Your capital is at risk Stratton Markets has been called many things by reviewers over the last few months and few of these things were positive. Starting up an online brokerage these days is quite a challenge and indeed, this operator may not have gotten everything right from the get-go, but it seems to be on the right track and it really seems to be willing to do whatever is necessary to win the trust of the public.
Just how new is the brokerage though? There is not a lot of reliable information available on strattonmarkets.com out there, and it is difficult to tell exactly when it was launched too. Some say the operation took off in June 2018, but it may have been online as early as May. Whatever the case, one thing is certain: this is a very young – and apparently: rather green – operation.
Its website is testimony to its status: it is severely lacking in the UX department and it simply fails to convincingly deliver solid information about any of the operational aspects of the brokerage. The good news in this regard is that the days of the current site are apparently numbered: the broker is getting ready to launch a brand new site, one that will hopefully trump the current one in every regard (not that it would be much of a challenge to pull that off).
Some have apparently been busy spreading rumors about the offshore and unregulated nature of the brokerage. Long story short in this regard: the website is indeed registered and regulated, not just in Belize (like any self-respecting offshore broker would be) but also in Cyprus.
There are two corporate entities representing the Stratton Markets brand: one in Belize and one in Cyprus.
The one in Belize is called IOS Investments Limited and it is the possessor of IFSC license #60/511/TS/17. This license provides a legal umbrella for the operator to offer its services to clients outside the EEA and Switzerland region. Obviously though, Belize is not one of the more reputable regulatory jurisdictions, plus Belize license or not, the broker cannot peddle its deals to US and Canadian traders.
To cover clients from the European Union, the Cyprus-based corporate pusher of the Stratton Markets brand, F1Markets Limited, has secured a license from CySEC, which is indeed an order of magnitude better than the above described IFSC one.
The CySEC license number of the broker is 267/15. What exactly does it mean for an operator like Stratton Markets though, to be the possessor of such a license? In theory and in practice, it means above and beyond everything else that the broker follows MiFID regulation. Brokers who comply with these European directives have to adhere to strict guidelines regarding the way they handle their clients’ funds – among other things. They have to keep client monies in segregated accounts for instance.
Being a CIF (Cyprus Investment Firm) carries a number of other advantages for brokers too. For instance, it makes them Investor Compensation Scheme members, meaning that they can offer their depositors up to 20,000 in case the company is declared bankrupt.
In addition to all the above, Stratton Markets offer some pretty attractive trading conditions too, meaning low spreads and decent leverage. The market coverage of the broker is more than decent as well.
Besides the regular tradable asset-classes, such as FX pairs, indices, commodities and stock-based CFDs, the broker also features an impressive number of tradable cryptos too (like BTC, ETH, LTC and Dash). Obviously, traders cannot purchase such cryptos through the brokerage, but they can trade CFDs based on their prices.
Stratton Markets Education
Based on the way the Stratton Markets website is structured, one would expect the education section to be present in name only, but that is hardly the case.
There are actually some pretty solid courses available, and they can be accessed by everyone who logs onto the site, not just by those who have real money accounts opened with the operator.
A Forex eBook is offered as well as a series of video tutorials aimed at beginners, which cover everything about trading, from actual strategies to the way MT4 works and how one can make the best of it.
Cryptocurrencies are covered in a separate guide as well, from the very basics, all the way to simple and advanced technical analysis.
Stratton Markets Trading Platforms
Judging by what the official site says, one would believe that the flagship trading platform of the broker is a simplistic web trader called the Stratton Web Trader. Such an assumption is wrong on many levels though.
First of all: the web trader offered by the broker is not quite as simplistic as it would seem to be. It actually features decent charting and it has an impressive number of technical indicators incorporated. While next to MT4, it might not amount to much, it is in fact a very usable trading environment.
As said, MT4 is available too though and what’s more, Stratton Markets support the use of EAs as well.
Expert Advisors and custom scripts can be used to achieve a high degree of automation on trading, allowing traders who have profitable strategies lined up, to trade away without sitting in front of the computer screen all day. EAs work best with a proper VPS service, but whether or not Stratton offer such a service is unclear at this point.
Needless to say, the charting and technical analysis capabilities of MT4 are peerless. Scores of time frames are supported, as well as an impressive number of order-types. Trading can be done directly off the charts and the entire trading environment is fully customizable.
Stratton Markets Account Types
The broker offers no fewer than 4 account types, not counting the Demo versions which come with $100k in preloaded funds and which are apparently available for every one of the said account options.
The Basic Account is the most accessible of course. Requiring a deposit of just $100, this account offers access to all the available assets, to personalized support and to daily market analysis. A series of additional webinars can also be accessed through this account.
The Silver Account adds risk management and several tutorial categories to the Basic package. It also features free maintenance.
To gain access to Trading Central though, one will need to secure a Gold Account. Through this account option, free withdrawals become a reality as well. The most popular account option of the broker, the Gold Account, features extensive tutorials on MT4.
The Platinum Account covers everything the previously discussed accounts do, and it offers improved spreads.
Support
Stratton Markets support can be contacted through a live chat feature, as well as through email ([email protected]) and phone. The phone number is +357 251 23326.
Conclusion
While there are several areas where Stratton Markets – in its current form – leaves room for improvement, it is nice to see that the broker does indeed strive to better its services and the general presentation of its offer. As said, a new website is already in the works, and we are willing to bet that it will indeed do a LOT towards improving the first impressions about the brokerage of traders and reviewers alike.