FOREXPro rates:

Other news:

1. 24-hour trading in Hong Kong Dollar and Singapore Dollar – now you can trade US Dollar/Hong Kong Dollar (USD/HKD), US Dollar/Singapore Dollar (USD/SGD) and Singapore Dollar/Japanese Yen (SGD/JPY). These new pairs provide fresh opportunities to tap into Asian economies
2. Curious about emerging Asian economies? USD/SGD (Singapore Dollar) and USD/HKD (Hong Kong Dollar) open up new ways to speculate on regional growth in Asia. SGD/JPY lets you trade on those opinions directly, without going through the USD first.
3. Have opinions about the global trade imbalance? USD/SGD lets you target another Asian economy beyond Japan (USD/JPY), and to speculate on the Asian regional growth theme and the resolution of global trade imbalances.
4. Watching the USD closely? The Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) is currently pegged to the USD, although pressure may be growing to peg to China’s RMB. If you have opinions about this peg’s staying power, USD/HKD offers a way to express those in the market.

Other news and tools you`ll find on www.forex.com site.

This award was announced on May 22, 2008 at P&L’s Digital Markets Awards dinner, held in New York City.

“I want to continue building our leadership position, which will further help the overall forex industry grow. If we can achieve this in the most efficient manner possible, then we are serving our clients well – and providing a good client experience backed by responsive service continues to be the key to further success”.

Said GAIN CEO Glenn Stevens in a interview for Profit & Loss regarding the importance of delivering a good client experience. GAIN CEO Glenn Stevens was the featured profile in Profit & Loss.

The sourse http://www.gaincapital.com/files/plmar2008.pdf

Their contact info: 1.877.FOREXGO (367.3946), 1.908.731.0750 (int’l) or via email at support@forex.com.

• Quote & Execution Speed 4/5
• Range of Services 4/5
• Training & Tech Support 3/5
• Commissions & Fees 4/5
• Overall Reliability 4/5

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.

Founded by its Chairman and CEO Thomas Peterffy about 31 years ago.
One of the premier securities firms.
More info here

Latest news from them:
2008
The IB Risk Navigator^SM is launched, a real-time market risk management platform for customers, providing unified risk data across multiple asset classes around the globe.

Other traders opinions:

1. • IB is the best if you are looking for fast executions and very low comissions, 0.01 for first 500 sh and 0.005 for over 500, who can beat that.
   • Use a good data provider for other services, ie Level 2, T&S , Graphs ,etc .
   • Plenty around, RealTick, Esignal, NexTrend.
2. • The quotes and execution speed are the best . The range of services are average because IB does not have the best charts of brokers, but are adequate for swing trading. There is no training per se, but the online manual does answer most all of your questions. The customer service does answer almost all tech questions.The commisions and reliability are better than other brokers I have tried which are MLonline, TDWaterhouse, Cyberttrader, Suretrade, WallstreetElectronica and some others. The commissions and fees charged are beyond question the best deal on the web. Overall I think each person should open up an account at IB and prove it to yourself that IB is the best deal overall around.
3. • I’ve been in the process of opening a new account for weeks now. My account has been funded, but not useable. It has taken me days just to find out why, and now I can’t get a response to my emails or calls. When they do respond, the email is composed of sentence fragments that I can’t decipher. All this because they want me to verify my income or something. I am just cashing out my money as soon as I can, and will go with a broker that can respond to emails.

More to come soon…

London, UK, February 6th, 2008.

City Index Group, a leading provider of retail derivative trading services (Contracts for Difference, CFD’s, foreign exchange – FOREX, announced the acquisition of FX Solutions LLC (www.fxsolutions.com) in an all equity transaction.

FX Solutions. Created in 2001 by Thomas Plaut and Robert Cortright. Based in Saddle River, New Jersey. FX Solutions provides a premier retail foreign exchange (“FX”) electronic trading platform for all major currency pairs.

FX Solutions has been recognized for 3 consecutive years by Inc. magazine as a part of the annual Inc. 500 “America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” list. Only 11 of 500 companies achieved that status, and in 2007, FX Solutions was the only retail FX broker to make the list.

The combined Group will employ over 400 staff across 6 offices in the UK, United States, China, Singapore and Australia and has partnership relationships throughout Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East, transacting approximately 1.6 million trades per month. The Group is regulated in Europe, the United States, Singapore and Australia.

Mr Clive Cooke, CEO City Index, commented on the transaction:

“The FX Solutions team have built a highly successful business with clients in over 50 countries and we are delighted to be able to bring our two companies together. This transaction will enhance and strengthen our current product offerings to our retail clients and institutional business partners and accelerate our expansion into new geographical markets.”

