Market maker versus agency: what's your experience of the difference?

Market-making brokers provide their own prices; agency brokers route orders outward. The practical differences — spreads, requotes, conflict of interest — are what traders feel.

Market maker versus agency: what's your experience of the difference? — bid-ask spread diagram
The bid-ask spread on a currency pair

Share:

  • the brokers of each type you've used
  • the differences you actually noticed
  • which model suits your trading
Market maker versus agency: what's your experience of the difference? — risk-reward diagram
A risk-reward ratio of 1 to 2

The bid, ask and slippage guide sets out the models.

Background: Bid, ask and slippage: why your order fills at a different price

Why buy trades open at one price and close at another, why a stop can trigger when the chart never touched it, and how slippage happens.

Why did my stop-loss trigger when the price on the chart didn't reach it?

Charts usually show the bid price, but a sell position's stop is triggered by the ask. If the spread widened, the ask could have touched your stop while the bid line stayed away from it.

What is slippage?

The difference between the price you expected and the price your order was filled at. It is most common in fast or thin markets, such as around news releases.

Read the full guide

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