Capital Index Forex broker review: A broker with average spreads and low commissions

capitalindex.com
nika
Written by:
Av
konstantinrabin
Calendar
Written on:
3 April 2023
Date
Last edit:
14 June 2023
Our rating:
5.62

5.62

Capital Index Forex broker review: A broker with average spreads and low commissions

capitalindex.com
nika
Written by:
Calendar
Written on:
3 April 2023
Date
Last edit:
14 June 2023
Our rating
5.62

5.62

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 86.32% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs and spread bets with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
See how Capital Index compares to it's closest alternatives.
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Main summary

Regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authority, Capital Index is a Forex and CFD broker offering both trading and spread betting to its UK client base. The broker has years of experience in the brokerage business and provides average trading terms and conditions. With spreads starting from 1.4 pips, Capital Index is an average broker that does not charge fees on the trading volume. Capital Index has developed a proprietary trading platform called MarketBOOK which tries to introduce several useful news features and is comparable to MT4, but still limited when it comes to technical analysis and automated trading capabilities. There are a total of 69 Forex pairs, indices, and commodities available and the broker offers many research and technical tools to support its traders.

We will discuss every critical aspect of Capital Index in more detail below.

Here are the 8 pros and cons:

  • Ability to withdraw with $0 fees
  • Offers access to MetaTrader 4
  • Fast and digital account opening/verification
  • Offers access to 53 Forex pairs
  • Initial deposit requirements are low starting from $100
  • No 0 spread possibility for scalpers
  • Low leverage of 1:30 for retail clients
  • There are no accounts without spread markups offered

Capital Index Fact sheet

Main features
Regulations UK
Fees on deposits 0 USD
Fees on withdrawal 0 USD
Inactivity fees 15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivity
Minimum deposit 100 GBP
Minimum account activation 100 GBP
Number of available assets 69
Leverage up to 1:200
Available trading markets Forex, Indices, Commodities
Account currencies GBP, EUR, USD
Demo account Yes
Live account types Advanced account, Pro account
Islamic account Yes
Security
Negative balance protection -
Part of compensation fund Yes
Keeps funds on segregated bank account Yes
Assets
Forex 53
Shares 0
Cryptocurrencies 0
Indices 11
Commodities 5
Total 69
Fees & spread
Forex From 1.5 pips
Shares N/A
Cryptocurrencies N/A
Indices From 2
Commodities From 0.6
Software
Platforms MetaTrader 4, MarketBOOK
Mobile trading support Yes
Mac device support Yes
Commodities Yes
Payment systems
Payment methods Neteller, Skrill, Wire transfer
Minimum deposit Neteller, Skrill, Wire transfer
Minimum withdrawal Neteller, Skrill, Wire transfer
Withdrawal processing time instant
Time to open an account -
Show all

Safety & Security of Capital Index

The broker is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is generally accepted as one of the strictest and most conservative regulators in the world. Because of this, the broker adheres to several strict rules when dealing with clients’ money. The broker is part of the compensation fund in case of its insolvency and uses segregated bank accounts. There is no negative balance protection though, but the broker has several defenses in place to avoid any balance going negative during leveraged trading. Despite this, during high volatility conditions, it is still possible to lose more than your account has in it and traders will be liable to the broker in such cases. 

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Account types available for traders on Capital Index

The only two account types offered by Capital Index are the Advanced account and the Pro account. The difference between the two lies in spreads and initial capital requirements. For the Advanced account, a minimum of 100 dollars is required while for the Pro 10,000 USD is a must. The spreads start from 1.4 pips on the Advanced account and from 1 pip on the Pro account. There are no commissions required on either account type. Since the spreads are this high and there is no option for a zero spread account, as such, Capital Index is not recommended for scalpers who rely on many small profits.

