eToro - Be a successful forex trader with us

eToro

2009-03-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

eToro is forex trading at the click of a button.

A visual forex software that places all the forex trading tools you need at your fingertips.
Visit our video tour:

If you're new to forex, we think you'll love eToro because:

It's Simple! The eToro forex platform is designed to make the online forex market understandable to traders on their first trade. You only need a $50 deposit to get started.
It's Visual! The eToro forex software displays your trades using dynamic visualizations, so you can literally watch your trades go.
It's Educational! Hone your forex trading craft by using our eToro's online forex tutorials, trading guides and unlimited practice mode with live forex rates.

If you're a forex trading expert, we think you'll love eToro because:

It's User-Friendly! The eToro platform has a remarkably intuitive interface that enables you to forget about fumbling with bulky forex software and focus exclusively on your trades.
It's Professional! The eToro forex software provides you with all the forex trading tools you need: online forex charts, graphs, financial updates, trading orders and leverages ranging from 1:10 to 1:400.
It's Reliable! eToro is operated by leading online forex brokers who make sure that your forex trades are executed with precision and offer low spreads - as low as 2 pips.
eToro is also a Community! We also think that you'll enjoy our various community features including public and private chats, a lively online forex forum, and our weekly prize bearing forex trading challenges.

Download eToro forex software for FREE and begin your trading activity today

We are always here to help you in any way we can. For any question you can contact us.

Trading Challenge

2009-03-25T01:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the eToro Trading Challenge

If you have opened an eToro demo or real trading account you're already participating in our trading challenge as we speak!

If not, this is your opportunity to become a challenger and win fantastic prizes!

Trading Challenge – for Demo traders

The Trading Challenge is designed to test your forex trading skills and reward traders with great forex trading potential. All traders with demo eToro accounts are automatically entered in the Trading Challenge, all you have to do is practice your trading. The 30 traders with the most demo profits for the week win fantastic cash prizes to help them jump start their real trading career.

Winning a Trading Challenge doesn't just entitle you to great prizes, it is also a confirmation that you have what it takes to potentially become a great forex trader and that you are ready to trade for real. It also gives you a significant advantage in winning better and bigger prizes in the real Trading Challenge. Log into the platform and check your profile to see your current rank and the top 10 challengers.

Trading Challenge – for real traders

The eToro Trading Challenge is a way for us to encourage our traders to strive for excellence and to improve their forex trading skills. All traders with an eToro real trading account automatically participate in the Trading Challenge. All you have to do is trade in real trading mode, and you can be one of the winners to share a $10,000 prize pool!

The 30 traders with the most real profits for the week win amazing cash prizes to reward their dedication and forex brilliance.Remember, prize money combined with superior forex skills are a great recipe for increased profits and an advantage in next month's challenge!

Forex Bonus

2009-03-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

First Deposit Forex Bonus

Get a bonus up to $1000, on Your First Deposit:

Make your first deposit and receive a bonus up to $1000 instantly! It's easy, just deposit as much as you want and your automatic bonus will show in your trading balance.

The bonus program:

Deposit	Receive Bonus
$100-$399	$25
$400-$999	$100
$1,000-$4,999	$250 and get a Silver Account
$4,999-$9,999	$500 and get a Gold Account
$10,000-$19,999	$1,000 and get a Gold Account
$20,000 and more	Call for special offers and get a VIP Account

* For depositing above $500 via Wire transfer, please contact us for a special offer

To deposit funds into your account log into eToro platform and click on the account balance icon.

Bonus is applied to your FIRST successful deposit only. This bonus will be given only once per account, person, household and/or any environment where computers are shared.

Download eToro for FREE and begin your trading activity today.

eToro's First Deposit Forex Bonus is subjected terms and conditions.

* The ‘First Deposit Bonus’ does not apply to traders from the USA.

Invite a Friend

Invite your Friends for an Amazing

$100 + $50

Bonus! *

eToro's community is an integral part of the eToro trading experience, and we are offering you to take part in its growth and expansion by sharing it with your friends.

With this in mind we want to offer you an incredible bonus of $100 for any friend that deposits a minimum of $100 which you bring to eToro, and the same incredible bonus of $50 for your friend, on top of the first deposit bonus!

Just enter the cashier section by clicking on your account balance in eToro. Click on Invite A Friend button in the cashier and enter your friends' email.

Your friends are all bonus money waiting to happen, so go ahead, invite them all!

eToro's Invite a Friend Bonus is subjected terms and conditions.

* The ‘Invite a friend’ bonus does not apply on the following countries: Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Israel, USA and Egypt

FAQ

2009-03-25T01:40:00.000-07:00

Why should I trade with eToro?

eToro is an online forex trading platform unlike any other. Our unique offering starts with our innovative platform which brings you forex like you've never seen it before.

For novices we offer stimulating visualizations that make forex more easily understandable. Our great success however is coupling simplicity with all the forex trading tools a professional trader may require, so that whatever your experience in the field, you'll find the platform user friendly. And if you add the lowest spreads online, a low deposit minimum of $50 and excellent customer support to the mix, you get a forex provider that can’t be beat!

How do I install the platform?

Installing the platform is a matter of one click of the mouse. Click on the Download tab on the eToro homepage to download the platform. The installation guide will take over from there.

Do I need to provide any documentation in order to open an eToro account?

You do not need to send us any documents in order to open a real trading account. We may request documents once you reach a certain volume of trades, or once you want to make a withdrawal.

I’ve run out of practice money. Can I get more?

We want you to keep practicing your forex trading skills for as long as you're trading with us, so you can always get more practice money if you run out.

To get an additional 2000 credits in practice mode click on "click to deposit" in the practice lobby. You will then be asked to provide your email. Once you've done that, an email with a confirmation link will be sent to your address. When you click on the confirmation link, an additional 2000 credits will be added to your practice account.

Note, this process applies only for the first refill. After having lost your second 2000, you can get more practice money by chatting to our support team.

Do I need any prior forex experience to trade with eToro?

We assume that every trader that registers at eToro is trading forex for the first time. That is why we've made our platform entirely intuitive, so you can concentrate on trading alone, without having to work out the mechanics. For first timers we recommend registering for Practice Trading first and to get the hang of the platform before going on to Real Trading. We also urge you to take a look at our platform guide, and our forex trading guide.

What is the minimum amount needed to start trading?

All it takes is a deposit of as low as $50 to get you started in the forex trading business. Keep in mind that you also get up to $500 bonus on your first deposit, so make the most of this fabulous opportunity to get some extra trading balance.

How do I fund my real account?

We give you the option of funding your account through a variety of methods, so you're sure to find one that suits you. You can fund your account by credit card (Visa, Mastercard. Diners), wire transfer, PayPal, Neteller, Moneybookers, Western Union, and MoneyGram.

Please check out the Funding Account section on our homepage for further information and instructions on how to fund your account with these methods

Is it safe?

Your money is perfectly safe with us. We use the latest SSL encryption technology to ensure that our traders' funds are untouchable.

How long does it take for my deposit to come through?

If you are depositing with a credit card, PayPal, or Neteller your account is funded immediately. With payment methods such as wire transfer, Western Union, or MoneyGram, your account is funded the moment the processor in question approves the transfer.

What is the first deposit bonus?

