, its trading ideas underscore currently unfolding trading setups on instruments from various asset classes. The trading ideas are supported by charts and highlight the most important support and resistance levels, as well as potential target levels.

Education

CPT Markets scored low in the Education category. The broker has a fairly decent range of educational videos, including MT4’s 5 in-built videos on how to use the platform. There is also a pretty exhaustive glossary. However, there is a noticeable lack of a trading course.

The bulk of the educational videos (160+) can be accessed via the broker’s YouTube channel. There are also a few how-to videos published on the website. Traders can also check out CPT Markets’ three webinars. The lack of a comprehensive educational course, however, means that beginners cannot learn about the ABCs of trading. Overall, the educational content lacks diversity and does not delve particularly deep.

The Bottom Line

CPT Markets is a leveraged products broker headquartered in Belize. It has been serving retail traders for over a decade, delivering professional-grade service in some areas with room for improvement in others. The best aspect of its service is that it affords the implementation of a wide range of trading strategies – from highly speculative to highly conservative ones.

The biggest advantage of working with the broker, arguably, is its very competitive trading fees. The combination of commission-free accounts with low-to-medium spreads accommodates high-volume and high-frequency trading strategies. And in addition to its highly versatile account types, the broker also affords multiple payment methods with no handling fees.

In terms of its drawbacks, CPT Markets can still work on expanding the scope of its research and educational materials. A more varied pool of supporting content covering a wider range of topics can benefit both beginners and experienced traders alike.  

Despite the lack of a comprehensive educational course, we found CPT Markets’ overall service suitable for beginners and advanced traders alike. Both can take advantage of the flexible and well-balanced accounts, competitive fees, and access to content provided by Trading Central.

FAQ