Pros & cons of Capital Index account types

ProsCons
Lowest trading lot is set to 0.01There is no zero spread account type for scalpers
Enables traders to use demo and Islamic account typesSpreads are high on the Advanced account and start from 1.4 pips
There are no commissions associated with Forex trading, only spreads 

Fees & commissions review of Capital Index

Comparing Capital Index fees with other brokers

Capital Index fees compared to Interactive Brokers fees

Type of FeeCapital IndexInteractive Brokers
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.6 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USD1%
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityNo*

*Inactivity fee was eliminated by IB in 2021, it used to be $20/m

Capital Index fees compared to CM Trading fees

Type of FeeCapital IndexCM Trading
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityYes, 15 EUR/USD per month after 60 days of inactivity

Capital Index fees compared to plus500 fees

Type of FeeCapital Indexplus500
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.8 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityYes, 10 USD per month after 3 months of inactivity

Capital Index fees compared to XM fees

Type of FeeCapital IndexXM
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.6 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityYes, 15 USD after 12 months, +5 USD/m

Capital Index fees compared to AvaTrade fees

Type of FeeCapital IndexAvaTrade
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Capital Index fees compared to Capital.com fees

Type of FeeCapital IndexCapital.com
EUR/USD SpreadFrom 1.4 pipsFrom 0.9 pips
Fees on Deposits0 USDNo
Inactivity fee15 GBP/USD/EUR monthly after 6 months of inactivityYes, 50 USD after 3 months, 100 USD administration fee after a year

Trading platforms and mobile trading reviewed at Capital Index

Capital Index is offering MetaTrader 4 (MT4) as the main trading platform. Recently the broker also introduced its proprietary trading platform called MarketBOOK which is a joint effort with Signal Centre. Signal Centre is an FCA-regulated trading signal provider that now also offers signals for Capital Index’s clients with the platform’s inbuilt features. The subscription for the MarketBOOK is free and comes with several advantages that include:

  • 40+ trading signals daily on Forex, indices, commodities, and more
  • Daily news and updates 
  • One-click trading ability similar to the MT4 platform
  • Notifications and alerts
  • Advanced analysis tools and trading calculators
  • Technical analysis 

The trading platform tries to mimic the MT4 capabilities and adds a few of its own to make it attractive for its clients. The platform comes with multilingual support and is multi-device compatible. 

Education and research tools offered by Capital Index

There are several educational resources provided by the Capital Index for beginner traders. Trading guides consist of various topics that are critical for beginners to master before they can start trading Forex or CFDs. Multiple articles are sorted in a well-ordered manner. These guides include risk management and top tips for new traders to master financial markets. There is a glossary that consists of various financial terms and explanations that are widely used in Forex and CFD trading. There are multiple tutorials available that teach the basics of MT4 and Capital Index’s own MarketBOOK platforms. Together with educational materials there are trading research tools provided, including an economic calendar, as well as markets news and analysis. They provide daily news and market analysis for technical traders to increase their accuracy during trading. 

Customer support of Capital Index

Customer support options are a tad limited, providing contact only via email, phone calls, and an online form at the Capital Index website. There is no live chat and both the webpage and support are only available in the English language. The lack of live chat is especially unfortunate as it is generally the most efficient way of contacting brokers. Unless the client is using a phone call it will take considerable time to contact them and get answers from the broker on various questions and issues that traders may have. Capital Index is not an exception when it comes to brokers that are located in the UK, as many of them have years of experience in the brokerage market and lack live chat, which may indicate their inability to adapt to new market trends and innovations. 

Conclusion

Capital Index is an FCA-regulated Forex and CFD broker that offers average trading conditions and spreads starting from 1.4 pips. Spread betting is also possible for UK clients. The broker has a proprietary trading platform called MarketBOOK, which tries to mimic the MT4 capabilities, but still lacks technical analysis and automated trading abilities. Capital Index provides educational resources and research tools, including an economic calendar and daily market analysis, but customer support options are limited to email, online forms, and phone calls. Overall, Capital Index is a suitable option for beginner traders and those who prefer traditional trading platforms, but it may not be the best choice for scalpers or those who require low spreads.

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FAQs about Capital Index

Is Capital Index a legit broker?

Since it is regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority and the broker is also part of a compensation fund, the broker seems legit and reliable. Client funds are protected with segregated accounts which makes it a safe choice for those looking to start trading. All in all Capital Index is a legit and regulated broker with average spreads and no commissions. 

What are the main differences between trading and spread betting?

Spread betting is very popular in the UK as it is used to avoid capital gains taxes. In the UK gambling rewards are not taxed and spread betting is considered gambling as traders have to predict in which direction the price will go, very similar to how Forex trading works anyways. The only difference is how tax laws see it.