Stratton Markets, a broker which may indeed have taken its name from the 2013 cult movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”, promises “great trading vibes” to visitors of its none-too-impressive official site. At first glance, one may indeed be tempted to write the broker down as just another effort to net a few gullible paying clients online, and indeed, some reviewers view the operation as just that.
Those who do a little digging though, soon realize that Stratton Markets is actually a serious operator, or at least aspiring to be one and doing everything in its power to reach that status.
Talking about the less-than-impressive website, it has to be pointed out that the broker is set to change it soon, replacing the current one with a brand-new site, which will hopefully be a LOT more generous with relevant information regarding the operation.
The allegedly unregulated nature of the operation holds no water under closer scrutiny either: not only is the broker regulated, the corporate entities behind the Stratton Markets brand are regulated in several jurisdictions.
The company is based at Kolonakiou Avenue 43, 4103 Ay. Athanasios, Limassol, Cyprus, and as a CIF, it is a member of the investor compensation scheme. Despite that fact, it is not free to peddle its services all through the EEA: Belgium is one of the countries from which it does not accept traders.
Despite the fact that – in addition to its above said CySEC license – the broker possesses another license from Belize’s IFSC (probably with the goal of covering its global operations), it does not accept traders from Canada and the US either.
Stratton markets is also operated by IOS INVESTMENTS Limited, a Belize company licenced by IFSC (licence number IFSC/60/511/TS/17) providing services to clients outside Europe
As it is clear from the above, Stratton Markets is hardly an unlicensed entity.
Why would traders want to make this brand new broker (according to some accounts, the operation was launched in July 2018) their top trading destination though? What is the main draw of the brokerage?
The trading conditions are said to be very attractive, though there is very little information provided in this regard too at the official site.
The minimum required deposit is just 250GBP,USD,EUR,CHF, which makes the broker very accessible.
Above and beyond all that though, the brokerage offers a more than decent platform selection, as – besides its Scipio Web Trader – it brings the power of MT4 to bear too.
While it supports no fewer than 4 different account types, the broker features a Demo Account option, with a 100,000 balance, which is obviously superb for those who want to get their feet wet, without putting any real money into harm’s way.
Account Types
As already mentioned above, the broker offers 4 account type options, plus the Demo account that is apparently made available with every one of those account types.
The most accessible account type is obviously the Basic one. It features a platform introduction, access to the services of a “support guy”, as well as a number of webinars and some basic education on how the financial markets work.
Those who want to take things a step further will probably opt for the Silver Account, which includes a few more perks over what the Basic setup offers. Substantial value over the Basic account is delivered by the tutorials on technical and fundamental analysis, as well as on sentimental trading.
The Gold Account is apparently the most popular choice at the site, and the fact that it offers clients access to Trading Central, may have something to do with that. The account is also the first one that takes users into proper trading territory through its MT4 tutorial.
The Platinum Account is currently the “full extra” option of the brokerage. Those who opt for such an account will get better spreads than their peers trading through lower-tier accounts. While this improvement in trading conditions is certainly welcome, one would expect the top-tier account type to toss a few more tasty perks into the middle.
Whether this account-type structure will be maintained after the overhauling of the Stratton Markets website is anyone’s guess at this point.
Trading Platforms
As mentioned above, Stratton Markets support a Web Trader (which they call the “Stratton Web Trader”, as well as MT4.
Some reviewers have pointed out that the Web Trader is simplistic and not really something a respectable broker would carry. While at first glance, that does indeed seem to be the case, at a closer look, the Web Trader turns out to be surprisingly capable. The problem with it is more of a UX one: its features are difficult to locate. At the end of the day though, its charting capabilities are OK and it offers a surprisingly decent number of technical indicators one can put to use at the click of a button.
MT4 is obviously in a class of its own though. A fully customizable trading environment, MT4 is the world’s most popular trading platform for several reasons.
Its charting and drawing capabilities unparalleled, it also comes with more than 50 preinstalled technical indicators. While this selection is impressive as it is, it can always be expanded through the addition of indicators purchased from 3rd parties, or through the creation of custom technical indicators, on-platform.
Stratton Markets say that they support the use of EAs, although the broker does not really share any additional information in this regard either. One thing is certain: if they want to offer a premium service in this regard, they need to make a proper VPS service part of their offer too.
Deposits/Withdrawals
Accepting deposits in USD, GBP, CHF and EUR, Stratton Markets support the usual range of deposit/withdrawal methods. They accept most major credit/debit cards, as well as wire transfers. They also support Neteller and Skrill.
Those who make their deposits through a certain method are compelled to use the same money transfer method for their withdrawals too.
User Feedback
Given the tender age of the operation, there is not much trader feedback of any kind available on it for the time being.
Conclusion
Despite its not-too-stellar presentation, Stratton Markets seems like a decent trading destination. Their market coverage is excellent: in addition to the traditional asset-classes, they also support cryptocurrencies, though it needs to be pointed out that – like commodities ,stocks, indices and forex for that matter, meaning that one cannot purchase actual or any other assets for instance, through the broker.
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