Top picks for trend trading brokers
Best broker for trend trading – IG
| Company |
Overall Rating |
Minimum Deposit |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
Trading Signals |
 IG
|
 |
£250.00 |
0.98 info |
Yes |
IG is my pick for the best broker for trend trading strategies. Its extensive market coverage and analysis tools along with its advanced trading platforms make it an excellent choice for executing a wide variety of trading strategies. With over 19,000 tradeable instruments, including CFDs on forex, indices, stocks, and commodities, IG provides a wide range of markets that offers trend traders flexibility in finding opportunities across global markets.
Robust charting tools: IG’s proprietary web-based platform is packed with tools for advanced forex charting. The ability to quickly place and manage orders from within the platform’s charts makes IG fantastic for intraday trend trading and active traders. There are 33 technical indicators and 20 drawing tools available, allowing traders to analyze price movements and identify trends with precision. Its integrated trading signals, including those powered by Autochartist, offer real-time alerts and pattern recognition.
Advanced mobile app: IG excels in this area, as its mobile app was named the #1 Mobile Trading App in 2024. IG is my pick for the best forex trading app (it won the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Award for #1 Mobile Trading App). The app's charts are robust, featuring a range of timeframes and technical analysis tools that sync seamlessly with the desktop version, allowing traders to monitor trends and execute trades while on the go.
Trusted and reliable: As a publicly traded company regulated by eight Tier-1 jurisdictions, IG’s Trust Score positions it as one of the most reliable global forex brokers. Trend traders can feel confident that their capital is protected by a broker with decades of operational history and a solid regulatory framework. In addition to its dealer execution on its main platforms, IG's direct market access (DMA) offering ensures competitive pricing for traders looking to execute large orders.
Best broker for professional trend traders – Interactive Broker
| Company |
Overall Rating |
Minimum Deposit |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
Trading Signals |
 Interactive Brokers
|
|
$0 |
0.59 info |
Yes |
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) is a powerhouse for traders looking to employ trend-following strategies due to its institutional-grade tools, extensive global market access (over 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs), and advanced order capabilities. Trend traders can access 135 market centers across 33 countries, providing a vast array of opportunities across multiple asset classes, including forex, stocks, Best Forex Brokers for Options Trading of 2024, and futures.
Advanced tools for experienced traders: IBKR’s Trader Workstation (TWS) platform offers a wealth of features that cater to the needs of experienced trend traders. The platform is packed with 128 charting indicators and advanced functionalities such as complex order configurations, basket trading, and sophisticated risk management tools. While the learning curve is steep, the level of customization and the depth of analysis available on TWS is unmatched, making it ideal for professional traders who rely on precision to execute their trend-following strategies. That said, if you find TWS too complex, IBKR has a simplified web trdaading platform that may be a better choice for beginner forex traders.
Competitive pricing for active traders: Interactive Brokers offers highly competitive pricing, with forex spreads averaging 0.63 pips on the EUR/USD (based on the most recent data sent to me by IBKR), which is among the lowest spreads in the industry. For traders engaging in high-frequency trading strategies, IBKR’s tiered pricing structure rewards active trading with reduced commissions. This ensures that traders can keep their costs low while executing large volumes of trades, a key consideration for those who rely on tight margins to follow market trends.
Institutional-grade research: Interactive Brokers’ vast research offering includes access to over 220 services from 86 third-party providers. (Note: Some providers are free, some are premium). The comprehensive research, combined with IBKR’s global reach, makes it an excellent choice for traders who require in-depth analysis across multiple markets. The integrated news headlines, economic calendars, and sophisticated charting features further enhance IBKR’s standing as one of the best brokers for professional trend traders.
Top-tier market research – Saxo Bank
| Company |
Overall Rating |
Minimum Deposit |
Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard |
Trading Signals |
 Saxo
|
|
$0 |
1.1 info |
Yes |
With over 70,000 tradeable instruments, Saxo delivers a diverse range of assets, from forex and stocks to crypto derivatives and futures. This variety is invaluable for trend traders looking to capitalize on market movements across different asset classes, and Saxo offers tools to help you spot trends and implement strategic trades (and also happens to be one of my favorite all-around brokers).
Powerful platform suite: Saxo’s flagship platforms, SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO, are designed to cater to the needs of both professional and active traders. SaxoTraderGO provides an intuitive web-based platform with 62 indicators and 20 drawing tools, making it easy to identify trends and execute trades seamlessly. For more advanced traders, SaxoTraderPRO offers a desktop solution with multi-monitor support, professional-grade order types, and algo trading capabilities.
Institutional-grade execution for high-volume traders: Saxo is known for its ability to cater to institutional clients and high net-worth investors, particularly for Platinum and VIP account holders who enjoy tighter spreads and lower fees. For instance, VIP clients benefit from spreads as low as 0.9 pips on the EUR/USD pair based on the most recent data sent to me by Saxo.
Top-tier research and insights: Saxo excels in delivering top-tier research to support trend trading strategies, offering daily insights and trading ideas directly through the platform. In-house research from the Saxo Strategy team is complemented by third-party services like Autochartist, which helps traders identify technical patterns with integrated trading signals in the platform. Saxo’s integration of geopolitical themes and market events within its research modules allows traders to stay ahead of macroeconomic shifts that can influence price trends. This comprehensive research offering makes Saxo one of the best brokers for traders who rely heavily on data-driven insights to refine trend-following strategies.