The first deposit bonus means that you get a bonus according to the amount you deposited in your first trade. The more you deposit, the bigger your bonus! Remember, you'll only get this bonus for your first deposit, so make it count.

How do I trade?

If you're a novice trader please take the time to go over our Platform Guide and the basic Forex Trading Guide we have provided for your disposal. These two guides will give you the basic info you need to start trading with us, and you can try out your newly acquired forex trading skills in our practice trading mode.

What leverage does eToro offer?

We offer a range of leverages from as low as 1:10 to as high as 1:400, so you can trade with the leverage you're most comfortable with. Remember, leverage must be used carefully. The higher your leverage the higher your risk.

How do I enter eToro’s trading challenge?

Traders are automatically entered in our trading challenge simply by trading in practice/ real trading mode. You can view your rank and the top ten rankings in our platform's community panel. Keep in mind that even though practice traders win cash prizes, real trading challengers win much bigger prizes.

Does eToro charge a commission on trades?

We do not charge any commissions or fees on trades. Our revenues come strictly from the spreads (the difference between the Ask and the Bid prices of a currency pair) which are exceptionally low (only two pips on most currency pairs).

Does eToro charge overnight/rollover fees?

We do not charge any costs for leaving a position open overnight.

When can I contact eToro’s support?

vYou can contact our support operators by phone or by live chat Monday to Friday, 24 hours a day.

Does eToro offer any other promotions?

We have lots of periodical promotions which we will certainly notify you about. Make sure to check your email and to log in frequently in order to avoid missing out on any exciting offers.

Getting started

2009-03-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

Globe Trader: Let the Currency Pairs Jet Set

Use the menu at the bottom of the screen to select your currency pair and trade settings.

Once you’ve done this, a window will pop up and ask you to confirm your trade settings.

If you are satisfied with the trade settings, the selected amount, and the rate for this currency pair, you should go ahead and click "Open Trade" in order to open your trade.

About Globe Trader:

The Globe Trader arena enables traders to trade using a global map, with trades represented as communication wires between global trade centers.

What this means: a country’s currency is influenced by its economic strength, its international relations with different countries and its financial relations with different economies. This arena encourages traders to use information about different economies as indicators regarding which currency pair to trade.

Forex Charts: Let the Graphs Show the Way

Use the line / candlestick charts and charting tools to determine your trades, then use the menu on the bottom of the screen to select your currency pair and trade settings. If you wish, you may specify Stop Loss and Take Profit orders (these can be set / modified after the trade has been opened). Click "Open Trade" in order to confirm and open your trade. You may also view a visualization of the trade in the shape of a tug of war between the currencies by clicking on "show animation".

About Forex Charts

The Forex charts arena enables traders to trade based on the principles of Technical analysis. (Technical analysis studies the effects of price movement. It believes that past market behavior can predict future market behavior.)

What this means is: graphs illustrate the behavior of a currency pair over time. Past behavior can be seen and hence future behavior can be determined. Use the graphs as indicators regarding which currency to trade.

Forex Marathon: Let Your Currency Race Against Others

Predict which currency you expect to strengthen against other currencies. Buy the currency that you believe will strengthen (U.S. Dollar, Euro, British Pound, or Japanese Yen). Once you’ve selected a currency, select the currency you wish to compete against. Select the amount you wish to trade and click "Open Trade" in order to open your trade. A new window will open and tell you exactly how many currency pair units you are buying and at what exchange rate.

About Forex Marathon:

Not unlike the Forex Trend arena, the Forex Marathon arena enables traders to trade the U.S. Dollar, Euro, British Pound, or Japanese Yen based on the principles of trend following.

What this means is: a trend is a general movement in a certain direction. A trend, as maintained by trend followers, is the most indicative and reliable market feature. Use trend information as an indicator regarding which currency to buy.

Forex Trend: Let Your Currency Rise or Fall

Predict whether the Euro, the US dollar or the Pound will rise or fall against other currencies. Select the currencies you wish to compete against and the amount you wish to trade and click "Open Trade" in order to open your trade.

About Forex Trend:

Trend following means that the trend is your friend and the Forex Trend arena enables traders to trade the Euro, the US dollar or the Pound (as the three most liquid currencies) based on the principles of trend following.

Trade Box: Analytical Trading at Your Fingertips

The Trade Box is an advanced trading arena that provides you with advanced trading tools incorporated in a visual intuitive interface. Here you can use a wider range of leverages (1:10 – 1:400), trade a wider range of currency pairs, and manage your Stop Loss and Take Profit orders after opening the trade. Your trades are displayed in data form, in order to simplify data analysis.

Expert Mode

If you've indicated that you have forex trading experience upon registration, you will automatically be directed to Expert Mode. The Expert Mode screen contains all the tools you need for trading in one user friendly interface.

Use the upper panel to choose your currency pair and trading settings. You may also view the various charts by clicking on the chart button next to your pair of choice. Clicking on the "One Click Trading Button" will save your trade settings and allow you to trade simply by clicking on Buy or Sell in the currency rates box.

Once a trade has been opened it will appear in the "Open Trades" where you will be able to edit your Stop Loss, Take Profit and Carry Trade Over Weekend settings, as well as view a chart of your trade. You may open up to 100 trades simultaneously.

In the middle panel you also have the option of viewing your trading history, live forex updates and a calendar of upcoming financial events by clicking on the respective tabs.

Additional Features:

Trading Challenge:

Go to "the Community" panel and click "Trading Challenge", or click on Trading Challenge at the bottom of the platform screen. eToro holds weekly forex trading challenges that provide you with the opportunity to win major cash prizes. As an eToro member, you are automatically registered to participate in the trading challenges. Your profits determine your ranking; the higher you rank, the more money you win. In the Trading Challenge tab you may view your rank and the updated top 10 list.

Chat:

Go to the Community panel and click "Chat", or click on Chat at the bottom of the platform screen. In this panel you can chat with friends and fellow traders from around the world with whom you can exchange forex information, knowledge, advice, and tips. You may chat privately or publicly around the clock. Here you can also edit your community profile, upload pictures and compile friend lists.

LabelTop Traders' Insight

Go to the Community panel and click "Top Traders' Insight", or click on Top Traders' Insight at the bottom of the platform screen. In this panel you may view live updated rankings of the 10 most popular currency pairs as traded by eToro's top 100 traders. You may use this tool to decide which currencies to buy or sell by following the actions of the pros without actually having to analyze the market yourself.

Before starting to trade, please take note of the following guidelines:

You may switch between Visual and Expert modes at any times by clicking appropriate buttons in the top right corner of the screen.
You may switch from real trading mode to practice mode and vice versa at any time simply by clicking the "Trade for Real Money" / "Practice Trading with Virtual Money" buttons
Trades opened by you will remain open until you close them or until the end of the working week when they will be closed automatically (as that is when the market closes). The option of carrying trades over the weekend is available only in expert mode.
You may close your trades at any time. To do so click "Close Trade".
You may open several trades at once in Visual Mode, meaning that you may have several trades open simultaneously. To do so, click on "Lobby" at any time, and proceed to choose your next trade.
In Visual Mode, to return to the lobby, click "Lobby".
In Visual Mode, the "My Open Trades" box displays your active trades. The "Trading Log" tab opens your trading log where you can view open trades in more detail as well as historical trades.

eToro's advantages

2009-03-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

We are proud to offer you the complete forex experience that is the eToro trading platform. Here are just a few factors that make eToro stand head and shoulders above the competition:

User-Friendliness. Our platform is designed to make sure that you don't have to waste time working out how to trade. Our revolutionary interface does that for you, so you can concentrate on making trading decisions that really matter, with one click. Whatever your style of trading, all the forex tools of your fancy are at your fingertips.

