City Index Review

Minimum Deposit: $100 VISIT BROKER
Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

City Index welcomes traders from all backgrounds with different trading styles and interests. They are focused on educating traders with up-to-date market knowledge, technical analysis and trading guides. The broker has easy to use platforms and flexible trading conditions along with ever-green customer support which make it a user-friendly environment for every user, regardless of your investment size. City Index enables you to practice on demo accounts and enjoy almost zero commissions. The minimum deposit requirement is as low as 100$, which is very reasonable when compared to their direct competitors.

City Index Review

Summary

City Index is based in the UK and provides Spread Betting, Forex, and CFD trading services. City Index has the official right to operate in markets as the Financial Conduct Authority regulates it on its parent company’s name, i.e., “GAIN Capital’. Traders can access a great selection of over 12,000 markets via a single powerful desktop platform when dealing with Forex, Indices, Shares, and Commodities. In addition, City Index provides a wide range of accessibility for traders through the Web Trader, Mobile Trading App, and the ever-popular MetaTrader platforms. City Index is not merely focused on their excellent trading conditions but also on promoting financial education and training so that users have what they need to make informed decisions.

8.1Expert Score
City Index Rating

With over 12,000 markets to choose from across Forex, Indices, Shares and Commodities, clients have access to a wide range of global markets via exceptional trading platforms that are loaded with tools for conducting comprehensive market analysis to find opportunities. City Index help traders grow, giving them free access to the resources that they need to improve their trading knowledge and skills.

Trading Products
8.5
Commissions and Fees
8
Platforms and Tools
8
Research and Education
8
Deposit and Withdrawal
8

City Index Review

Pros and Cons

City Index have a whole host of significant benefits that set them apart from competitors. Primarily, they are one of the most well-regulated brokers that you will find. They have a huge selection of markets for you to trade on leading trading platforms for all of your devices. You get free access to some premium trading tools and generous educational content which can help you make the most of your trading strategies. The brokers overall trading fees are very cheap when compared to others who provide a similar service.

Despite the numerous positive aspects, there are some minor improvements that can be made. City Index do charge inactivity fees and don’t provide swap-free accounts for Muslim traders. They also cannot accept clients from some countries including the USA and do not provide 24/7 support.

Pros
  • Over 12,000 Markets to Choose From
  • Award-winning platform and service
  • Training on Trading Strategies
  • Orders are always filled with almost no slippage
  • News Reporting
  • Good Customer Support
  • Regulated by FCA
  • Separate Client Money Bank Accounts
  • Free of Cost Deposits and Withdrawals
  • Listed on NASDAQ
  • Fast Account Opening
  • Diverse Research Tools
  • Low forex fees
  • User-Friendly MT4 platform
  • Accurate Execution of Trades
  • Negative Balance Protection
  • Financial Strength and Security
Cons
  • Inactivity Fees
  • No 24/7 Support
  • No US clients
  • No Islamic swap-free accounts

City Index Review

Trading Products

City Index has a great range of over 12,000 instruments. You can deal with CFDs on forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and crypto trading is possible under certain conditions. UK clients can also get access to Spread Betting whilst options, bonds and ETFs are also available.

City Index Instruments Summary

InstrumentsCity Index
Forex
Stocks
Indices
Commodities
Cryptos
Options
Bonds
ETFs
CFDs
City Index Instruments

City Index Review

Commission and Fees

Commission and Spread Fees

City Index charges low stock index fees while stock CFD fees aren’t the lowest. However, they charge a little commission on the CFDs of equities which is a minimum $10 per standard lot per round. If you are looking to trade CFDs and want to cut costs as much as possible, you might be able to save a little through some other brokers such as Oanda. However, I think City Index are well worth it when you consider the complete package that you are getting access to. Here is the breakdown for you to get an idea:

FeeSpread BettingAccount Type
Commission (per standard lot per side)$0$5
Spreads from0.50.5
City Index Fees

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees

City Index do not charge any deposit or withdrawal fees. However, you may be charged a fee by your bank or other third-party payment provider.

Inactivity Fees

City Index charge an inactivity fee if you do not use your account for 36 months (retail clients) or 12 months (professional clients). Valutrades on the other hand, do not charge any inactivity fee.

City Index Review

Platforms and Tools

City Index Platforms
City Index Platforms

With City Index, you can conduct trading via Web, Mobile Trading Apps, and Desktop.

