Broker to Trading

eToro offers a user friendly trading platform which lets the trader trade markets, use social trading tools to inform their own trading and if they wish let other traders trade on their behalf (copy trading).

eToro's platform has three main areas, that is 'Trade Markets', 'Copy People' and 'Invest in CopyPortfolios'. The last of these allows traders to thematically invest in top traders, markets and partners.

The range of markets available to trade is: Currencies, Indices, Metals, Soft Commodities, Energy, ETFs, Stocks and Cryptocurrencies, with 2000+ available.

Briefly, what does eToro do ?

eToro lets a trader inform their own trading decisions by connecting with the network of other eToro traders. Thus it may help trading where the trader places their own trade, by alleviating the sense of being alone while trading. However eToro also allows this social trading to be an automated process, by copying the trades of other traders on the network.

To trade, connect with and copy the network, it provides a user friendly platform with a range of markets and charting tools. eToro also lets the trader invest thematically, in a range of funds based on various themes and to buy and own 'real' Cryptocurrencies, Stocks and ETFs as well as trade CFDs.

Can a trader simply trade at eToro ?

It is entirely possible to trade as at any other CFD broker supporting trading where the trader executes their own trades. The platform is clear and user friendly, with a range of markets and a relatively large total number, along with technical indicators and other charting tools to analyse markets.

One way of looking at the platform, is that social trading is a tool easily accessible on the platform, which can be used by a trader who likes to trade on their own, as added information. When the trader wishes to automate their trading, they can do so by copy trading. An additional feature of eToro, is that the platform provides a range of Cryptocurrencies, Stocks and ETFs which are owned by the trader.

Cryptocurrencies - Real Cryptos to Own - eToro Money Crypto Wallet - Staking

eToro offers Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, BNB, Solana, Ripple, LUNA, Cardano, Dogecoin, Avalanche, Polkadot, Shiba, Polygon, Cronos, TRON, Cosmos, Chainlink, Uniswap, ApeCoin, Stellar, Algorand, Ethereum Classic, Hedera Hashgraph, Filecoin, Decentraland, The Sandbox, Theta, Fantom, Tezos, Axie Infinity, AAVE, EOS, Zcash, IOTA, The Graph, Maker, NEO, Quant, Chiliz, Gala, Curve, Enjin, Loopring, Curve, Dash, Basic Attention Token, Kyber Network, Compound, Ox, Synthetix, Yearn.finance, Ankr, Bancor, 1inch, Storj, SushiSwap, Ethereum Name Service, REN, dYdX, Fetch.ai and Balancer.

The Cryptos can be found in 'Crypto' on the platform. eToro offers these with no leverage. The trader however does not not need to buy a full Bitcoin, for example, but can buy fractions of a Bitcoin, by setting the trade size when placing an order. The minimum amount of Bitcoin for example which can be bought is $10.

The eToro Money crypto wallet allows the trader to buy, store, receive and transfer 120+ Cryptos (real Cryptos can be moved off the trading platform to the wallet and exchanged there, the underlying exchange is eToro's eToroX). There is also a staking service on the platform, which allows the trader to earn staking rewards on supported Cryptos (T&Cs apply). Cryptocurrencies.

Crypto CFDs vs Crypto Assets at eToro

At the ASIC regulated eToro, Cryptocurrencies whether bought or sold are all CFDs. This means that the trader does not own any Cryptocurrency when trading the CFD (the price of the CFD is referenced to the price of Cryptos on exchanges, thus the CFD allows the trader to trade on its price movement). This also means that no wallet is required, as this is a means to store a Cryptocurrency asset.

However at eToro FCA and CySEC regulated, the trader is buying the underlying Cryptocurrency asset, which eToro holds for them (so they do not need a wallet either, though one is separately available). CFDs are regulated, Cryptocurrencies are not. However the trader will still trade Crypto CFDs, when they short (sell) them (subject to regulation).

Stocks to Buy at eToro - Real Stocks to Own with 0% Commission

At eToro, when buying a Stock the trader owns the underlying asset and can go short as a CFD (subject to regulation). eToro offers real Stocks to buy with 0% commission. eToro Stocks 0% Commission.

Social investing - Inform Trading with the Ideas of Others

eToro provides what it calls a social investment network. This means that the experience of other traders can be integrated into the trading of each person on its network (which means anybody who has an account). This socialising of trading can simply be awareness of other people's opinions about markets, seen on the feed which appears when the markets are clicked on, to actually copying other people's trades, thus automating one's own trading.

The eToro Club - Extra Features for Higher Deposits

eToro Club is a tiered program which offers extra features for traders who deposit more (please note some features are coming soon or may be postponed). Acceptance is automatic as long as the equity requirements are met. Starting at a $5000 equity in the trader's account is the Silver Tier. This offers a Club Dashboard, a Customer Success Agent, Daily Market Summary, Live Webcasts, exclusive data based CopyPortfolios, an exlcusive Debit Card (coming soon), Customer Service Live Chat and 85% Crypto Staking. Next is the Gold Tier, available at $10,000 equity. This additionally offers Weekly Market Analysis.

After this is the Platinum Tier which requires equity of $25,000. This tier additionally a Dedicated Account Manager, Delta PRO Investment Tracker, No Withdrawal Fees, Trading Central, Discount or Exemption on Exchange Fees and a Wall Street Journal Subcription.

