42 guides
Learn to trade the European way: safely, and with the maths right
Written for people who live under EU, UK or Swiss rules. We explain the protections you have, the traps offshore marketing sets, and the mechanics every trader should understand before risking money.
Safety & regulation
Licences, compensation schemes, scams and what to do when something goes wrong.
How to check a broker's licence in Europe (step by step)
Brands are not licensed – companies are. A practical, five-minute routine to confirm that the firm holding your money is authorised to serve you, and to spot clone firms.
Updated 30 September 2026Investor compensation schemes in Europe – what they cover and what they don't
If your broker fails, an investor compensation scheme may pay you. Limits range from €20,000 to €100,000 depending on the country of the firm's licence. Here is how it works.
Updated 30 September 2026Clone firms and trading scams in Europe – how they work and how to spot them
Clone firms copy the names and licence numbers of real brokers. Here are the scam patterns European regulators warn about most, the red flags, and what to do if you have already paid.
Updated 30 September 2026Unregulated and offshore brokers – what Europeans give up
Offshore brokers advertise high leverage and bonuses. Here is exactly which EU protections you lose with a Seychelles, Vanuatu or St Vincent entity, and why "regulated" does not always mean what you think.
Updated 30 September 2026How to complain about a broker in Europe – and when to go to the ombudsman
A step-by-step guide to complaining effectively about a broker or bank, escalating to your national ombudsman or ADR body, and using FIN-NET for cross-border disputes.
Updated 30 September 2026Leverage in forex under ESMA rules – limits, margin and the 50% close-out
How leverage and margin work for European retail traders, the ESMA limits by asset class, negative balance protection, the margin close-out rule and what changes for professional clients.
Updated 30 September 2026Retail vs professional client status – should you opt up?
The MiFID II criteria for being treated as a professional client in Europe, what you gain (higher leverage) and exactly which protections you give up.
Updated 30 September 2026MiFID passporting explained – how a Cyprus licence lets a broker serve all of Europe
How EU passporting works for investment firms, the difference between cross-border services and branches, who supervises what, and why UK and Swiss firms lost the passport.
Updated 30 September 2026Why EU brokers can't offer trading bonuses (and what "bonus" offers really cost)
ESMA rules ban deposit bonuses and other incentives on CFDs for retail clients. Here is what the rule says, how offshore bonuses work, and the conditions that lock your money in.
Updated 30 September 2026What happens if your broker goes bust?
How client money segregation, special administration and compensation schemes work when a broker or bank fails in Europe, with lessons from real failures.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex & CFD basics
Pips, lots, leverage, spreads and how a trade actually works.
What is forex trading? A European beginner's guide
How the currency market works, how retail traders in Europe actually access it (spot FX, CFDs, spread bets, futures), what moves the euro, and what the realistic odds look like.
Updated 30 September 2026What is a pip in forex? Pips, pipettes and points explained
A pip is the standard price step in forex – 0.0001 for most pairs and 0.01 for yen pairs. How to count pips, what a pip is worth in euro or pounds, and how points work for indices and gold.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex lot sizes and position sizing – how much should you trade?
Standard, mini, micro and nano lots explained, how lot size translates into risk in euro or pounds, and a simple position-sizing method that keeps each loss small.
Updated 30 September 2026CFDs explained – how contracts for difference work in Europe
What a CFD is, how you make or lose money, overnight financing, the ESMA retail protections, and when a CFD is (and isn't) a sensible way to get exposure.
Updated 30 September 2026Spreads and trading costs – what you really pay to trade forex and CFDs
Spreads, commissions, overnight financing, conversion fees and inactivity fees explained, with how to compare a standard account with a raw-spread account and read MiFID II cost disclosures.
Updated 30 September 2026Order types explained – market, limit, stop, stop-limit and trailing stops
How each order type works on forex and CFD platforms, what slippage is, when stops can gap, and how guaranteed stops differ.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex hedging – what it is and when it makes sense for Europeans
Hedging currency risk on foreign investments, business payments and open trades; forwards, options and CFDs; and why "hedging" two opposite positions on one pair usually just adds cost.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex options – how currency options work and where Europeans can trade them
Calls and puts on currencies, premiums, strike and expiry, exchange-traded vs OTC options, and why binary options are banned for EU retail clients.
Updated 30 September 2026Choosing a broker
Account types, platforms, execution models and costs.
How to choose a broker in Europe – a checklist that puts safety first
The order in which to evaluate a forex, CFD or share broker as a European resident - licence and entity, protection, costs, platform, product range, money transfers and support.
Updated 30 September 2026ECN, STP and market maker brokers – what the execution model means for you
How dealing-desk and no-dealing-desk brokers execute your orders, the conflicts of interest, and what EU best-execution rules require.
Updated 30 September 2026Trading platforms compared – MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView and broker apps
Strengths and limitations of the main forex and CFD platforms used in Europe, automated trading support, and what to check before you choose.
