CapTrader Review
Category: Reviews | Author: Trading Brokers | Date: November 17, 2022
CapTrader is an online broker offering a large selection of financial trading instruments with low fees. The broker provides you with direct access to the global markets via an excellent choice of powerful and customisable trading platforms alongside a vast range of advanced trading tools to assist you with your market analysis. At CapTrader, they always lay a special focus on you, the client. They want to ensure that you are in good hands when it comes to the world of trading. You can trade and invest a huge range of over 1.2 million assets with one of Germanys most experienced online broker and enjoy the multiple award-winning client service. However, they have limited CFD trading instruments and require a minimum deposit of $2,000 which is not the lowest that I have come across. The account funding options are also limited and there are no social trading platforms integrated but managed accounts are available. I think they may be more suited towards the already experienced traders as the platforms are also quite complex for beginners.
Pros & Cons
- Invest in over 1.2 million securities worldwide with one account
- Trade with professional platforms and state-of-the-art analytics tools
- Transparent commissions and favourable financing conditions
- Fast and direct market access thanks to SMART Routing technology
- Managed accounts for money managers and investors
- Trading via API for professional traders
- Exclusive content & education for clients (CapTrader Plus)
- Excellent and awarded customer service
- Minimum $2,000 deposit is not the lowest
- No MetaTrader platforms
- Limited account funding options
- Limited CFD trading instruments
- Account inactivity fees
- Demo accounts expire after 30 days
Summary
Founded in 1997 in Germany, CapTrader is an introducing broker to Interactive Brokers (IB), who are one of the largest brokers in the world. The broker provides clients with direct market access (DMA) to more than 1.2 million financial instruments in 31 countries and 24 currencies, covering more than 125 global exchanges including Stocks, Futures, Options, CFDs, ETFs, Bonds, Forex and more. They offer most of the important global exchanges with competitive price commissions. The brokers award winning SMART infrastructure executes over one million trades daily. Using this very technology, your orders are automatically directed to some of best execution venues. This means that you can get superior pricing and reliable execution speeds at all times.
CapTrader have a fantastic choice of sophisticated yet intuitive trading platforms to choose from for your desktop, web and mobile devices. You can open a trading account with them from an initial deposit of $2,000 or you can transfer your current portfolio over with minimal interruptions. For those of you who are new to the industry, you can get professional coaching including webinars and trainings to help familiarise yourself with the brokers products and software. It therefore does not matter if you are a beginner, well-experienced investor, or heavy trader.
The broker is also socially responsible by supporting and making donations to charitable projects. I find this to be highly commendable and shows me that they are an ethical brokerage who are willing to help those in need. CapTrader has continuously received numerous awards from various market research institutes, comparison portals and trade journals, which underpin the quality of the product range and customer service.
Regulation
CapTrader serves as an introducing broker to IBIE, the Irish entity of Interactive Brokers. This means that your cash and assets are held with IB, while IBIE specifically is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. As an introducing broker of IB, CapTrader is covered by a top-tier regulator, granting most clients strong protection. Interactive Brokers is the contracting partner that processes and transacts orders via the CapTrader platform. This means the investor protection amount and the regulating authority are related to IBIE, the Ireland-based entity.
Countries
CapTrader welcome clients from all over the globe although there are some countries in which they are unable to accept applications from due to legal restrictions. If you discover that they cannot accept clients from your country for whatever reason, please feel free to browse our broker reviews for an alternative option.
Platforms
With CapTrader you can choose from different trading platforms and thus find the perfect software for your trading style. As a CapTrader customer you can use all options listed here free of charge with your trading account. The various platforms are synchronized with each other so that you are always up to date. They have a good selection of powerful yet versatile trading platforms. Traders have the choice between the highly-developed and award-winning trading platform Trader Workstation (TWS) (available for Windows/Mac/Linux), the WebTrader (accessible via a web browser) or the Mobile Trader (smartphone application), depending on personal preferences. Furthermore, active customers are granted access to the AgenaTrader platform for optimizing their trading. Institutional clients can access the markets by trading via the powerful FIX API.
Trader Workstation (TWS)
The Trader Workstation (TWS) is the brokers most powerful trading platform and is characterized by its high reliability and stability. It provides advanced features and applications, which makes global trading across diverse classes of securities with countless order types (over 50 supported), algorithms and many efficiency-enhancing trading tools possible. The impressive range of order types was established to support all kinds of trading styles.
Trader Workstation TWS
TWS has a plethora of add-on software including Book Trader, Option Trader, Basket Trader, ScaleTrader, Integrated Stock Window, FX Trader, Spread Trader, Chart Trader, Accumulate & Distribute Algorithms. The TWS platform supports multiple analytical methods such as Price/Risk-Analysis including the IB Risk Navigator, technical analysis including charts, news and market scanners and comprehensive global basic analysis.
