FOREX MAGNATES RETAIL FOREX MARKET
QUARTERLY REPORT FOR Q1 2012
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Content Index
1. Q1 2012 Forex market overview and Q2 2012 forecast – page 4 2. Media Forex Websites Traffic Survey: Q1 2012 – page 14 3. Articles: t-BUJO"NFSJDBO'PSFY.BSLFU0WFSWJFX– page 18 t0WFSWJFXPGUIF'9NBSLFUJO4JOHBQPSF– page 20 t5IFZFBSPG.5JO+BQBO – page 22 t1BLJTUBODPVOUSZSFQPSU– page 24 t0WFSWJFXPGUIF$'%TNBSLFU– page 26 t1SJNFPG1SJNFi1P1w– page 28 t"GSJDBO'9.BSLFU– page 30 t"VTUSBMJBNBSLFUPWFSWJFX2- page 32 t,PSFB.BSLFU3FQPSU2- page 33 t+BQBOFTFNBSLFUJO2+BQBOFTFNBSLFUJO2 – page 35 4. Major news that hit the wires in the past quarter –page 36
5.%FUBJMFECSPLFSJOGPSNBUJPOGPSUIFUPQOPO+BQBOFTFCSPLFST– page 49 6.3FDPNNFOEFE4FSWJDF1SPWJEFST– page 61
Q1 2012 Forex market overview
and Q2 2012 forecast
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Growth in number of brokers amid lower volumes; industry under pressure
The number of forex brokers kept increasing in 2012 despite an evident slowdown in overall forex market growth. Volumes slowed down for most brokers making it much more difficult for a small forex broker to survive. Same slowdown in Q1 2011 almost caused
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brokers the much needed lifeline. Should the current slowdown continue, we will witness several brokers shutting down or exiting the market.
7
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Q2 2011 Q3 2011 Q4 2011 Q1 2012 FXCM Saxo Bank GFT IG Group Oanda Gain (forex.com Alpari
Top 7 non Japanese brokers volume in past 12 months:
Top 15 Forex brokers compared to the rest of the market:
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Q2 2011 Q3 2011 Q4 2011 Q1 2012 others top 15 *UTDMFBSUIBUTNBMMFSCSPLFSTJODSFBTFNBSLFUTIBSFBUUIFFYQFOTFPGUIFUPQMBSHFTUCSPLFST
13
Pakistan country report
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Futures became popular as they offered price movements and opportunities to earn profits as investors were opening up to global opportunities.
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Forex was gaining pace amongst high net worth individuals
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on the doors of the rich and elite introducing them to margin
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Franc as cross rates were not available.
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alternative trading instruments.
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were managing clients risk and acting as principal on trades.
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inception and present values is based on brokers handling cash and trading as principal.
4IPSUMZBGUFS'9XBTHBJOJOHQBDFJOUIFUVSOPGUIFDFOUVSZ BOEPOMJOFUSBEJOHXBTCFJOHJOUSPEVDFEBOE1BLJTUBOJCSP -kers now had access to real time data via online trading termi-nals and were able to work closer with traders. The regulators soon caught up as equity brokers started to witness declines
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more and more players entered the market, as graduates
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and offering fixed return packages. Investors were investing
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Brokers get raided
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shape and with the high possible returns the high risks were
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high leverage and unregulated brokers were taking
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clients and equity brokers.
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with the rise in trading in currencies over the last ten years however with scams and fraudulent activity taking place, the
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brokers offering fixed returns without disclosing risks involved in currency investments.
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was operating from an office within the stock exchange building.
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After the investigation and raids on brokerages, most brokers
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If you have any questions or comments please contact us at report@forexmagnates.com 36
Major news that hit the
wires in the past quarter:
36
FXOpen settles with the CFTC for accepting US clients
This was one of the biggest news items last year – CFTC sued 14 forex firms (and then 11 moreGPSWBSJ
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easily in various jurisdictions. n.
Read the full post here.
CFTC settles with 5 brokers,
penalizes 2 others
Ava FX receives ASIC approval, launches Australian office
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limiting and expensive, Australia stands out as the only stable location for forex brokers looking both for sane regulation and ability to support Asian clients in their time zones. Australia also offers a highly advanced capital markets climate and multilingual staff which helps run operations smoothly.
Read the full post here.
Forex brokers
target Australia
Admiral Markets launches ASIC licensed office
in Australia
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Read the full post here.
Saxo Bank launches in Australia
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offices in Australia and now this market giant makes its first steps in the continent.
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Detailed broker information for
the top 8 non-Japanese brokers in
terms of volume
If you have any questions or comments please contact us at report@forexmagnates.com 61
Recommended Service
Providers
61
Saving you Google time
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Forex liquidity bridges and customized development
tBoston Technologies — BT is one of the largest forex bridge and product providers in the world. Its prominence arrived
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products.