Updated 30 September 2026Demo trading accounts – how to use them properly (and their limits)
What a demo account is good for, how to make practice realistic, what demos don't teach you, and how to move to a small live account safely.
Updated 30 September 2026Copy trading and managed forex accounts in Europe – rules, risks and how to judge a strategy
How copy trading, social trading and managed accounts are regulated in the EU, what to look for in a strategy's track record, and the red flags of unauthorised "account managers".
Updated 30 September 2026Prop trading firms and "funded accounts" – what Europeans should know
How retail prop-firm challenges work, why they are not regulated like brokers, the business model behind them, and questions to ask before paying a challenge fee.
Updated 30 September 2026Automated trading, forex robots and "AI trading" – what works and what to avoid
Expert Advisors, cBots, algorithmic trading and AI trading platforms explained for European traders, including backtesting pitfalls, VPS hosting and the fake "AI trading app" scams regulators warn about.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex signals – how signal services work and how to evaluate them
What forex signal providers sell, how to check a track record, why most Telegram signal groups fail simple tests, and how signals relate to EU investment-advice rules.
Updated 30 September 2026Markets & timing
Sessions, currency pairs, gold, indices and the events that move them.
When does the forex market open in Europe? Session times in CET, GMT and EET
Forex trading hours converted to European time zones, the London–New York overlap, daylight-saving quirks, the daily rollover and when spreads are widest.
Updated 30 September 2026Currency pairs explained – majors, crosses, European pairs and the most volatile ones
Which currency pairs count as majors (and why ESMA's definition differs), trading euro crosses and Central European currencies, and how volatility differs between pairs.
Updated 30 September 2026Trading gold (XAU/USD) from Europe – CFDs, ETCs, futures and physical gold
Ways Europeans can get gold exposure, how XAU/USD CFDs work under ESMA rules, what drives gold prices, and the currency effect for euro-based investors.
Updated 30 September 2026Trading stock indices – DAX, Euro Stoxx 50, CAC 40, FTSE 100 and the Nasdaq-100
How index CFDs and futures work for European traders, ESMA leverage on major vs non-major indices, trading hours, dividends and the difference between cash and futures-based prices.
Updated 30 September 2026The ECB and the euro – how monetary policy moves EUR/USD
How the European Central Bank sets interest rates, the key dates and times to watch, what the deposit facility rate is, and how ECB decisions affect the euro and your trading costs.
Updated 30 September 2026Currency risk for European investors – when the exchange rate eats your returns
How exchange-rate moves affect foreign shares, ETFs and trading profits for investors in the euro area, the UK, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and the Nordics, and how to manage it.
Updated 30 September 2026Strategy & risk
Risk management, strategies and the psychology of trading.
Risk management for forex and CFD traders – a practical framework
Fixed-percentage risk, stop-loss placement, correlation, daily loss limits, drawdown rules and the account-management habits that keep traders in the game.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex trading strategies explained – trend, range, breakout and carry, with examples
The four main families of forex strategies, how each makes money, when each fails, example rules on EUR/USD, and how to test a strategy honestly before risking money.
Updated 30 September 2026Supply and demand zones in forex – how to find and trade them
What supply and demand zones are, how to draw them, how they differ from support and resistance, and a checklist for trading them with defined risk.
Updated 30 September 2026Forex day trading from Europe – schedules, setups and the realities
How day trading forex fits into a European day, which hours and pairs to focus on, a sample routine, costs, and the statistics every would-be day trader should see.
Updated 30 September 2026Scalping forex – what it takes, broker conditions and costs
How scalping works, why execution quality and costs matter more than for any other style, what to check in a broker's terms, and whether scalping suits retail traders.
Updated 30 September 2026Trading psychology – the habits that separate disciplined traders from gamblers
The common behavioural traps in trading (loss aversion, revenge trading, overconfidence), how rules and journals counter them, and lessons from traders who lasted.
Updated 30 September 2026Europe-specific topics
Tax, spread betting, professional status, MiCA and country rules.
Tax on forex and CFD trading in Europe – a country-by-country overview
How trading gains are taxed in major European countries, why a foreign broker usually means filing yourself, and the records to keep. With links to each national tax authority.
Updated 30 September 2026Spread betting explained – why it exists only in the UK and Ireland
How financial spread betting works, how it differs from CFDs, the UK tax treatment, FCA rules, and why EU residents cannot use it.
Updated 30 September 2026Crypto in Europe – MiCA-licensed platforms vs crypto CFDs
How the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) changed crypto trading, the difference between owning crypto and trading crypto CFDs at 2:1 leverage, and how to check a crypto platform's licence.
Updated 30 September 2026ETF savings plans in Europe – the low-cost alternative to trading
How monthly ETF savings plans work at European brokers, UCITS vs US ETFs, accumulating vs distributing funds, costs to compare, and national tax-advantaged accounts.
Updated 30 September 2026