TWS is a high-performance trading platform where functionality comes first. It offers traders, investors and institutional customers the option to trade at more than 150 markets worldwide from a single account. When compared to other trading platforms such as MetaTrader, TWS tends to have a steeper learning curve. Thus, I would consider this to be a platform more suited towards experienced traders who want access to some of the most powerful trading tools you will find anywhere.
Client Portal
If you do not always work on the same computer or travel often for business and leisure, you can use the WebTrader platform which runs directly in most modern web browsers without the need to download or install any additional software. With the intuitive WebTrader platform, CapTrader offer you a fast trading platform which you can use to access your account and trade the markets from anywhere in the world provided you have an internet connection. This is great as it means you can use it from any device and will always be running the latest most up to date version of the platform.
CapTrader Client Portal
The WebTrader platform has limited functionality compared to the desktop platform including less add-on software, supported orders and analytical tools. The WebTrader platform could however be considered easier to use with a shorter learning curve than the more in-depth TWS platform. The Client-Portal offers you access to all resources you need to fully monitor and manage your CapTrader account by one single login. I think it would be suited towards traders and investors who want to manage their portfolio, their orders as well as view the current stock market events with just a few clicks.
Mobile Trader Apps
The award-winning trading app from CapTrader provides the functionality you need to trade and manage your account on the go from your smartphone and on the tablet. You never have to miss any movements on the global stock exchange. This trading app is ideal for traders and investors who want to keep an eye on the markets and their portfolios from anywhere and who want to be able to place trades quickly and easily while on the move. The CapTrader app is characterized by its intuitive design and immediate usability. It grants a quick and easy access to all comprehensive trading, order management, and watch list tools, combined in one comprehensive overview of technical and fundamental market data.
CapTrader App
The CapTrader app offers the right tool for every need. The unique offer supports you to enter any desired order into the system and to expand your possibilities in trading. Functions and applications that enable the global trade of various different security types with countless order types, algorithms and with many efficiency increasing trading tools round off the trading in the trading software. It has everything you need to trade from the comfort of your mobile phone whilst still being relatively easy to use.
You can conveniently utilise the range of ESG tools from CapTrader to create your own, sustainable investment plan. With the Impact Dashboard, it provides the possibility to invest in companies which share the same values and principles as you. You can already have a positive impact with your investments today. In the CapTrader app you have many options for safety query such as a password, Face-ID and Touch-ID. Additionally, outstanding features, identified by the broker test, have been the security variant of the two-factor-authentication (password and fingerprint) as well as the access without the release of mobile phone data after registration (with name and E-mail address).
AgenaTrader
AgenaTrader is a top spec trading platform for professional traders, which goes one step further than analogous trading tools. It has an abundance of features ranging from chart trading and integrated market scanners. AgenaTrader aims to save valuable time for traders and provide all the necessary functionality for various trading styles and strategies. In addition to discretional and fully automated trading the semi-automated trading approach is also completely integrated. It doesn’t look or feel like the most user-friendly platform but has some excellent features for those who like complex market analysis.
AgenaTrader
AgenaTrader is a highly intelligent trading tool, which automates the routine work of trading. Instead of being a technical solution like most of the common platforms are, it focuses on the workflow of a trader, to guide the users into a stable, duplicable and more profitable trading. Active traders who want to implement their trading strategies with the help of technical analysis from the charts will probably opt for this platform. With the AgenaTrader you can move around in the market like a professional and without any programming knowledge. As a CapTrader customer you receive the software for your capitalized trading account free of charge and without any terms of use.
FIX API
CapTrader’s API and FIX CTCI possibilities allow you the use of your own trading solutions that are perfectly tailored to your needs. They offer API and FIX CTCI solutions that allow you to develop your own trading applications with which you can obtain market and chart data as well as monitor and trade with your CapTrader account. Connect your custom application or build your own trading solution to take advantage of the excellent variety of high-quality trading tools. This provides yet another powerful possibility to further individualize your trading experience.
iBot
No matter if you want to check the price of your favorite stock or just want to create a user-defined algo order to buy or sell a large amount of stocks, the IBot is available to you anytime and anywhere. The IBot is powerful, simple and easy to use. It offers a groundbreaking new way of interaction with your brokerage account without a long learning process. SInce the IBot understands commands in plain English, you do not have to follow any sentence structures or certain keywords.
The IBot shows you how easy it is to trade via TWS, to manage your account and to find information. Say or enter your inquiries in plain English and have the IBot create your transaction, display your daily Profit & Loss, scan markets, create a user-defined chart, answer questions related to your account and display relevant articles. The IBot can search the IBKR website and access the account management to support you with deposits, transfers and much more. Link/connect your productive account with Alexa for read-only access to your account data.
