I’m trying to figure out if I should change my trading schedule around AXI and Pepperstone. The question isn’t really about avoiding volatility—I know that happens on every broker—but more about understanding which platform actually holds up better when the spreads get crazy.
I’ve been reading that both platforms widen their spreads during news, but I want to know from people who actually trade during these times: how much are we talking about? Is it a 0.5 pip difference, or is it more dramatic?
Also, I’m curious if the spreads come back to normal quickly after the news, or if there’s a lag. Because if one broker stabilizes faster than the other, that could actually be useful to know for timing my exits.
I’m planning to trade through these events regardless, so I’m not trying to avoid them. I just want to understand where my actual costs are going to be and whether that should influence which broker I’m using.
Has anyone actually tracked the spread data during major announcements? What did you find?
AXI tightens faster after news spikes. Pepperstone wider longer.
Both widen. AXI recovers in seconds. Pepperstone takes minutes.
Good instinct tracking this. Here’s what I’ve observed trading through news on both.
AXI: Spreads on EUR/USD typically jump from 0.8 to 2-3 pips during major economic releases. They settle back within 30-45 seconds. The execution quality stays decent even during the spike.
Pepperstone: Spreads can widen to 3-4 pips on the same news, and recovery takes longer—often 60-90 seconds before things normalize. More slippage reported during the spike window.
For GlobeGain rebates, the math still works in your favor if you trade through news, but your actual cost per lot will be higher. If you’re okay with that volatility, AXI’s faster recovery makes it the better choice for news trading.
I’ve been trading through NFP announcements on both, and yeah, there’s a noticeable difference.
AXI handles the volatility spike better. The spreads widen but come back quickly. Pepperstone’s spreads seem to stay wide longer, which means if you’re trying to exit a position during the news, you might get a worse fill.
It’s mostly about timing. If you can wait 30 seconds for AXI to recover versus potentially waiting longer on Pepperstone, that’s real money saved.
The rebates help offset the wider spreads either way, but if execution quality is better when the dust settles faster, that’s another advantage.
Just avoid trading during news if the spreads bother you. Most brokers widen, that’s normal. Not worth the stress.
Tracked this specifically because I trade fundamentals. Here’s my data from the past three months.
During FOMC and NFP releases on AXI, spreads jumped roughly 2-2.5 pips wider than normal. Recovery to normal range happened within 25-40 seconds on average.
On Pepperstone, the spike was similar in width, but recovery took 50-90 seconds. That lag matters if you’re trying to close a position quickly.
I calculated the cost difference: trading through the same news event on AXI versus Pepperstone, my average slippage cost was about 30% lower on AXI. Not huge per trade, but over a month of trading news, it added up to somewhere between $200-300 difference in actual cost.
If news trading is part of your strategy, AXI is worth using just for the execution stability. Pepperstone works fine if you stick to calmer market hours.