Simplicity. With our simple and visual platform, even the most novice trader can learn how to use it in no time. By representing trading activity in a simple visual manner we give you the opportunity to learn and understand forex.

Innovation. We are committed to staying at the forefront of the online forex revolution which means constantly growing and evolving in order to provide you with the best forex trading experience.

No Commissions. We charge absolutely zero commissions on all forex trading activity, including no rollover fees. On top of that we offer bottom low spreads - as low as 2 pips and an unbelievably low initial margin requirement of just $50.

Reliability. We are backed by leading forex brokers and are confident in our superb trading capabilities. Your trades are executed immediately and with excellent precision. Rest assured that your trades are safe with us.

Practice. We see forex as an ongoing learning experience, and we see no reason why you should risk your money while trying out new strategies. Our demo mode offers unlimited trading for live market rates, so you can innovate without risking a cent.

Personal Service. We take our customers personally and provide a top notch customer service. Our professional and friendly representatives are there to answer any questions 24 hours a day.

Community. We are keen on developing an active and diverse community of users because we believe that there is a lot to be gained from discussing forex with your fellow traders. We nurture a vital and thriving forex trading community via lively forums and chats.

Forex Calendar

2009-03-25T01:21:00.000-07:00

Forex trading is serious business where big money changes hands within seconds. As with any serious business one needs to be aware of the current market situation at all times and have one's finger always on the pulse.

This is why we are proud to introduce the eToro forex calendar, a tool that you will shortly come to heavily rely on for your trading decisions. Our forex calendar is located in a screen easily accessible from the main platform screen, so you can check the forex calendar at any point during your trading activity.

The forex calendar is a tool that tells you when major events take place in the world of forex. By major events we mean announcements and figures release by various financial institutions and policy making bodies. These announcements have a major effect on the forex market since they give clear indications of various factors in global economies. The principles of fundamental analysis state that because currencies are invariably affected by their respective economies, by observing the changes in global economies one can predict the movements of currencies in the forex market.

Another reason that a forex calendar is a tool that is crucial to forex traders is that it determines the time when forex traders will choose to trade. Due to the fact that these financial announcements present hard figures that reflect the state of global economies, most traders and major financial institutions will open trades based on these figures immediately after the announcements. This means that the forex market is particularly volatile in the short time after each announcement, with currency rates rising and dropping radically. Radical changes in the forex market mean the opportunity to make bigger profits (although it is riskier to trade during these times). It is important that you consult the eToro forex calendar on a daily basis at least, because you may want to save your trading till after a particular announcement.

In the forex calendar you will have a few indicators to look out for. First and foremost you must of course note the date and time of the announcement. The next thing will be the currency that the particular announcement will affect. Most announcements in the forex calendar affect only one single currency. Announcements that have a more international scope are very rare. The most important thing about a forex calendar event is its impact – indicated in the eToro calendar by the color of the flame next to the event's name, ranging from yellow to red. Simply put, yellow means that you can afford to skip this one, while red means that you should put aside anything else you have going at that time and give your undivided attention to this announcement.

The forex calendar is something that you should plan your week around as a forex trader. Use the eToro forex calendar to become more aware of the global situation in the forex market, and of course to become a better and more successful trader.

Market hours

2009-03-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

The Forex market is open 24 hours, five days a week (not much market activity during weekends) so you can go ahead and trade day or night.

Trading hours during weekends:

Daylight saving time – off: November 4th, 2008 – March 7th, 2009
Trading closes at Friday, 21:00 GMT and re-opens on Sunday, 22:00 GMT

Daylight saving time: March 8th, 2009 - November 1st, 2009
Trading closes at Friday, 20:00 GMT and re-opens on Sunday, 21:00 GMT

Below you will find the Market Hours in Eastern Standard Time (EST) for four of the world’s largest financial centers:

Tokyo Market Hours: 7:00 pm to 4:00 am EST
New York Market Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST
London Market Hours: 3:00 am to 12:00 noon EST
Sydney Market Hours: 5:00 pm to 2:00 am EST

All trades will automatically close out in eToro real money mode when market closes at the end of the week. Closing rates will be posted during the weekend in the trading log section in eToro lobby. All real money accounts will be open during the weekend and all traders are welcome to view their trading account info.

eToro enables you to continue practicing your trading skills on virtual money even if markets are closed or inactive.

In Back In Time Mode you can continue practicing your trading skills, competing in championships, and winning prizes (every hour of every day of every month of every year!) as eToro will be running on historical (but very real) rates.

Market news

2009-03-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

TRADING THE WORLD

To view the most recent indicators and relevant economic news please visit our Forex calendar page for live updated worldwide events.

World events affect the Foreign Exchange Market. Or rather, world events affect supply and demand forces, which then affect the Foreign Exchange market. World events (political, social, governmental, etc) and other economic factors shift the supply and demand forces constantly, which in return shift the price of one currency in relation to another.

Tuning in to what’s happening in the world is a very smart trading strategy as again and again we witness that the Foreign Exchange market undergoes movements soon after major news and/or economic reports are released. The size of the country determines the amount, and the frequency of its news/reports releases, and therefore it may be more useful (at first at least!) to trade currencies of economies that have plenty of releases (such as, for example: USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF).

Useful Information:

Always Remember that the healthier a nation is, the better its economy will perform (and consequently, the stronger its currency will be)!! Health is measured (amongst other factors) by high employment levels, retail sales, capacity utilization, and gross domestic product. It is also measured by low government deficits and by little fluctuation in inflation.

To determine a nation’s health, look for reports on: (The below examples are taken from the US market)

Employment Growth
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Trade Balance
Interest Rate decisions
Retail Sales
Durable Goods
Inflation reports
Foreign Purchases report (TIC Data)

What do reports mean? Here are a few examples:

Employment:

Jobless Claims is released weekly and it measures how many people filed for unemployment insurance for their first time. The less people have applied, the better the economy is doing, because unemployed people tend to spend less money, which has a bad effect on the nation’s economy.

US: Nonfarm Payrolls is released monthly and it measures the number of new jobs created (excluding the farming industry). The more new jobs, the stronger the nation’s currency is, because the more people work, the more money they earn, the more money they are likely to spend.

Consumption:

Core PCE Price Index: measures the rate of inflation experienced by people; it reflects the price change in consumer goods and services (excluding Food and Energy). Large price changes have a negative effect on the economy, because they introduce uncertainty, and uncertainty inclines people to spend less.

Retail Sales: is released once a month and measures the value of retail sales. A rising trend means that the nation’s economy is growing stronger, because it means that people are spending more.

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Annualized: measures the value of all goods and services that are produced by the nation’s economy. A rising trend means that the nation’s economy is growing stronger. It encourages people to invest in the domestic stock and bond markets, and attracts foreign investors.