Thomas Plaut Co-founder and Co-CEO of FX Solutions, commented:

“We are very pleased to be joining the City Index Group, an ideal partner to take our business to the next stage. City Index’s diverse and worldwide operations will open new opportunities for our business and we know the merger with City Index is going to be a positive for all involved – especially our customers.”

“We are delighted to be participating in this combination, which creates a new, multi-product leader with best in class technology, serving a rapidly growing, global market,”

said David Golob, Partner with Francisco Partners.

3i and VantagePoint purchased a minority stake from existing shareholders of the privately-held GAIN Capital, with a portion of the proceeds going to the company’s balance sheet to facilitate larger trading relationships with leveraged funds and institutions globally, as well as to support GAIN’s growing white label business.

“We are pleased to welcome 3i to our investor group. We will undoubtedly look to leverage 3i’s financial expertise, strong global network and recognized ability to add value to help us achieve our long term business goals.”

said Glenn Stevens, GAIN’s chief executive officer.

“We are excited to partner with GAIN Capital. GAIN has a strong reputation and an impressive track record from a financial perspective, achieving no less than 65% annual growth for the past six consecutive years,” continued Bower. “We look forward to helping GAIN accelerate the success of its business development initiatives and further strengthen its operations in key international markets.”

Commented Whitney Bower, Partner at 3i US Growth Capital.

According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) – Forex is the most traded market in the world, with a daily volume that exceeds $3.2 trillion. Forex trading has gained widespread acceptance, among retail investors, over the past several years. According to U.S. research firm Aite Group, average daily trade volume in the retail forex market increased 500% from 2001 to 2006, reaching an estimated $77 billion per day in 2007.
Jim Mills, a managing director at VantagePoint Venture Partners and a member of GAIN’s Board of Directors:

“VantagePoint’s decision to make the follow-on investment is a testament to GAIN’s management team and the company’s prospects. We are confident that GAIN is well positioned to take full advantage of the significant market opportunities within this space.”

VantagePoint was the sole investor in the company’s previous investment round completed in April, 2006.

In addition to 3i and VantagePoint, GAIN’s investor group also includes private equity firms Tudor Ventures, Edison Venture Fund, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, and Blue Rock Capital.

About GAIN Capital Group, LLC

Founded in 1999 by Wall Street veterans, GAIN now services clients from more than 140 countries and supports average trade volume in excess of $100 billion per month. Headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey, the company operates sales and support offices in New York and Shanghai.

The company operates two full service web portals. The company’s flagship service, GAIN Capital (www.gaincapital.com) focuses on the needs of professional forex traders, including hedge funds and money managers. FOREX.com (www.forex.com) services individual investors of all experience levels with a full-service trading platform, lower account minimums and extensive education and training. In addition to its direct marketing efforts, GAIN currently supports over 40 white label relationships with broker/dealers, Futures FCMs and other financial services firms in North America, Europe and Asia.

GAIN Capital Group, LLC and FOREX.com are registered with the National Futures Association (NFA) as a Futures Commission Merchant (NFA ID #0339826).

For more information, visit www.gaincapital.com or www.forex.com

About 3i

3i is a world leader in private equity and venture capital. 3i operates in 14 countries across US, Europe, and Asia, managing over $13 billion. In the past five years alone, 3i has backed more than 40 companies that have gone public on the world’s leading exchanges and has executed over 450 M&A transactions.

3i Growth Capital is the world’s largest growth capital fund investing over $1.4bn every year in businesses across Europe, Asia and the US. 3i’s strong financial services expertise has proven successful in growing many companies worldwide, including Travelex, RoyalBlue / Fidessa, Asia Capital Re and Interhyp.

For more information, go to: www.3i.com

About VantagePoint Venture Partners

VantagePoint Venture Partners provides creative growth strategies and capital to companies transforming global markets. With more than $4.0 billion of capital under management, the Firm invests in entrepreneurial companies at all stages of development in the CleanTech, Healthcare, and Information Technology sectors. VantagePoint partners with talented entrepreneurs who are seeking to build companies that are world-scale in both size and substance. The Firm has created a network of thought leaders and strategic partners with some of the world’s leading corporations to provide portfolio companies with a unique advantage to accelerate growth.

For more information, visit www.vpvp.com

[link]

Even more research.
Now you can access more research from within the platform; session recaps and pivot points are available from within our FOREXTrader platforms.

Published three times daily at the close of each major market session, the session recaps provide actionable insight on the market. Pivot point calculations can help you determine significant support and resistance levels to anticipate trend shifts, especially when used in conjunction with other technical indicators.

More trader education.
Sharpen your trading skills with enhanced Learn To Trade Forex training program. The new course features updated information and additional lessons. Also, as part of the program you now have unlimited access to an experienced FX instructor.