Tools
CapTrader has partnered with some of the most well known software providers in the financial industry to deliver a selection of powerful trading tools to enhance the overall trading experience for their clients. At CapTrader you have access to exclusive trading tools with which you can expand your trading options. You can choose from a variety of trading tools to find the perfect software that fits your trading style. Use the tools for chart analysis, for risk limitation or for optimizing your trade executions and expand your trading options with the professional trading modules that offer the right tool for every requirement.
Book Trader
Trade directly from the order book including market depth. Ideal for quick trading in stocks and futures. This trading module offers a great overview in day trading.
Risk Navigator
With the Risk Navigator you can see your overall risk in a number and observe the overall risk and the risk development tendency of an individual position.
Option Trader
The ideal tool for the active option trader: all options that can be traded worldwide are at hand. In a single window you can view option chains, create and manage option orders.
Basket Trader
Do you like trading stocks, futures or options in parallel? Then this software is perfect for you. Order combinations can be placed quickly and easily using this trading module.
FX Trader
Use the optimized FX Trader for trading on the foreign exchange markets. The range of functions includes price quotes based on real-time streams, upward and downward indicators, and much more.
Scale Trader
The Scale Trader allows you to place a large number of order sequences and automatically buy at the lowest prices or be stopped or stopped at the highest prices.
Integrated Stock Window
A window for a single security including the most important information about this value: current price, change, market depth level 1 and 2 and much more.
Chart Trader
This professional chart program can be used to add indicators, pivots and trend lines, for example. Different time units such as daily charts as well as different chart types such as line, bar and candle charts are available.
Option Strategy Lab
Create and place simple and complex multi-part option orders based on your price and volatility forecast using the Option Strategy Lab.
Probability Lab
The Probability Lab provides a convenient way to take a closer look at options without delving into complex mathematical backgrounds.
Education
CapTrader offers clients a selection of exclusive educational content including free webinars, videos and trading guides. If you would like to stay informed automatically as soon as a new date will be set up, you can register for the free CapTrader newsletter. The education channels can help you to become a professional trader or investor. The broker has some useful tutorial videos which can help teach you how to use the provided trading platforms and get the most out of the available tools. The support team are also happy to give you a tour of the platforms.
- Market reports and analysis
- Training videos for the trading platforms
- Webinars with top speakers
- Exclusive content and education for clients (CapTrader Plus)
Markets
As an internationally oriented online broker, CapTrader gives you direct access to more than 150 stock exchanges around the world, with competitive trading conditions and reasonable prices, for trading in stocks, shares, ETFs, forex, futures, options, warrants and many other exchange-traded securities and derivatives. With CapTrader you can join these various markets from 26 countries around the clock. With CapTrader you can join these various markets from 26 countries around the clock.
- Stocks: trade cheaply on the world’s major stock exchanges
- Options: trade calls, puts, options strategies worldwide
- Futures: trade futures contracts cheaply and transparently
- Forex: the most popular and interesting currency pairs
- ETFs: exchange traded funds tradable on 30 exchanges in 14 countries
- Derivatives: wide range of warrants and certificates
- Bonds: over 1 million fixed income securities
- Mutual funds: access to more than 37,000 products worldwide
It must be said, I found the broker to have a quite limited selection of contract for differences (CFDs) to choose from. Thus, if you are looking to trade CFDs with leverage and speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset then you may wish to consider an alternative from our best CFD brokers.
Accounts
With CapTrader you can choose from a wide range of account types for your individual requirements. They offer cash and margin accounts. The cash account is limited to trading long on stocks. The minimum deposit is $2,000 or the equivalent in another foreign currency. This is quite a high requirement when compared to some other brokers who allow you to open a trading account with just $1. The margin for stock CFDs is 10%, for index CFDs 5%. Investors can leverage their own equity capital through CapTrader by up to 40 times when trading forex currency pairs.
In general, all CapTrader accounts are multi-currency-accounts. Irrespective of the choice between a cash or margin account, you can simultaneously have various currencies in your account and trade them. The base currency does not matter, but merely indicates the currency of your account holdings and statements.
CapTrader comply with pattern day trading (PDT) rules for the intraday stock trading of US securities. Day trading requires an account with at least $25,000 in net liquidation value (incl. cash, stocks, options and futures P&L, excl. options and warrants). This means that you if you trade multiple positions each day, you will be considered a day trader and thus need to meet the minimum requirements.
Trading with CapTrader generally involves order fees. There are not any custody account management fees or other commissions. The order fees differ depending on the exchange that you are trading.