Trade Balance: measures the value of the difference between imported and exported goods and services. A positive trade balance means that more goods and services were exported than imported. A rising trend means that the nation's currency is growing stronger, because the higher the demand for exports, the higher the employment and production rates in the exporting country. This usually means that foreigners will convert their currencies to purchase the currency of the exporter.

CPI—Consumer Price Index In simple terms, CPI measures the increase of price in a fixed basket of goods and services (such as food, transport, housing etc’). A higher CPI means that the price of the basket has increased and it now costs more to buy the same basket of goods. A rising trend has a positive effect on the economy (and consequently on the currency), because it reflects that people are able to purchase the goods and services despite the price increases.

Real Estate:

US: New Home Sales: The new home sales figure serves as a great indicator for the general direction of the economy. An upwards trend in new home sales suggests that all is well in the construction industry and that the nation’s consumers can afford to make large purchases. New home owners tend to purchase a large amount of goods, while construction companies need to hire workers and buy materials, thus creating a positive ripple effect in the nation’s economy and an encouraging effect on its currency.

US: Pending Home Sales: measures activity in existing (not new) home sales. This includes single-family homes, condos and co-ops. The higher the demand for housing, the better the economy is doing, because people must feel comfortable enough in order to invest in homes. Also, such investments are usually accompanied by purchases—electronic equipment, furniture—and revenues for realtors, both of which are good for the economy.

US: Housing Starts measures how much construction began on new residential buildings. The higher the number, the better that nation’s currency, because it indicates that the construction industry is healthy and that people are investing in it.

Manufacture:

US: ISM Mfg Index measures the activity of purchasing managers in the manufacturing sector. A rising trend means that the nation's currency is growing stronger. Purchasing managers are good indicators since they have access to a company’s performance, which oftentimes goes hand in hand with overall economic performances.

Industrial Production measures the value of output produced by factories, mines, and utilities. A rising trend means that the nation's currency is growing stronger, because high values indicate that large amounts of product are being manufactured and sold, and hence that people earn and spend money.

Producers Price Index examines differences in the selling prices of goods and services within Euro-zone producers. Since producers tend to increase retail prices as a result of higher production costs, PPI may be counted as an indicator for inflation. A higher PPI may result in higher interest rates determined by the European Central Bank. A falling PPI points at declining prices, and thus hints at an upcoming economic recession.

Durable Goods Orders: measures the value of goods with a life expectancy of more than 3 years, purchased by consumers looking for domestic manufacturing. This indicator predicts how busy the manufacturers are likely to be, since they need to work to fill the orders. Therefore, a rising trend will have a positive impact on the nation's currency.

Rate Announcements:

UK: BOE Announcement — the Bank of England (BOE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) votes every month on where to set the nation's short-term interest rate.

EU:ECB Announcement — the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council votes every month on where to set the union’s short-term interest rate.

US: FED Announcement — the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) votes eight times a year.

Shortly after each vote, the outcome is released (the BOE Announcement; the EU:ECB Announcement, and the FED Announcement). It is accompanies by a brief commentary on the economic conditions that effected the outcome. Interest rates depend mostly on inflation. The objective is to keep prices stable, so when inflation rises above an annualized rate of 2%, banks will usually raise interest rates in order to bring prices down. High interest rates attract foreign investors, who increase the demand for that nation's currency. This is to say that a rising trend in interest rates has a positive effect on the nation's economy.

FOMC Meeting Minutes:

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Meeting Minutes give people insight into the decisions that have been made with regard to interest rate and policy shifts.

Surveys:

EU: ZEW (Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung) Survey provides the opinions of financial experts with regard to the economic outlook for Europe. Every month the difference between investors that expect a growth in the economy and those that expect a decline is measured.

US: Chicago PMI measures the health of the Chicago business environment. Every month purchasing managers respond to a survey with regard to their organization's activity (whether it is higher than, the same as, or lower than it was in the previous month) in terms of output, purchases, employment, inventories, orders, and prices.

NET TIC—Treasury International Capital (TIC) Reviews the flow of money market funds (such as stocks, bonds etc’) to and from the United States. The key figure, expressed in millions of dollars, represents the difference between American spending of foreign securities and foreign spending of American securities. This is a major indicator of the American economy and gives insight into foreign demand for American investments and dollars. For example, if the US purchased $5 billion in foreign securities and foreigners purchased $20 billion in long-term US securities, then the net reading would be $15 billion.

Consumer Confidence: measures consumer attitudes towards economic conditions, how they evaluate future economic prospects. Higher readings suggest consumer optimism; this is to say that consumers are optimistic about economic prospects. As a result consumers tend to purchase more, which in return stimulates the economy.

Consumer sentiment: Measures consumer attitudes concerning both the present situation and future expectations.
It's derived from a monthly 500-person survey conducted by the University of Michigan. Higher sentiment levels are a leading indicator of rising consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of the economy.

A few more things worth knowing:

In general it can be said that news releases that follow expected reports do not cause strong market movements.
Differences between the market expectations and the news release may cause market volatility which in turn might lead to a developing trend in a specific direction.
Such opportunities are usually short-lived; they may last for only a few minutes or even a few seconds.
Markets in which constant movements occur will usually not be as strongly affected by news releases. A quiet market may move more significantly because of a news release.

DON’T FORGET : No matter how many current events you follow and news releases you absorb, and no matter how familiar you are with the Foreign Exchange market and its trends--Trading always involves a risk!!!

Download forex e-guide

2009-03-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

Here you can find our full e-guide for forex trading. Just click here and download it. (PDF)

Forex glossary

2009-03-25T00:44:00.000-07:00

Fx Terms You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without (When Trading):

Ask Price

The ask price (right quote display) is the price at which traders can buy the base currency. If you think that the EUR value will increase then you can choose to buy it for USD at the price displayed in the ask quote.

See also Currency Pair

Base Currency

The base currency is the first currency listed in any currency pair. Its value is determined against the counter currency’s value. For example, if the rate of the EUR/USD pair is 1.3525, then the EUR is the base currency and it is worth 1.3525 USD.

See also Counter Currency, Currency Pair, Rate

Bear

A Bear market is a pessimistic market with declining prices.

See also Currency Pair

Counter Currency

The counter currency is the second currency in any currency pair. Its value is determined against the base currency’s value. For example, in the following currency pair EUR/USD, the counter currency is USD.

See also Currency Pair

Leverage

Leverage is a loan from your broker, which enables you to trade with a small amount of capital. It can increase your potential profit, but it can also increase your risk. Click here to learn more about leverage.

See also Currency Pair

Lot

The standard unit of trading. One standard lot equals 100,000 units of the base currency, a mini lot equals 10,000 units, and a micro lot equals 1,000 units. eToro’s standard trade volume is the mini lot.

See also Currency Pair

Take Profit

A trade order which automatically closes an open position at a specific price realizing a specific amount of profit. Use this order to realize your gains. Click here to learn more about Take Profit orders.

Forex overview

2009-03-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

What is Forex? Forex is an abbreviation of Foreign Exchange (also referred to as FX) and it is the largest financial market in the world.

The Forex market is the place where currencies are traded (currencies are money that is used as an exchange medium). In other words, it is the place where currencies are being sold and bought. In the Forex market all currencies are traded in real time.