Clients include:"VUPCBIO%#.'(MPCBM$JUJ#BOL('54RVBSFE'JOBODJBM'9"MM
toneZero — "OESFX3BMJDISFUJSFEGSPN#PTUPO5FDIOPMPHJFTUPEFWFMPQIJTPXOQSPKFDUPOF;FSPBHHSFTTJWFMZFTUBCMJTIFE
JUTFMGJOUIFCSJEHFTNBSLFUBOEXJUIUIFIFMQPGUIFMJLFTPG4UFQIFO-FBIZ BOPUBCMFmHVSFJOUIF64'PSFYNBSLFUGPSNFSMZ #BDL#BZ'9JUJTFYUFOTJWFMZQSPNPUJOHJUTFMGJOUIF64BOE&VSPQF
Clients include:1'(.*('94PMVUJPOT.BSFY$.43'953FBM'PSFY'$4UPOF'JOPUFD1FOTPO
tPrimeXM — 1SJNF9.XBTGPVOEFECZ$MJWF%JFUIFMNBOFY+%'9EFWFMPQFS$MJWFMFGU+%'9UPFTUBCMJTIIJTPXOWFO
-UVSFXIJDIIFCFMJFWFTJTUIFCFTUGVODUJPOJOH.5CSJEHFJOUIFNBSLFU#BTFEJO4XJU[FSMBOEXJUITBMFTGPSDFJOUIF64 1SJNF9.RVJDLMZFNFSHFEBTBXPSUIZDPNQFUJUPSUPPUIFSNPSFFTUBCMJTIFECSJEHFT
Clients include: '*9*$')BOEDPPQFSBUJPOXJUI)PU4QPU'9
tLeverate — -FWFSBUFJTPOFPGUIFMBSHFTU.5CSPLFSTPMVUJPOTJOUIFXPSME*OJUSFDFJWFEBNBKPSJOWFTUNFOUGSPN
4BYP#BOLBOEXJMMBMTPFOKPZJUTMJRVJEJUZBOEQSJNFCSPLFSBHFTFSWJDFT-FWFSBUFPGGFSTBTPMVUJPOJODMVEJOH.5TFSWFS NBOBHFNFOUCSJEHFCBDLPGmDF$3.BOEPUIFSQSPEVDUTJOPOFQBDLBHF5IFDPNQBOZIBTHSPXOGSPNGPVOEFSTUP BCPVUFNQMPZFFT
Clients include: dozens of Middle Eastern, European and Asian brokers.
tRoustech — 'SBODJTDP.BSUJOF[XIPSFUJSFEGSPN(FSNBOT7BSFOHPME'9#BOLFTUBCMJTIFE3PVT5FDIOPMPHZ3PVTUFDI
JTPOFPGUIFMFTTFSLOPXOCSJEHFTJOUIFJOEVTUSZ3PVTUFDIBMTPPGGFST.".QMVHJOBOE.5MFBTJOH
Clients include:7BSFOHPME'9
tPanda TS — 1BOEBJTBUFDIOPMPHZDPNQBOZTQFDJBMJ[JOHJOTPGUXBSFTPMVUJPOTBOEBEWJTPSZTFSWJDFTUPPOMJOFUSBEJOH
CSPLFST1BOEBXBTFTUBCMJTIFEJOCZ4INVMJL(VUNBOBOE.BPS-BIBWKPJOFEMBUFS1BOEBJTQSPWJEJOHBMBSHFWBSJFUZ PGPGGUIFTIFMGBTXFMMBTDVTUPNJ[FEQSPEVDUTUPJUTDMJFOUTEJSFDUMZPSUISPVHIJUTCVTJOFTTQBSUOFST1BOEBJOQBSUJDVMBS
specializes in trading platform and solutions integration, developing mobile and web interfaces and basically anything that has to do with Metatrader.
Clients include:4FWFSBMCSPLFSTJO*TSBFM3VTTJB+BQBOBOE4PVUI"NFSJDB
tGold-i — 'PVOEFECZ5PN)JHHJOT(PMEJBUUIFUJNFXBTPOFPGUIFGFXJGOPUPOMZ.5FYDMVTJWFEJTUSJCVUPST.FUB
-RVPUFTEPFTOUUZQJDBMMZXPSLXJUIEJTUSJCVUPSTBOEEPFTOUSFBMMZOFFEUIFNCVUJO5PNTDBTFJUXBTBOFYDFQUJPO(PMEJ
has since lost its exclusivity but continues to distribute the platform and now also provides its own customized bridge and
WBSJPVT.5QMVHJOT
Clients include:"$.4XJTTRVPUF$ZCFS"HFOU'9
tXOGEE JTBGBJSMZMBSHF$ZQSVTCBTFE'PSFYUFDIOPMPHZDPNQBOZGPVOEFECZFY'Y1SPFNQMPZFFTQSPWJEJOHEFWFMPQ
-NFOUJOUFHSBUJPOBOETVQQPSUPGOFXUFDIOPMPHJFTGPSSFUBJMCSPLFSTNBSLFUNBLFSTBOEUIFJSJOUSPEVDJOHCSPLFST *#*U
also offers effective and efficient front- and back-office IT solutions for the brokerage business. Clients include:"MQBSJ):.BSLFUTBOEEP[FOTPGPUIFSCSPLFST
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