The next tier up is the Platinum+ Tier, which requires equity of $25,000+. This additionally provides Invitations to Top Tier Industry Events and Tickets to Handpicked Sporting Events, 90% Crypto Staking, access to Leading Digital Financial Publications and Zoom Meetings with the Account Manager. Finally there is the Diamond Tier, which requires equity of $250,000 and additionally offers Premium Access to Leading Digital Financial Publication and an Invitation to a Diamond Member Event. eToro Club.

CopyPortfolios

eToro offers CopyPorfolios, which is a way to utilise 'Thematic Investing', based on Top Traders, Markets and Partners.

eToro's platform - User Friendly with Features for a Range of Traders

eToro's web trading platform CopyTrader consists of boxes of instruments. Clicking on the chart image brings up a Prochart, which has times frames from 1 minute to 1 week, Candle, Hollow Candle, Bar, Line and Mountain chart types and 60+ technical indicators. From the order box, it is possible to set the order size (by setting the 'Amount').

The platform is arguably particularly user friendly with clear, easy to find features, designed for the trader who makes their own trading decisions (for example by using technical analysis or candlestick analysis) and for the trader who wants to inform their trading with the ideas of the network or to automate by copying other traders.

Copy trading - Copy the Trades of Experienced Traders

Traders on eToro's network can be copied by clicking on the 'Copy People' button. This brings up traders with their profiles, returns, risk allocated as a number, and the number of copiers. The traders are separated into categories, for example, Top Investors, Trending, Most Copied, Lower Risk Score and Medium Risk Score. Traders to copy can be searched for by various attributes. Clicking on their profile box brings up more details, including a chart of their performance, feed and portfolio.

The basic format to copy trades is simply to choose a trader, allocate funds, and then have their trades copied in the trader's own account. eToro says that typically trades are executed in the trader's account in less than a second from the moment the copied trader executes the trade. The trader can decide whether or not to copy their open trades.

Terms and conditions apply to copying trades and these can change at any time. Traders should be aware that past performance is not indicative of future results, so that just because a trader is performing well now, does not mean they will perform well once the trader copies their trades.

It is possible to post at any time onto the network and a social News Feed is available from the platform. There are millions of people on the eToro network.

To trade without copying, the trader chooses markets from the 'Trade Markets' button. However even here the social network is in evidence, so the trader can inform their own decision making by seeing what other traders are saying about a given asset, for example, utliising crowd trading insights. Also any trade made by the trader is added to the social network feed, unless they choose to trade privately (available from the Settings menu). Currently, there are 2000+ Currencies, Cryptocurrencies, Indices, Commodities, ETFs and Stocks available (subject to change).

Demo account - Switch from Real to Demo

eToro provides a demo trading account for free which can be opened here: eToro Demo Account.

Minimum deposit and funding

The minimum deposit is $50, but can be higher in some regions. Deposit methods include Credit card, Wire transfer, Inatec Payment AG (Switzerland), Yandex (Russia), Neteller, Skrill, Giropy, China Union Pay (Hong Kong), Worldpay, Barclaycard, Wirecard (Germany), Webmoney/Paymaster 24 and Sofortüberweisung. There is a withdrawal fee of $5.

Charts and placing an order

Clicking on the chart icon for a market box brings up a candlestick chart, this can also be set to hollow candle, line, mountain or a bar chart. It is also possible to choose Renko or Heikin-Ashi chart types and set a log scale from the settings tab on the chart. The chart has time frames from 1 minute to 1 week.

Orders can be placed from various places, including from the chart, from the asset box, and from the social information and other data feed which appears when a market icon is clicked on. When placing orders, stop-losses can be set and trailing stop-losses if desired as well as leverage and take-profit.

Spreads and leverage

Spreads are variable can change based on market conditions. Typical spreads for currencies are 1 pips for USD/JPY, 1 pips for EUR/USD and 2 pips for GBP/USD. Typical spreads for UK100 are 150 pips, for Germany 30 are 200 pips and SPX100 Indices are 75 pips. Typical spreads for Gold are 45 pips and for Silver and Oil typical spreads are 5 pips. The typical spread for Bitcoin is 0.75%. Spreads for Stocks vary, but typical spreads are 0.09%. Leverage can be chosen when orders are placed and is up to .

Regulation

eToro (Europe) Ltd. is a registered Cypriot Investment Firm (CIF), company registration number HE200585 and is regulated by the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 109/10. eToro (UK) Ltd. is a registered company in the UK, company registration number 7973792, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), under firm reference number 583263. eToro (Europe) Ltd. and eToro (UK) Ltd. both operate under and comply with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). eToro AUS Capital Pty Ltd. is authorised by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to provide financial services under Australian Financial Services Licence 491139. eToro (Seychelles) Ltd. is licenced by the Financial Services Authority Seychelles ('FSAS;) to provide broker-dealer services under the Securities Act 2007 License #SD076.

Summary and grade

eToro is about social trading, and this broker make it possible to automate trading by copying traders on their network. However for those who wish to make trading decisions themselves, there is a solid range of markets to choose from as well as the social network to draw upon, and disseminate to.

eToro's integration of social trading and non-social trading, in a manner which does not seem to diminish the trading experience in addition to its range of features including real Stocks, ETFs and Cryptos to own, helps give eToro a Trader Friendly grade of A+.