Trading with currencies always means that there are two simultaneous transactions taking place. If a currency is being bought, it is also being sold. To better understand this notion, think of currencies as both the goods you are buying AND the method with which you're paying for the goods.

Since the Forex market is the place where currencies are traded in real time, people may trade one currency for another and make a profit off of this transaction. Profits are made when one is able to determine which currency's value will increase by the end of a pre-determined time period (such time periods may be short or long). The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week and it is based in four major cities: New York, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. The Forex market is open to individuals over the age of eighteen.

While Forex trading may sound daunting, it really isn’t. It can be easily comprehended and understood without prior experience in finance or economy. It is challenging and exciting, thought provoking and manageable, stimulating and filled with opportunities.

Some Forex Basics:

The first currency listed in a currency pair is called the "base currency".
The “base currency” is usually the U.S. Dollar. Traders will generally trade the U.S. Dollar against another currency, which is called the “counter currency”.
Currencies are quoted in pairs. For example: The pair U.S. Dollar and JPY will be quoted in the following way: USD/JPY equals to 2.5 (This means that 1 U.S. Dollar can buy 2.5 JPY).
When a quote increases, it means that the “base currency” has risen in value and the “counter currency” has weakened in value. For example: If the USD/JPY quote used to be equal to 2.5 but is now equal to 2.6, then this means that the dollar has strengthened (because 1 U.S. Dollar can now buy 2.6 JPY as opposed to the mere 2.5 JPY it could buy beforehand.)

Now that you know a thing or two about the Foreign Exchange market, we invite you to explore eToro—the Revolutionary Forex Trading Platform. You too can make your mark in the Foreign Exchange market. Use eToro as your gateway to the ever-growing world of Forex trading.

Withdrawing Funds

2009-03-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

Want to withdraw funds from your account? No problem!

eToro makes sure that taking money out of your account is as simple as putting it in.

Please follow these steps:

Log into eToro using your Real Trading account username and password.
Click "Account Balance".
Click "Withdraw".
Enter the amount you would like to withdraw.
Select the payment method by which you would like to get funded (* eToro reserves the rights to refund traders via the original payment method they used when initially funding their trading account).
Click "Submit".
Print out the withdrawal form.
Click “Submit Request” (to review your withdrawal request, go to the “Cashier” section, then go to “History”).

First time withdrawal requests must be accompanied by:

A copy of Passport / Photo ID
A copy of both sides of the Credit Card that has been used to fund the trading account
A copy of a recent utility bill

If at any point you encounter problems please do not hesitate to contact us at: support@eToro.com. If you have specific funding and/or billing questions and concerns, contact us at: accounting@eToro.com. We are committed to assisting you in every way possible.

Traders are required to send signed withdrawal requests every time they wish to withdraw funds. While we realize that this is inconvenient to you and while we apologize for the hassle, this is an anti-money-laundering policy that we must abide by (*eToro reserves the rights to delay and/or stop withdrawal requests until final approval has been received).

Withdrawal requests take five business days to process (*some withdrawal methods are carried out by a third party and therefore delays may be beyond eToro’s control). If at any point before process completion you wish to cancel your request, simply go to the “Cashier” section. You will be notified via email once the processing of your withdrawal request has been completed.

Credit card withdrawals are limited to Visa credit cards, and are subject to the credit card company's approval.

For Your Information:

eToro reserved the right to combine any withdrawal requests that are made within 24 hours by the same payment method into one payment.
eToro reserved the right to allow bonus withdrawals only after all bonus policy requirements have been fulfilled (to view our bonus policy please visit the Terms and Conditions section).
Wire transfer withdrawals are subjected to a $25 fee. Bank draft withdrawals are not subjected to any fees.

About RetailFX

2009-03-25T00:22:00.000-07:00

RetailFX Limited is an international foreign currency trading company founded by a group of Forex trading risk management professionals. RetailFX founders have been active in risk management for more than 10 years. RetailFX mission has been to provide professional foreign exchange trading for customers from around the world with sophisticated backend trading and hedging technology combined with personal customer service. RetailFX policy is to minimize risk and market exposure for their customers using automated dealing desk and hedging operations that are executed in the interbank market.

RetailFX offers personal service to individuals worldwide that wish to facilitate their Forex trading. In July 2007 RetailFX has entered into an online business with eToro to offer international retail customers to play Forex using eToro's forex sotware with RetailFX professional backend and trading facilities.

RetailFX limited is registered in Cyprus and is authorized to deal in foreign exchange spot trading. The Company operates from Limassol, Cyprus.

Funding your account

2009-03-25T00:04:00.000-07:00

Depositing funds into your eToro trading account is fast and straightforward. Simply follow these easy steps and you’ll be ready to trade in no time. For your convenience, we have provided various methods with which you can fund your account, simply choose whichever method you prefer. (*To ensure absolute security and privacy of transactions and data, eToro uses Secure Socket Layer technology.)

In order to start trading you must first create an eToro trading account. In order to do that you must first download the forex software and install eToro. Once you’ve completed this step, you can proceed to open a Real Account. This will provide you with a username and password which you must use to log in. Once you’ve done this, go to “Account Balance,” then to “Deposit”.

You can now deposit funds into your eToro trading account. Below you’ll find instructions showing you how to deposit via Credit Card, Wire Transfer, PayPal, Neteller, Western Union, MoneyGram and WebMoney.

Credit Card:

To deposit via Credit Card, please click the “Credit Card” option.

Complete the given form.

Within minutes your account should be credited with funds. (If your request is not approved you will be notified via email).

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Credit Card:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $50
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $1,000
Maximum Deposit Limit per Month: $5,000

Wire Transfer:

To deposit via Wire Transfer, you must click the “Wire Transfer” option after having clicked “Deposit”.

Enter the amount you wish to deposit.

Click "Continue".

Presently you will receive your Wire Transfer details.

Print this information out.

Go to any bank and forward your Wire Transfer to eToro's bank.

Indicate the transaction reference number in Payment Details field.

Within 5 days you shall receive a bank confirmation.

This confirmation will indicate that your trading account has been credited (you will receive an email notification).

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Wire Transfer:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $500
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $5,000
Maximum Deposit Limit per Month: $10,000

PayPal:

IMPORTANT: If you wish to credit your eToro account via PayPal you must have an existing PayPal account.

To deposit via PayPal, click the “PayPal” option after having clicked “Deposit”.

Enter the amount you wish to deposit.

You will be redirected to the PayPal website where you will be asked to enter your email and password in order to log in.

Review the transaction and once you've made sure that all the details are correct, click “Pay”.

Within minutes your account should be credited with funds. (If your request is not approved, you will be notified via email).

Means of funding your PayPal account

Country	Methods
Ireland	3V, AMEX
Italy	Visa Electron, PostePay, Aurora
France	Aurora, Confimoga, Cofidis
Netherlands	Giro bank transfer
United Kingdom	Maestro, Visa Electron, AMEX, Solo, Direct Debit
Spain	Aurora, Bank Transfer
China	ICBC, CMB, CCB, ChinaPay
All countries	Visa, MC, Bank Transfer

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via PayPal:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $50
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $5,000
Maximum Deposit Limit per Month: $10,000

Western Union:

To deposit via Western Union you must visit an authorized Western Union office. To locate the nearest Western Union office please click on "Choose Western Union Agent". In some countries it is possible to transfer the funds online.