FAQs
What are some common trend trading strategies for forex trading?
While predicting future prices with certainty is impossible, the most common trend trading strategies involve trendlines and indicators to analyze historical data and current market prices. One of the most widely-used techniques for trend trading is the moving average crossover strategy. In this strategy, traders use two moving averages (a shorter and a longer period) to identify potential entry and exit points when the lines cross, signaling a shift in trend momentum.
emoji_peopleReal-world example
I once developed a moving average crossover strategy using a Bollinger Band crossover, and coded it into a trading bot on MetaTrader.
Trendlines are often used to connect a series of high and low prices within an uptrend or downtrend, providing visual cues of support or resistance. Additionally, momentum indicators such as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) or the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) are popular methods of confirming the strength of a trend (or for signaling potential trend reversals).
I'm a fan of Bollinger Bands, Keltner Channels, and the Donchian indicator (or, Donchian channels) for analyzing market volatility, but the best forex brokers offer dozens of indicators. The key is not to overly rely on one specific tool in your arsenal, but rather use a combination of tools and perspectives when analyzing markets that constantly shift and change.
For a more in-depth exploration of a variety trend trading strategies, head on over to my educational guide about how to start a forex trend trading strategy.
What trading platforms have tools to help traders analyze trends?
A well-equipped trading platform is crucial for effective trend analysis. The best brokers in this category offer proprietary trading platforms that come packed with industry-leading tools, available for free to their clients.
Proprietary platforms from top-tier brokers like SaxoTraderGO, from Saxo, and IG’s web trading platform provide rich analytical tools, real-time data, and integration of third-party research tools like Autochartist. These platforms are invaluable for serious trend traders, offering the flexibility and depth needed to spot and capitalize on market trends efficiently.
Third party platforms: There are also third-party platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which offer a variety of customizable charting tools, automated trading features, and vast libraries of technical indicators – all of which are essential for trend traders. TradingView, which offers platforms for web, mobile, and desktop, stands out for its powerful social trading elements and sophisticated charting capabilities, allowing traders to create, backtest, and share trend-following strategies across a global community.
That said, it’s important to remember that even with the best tools you can still lose money, and it's ultimately on you to learn and understand how the trading software works before trading with real money. I recommend using a demo account to test your trend trading strategy before using your live account.
What is the difference between trend trading and swing trading?
Trend trading involves holding positions over a longer duration – ranging from several days to months – allowing traders to capture major directional moves. It is a strategy best suited for capitalizing on broad, sustained trends, with the goal of maximizing gains by riding out significant price movements. In contrast, swing trading focuses on shorter-term price fluctuations, with positions typically held for a few days to weeks.
Our testing
Why you should trust us
Steven Hatzakis is a well-known finance writer, with 25+ years of experience in the foreign exchange and financial markets. He is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for Reink Media Group, leading research efforts for ForexBrokers.com since 2016. Steven is an expert writer and researcher who has published over 1,000 articles covering the foreign exchange markets and cryptocurrency industries. He has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally-regulated brokerages. Steven holds a Series III license in the US as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).
All content on ForexBrokers.com is handwritten by a writer, fact-checked by a member of our research team, and edited and published by an editor. Our ratings, rankings, and opinions are entirely our own, and the result of our extensive research and decades of collective experience covering the forex industry.
Ultimately, our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .1% each year, providing site visitors with quality data they can trust. Click here to learn more about how we test.
How we tested
At ForexBrokers.com, our online broker reviews are based on our collected quantitative data as well as the observations and qualified opinions of our expert researchers. Each year we publish tens of thousands of words of research on the top forex brokers and monitor dozens of international regulator agencies (read more about how we calculate Trust Score here).
Mobile testing is conducted on modern devices that run the most up-to-date operating systems available:
- For Apple, we use MacBook Pro laptops running macOS 14.5, and the iPhone XS running iOS 17.6.
- For Android, we use the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra devices running Android OS 14.
All websites and web-based platforms are tested using the latest version of the Google Chrome browser.
Our researchers thoroughly test a wide range of key features, such as the availability and quality of watch lists, mobile charting, real-time and streaming quotes, and educational resources – among other important variables. We also evaluate the overall design of the mobile experience, and look for a fluid user experience moving between mobile and desktop platforms.
Forex Risk Disclaimer
There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Plus500
Tickmill
FP Markets
Pepperstone
XTB
eToro
Capital.com
Swissquote
AvaTrade
Plus500
FXCM
OANDA
Pepperstone
XM Group
Admirals
FP Markets
Tickmill
IC Markets
FxPro
Markets.com
FinecoBank
BlackBull Markets
Vantage
ThinkMarkets
HYCM (Henyep Capital Markets)
HFM
DooPrime
Questrade
ActivTrades
Trading 212
BDSwiss
Trade Nation
TMGM
Eightcap
Moneta Markets
Spreadex
MultiBank
Exness
ACY Securities
easyMarkets
RoboForex
VT Markets
Octa
IronFX
IFC Markets
Trade360
Axi
TeleTrade
iFOREX
FXOpen
FXPrimus
Xtrade
Forex4you
GBE brokers
Alpari
TopFX
Libertex (Forex Club)
LegacyFX
FXGT.com
ATFX
