ECN Trade, Electronic Communication Network

As part of our ethos, we believe in education as a way to learn about things like ECN trade. We like to know that you can have answers to questions like ‘what is ECN?’ You see, the top ECN forex brokers list is a product of knowledge and research.

So, before you invest your money, how about we get into the details of what ECN trade is all about, and how it happens? We will cover all the essential parts of it to make sure that you can benefit from the information offered here.

Our reviews are here to answer questions about which the best ECN forex brokers are. However, the reports do not explicitly get into the details of what ECN trade is. So, to make sure that we understand what this is, we will go through the entire process.

Understanding ECN trade will not only help you know how to pick the best ECN forex broker but also keep you from making simple rookie mistakes that are entirely avoidable.

Buckle up and let’s get started.

ECN Brokers in a Nutshell

We also know them as non-dealing desk types. They do not pass an order flow to market makers. Their work is to match the people participating in an ECN trade electronically. Their function is to do that and pass the orders to liquidity providers.

ECN trade brokers give you, as the client, direct access to the other people participating in the same markets. They consolidate their price quotes from many participants and then offer clients narrower bid/ask spreads than would not be easy to find under different circumstances.

Because the ECN brokers only match the trades between participants in the market, they cannot trade against a client. As you no doubt have heard or known, retail forex brokers are often accused of doing this.

The ECN trade spreads are narrow when compared to those used by standard brokers. Usually, this is because they only charge a fixed commission for every transaction you make instead of making money from the spread difference.

The ECN brokers usually facilitate the trades for investors across the network. In an ECN trade, the fees are often lower, and the trading times availability higher. These are all advantages that come from using an ECN broker to trade.

What is ECN, and How Does It Work?

The ECN is an electronic system or network that brings together buyers and sellers, whose purpose is to execute trades. The network does this by giving them access to information about orders entered and facilitating the execution of the requests come.

The network matches the buy and sells orders that are present in the exchange. When there is a piece of specific order information not available, the system gives prices that show the highest bid and lowest ask it can find listed on the open market.

The Liquidity Providers AKA Core Liquidity Provider

The core liquidity provider we keep mentioning is essential to this system. They act as a financial institution and middleman of the securities markets. Their business is to buy large quantities of securities from the companies issuing them.

They then distribute these in batches to the financial institutions which make them available to you. The process through which these batches reach you is the reason why the ECN trade brokers exist. They are the ones that take these batches and avail them to you.

The core liquidity provider may simultaneously buy or sell shares of a security to ensure that it will always be on-demand.

The core liquidity providers are well funded and tend to be banks who underwrite the equity and debt transactions and then make the market. They can sometimes assist in the trading of these securities.

What Makes Core Liquidity Providers Special?

Unlike people who sell and buy things when it is profitable to them, the core liquidity providers are in this differently. Their job is to provide you with continual liquidity in the market. They do not just do this when they find it profitable to sell or buy a security.

The business model that these pools are built on does not depend on the securities prices. They make a market for an asset by offering holdings for sale all the time while trying to buy more of them at the same time.

Depending on how capable the provider is, they can serve the market in several different ways.

The Role Core Liquidity Providers Play in IPOs and How That Ties to ECN Trade

Institutions that underwrite initial public offerings are the best-known providers of core liquidity. When a company is going public on the stock exchange, they select an underwriter who will manage the process.

The underwriter, in this case, will buy stock directly from the company going public and then resell it in batches to other large financial institutions. From them, it is then availed to you. That is how you get to make an ECN trade.

The Downside of ECN Trade

Perhaps the biggest drawback you will hear most people cite when it comes to using an ECN is the price you will have to pay to use one. The commission charges and access fees can be high and very hard to avoid.

The per-trade-based commissions are high and can even affect just how much you make and the profitability of the entire trade. However, this should not stop you from going in and seeing what they have to offer. Maybe you can handle ECN trade.

The demo accounts are provided so that you can see how it works and how much you stand to gain. As much as we have a drawback like this one, at least the most significant advantage is that you never have to worry that the brokers might work against your best interests.

Some of the advantages that people cite for using ECN trade brokers include:

1. Immediate trade execution
2. Client liquidity access
3. Automated forex trading
4. Market data feeds
5. Variable spreads
6. Anonymity and privacy
7. You can trade outside of traditional sessions

As you can see, there is a good reason why people like ECN trade. So, if you were wondering, 'what is ECN?', we hope you have the answers to all your questions at this point.