Transfers should be made to:

Receiver: Oana Raluca Timofte:
City: Limassol
Country: Cyprus EURO (Choose Option 1: Cyprus EURO)

You will now be issued a Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN)

Contact our Customer Support Department at: support@retailfx.com and provide them with the following information:

Your full name
Transaction amount in USD
Currency
City and country from which the money was sent
The MTCN (a 10 digit number)

Within fifteen minutes your account should be credited with funds.

** To know more about RetailFX Limited, please see information below.

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Western Union:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $500
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $5,000
Maximum Deposit Limit per Month: $10,000

MoneyGram:

To deposit via MoneyGram you must visit an authorized MoneyGram office. To locate the nearest MoneyGram offices please click on "Find MoneyGram Agent". In some countries it is possible to transfer the funds online.

Transfers should be made to:

Receiver: Oana Raluca Timofte:
City: Limassol
Country: Cyprus EURO

After deposit, you will be issued with a Transaction Reference Number

Contact our Customer Support Department at: support@retailfx.com and provide them with the following information:

Your full name
Transaction amount in USD
Currency
City and country from which the money was sent
The MTCN number (a 8 digit number)

Within fifteen minutes your account should be credited with funds.

** To know more about RetailFX Limited, please see information below.

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Western Union:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $500
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $5,000
Maximum Deposit Limit per Month: $10,000

Neteller:

To deposit via Neteller, you must click the “Neteller” option after having clicked “Deposit”.

Complete the given form, including your Secure ID and Neteller account number.

Within minutes your account should be credited with funds. (If your request is not approved you will be notified via email).

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Neteller:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $50
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $10,000

Moneybookers:

IMPORTANT: If you wish to credit your eToro account via Moneybookers you must have an existing Moneybookers account.

To deposit via Moneybookers, click the “Moneybookers” option after having clicked “Deposit”.

Enter the amount you wish to deposit and your Moneybookers account email (If you don’t have a Moneybookers account, click “click here” at the bottom part of the page).

You will be redirected to the Moneybookers website where you will be asked to enter your password in order to log in.

You will then have 2 options: depositing from your account balance at Moneybookers, or depositing by one of the following credit cards: JCB, Diners, or American Express.

Means of funding your Moneybookers account:

Country	Methods
Denmark	Dankort
Italy	Postepay, CartaSi
France	Carte Blueue
Germany	Giropay, Sofortuberweisung, Lastschrift (ELV)
Austria	EPS, Maestro
Australia	Poli
Netherland	iDEAL
Poland	Przelewy24
Singapore	Enets
UK	Solo, Maestro
Finland, Sweden	Solo
Spain	Maestro
Other	JCB, AMEX, Dinners, Delta/Visa debit card, VISA electron

Review the transaction and once you've made sure that all the details are correct, click “Pay”.

Within minutes your account should be credited with funds. (If your request is not approved, you will be notified via email).

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via Moneybookers:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $50
Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $5,000

WebMoney

To deposit via Webmoney, click the “WebMoney” option after having clicked “Deposit”.

Enter the amount you wish to deposit and your WebMoney ID (If you don’t have a WebMoney account, click on the “click here” at the bottom part of the page).

You will be redirected to a WebMoney page where you will be asked to approve the transaction details. Approve the details by clicking the “Pay” button.

Then you will be asked to choose the way to authenticate yourself, and click “Next”.

The next page will show the final details of the transaction. If you have more than one WebMoney purse defined in your WebMoney account, please select it, and click “Confirm and Payment”.

Within minutes your account should be credited with funds. (If your request is not approved, you will be notified via email).

Means of funding you WebMoney account:

Country	Methods
Dollar countries	WMZ prepaid card
Euro countries	WME prepaid card
Russian countries	WMR prepaid card
Ukraine	WMU prepaid card
All countries	Bank transfer

* The following limitations apply when funding your account via WebMoney:

Minimum Single Deposit Limit: $50

Maximum Single Deposit Limit: $50,000

* eToro reserves the rights to change any of the limitations that are indicated.

** RetailFX Limited is a Forex trading company, which has licensed the eToro platform and which distributes and operates it worldwide. RetailFX Limited opens eToro’s trading accounts and processes its financial transactions. For this reason your credit card charges will appear on your statement under RetailFX. To learn more about RetailFX, visit www.RetailFX.com

Open a real account

2009-03-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

How Do I Open a Real Account With eToro?

First you need to download and install the eToro platform.

Please follow these five simple steps to create your Real eToro Account:

1. Once the installation has completed, the program should launch itself. If it has not, you will find an eToro icon on your computer desktop:

2. Once you launched eToro, a window will open and ask if you want to Trade for Real or Practice Trading, please click the Trade for Real button.

3. Next you will be prompted to the Real Trading login screen. Please click the Open new account button.

4. You will be prompted to the Real Account registration screen. You will need to fill in some personal information so we can create an account for you and service you better. Your information is strictly confidential and we do NOT share it with any third parties. Note that based on your indication of whether you have forex trading experience or not you will be directed to the Expert / Visual Mode accordingly. You will be able to switch modes at any time.

5. After filling the required information click the Submit button to complete your account registration. A Congratulations screen showing your new registered username and password will appear. An email will be sent to the email address you registered detailing your account details. You will need your username and password in order to log on to the system in the future. We suggest you keep it safe for reference.

You are now a Real Account holder! Click the Start Trading button where you will be prompted to the Visual or Expert modes according to your level of experience.

To start trading with real money you will need to deposit funds into your account. Please see Funding Your Account for further assistance.

Open a practice account

2009-03-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

How do I Open a Practice Account with eToro?

First you need to download and install the eToro platform.

Please follow these simple steps to create your Practice eToro Account:

1. Once the installation has completed, the program should launch itself. If it has not, you will find an eToro icon on your computer desktop:

2. Once you launched eToro, a window will open and ask if you want to Trade for Real or Practice Trading, please click the Practice Trading button

3. Next you will be prompted to the Practice Registration screen. You'll need to choose a username and fill out a few personal details. Your information is strictly confidential and we do NOT share it with any third parties.

4. After filling the required information click the Submit button to complete your account registration. Once the details are processed you will be immediately logged into your practice account. Based on your indication of whether you have forex trading experience or not you will be directed to the Expert / Visual Mode accordingly. You will be able to switch modes at any time. Unlike real trading mode, you will not need to choose a password, or enter your username in order to log on to the system in the future. The system will recognize you automatically and perform login upon launching the platform, if you choose to trade in practice mode.

You are now a Practice eToro Account holder! Please take the time review our platform guide and our forex trading guide.

To start trading with real money you will need to open a real trading account.

To switch from Practice mode to Real Trading mode, click on the "Trade for Real Money" button.

eToro’s Accounts Program

2009-03-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

Customized Accounts to Match Your Trading Style.

At eToro, we realize that traders have diverse Forex trading styles, skills and habits. To accommodate your individual Forex trading needs as best as possible, we offer our traders four different account types to choose from.

Each account offers different benefits and is customized to suite all type of traders, according their individual trading activity.

Our traders all have one of four account types: (click the account icon for details)

Why should I upgrade my account?

