Discuss Alpari.co.uk

[Alpari]

Changes to trading times on Monday 1 September

Hi everyone,

There are a number of changes to our product trading times on Monday 1 September for the US Labor Day public holiday. Please view the tables below for full details.

All times are MetaTrader server time (EET).

All trading hours return to normal on Tuesday, 2 September.

View our forex, precious metals, index and commodity CFD specs for full details.

________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Alpari]

New ZAR pairs now available

Hi Everyone,

We've added six new South African rand (ZAR)-based currency pairs to our forex offering.

Our latest currency pairs are:
USDZAR
GBPZAR
ZARJPY
AUDZAR
NZDZAR
EURZAR

These latest additions are available on our Market, Pro and Spread Betting MT4 accounts, plus our MT5 account, taking our FX offering up to 65 pairs.


________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Yan Krendel]

Hi I have a question please.. I've been on demo mt5 account and trading the news only. I like the low spreads but I've experienced huge slippage at least twice (about 30 pips) during the news minute. Is it normal? And what's your best kind of platform to trade the news? I don't care if the spread is gonna be a bit bigger, but can't live with the above said slippage.
Thanks

 

[Alpari]

Hi I have a question please.. I've been on demo mt5 account and trading the news only. I like the low spreads but I've experienced huge slippage at least twice (about 30 pips) during the news minute. Is it normal? And what's your best kind of platform to trade the news? I don't care if the spread is gonna be a bit bigger, but can't live with the above said slippage.
Thanks

Hi Yan Krendel,

Thank you for you post.

Orders are also sometimes filled away from the desired price due to gaps in the market. This occurs because currency prices can sometimes be very volatile or liquidity can be thin.

To add some background, slippage is not an invention of the retail FX market. It exists in the Inter-Bank FX market and has done even as far back as when the principal method of trading was by shouting.

Part of the problem here lies around the execution conventions of certain order types. The convention around Stop Loss orders is that they are open-ended. There is a risk of slippage that is determined by the prices available in the market, but the understanding has always been that these are an "at best" order – because as painful as some slippage might be, it might be a lot more painful if the order just isn't filled at all.

With Stop orders you have to remember that, by definition, you will always be trading in the direction of least liquidity – and some slippage should be factored in. FX is remarkably uncomplicated in this regard. It always follows the path of least resistance. Occasionally this slippage might be modest, but the realistic fact is that when you trade at the point of greatest uncertainty there is no way to pre-define your risk.

The common complaint around slippage really boils down to individuals unhappy that no-one wanted to sell cheaply to them in a rising market or buy at a high price from them in a falling one. This is not an uncommon criticism, but you need to consider the other side of the equation, which is quite simply -what's in it for them ?
By what right does any participant in the market feel he should be able to deny his counter-party the right to trade at a price that doesn't suit him ?

This comes back to this risks associated with trading news releases – they can be very profitable – but they can also cause significant loss. Please bear in mind that trading on the news is a valid strategy yet it is risky. This simply means that if you are willing to take the risk, you ought to be prepared to embrace both its advantages and disadvantages.


Alex

________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Yan Krendel]

One minute chart differences (Alpari.uk MT5 vs. FxPro MT4). Can you explain how this can be possible? Look at the the 15:30 on the pics (it's one minute chart of USDCAD). Btw FxPro's outcome is compatible with other sources while Alpari's is different. It's not the first time I see this kind of thing on Alpari.View attachment 17118View attachment 17119

 

[Alpari]

Good afternoon Yan Krendel,

Please bear in mind that each broker receive their prices from a selected pool of liquidity providers. Due to this it is likely that prices and charts will not match.

We are therefore unable to comment on price discrepancies between different brokers.

Additionally, your screenshots do not indicate which instrument is selected.

However, if you have any queries regarding any price discrepancies for Alpari UK please contact our client support team directly at support@alpari.co.uk.

Please quote your account login, the instrument and period you are referring to.

Thank you,

Alpari UK

 

[Alpari]

Changes to trading hours 26-31 October

A number of trading hours will be affected between 26-31 October 2014 due to the end of Daylight Savings Time (DST) in the UK and Europe.

During this time daily charts will also be out of alignment with the New York market close until Sunday 2 November when US DST also ends.

Please see below for full trading hours that will be affected between 26-31 October.

MT4

Please note all MT4 times are in MetaTrader (EET) time.

Forex

All forex markets will open at the normal time of 00:00 but will close an hour early at 23:00.

Precious metals, contracts for difference (CFD) and spread betting

Carbon emissions, UK 100, French 40, Stoxx 50 and German 30 will be open as per normal. Please see the below table for all other products:

*These products close at 23:00 on Friday 31 October.

Currenex

Forex

All forex markets will be brought forward an hour, so that the open and close time is 21:00 (UK time).

Precious metals

Gold spot and silver spot will also be brought forward an hour, opening at 22:00 (UK time) and closing at 21:00 (UK time).

MT4 and Currenex

The open and close times for all products returns to normal on Sunday 2 November at the usual market opening time of 22:00 (UK time), or midnight MetaTrader (EET) time.


________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Alpari]

Christmas and new year trading times & office hours

Hi everyone,

There are a number of changes to our product and office hours during the festive period.

View our trading times and office hours tables here for full details.

We're always here to help, so if you have any questions please let me know.


Alex

________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Alpari]

Important notice regarding USDRUB trades

Further to our decision to accept "close-only" trades on the Russian rouble, please note that we will no longer be offering trading in the USDRUB pair from 10am (UK time) on Wednesday 17 December, by which time you should ensure that any existing positions are closed.

Please note that any positions remaining open after this time will be automatically closed and due to the extreme volatility and lack of liquidity in this pair, this may result in trades being closed out at a less favourable price than that quoted at 10am (UK time).

Due to lack of liquidity you may not be able to execute via the platform and in this instance please call our Dealing Desk team on +44 207 426 2950.


________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative

 

[Alpari]

Top 5 MT4 features at your fingertips

Hi everyone,

I’m always happy to help and get asked a lot of basic questions about MT4. Thought a quick refresher maybe helpful.

Let’s see how everything fits together.

1. Toolbar
View > Toolbars
Choose what appears on the Toolbar from the View menu

Opening a new order? Customising your chart’s appearance? Running Expert Advisors (EAs)? The toolbar can do it all. It’s an integral part of the platform, so become familiar with its layout and functions – you’ll be using them a lot.

2. Market Watch
Ctrl + M
Toggle Market Watch on and off

Market Watch is where you can view and access live prices on every market. You can track the daily highs and lows, as well as follow tick-by-tick movements.
Quick tip: If you can’t find the symbol you’re after, right-click inside the Market Watch and select ‘Show All’.

3. Navigator window
Ctrl + N
Launch the Navigator window

This is your central hub for everything you need relating to your account. Find all your accounts, EAs, indicators and scripts in this one location.

4. Terminal window
Ctrl + T
Switch the Terminal window on and off

Here you can keep tabs on your open positions and see your balance, equity and margin in real-time. You can even set trading alerts. This is one window you’ll want to keep looking into.

5. Chart window
Menu > Charts
Customise your charts appearance from the Charts menu

Charts track market movements and are a powerful trading tool. The chart window is highly customisable, allowing you to have multiple charts open at the same time and even trade directly from them.

Alex

________
Alexander Chadwick
Alpari (UK) Representative