Also added half-day intensive training sessions with FOREX.com’s team of seasoned FX instructors in cities worldwide.

Even more convenient funding options.
Deposits in five currencies – USD, EUR, AUD, CAD, CHF and GBF. You can now withdraw funds online from MyAccount.

Your satisfaction matters.
Feed Back:

“We’re always eager to hear your ideas for improving FOREX.com. In fact, in our latest client survey many of you asked for pivot points and additional currency pairs – and we’re more than happy to deliver. Keep the suggestions coming!”

We’re also happy to report over 90% of survey respondents would recommend FOREX.com to their friends. If you feel the same, check out our Refer a Friend program. Every time you refer a friend who opens and funds a FOREX.com account, you’ll both have the opportunity to earn up to $250.

FOREX.com is a registered Futures Commission Merchant (NFA ID #0339826) and
a member of the National Futures Association. As an FCM, FOREX.com is regulated
by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), must uphold the highest
standards and business practices and is subject to strict financial requirements
and reporting. Interested parties can visit the NFA
web site at any time to review FOREX.com‘s record.

Your feedback and suggestions are welcome. email info@forex.com

The FOREX.com Advantages:

• Very solid financials
  FOREX.com is a division of GAIN Capital Group, LLC, a pioneer in the online foreign exchange industry. The firm is well-capitalized, with an experienced management team and strong corporate governance. GAIN’s majority shareholders are five well-known U.S. venture capital and private equity firms with over $5 billion in combined assets.
• No comissions
  Trade on spreads as low as 1-2 pips on the most widely traded currencies. As
  always, you pay no commissions at FOREX.com, only the bid/offer spread. The fractional
  pip pricing is the most precise quoting currently available to forex traders
  anywhere and is designed to help you take advantage of smaller price movements.
• Quality and fast executions
  provide a fair, efficient trading environment for clients, which means
  quoting competitive spreads and ensuring quality executions. Our best execution
  goal is supported by liquidity relationships with over a dozen of the world’s
  leading FX banks, such as UBS, Barclays and Goldman Sachs. Plus, there are
  no restrictions on trading in volatile markets or before and after major economic
  announcements.
• Powerful trading tools
  Spot and seize potential market opportunities with our forex trading platform. We make it easy to put your trading strategy into action with advanced order management tools, a choice of robust charting packages, and auto execution tools.
• 24-hour access to licensed representatives
  Series 3 registered reps 24-hours a day during market hours and on Saturdays
  from 9am-5pm ET. Get answers quickly by phone, email or chat.
• System stability and reliability
  The technology infrastructure is designed to support a 24-hour trading environment
  with 100% uptime. Forex.Com subject the systems to rigorous testing and
  maintain multiple connections through several Tier 1 Internet backbones to
  assure connectivity for its clients around the globe.
• Market research you can count on
  The experienced research team provides robust market analysis,
  from real-time commentary to essential daily and weekly reports that summarize
  key market developments with an insightful perspective.
• Forex training and education
  Whether you need ideas for a new strategy, to brush up on platform tools, or
  just to learn our platform for the first time, all the resources you need
  at FOREX.com. Open a free forex practice account to test your knowledge with
  no risk or obligation, attend a webinar, or check our schedule for a forex
  workshop in your area.

Headquartered in Saddle River, New Jersey.
A member of the National Futures Association (NFA), registered with and fully regulated by the CFTC. All client deposits are held by JP Morgan Chase Bank

Services:
Self directed and managed accounts, money manager platform, charting, news, daily FX commentary, full reporting and back office, money manager performance and column 13 reporting, 24 hour trading and adminstration support, 24 hour chat, complete Introducing Broker services.

Languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish

Minimum Investment: $250

Commissions: None

Pip spread on majors: 3-4 pip

Maximal Leverage: 50/1 100/1 200/1 400/1

Mini forex trading: Yes

Trading Platform: FX Solutions Global Trading System (GTS)

Free demo account: Yes

Contact info:
Saddle River Executive Centre, One Route 17 South, Saddle River, 07458.
United States

Phone: +1 800 9698365
Fax: +1 201 3452211
Website Address: www.fxsol.com www.fxsolutions.com
E-mail: info@fxsol.com

Regulated by:
NFA(US), CFTC(US)

History

OANDA was spun out of an econometric research and development firm called Olsen and Associates by founders Richard Olsen and Michael Stumm in 1995.
6 years later…
Early 2001, OANDA launched its leading-edge FXTrade platform, allowing clients to participate directly in the forex market the largest, most dynamic market in the world. From day one, FXTrade set a new standard for service and efficiency. By opening the forex market to a new world of traders through innovative, more efficient features. By offering tangible advantages to all traders, speculators, professionals, hedge funds or corporations. By redefining the market and changing the way forex trading is done.