The better your account type – the more and better benefits you get.
Here is the list of all benefits you get as an account holder:

Monthly deposit bonus	Up to $100	Up to $500	Up to $2,000
Top Traders’ Insight
Market Reports
Unlimited practice account
Real traders' chat room
Personal Account Manager
Trading room telephone access
One on one trading sessions
Faster withdrawals		3 days	3 days

How do I get a certain Account?

Your account type depends on the volume of your aggregated lots (trades) or on the volume of your overall deposits. It's simple: the more you trade and deposit – the better your account type.

If you are a new trader with eToro, your first deposit determines which account are you eligible to hold.

How do I upgrade my account?

In order to upgrade your account type, you must reach the minimum aggregated lots or deposits, as specified in the requirements for each account type. The account type allotment is made automatically at the beginning of each month, according to your aggregated lots or deposits (It is required to reach only one of the criteria - deposits or lots - to be eligible for the upgrade).

How can I monitor my account status?

To see your account status, your number of monthly lots, and your requirements for an account upgrade at any time go to your profile in the eToro community panel status.

Can my account be downgraded?

Yes. If you have not met to the minimum quarterly lots required in order to maintain your account type, your account will be automatically downgraded.

Can I upgrade my account during the month?

Yes. If you see that you've reached a higher account requirement before the end of the month, please contact your account manager or our friendly support team to discuss your account type.

Practice trading challenges

2009-03-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

Proudly Announcing Our Practice Trading Challenge!

Each week eToro holds challenges with amazing cash prizes!
Traders with the highest weekly profits become winners!
You too can be a winner—simply go ahead and trade!

Accumulate as much money as you can and WIN. The higher your profit, the higher your cash prize.

Sounds too good to be true ? It isn’t !

Use eToro’s Trading platform and your trading skills to accumulate as much money as possible and become eToro’s champion.

eToro’s Fun Trading challenges are open to anyone who holds an eToro’s account.

Challenge Duration:

Place 1 gets $300
Place 2 gets $200
Place 3 gets $150
Places 4 to 30 get $100 each!
Places 11 to 30 get $50 each!

Fun Trading Challenge Rules:

Traders’ Profits determine their ranking
New users will be given $2,000 of demo money
This amount shall be the opening balance for each trader
New traders that have won prizes are required to open real money accounts with eToro.
Challenge prizes will be deposited to traders’ accounts upon funding their account.
eToro reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the challenge.
eToro’s Fun Trading challenge is subjected to terms and conditions.
Customers from the U.S. are not eligible to participate in the trading challenge.

Please note that the challenge bonus will only be given once (per account, person, household and/or any environment where computers are shared).

Our community

2009-03-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

One of the unique features of eToro is the emphasis we place on developing our online community of traders.

Here at eToro we believe that no trader is an island. The Forex market is affected by every private and professional trader that takes part in it, therefore it is very important for a trader to communicate with others in order to get a more comprehensive picture of the market.

To allow traders to do this easily we provide them with the Top Traders' Insight tool which shows traders live updated rankings of the top 10 most popular pairs as traded by our 100 top traders. What this means is that traders are able to simply use others' experience to make their trading decisions instead of trying to analyze the market themselves.

And seeing as eToro is a great learning tool for traders, our community also serves as a kind of classroom where novice traders can get their bearings by discussing their trading experiences in chats or seeing what the pros have to say in our forums.

We also believe that there’s nothing like some friendly competition to get traders going. eToro provides you with free to enter weekly Trading Challenges where you can show off your trading skills for the opportunity to win great prizes.

eToro is committed to encouraging its trading community and to provide you with all the necessary tools to stay connected.

Partnership

2009-03-24T23:19:00.000-07:00

eToro Partners

eToro Partners is our brand of forex affiliate program. Because our platform is a unique and innovative forex software, we have engineered a unique and innovative forex affiliate program to go with it.

These days online forex is the hot topic on everybody's mind and eToro is in the lead of the online forex revolution.

We want you to become our forex partner and enjoy:

Your choice of lucrative up to $200 CPA or 25% RevShare reward plans
An exceptional variety of marketing tools to suit your website.
A great product that leads to great conversions.
The latest in analysis tools so you can monitor your campaigns and optimize them for even more profits.
Your own personal contact at eToro Partners to make sure that ours is a winning partnership.
Commissions for sub-affiliate traffic, so you'll keep profiting for your conversions' conversions.

Join our rewarding forex affiliate program on eToroPartners!

Introducing Brokers

eToro IB program is your key to successfully manage your own forex operation. Our custom reports and tailor made commission plan will help you to get the best out of your traders and enjoy high profits.

eToro's introducing forex broker program enables you to take your collaboration with eToro to the next level.

As an introducing forex broker you will be introducing your clients to a unique and innovative product – the eToro forex trading platform.

Your clients will love the eToro forex trading platform because we offer a complete forex experience tailored to the needs of an exceptionally wide range of traders.

Novice forex traders can use our intuitive visual platform to learn about forex, practice forex and gain forex experience.

Seasoned forex traders can use the eToro platform for the full advantage of the wide range of forex trading and analysis tools we have on offer.

As an eToro forex IB you will be providing your clients with access to a superb financial trading service and sharing in the ongoing revenues that your referred clients generate.

For more details about our forex IB program please contact ib@etoro.com

Trading features

2009-03-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

General Features

Minimum Transaction Size after leverage	US $10,000
Minimum Deposit	US $50
Leverage ratio	1:10, 1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, 1:400
Spreads	From 2 pips
Quotes on wide range of currencies	All main currencies
Full leverage on funds	Enabling total use of funds for leverage, no extra collateral

Charges & Commissions

Commission free deposits	Yes
Commission free trading	Yes
Islamic account terms	Yes

Support Tools

Online Chat	Yes
Guided Tutorials	Yes
Live training	Yes (phone)
Real Accounts	Available on request
Economic Info / Charts / Technical Analysis	Yes

Withdrawals & Deposits

Fund withdrawals to Credit-Card account	Yes
Deposit method: PayPal	Yes
Deposit facilities: Bank transfers	Yes
Deposit facilities: Credit Card (MasterCard)	Yes
Deposit facilities: Credit Card (Visa)	Yes
Commission on profit withdrawals	No commission charged

affiliate

Web-Affiliate program	Yes; full online access by Affiliates
Refer-a Friend program	Yes
White Labeling	Yes
Web-Affiliate 2nd-tier program	Yes; full online access by Affiliates

Currencies and Margins

Maintenance margin	No
Accepted Currencies for Deposits	USD/EUR/GBP
Base account currencies	USD

Trading Hours

Technical maintenance	During Sundays when the market is closed
Regular trading hours	06:00 Monday Sydney time till 17:00 Friday New York time
Customer access	24/7

User interface

Ease of Use	Simple & friendly interface
Customer Support	Through email, phone or chat
Online Trading (independent, no need for a Dealer)	Yes
Registration form	Easy; in various languages
Account control by user	Full; real-time; direct; need for download
Total Transparency: phone contact with site personnel	Yes
Trading site access 365 days a year	Yes
Customer Support Languages	English; German; Arabic; Russian; Chinese; Spanish; French; Italian.
Website Languages	English; German; Arabic; Russian; Chinese; Spanish; French; Italian; Japanese.

