I’ve been trading on HFM for about four months now, mostly EUR/USD and GBP/USD pairs. My spreads hover around 0.8 to 1.2 pips on standard conditions, but when major news hits, they widen pretty fast. I started using GlobeGain rebates a couple months in, and I’m trying to figure out if the cashback is actually making a real dent in my costs.
What I’ve noticed is that on quiet days, the rebates offset maybe 20-30% of my spread costs. But when volatility spikes—like during Fed announcements or employment data—my spreads blow up to 3-5 pips, and suddenly the rebate feels like a grain of sand on a beach.
I’m curious how other traders on HFM are managing this. Are you seeing rebates actually cushion your costs during volatile events, or does the spread widening pretty much erase the benefit? And if you’re comparing HFM to other brokers during these conditions, what’s the actual difference in your net costs after rebates are factored in?
Also, I’m wondering if I should be timing my trades differently or adjusting my strategy around news events to make the rebates work harder. Or am I overthinking this?
Rebates help on quiet days. News kills spreads for everyone.
Widen stops before news. Keeps you alive longer anyway.
Your observation is accurate. Most brokers widen spreads during volatile news, so rebates become less effective at those moments.
Calculate your real cost per pip: (spread + commission - rebate) × lot size = true cost. On quiet days with HFM, your 0.8 pip spread minus rebate might give you 0.5-0.6 effective cost. During news, the 3-5 pip spread wipes out most rebate benefit.
Better approach: avoid trading during major news spikes entirely or use smaller positions. Your edge matters more than fighting wide spreads. Some traders use limit orders before events to control entry price, but execution becomes unreliable. Focus on times when spreads stay tight and rebates actually work for you.
I had the same frustration with HFM when I started. The rebates definitely help on regular trading days, but during news events the spreads just get too wide to trade profitably anyway.
What I do now is mostly avoid trading during major announcements. The rebates I earn on my normal trading throughout the month add up better than trying to catch a news move and fighting against a 4 pip spread.
Your strategy matters more than optimizing around rebates during volatile times.
I’ve been through this cycle with multiple brokers over the years. The reality is that rebates are best used on your regular trading, not on volatility trades.
What changed my approach was accepting that news events are when spreads widen for everyone. Instead of fighting it, I adjusted my schedule to trade during higher liquidity, lower spread times. The rebates stack up faster when I’m trading 0.8 pip spreads fifty times a month instead of chasing news spikes with 5 pip spreads.
HFM’s rebate program works better if you shift your entire trading routine around when spreads are tight, not when volatility is high. That’s where the real cost savings happen.
Scale into news. Reduce position size. Take profits earlier.
If you want to trade during news, use this framework: reduce your lot size by 50-75%, accept wider stops, and set tighter profit targets. The rebate won’t save you if you’re fighting a 4 pip spread with normal position sizing.
Alternatively, many traders track which times of day have the tightest spreads on HFM and concentrate their volume there. You’ll earn more total rebate and have better risk management than trying to clip news moves.