Today
Well earned reputation for reliability and integrity.
Flexible platform, allowing a trader to have sub accounts in numerous currencies.
Quick and easy login, 33 pairs – exotics such as usd/zar, usd/nok as well as spot gold (xau/usd) and silver (xag/usd). Spreads are perhaps the lowest around (in allot of cases matching the institutional platforms) and continuously falling (eur/usd 1.5 pips, usd/yen and aud/usd 2, gbp/usd 2.7, xau/usd 60 cents).
Fast and reliable execution.
Flexible order size/leverage that can be easily and quickly modified.
There is complete freedom in selecting trade size as a trade can be anywhere from one unit (eg. 1 dollar) up to 10 million units and 5000 units(ounces) for xau/usd per order.
Demo – FX GAME never expires and is identical to FX TRADE. Allows traders to try different strategies before going live.

From www.oanda.com site

OANDA has three lines of business based on its currency database. They include:

Currency Conversion and Localization
– For individuals
– For Businesses

Decision Support Tools for Institutional Investors

Currency Markets Transactions Services

Partners
American Express, Air Canada, British Airways, Sheraton, AOL, Travelocity, Netscape, Time, Infoseek (Disney), Cyberian Outpost, iVillage, Ernst & Young, Nokia, FedEx, Microsoft, DoubleClick, Conde Nast, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines, Excite and 24/7 Media

I`ll start reviewing with Forex.com.

From their site:

FOREX.com … division of GAIN Capital Group, one of the most respected online forex trading firms in the industry. The company’s flagship service, GAIN Capital, is used by institutional investors, professional money managers and experienced day traders from over 140 countries.

I can not agree that forex.com is one of the most respected online forex trading firms. After investigated a lot of sites found that there a lot of unsatisfied traders:

…This is the worst trading platform I have ever used. For starters the layout is appalling and account transaction statements won’t work. The java edition is very unstable, crashing every other minute. Secondly, execution of orders is slow and you are only successful after several attempts. Thirdly when I tried phoning them I was waiting for half an hour before I gave up, nobody answered the phone. Their live chat is useful but they’ll give you a phone number and then when you try it they’ll say there are problems with that line, duh! Fourthly, their 5 pip spread on GBP! Don’t waste your time and money with them…

…First experience in FX was with them. Absolutely horrid platform. Of dealing desk brokers, hard to get any worse, only ACM lies with them at the bottom of the barrel. Their rollover policies royally suck and they have all the disadvantages of a dealing desk broker with none of the advantages…

and 2 positive:

…I have traded equities and currencies for the last 15 years, I recently added Forex trading to the fold. I open my first account with FXCM and never even entered a trade. They have a rule which prohibits entering limit orders at or near the current buy/sell price. After checking out several other firms I learned this was a common practice. I had heard a lot of shady things about Forex but this was unbelievable, talk about stacking the card in the houses favor. I then began to search around to see if this was industry standard. Luckily it was not I came across Forex.com. There service has been outstanding from opening the account, to trading the account. Yes there platform is a little primitive but who really relies on there platform for trade ideas, for that matter I don’t really even think that the pip spread matters either. I looked at the spread calculator on ONA! DA, that is completely misleading because the only thing that matters is what price you actually buy and sell your position. In trading you are either right or wrong. When you are right you need to make more then when you are wrong or you won’t be trading very long. What matters is that the pip spread is representative of the real market. Anyway the reason I am so happy with them is that they allow me to enter limit orders, stop orders, stop limit orders, or cancel other (OCO, and If then orders. All of these orders can be entered at any price I choose. They also give me Advanced Get which is an e-signal program which include e-signal data that is a compilation of over 200 banks and brokers best prices. They give me the tools to see the real market and don’t block me from entering my orders at the presice place and time in the market. I don’t know what else a trader could ask for. By the way I have not had a margin call yet, but according to what they tell me is that it is all done by there computer system. They are from the east coast and I bet if Felix argued enough they would have eaten that error. In my 15 years of trading I have had plenty of error and bad fills. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Don’t let it get to you.

- second one i can`t find at this moment

GAIN Capital Group is pleased to offer individual investors access to its award-winning trading platform and professional-level services via FOREX.com.

FOREX.com is a registered Futures Commission Merchant (NFA ID #0339826) and a member of the National Futures Association. As an FCM, FOREX.com is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), must uphold the highest standards and business practices and is subject to strict financial requirements and reporting. Interested parties can visit the NFA web site at any time to review FOREX.com’s record as an NFA member in good standing…”