Our team

2009-03-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Management Team

J. Assia - CEO

Mr. J. Assia drives the strategic goals of the company and oversees all the business units of eToro. Mr. J. Assia is a former software group manager with over 8 years of experience in software development and management. Mr. Assia has accumulated over 10 years of experience in investments and Forex trading. Mr. Assia holds BSC in Computer Science and Management and MSC in Computer Sciences.

D. Ring – CTO

Mr. Ring has played a key role in the release of eToro’s Trading Platforms, currently in charge of Research and Development. Mr. Ring has served as key technology executive in several software development companies and has accumulated over 15 years of software development and implementation experience. Mr. Ring holds MSC in computer sciences, MBA in finance from Manchester Business School and BSC in Electronic Engineering.

R. Assia – VP Product

With over 10 years of interaction design experience, Mr. R. Assia is leading eToro’s product development. Mr. R. Assia is in charge of turning the eToro experience to the most user friendly, yet professional, platform in the Forex market. Mr. R. Assia holds BDes in industrial design and MA in design.

R. Brightman – VP Marketing

Mr. Brightman oversees eToro’s global marketing strategy, including advertising and brand management, public relations, client acquisition and marketing. Mr. Brightman is a marketing professional with over 5 years of experience in various managerial marketing positions. His expertise covers multiple marketing aspects; including online media buying, affiliate marketing, search engine marketing, and offline marketing. Mr. Brightman holds an MBA in marketing; and M.A in Psychology.

Board of Directors

D. Assia, Chairman of the Board

Mr. D. Assia serves as the chairman of our board of directors since October 2006. Mr. D. Assia, is a co-founder of Magic Software Enterprises Ltd. (NASDAQ: MGIC), and has served in various positions, including as a director, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. D. Assia holds a B.A. degree in economics and statistics and an MBA.

A. Basher, Director

Mr. Basher brings more than 20 years of financial and capital markets experience in and around the high-tech industry. Mr. Basher has served as CFO and VP Finance in several publicly traded high-tech and investment companies.

Mr. Basher serves as chief financial officer for a multi-national investment house and in charge of managing the finance, treasury and accounting operations of the firm, as well as due diligence. Mr. Basher is a licensed CPA and holds an MBA in Information Systems and BA in Accounting and Economics.

G. Gamzu, Director

Mr. Gamzu is a high quality marketing and technology executive and also serves as member of the board of directors of Eyeblaster Inc, a leading unified digital marketing solutions provider. Mr. Gamzu has over 10 years of principal investing experience and is the founder and managing partner of Cubit Investments Limited - a private investment company specializing in early stage investments in technology companies.

Mr. Gamzu holds BSC (Hons) in Business Studies, Marketing & Finance from the City University Business School in London, UK.

Letter from The Chairman

2009-03-24T23:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to eToro.com

In this new age in which forms of communication are constantly being reexamined and new technologies are being invented, it was time for a change in the financial trading world too. While online trading has been experiencing an enormous growth in recent years, we believe that it was still not innovative enough. We have therefore decided to come up with a unique concept and to employ it with a new design and interface as to challenge traditional trading. And indeed, we can proudly announce our success in bringing about the long awaited change in online trading.

As citizens of the Internet we decided to take the power of software a step further enhance the Forex trading world and bring it to the masses. The simple, clever and clear visuals that eToro uses to represent the Forex market transform it in a way that it no longer belongs to a limited few. Rather, it enables everyone to take part in it. We believe that we have redefined the concept of ‘user-friendly’ trading.

Since our launch, eToro has become the most frequently visited trading site amongst professional as well as novice traders from all over the world. We believe that above all this can be credited to the excellence of our product. We offer a trading platform that is fun and entertaining, yet reliable and secure. The trading experience that we offer is not comparable to anything else. We can assure you that we constantly strive to improve ourselves and will hopefully only get better.

Just as important is our strive for excellence in customer support, which is available at all times via your preferred means of communication— chats, phone call, emails. We value our relationships with our customers and are committed to your satisfaction. I guarantee that no matter what the problem is, we will always service you with our business expertise, in the most professional way, and we will always find a solution. We believe in the highest quality of customer service.

It is not needless to say that the reason we are able to maintain our high standards without ever compromising them is because of our dedicated staff. Our team, management and head of departments are top professionals from various fields that have come together to perfect online trading.

Our goal is to provide you with the most comprehensive trading experience, which is why we have given you everything from trading tools, educational tools, and the best trading conditions.

Furthermore, eToro has partnered with the best and most reputable Forex brands to offer you the best Forex trading experience.

I encourage you to browse through our site and find out for yourself what the buzz around eToro has been about.

Sincerely,
David Assia
Chairman of the Board

Our vision

2009-03-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

The eToro Vision

Financial trading made simple. It's not just a slogan, it's our legacy.

Forex for YOU

Forex trading doesn't have to be an exclusive club for professionals only.

We developed a simple and intuitive way to trade Forex and opened for everyone a window to the world of Forex trading.

Forex can be exciting

Forex trading doesn't have to be all charts and graphs and difficult terminology.

At eToro you can trade using our exciting visualizations that make the mechanics of forex trading easily understandable.

Forex done right

We want you to have the advantage.

We give you all the professional tools a forex trader can need.

We also give you professional, reliable and immediate trade execution services.

Forex is a learning curve

We want you to perfect your trading skills as you go along.

To help you learn, we bring you guides, tutorials and prize bearing trading challenges.

Forex between friends

We want to create a community where you can share your forex trading experience.

You can do that by using our chats, our forums and by creating your own user profile.

Forex with care

We want you to be taken care of.

We'll take care of you with the help of our professional support team that is ready to give you friendly assistance around the clock.

This is our vision. Come see for yourself.

About eToro

2009-03-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

Prior to the establishment of eToro the Forex market was considered by many to be distant and over complex territory. Here at eToro, our belief in fair and equal opportunity has lead us to develop a platform which would connect between the individual trader and the high end world of international finance, leaving those old fashioned boundaries behind.

Unlike other trading platforms eToro caters to the entirety of the Forex community, particularly to this community’s retail segment. eToro makes sure that the Forex community receives all manner of exclusive and fundamental services—from unique trading conditions to excellent customer service, not to mention remarkable practice opportunities together with constantly improved and updated trading technologies.

Finally there's a user-friendly trading platform that is fun, easy to use, visually stimulating, and reliable. Traders no longer have to struggle with convoluted graphs and impossible calculations. Instead they can enjoy, learn, practice and trade in the exciting world of Forex. eToro makes it possible for experienced and novice trader alike to take part in the largest financial market in the world.

So much for our end, but here at eToro we are also keen on developing an active and diverse community of users who will be instrumental to enhancing each other's trading experiences. We believe that in addition to the know-how and experience of seasoned experts in the field, there is much to be profited from the day to day exposure to the thoughts and opinions of fellow traders. eToro's goal is to facilitate a vital and thriving trading community, be it via forums, chats or exciting tournaments, in order to offer you yet another unique and significant advantage.

As you can see, it is no wonder that eToro has quickly become one of the most frequently visited trading platforms online. Nevertheless, we whole heartedly believe that rest is for the wicked and we are always eager to keep evolving in order to offer you the perfect trading experience.