I’m trying to understand if IC Markets is different from other brokers when volatility hits. I know spreads blow out during major economic news, but I want to know if IC Markets is slightly better or if it’s just marketing.
I’ve heard traders praise them for ‘stable spreads’ but I haven’t seen actual data. During the last NFP release, I watched my other broker’s EUR/USD spread jump from 0.8 to 2.5 pips in seconds. Is IC Markets doing something different, or is that just normal?
Here’s what I’m really asking: if you actively trade news events or you’ve been on IC Markets during volatile periods, what actually happens to your spreads? Does it widen less than other brokers, or is it the same disaster everyone experiences? And more importantly, how does that compare to the rebate I get back from GlobeGain?
I scalp around news sometimes and IC Markets spreads do widen on big events, just like everywhere else. The difference is minor though.
On NFP, EUR/USD usually goes to 1.5 to 2.2 pips for me, not 2.8 like I’ve seen on some other platforms. It’s not revolutionary but it’s noticeable. The real edge comes from having GlobeGain rebates applied to my account, which helps offset the wider spread cost during volatile times.
All brokers widen on news. IC Markets not much different honestly.
Spreads widen everywhere during news. If you’re trading during that, you’re paying for it no matter which broker.
IC Markets actually maintains reasonable spreads during volatility compared to some competitors, but don’t expect miracles. What matters more is their execution quality and slippage control. A broker with tight spreads but poor execution will slip you on entry and cost you more than a slightly wider spread with clean fills.
Track your slippage over 50 trades. That tells you more than spread quotes.
I’ve noticed IC Markets doesn’t widen as aggressively as some brokers I used before, but it’s not like they’re immune to volatility.
The way I think about it is the rebate helps take the sting out of wider spreads. If you’re getting rebates on top of decent execution, you’re in a decent spot overall.
The better question is whether you should trade during news at all. Most retail traders lose money during volatile events because execution gets unpredictable. If you must trade news, IC Markets is okay, but your edge shrinks regardless of the broker.