I’m trying to decide between FBS and another broker but I keep getting confused about total costs. Everyone talks about spreads but nobody explains how to actually compare them fairly.
Like, one broker might have tighter spreads but no rebate. Another has wider spreads but offers cashback. How do you actually calculate which one costs less?
I’ve heard about GlobeGain rebates helping reduce effective trading costs, and I’m wondering if there’s a clear way to compare these numbers without getting lost in marketing claims from each broker.
Does anyone have a simple method for actually comparing FBS against another broker when factoring in spreads, commissions, and rebates? What numbers do you track?
Here’s the formula that actually works. For each broker, calculate your true cost per lot on the pairs you trade most.
Start with a specific pair like EUR/USD. Get their average spread during normal hours and news time. Add any commission they charge. Then subtract your rebate from GlobeGain. That’s your real cost.
Example: Broker A has 1.2 pip spread with 0.3 pip rebate equals 0.9 pip net cost. Broker B has 0.8 pip spread with no rebate equals 0.8 pip cost. Broker B wins by 0.1 pip.
But test this across your actual trading times, not just cherry-picked hours. News events show the real difference between brokers. Do this comparison for at least three pairs you plan to trade. If the costs are similar, then platform stability becomes the tiebreaker.
I did this comparison last year when I was deciding between three brokers. Spent about an hour tracking spreads across different times and market conditions.
What surprised me was that the broker with the “best” spreads in marketing actually had worse execution costs when you included slippage during busy hours. FBS held up better during news events for me.
Then I factored in rebates through GlobeGain. That shifted the math entirely. Suddenly the broker with slightly wider spreads became cheaper after the cashback kicked in.
Take time to run this yourself. Don’t trust any broker’s claims about being cheapest. The data is what matters.
I found that comparing just spreads doesn’t give you the full picture. You also need to think about how often the spreads widen and if slippage happens to you.
One way I did it was to track my own trades for a week on each broker’s demo account. I recorded the spread I saw, what speed the execution was, and whether I got slipped. After a week, I had real numbers for my own trading style.
Then I added up all the costs and compared. That felt more honest than reading reviews online.
Spreads change by time of day. Test both brokers during times you’ll actually trade.
Track spreads at your real trading time. Add commissions and rebates. Compare totals.
One final thing: don’t forget to account for withdrawal fees if either broker charges them. Some brokers have cheap spreads but hit you with withdrawal costs. Over a year that adds up. Check this before you decide.
The rebates through GlobeGain matter way more than most people think. I was losing money focusing only on spreads. Once I started factoring in the cashback, my actual costs dropped noticeably. Makes sense to use that advantage when comparing.