Markets and Brokers for Traders
Every trade passes through a broker and a market. These guides explain who executes your order, what it costs, how to read the risk signals of the market you trade in and how to research a stock before you buy it.
Start with the task you have right now. More broker reviews and market guides will follow.
Guides in this topic
- Open your first account
What Is a Brokerage Account? A US Beginner's Guide
How to open and fund a US brokerage account, cash vs margin, what it costs and what SIPC and FDIC really cover.
- Choose a broker
Interactive Brokers Review 2026: Fees and Platforms
Fees, platforms, investor protection and real futures commissions from a client since 1996.
- Check an offshore broker
PU Prime Review 2026: FCA Warning, Licences and Costs
Which PU Prime company you contract with, what the FCA warning means, and what 1:1000 leverage and the deposit bonus do to your account.
- Check CopyX
CopyX Review 2026: Is TAG Markets Copy Trading Legit?
Who runs the TAG Markets copy trading platform, which regulators warn about it, why US residents are excluded and how fast the 12x Amplify account eats your deposit.
- Understand your price
Market Makers: Who Sets Your Price and How They Profit
How market makers earn on the spread, who sets prices at German trading venues and what the EU ban on payment for order flow changed.
- Read bond market stress
MOVE Index: The VIX of the Bond Market, Explained
What the MOVE index measures, which readings signal stress, how it differs from the VIX and where its limits are.
- Read market sentiment
Fear and Greed Index: How It Works, Tested Since 2021
How CNN builds its Fear and Greed Index from seven measures, what the zones mean and how the S&P 500 moved after readings below 20.
- Trade an index CFD
Index CFDs at Interactive Brokers: Symbols, Costs and Trading
All 13 IBKR index CFDs, margin, stop and close-out worked through for IBDE40, financing, UK hours and the TradingView limit.
- Size an index future
Micro Futures: MES vs MNQ, Tick Values and Risk
MES and MNQ tick values, a worked sizing example from the stop with costs and slippage, and why margin is not your risk.
- Read the futures curve
Contango vs Backwardation: Futures Curves Explained
What contango and backwardation mean, what rolling does to a position in each case, and real gold, oil and gas curves from 28 October 2026.
- Choose a silver future
Silver Futures: SI vs Micro Silver vs 100-oz SIC
SI, Micro Silver and the 100-ounce SIC compared by tick value, risk per contract, margin and December 2026 deadlines.
- Read the chip sector
SOX Index: Holdings, Weighting and How to Use It
What the SOX holds, how Nasdaq caps the weights, its largest declines since 2004 against the Nasdaq-100 and which ETFs really track it.
- Read the biotech sector
Nasdaq Biotechnology Index: Holdings, Weighting and Risks
What the NBI holds, how Nasdaq caps the weights, its long declines since 2003 against the Nasdaq-100 and which ETFs really track it.
- Read the transport sector
Dow Jones Transportation Average: Stocks and Dow Theory
The 20 stocks in the Dow transport index, why the share price sets their weight, declines since 1992 and what Dow Theory can and cannot tell you.
- Research stocks
InvestingPro Review: Screener, ProPicks AI and WarrenAI
What the InvestingPro screener, ProPicks AI and WarrenAI do, what Pro and Pro+ cost and who needs which plan.
- Use the free news portal
Investing.com Review: Free Tools, Data and Limitations
What the free Investing.com portal does well, where the quote prices come from and when InvestingPro is worth paying for.
- Find real AI revenue
AI Stocks 2026: How Listed Companies Earn From AI
Which listed companies earn from AI in cloud, software, infrastructure and chips, disclosed AI revenue against hope, plus AI ETFs and risks.
- Compare AI data center suppliers
AI Infrastructure Stocks: 10 Data Center Suppliers Compared
Ten suppliers for power, cooling, servers and optics compared on free cash flow, customer concentration and next dates, with filters and a two-stock comparison.
- Follow an IPO
Anthropic Stock: IPO Date, Valuation and How to Invest
Where the Anthropic IPO stands, how the valuation compares with revenue and how to get exposure before and after the listing.
- Invest in OpenAI before the IPO
OpenAI Stock: Can You Buy It, and Who Owns OpenAI?
Why there is no OpenAI stock yet, who owns OpenAI, where the IPO stands and how much OpenAI you get through Microsoft or SoftBank.
- Understand a stock split
Stock Splits Explained: Forward and Reverse Splits
What forward and reverse splits change and what they do not, the dates that matter, what happens to options and the $1 listing rule.
- Value a stock
Value Investing: Intrinsic Value, Margin of Safety, Traps
Intrinsic value against price, a worked DCF with a sensitivity table, Coca-Cola as a real example, the value premium since 1926 and value traps.
- Value a new listing
SpaceX Stock (SPCX): Valuation, Risks and How to Buy
How to buy SpaceX stock, what the company is worth after the IPO and which risks the lock-up calendar brings.