Clients can trade futures from 1 EUR and options from only 2 EUR per contract incl. exchange fees. There are European stocks from as low as 2 EUR and US stocks from as low as 2 USD per order.
The broker has a commissions page that shows all of the latest prices that will be relevant to your orders, including the relevant stock exchange fees. This makes the trading costs transparent with no hidden costs to catch you out.
Optional costs: If you subscribe to live quotes / market data for your trading, different fees will apply depending on the type of security and stock exchange. CapTrader forwards these fees charged by the stock exchanges to its customers.
An inactivity fee of $1 per calendar month will only be charged if your total value of your account-balance is less than $1,000 (or equivalent) and you are not trading actively.
CapTrader has managed account options. You can currently choose from different managed accounts that differ according to the investment strategy, instruments and minimum deposit amounts. As the account holder, you have complete transparency over all transactions and capital movements throughout the investment phase.
You can view the current and historical transactions at any time via the TWS platform (Trader Workstation). The performance fee is 10% -20% depending on your chosen strategy. It should be strongly emphasised that there are absolutely no guarantees with the performance of managed accounts and there is significant risks involved that you should be fully aware of.
The broker offers demo trading accounts which you can use to test their brokerage service without any obligations and practice your trading strategies using virtual funds. It is worth noting that the demo accounts do expire after 30 days and access to a demo trading account is only possible once your live account has been confirmed and credited.
From our extensive research, the majority of other online brokers will provide a non-expiring demo account without you needing a funded real account. Although the demo trading account simulates most aspects of a production real account, you may encounter some differences due to its construction as a simulator with no execution or clearing abilities.
Support
CapTrader customer support is available Monday to Friday via live chat, telephone and email. There is an online form where you can directly send the broker any of your general, technical or account related queries. You can also request a call back at a date and time that suits you. Support is available in German and English. There is a very comprehensive FAQ section on the brokers website that covers a wide range of frequently asked questions so that you can get instant answers to some of the most common questions. The broker has a team which mainly consists of certified EUREX Traders, who are ready at your disposal. This means you can talk with someone who understands the markets.
Funding
CapTrader account funding is limited to wire transfer only. There is no option to fund via debit/credit card or online payment processors. They also do not support cryptocurrency funding.
To make a wire deposit to your account you will first need to provide a deposit notification through Client Portal. Once logged in to Client Portal, select the Transfer & Pay and then Transfer Funds menu options. From there you will select the Transaction Type of “Deposit Funds” and the Deposit Method of “Bank Wire”.
You will then be prompted to input your delivering bank details including deposit amount, currency of denomination and sending institution. Once that information has been input you will be provided with all the details (e.g., ABA number, Swift BIC Code and bank account number) in a printable form which you, in turn, can provide to your bank in order for it to initiate the wire transfer.
Please note that creation of this notification is essential as the details necessary for your bank to wire funds vary by the currency in which the wire is denominated. In addition, this notification also serves to ensure that the funds are properly matched to your account immediately upon arrival.
Wire transfers are accepted in 22 different currencies. The wire transfer is processed through the Federal Reserve Bank’s FedWire system, which allows same-day crediting to the destination account.
The wire transfer needs to be initiated at the sending bank institution. It is required to announce the receipt of payment in the CapTrader Client Portal to allocate the funds. There, the deposit notification form will need to be filled in.
The first bank transfer in the current calendar month is free, every additional bank transfer in the current month costs 8.00 Euro. SEPA transfers however, always cost 1.00 Euro. Therefore, ensure that you select the desired method (WIRE or SEPA) when paying out.
Traders also have the possibility to transfer accounts, and to deposit from banks or online brokers to CapTrader. The duration of a transfer depends on several factors and varies from one broker to another.
Conclusion
Overall, primarily due to being an introducing broker for Interactive Brokers, CapTrader are able to offer a professional online brokerage solution with competitive fees to cater for a range of different trading styles. They are regulated and provide powerful yet intuitive trading platforms alongside a selection of advanced trading tools. The charitable work that they have done over the years is commendable whilst the customer support team are readily available.
Despite the fact the broker offers a wide range of trading instruments, CFDs are limited. The primary account funding option is wire transfer with no cards or e-wallets supported. The educational resources are great although they seem to be targeted more towards experienced traders. The minimum deposit of $2,000 is high and they do not offer the popular MetaTrader platforms. There are however managed accounts but no social trading platform integration. Daily market analysis from the brokers research team could also be beneficial to help inspire trade ideas.
CapTrader offers you direct access to all major stock exchanges in the world with fair and very inexpensive conditions for trading in stocks, ETFs, futures, options, warrants and many other exchange-traded securities and derivatives.
$2,000
Benefit from favorable conditions, professional trading platforms as well as worldwide product selection when you open a securities account with CapTrader in just a few simple steps.
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