Web Trader

Via the Web trading portal you can experience a great variety of intelligent features and tools to trade the markets. You can have access to:

  • Modern Day Charts with Advanced Indicators
  • HTML5 Technology
  • Customisable Workplace

The powerful HTML 5 technology makes sure to optimize your performance. The City Index Web trading platform allows trade through charts with custom indicators to analyse charts for opportunities. It allows you to draw precise lines to mark important price levels and make projections as per your trading strategy. There is a long list of order options available while trading via the web which includes the following:

  • OCO
  • Stop
  • Trailing Stop
  • Market
  • Limit
  • GTC or Good ’til cancelled
  • GTD or Good ’til the end of the day
  • GTT or Good ’til time
City Index Web Trader Platform
City Index Web Trader Platform

Mobile Trading App

You may find it a little less secure as the City Index mobile trading platform doesn’t have a two-step verification module. However, it is built keeping modern design under consideration, and it is easy to use, with a sleek modern interface that makes everything easy to navigate.

Via Mobile, you have two options to access City Index:

  • City Index Proprietary
  • MetaTrader 4

The City Index’s own mobile trading platform is very well designed and user-friendly. It can be a good mobile trading app for beginners as it has tutorials and demo instructions that teach you how to use the app. If you have a biometric mobile, you can set your app to biometric verification, which gives that extra element of security.

There is a search bar in the app to find any trading pair with a type easily. In addition to that, you can place orders of various types like Market, Limit, Stop, Trailing Stop, and OCO. Furthermore, the attractive feature is that you can set an order time limit. I like how you can navigate the economic calendar within the app, which can be customised according to the news that matters most to you.

Using City Index’s mobile app, you can easily set alerts and notifications to remain updated with what is happening within the platform and across the global markets. I often do this if there is a price level I am waiting for or a particular setup and I do not want to hang around watching charts all day and night.

City Index Mobile Trading App
City Index Mobile Trading App

MetaTrader 4

MT4 is suitable for all, no matter if you are a beginner or an expert trader. Its design is user-friendly, and it is lightweight to use on Mobile. You can download and install it on any operating system like Linux, Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. If you are focused on margin trading, MetaTrader 4 could be the right option for you. You can also use MetaTrader 4 to trade CFDs, but it is not fully designed to trade stocks or exchange trade futures. For that you may gear more towards MT5 platform which is available through brokers such as Pepperstone. Here are some key features you can get access to via MT4:

  • History of Trades
  • Interactive Symbol Charts
  • Versatility in Charts
  • 9 Time Frames
  • 30 Popular Indicators
  • 24 Analytical Objects
  • News
  • Free Mobile Chart
  • Full Set of Orders and Trading Functions
  • Bots Compatible
  • Strategy Tester
  • Demo Accounts
  • Price Alerts
City Index MT4 Platforms
City Index MT4 Platforms

City Index Platforms Summary

PlatformCity Index
MetaTrader 4 (MT4)
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)x
cTraderx
Proprietary
Desktop
Web
Mobile
Social Tradingx
Other x
City Index Platforms

City Index Review

Research and Education

City Index is a credible source to rely on in terms of learning and education in trading. Even if you are a beginner, you can go to the website and learn from their shared lessons. You may have to compromise the fundamental data on assets, yet the technical data is fully furnished, and you can learn for free. Taking advantage of modern-day charting tools is your responsibility. Besides this, you can find possible trade opportunities from the crux of trading ideas and quality news provided but the broker. They provide trading ideas based on technical analysis from expert analysts. There is a total of 90 technical indicators on City Index to choose from. With City Index, you can keep yourself self-educated via Reuter’s updated financial news. Besides this, they have an analysis report generated by City Index’s research team. Overall, the broker has a comprehensive range of research resources at your disposal.

City Index Trading Guides
City Index Trading Guides

City Index Research and Education Summary

ResourcesCity Index
Market Analysis
Guides
Videos
Webinars
Autochartistx
Trading Centralx
Economic Calendar
Other
City Index Resources

City Index Review

Deposit and Withdrawal

You can fund your account via a good variety of payment options including Debit/Credit cards, Bank Transfers, and electronic wallets. At the same time, the minimum balance requirement that City Index has is $100 which is not the lowest you will find. For instance, XM Group let you open an account to get started with just $5.

You cannot use city bank cards to fund accounts with any spread providers. However, you can do it via wire transfer. City Index prohibits direct cash payment in their account. It does not accept third-party payments either. But you are safe if you did so, the amount would simply be returned to the source if you mistakenly transfer the amount this way.

In the case of withdrawals, your amount will be returned to the source you used to transfer the funds in the account. So, for example, if you have used the debit card to fund the account, you will receive the amount back in the same debit card.

If you want a Wire Transfer, the broker will ask you for a bank statement for the last six months. The statement must be in PDF form mention your name, bank name, account number, and residential address. Screenshots are not accepted; however, photographs are acceptable. This is part of KYC procedures.

The broker does not currently support crypto funding. If this is something that you are looking for then you could consider FXPRIMUS as an alternative broker .

City Index Funding Summary

Payment MethodDepositWithdrawal
Wire Transfer
Credit/debit Card
Electronic Wallets
Cryptosxx
City Index Funding Options

City Index Review

Regulation and Safety

For a beginner, it is necessary to do some research on the authenticity of any broker that you may be considering. Broker reliability if often judged by some basic parameters like regulation, the parent company, and the client feedback. Besides this, one must also consider the technology being used to protect your funds and wallets. You should always do your own due diligence before you start trading with any platform.

City Index is one of the oldest financial services provider agencies established in Sep 1983 by Chis Hales and Jonathan Sparke. City Index is the subsidiary of GAIN Capital and Belongs to the industry of Financial Services. Forex.com are another top broker under the same group. I would say City Index is more suitable for anyone outside the USA who wants to trade or invest in instruments other than forex. On the other hand, Forex.com is one of the few options for forex traders in the USA.

Top-tier authorities back the City Index like the UK’s FCA, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and Singapore’s Monetary Authority (MAS). So major clientage of the City Index is top-notch financial authorities. Besides this, the City Index has been listed on the Stock Exchange, i.e., NASDAQ. City Index also protects you with its negative balance protection scheme.

City Index Regulation Summary

RegulatorCity Index
ASIC (Australia)
IIROC (Canada)x
CySEC (Cyprus)x
SFC (Hong Kong)x
JFSA (Japan)x
MAS (Singapore)
FINMA (Switzerland)x
FCA (UK)
CFTC (USA)x
Otherx
City Index Regulators

City Index Review

Client Support

City Index support team are available 24/5 via online chat, telephone and email. I think they could improve by providing 24/7 support like competitors such as Plus500 do.

City Index Review

Conclusion

City Index are one of the most reliable brokers in the industry. Especially for beginners, they have a prudent education system and provide free demo accounts. They will guide you with technical analysis and keep you updated on news of top-notch agencies like Reuters. The funding and withdrawal on account are swift and easy to follow. Once you open an account with City Index, it will initiate your self-learning phase. Shortly, you will be able to make informed decisions and improve your strategies with the excellent range of provided tools. You will find they have very competitive fees and a great range of Trading Products that you can access on powerful yet user-friendly platforms for all of your desktop, web and mobile devices. Overall, I would say they are an excellent choice of broker for anyone looking to trade in a regulated environment with an established broker.

Everything that you find on InvestingBrokers.com is based on information and data that is readily available from each broker that we have reviewed. We combine our 15+ years of industry experience with research, analysis and user feedback. This enables us to give an impartial and reliable broker rating. You can read more about our broker review process here.

City Index Review

FAQs

When was City Index founded?

City Index was founded in September 1983.

Where is City Index located?

City Index is based in London.

Is City Index regulated?

Yes, City Index is regulated on three tier-1 jurisdictions.

What trading instruments does City Index offer?

City Index offers Spread Betting, CFD Trading, and FX on MT4.

What is the City Index minimum deposit?

To open a City Index FX account, you will have to fund at least $100.

What trading platforms does City Index offer?

City Index offers web browser trading, mobile apps, and FX on MT4.

What is the City Index commission fee?

There is no commission on Spread Betting at City Index. CFD trading is also commission-free. However, they charge a commission on CFD equities.

Does City Index charge an inactivity fee?

Yes, City Index do charge an inactivity fee.

What are City Index’s spreads?

City Index Charge Variable Spreads starting from as low as 0.5 points.

What funding options does City Index offer?

You can use a debit card, credit card, and PayPal and do a bank transfer to fund your City Index account.

Does City Index offer demo trading?

Yes, City Index offers demo accounts for CFD, spread bet, joint CFD, spread bet, and MT4 accounts.

Does City Index offer Islamic accounts?

City Index does not offer Islamic accounts.

How do I contact City Index customer support?

You can contact the City Index support via live chat, email, and phone 24/7.
City Index Review
City Index Review
Minimum Deposit: $100
Investing Brokers

Investing Brokers

The Investing Brokers team have over 15 years of experience in the online brokerage industry and are committed to providing reliable information for all of the brokers that we review.

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