JohnVIKTOR EPERJESY 
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• Current Job: Head of Business Development at Trade Proofer
• Career: Passionate about forex trading since college. Co-founder of Trade Proofer community. 

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As we all know, forex brokers' information sheets listing "target spreads" are not something traders can rely on when they trade around important economic events, like Non-Farm Payrolls. During these minutes spreads first fall apart and recover slowly afterwards as market calms down. As a courtesy of the TradeProofer community our readers can get a better picture of what has happened recently after the May non-farm payroll announcement. TradeProofer is a forex trader community aspiring to benchmark community members' uploaded quotes and trade executions in order to spot outlier trade executions or requotes. The below chart is based on their community data.

spreads brokers nfp eurusd

The chart shows how several brokers' EURUSD spreads looked at-around the NFP announcement, time is in GMT. The red line represents the most scrambled situation at 12:32, when aggregated spreads got the widest. The brokers are ordered by their 12:32 spreads, thus tightest brokers are on the left, least competitive brokers are on the right. Apparently, some brokers decided to sit on the bench until situation calmed down.

Limitations apply, however. Commissions are not taken into account so the chart does not reflect overall competitiveness of brokers, but rather an impression on how spread volatility unfolded and how particular brokers handle economic events. Also, a competitive quote doesn’t mean competitive fill price. Slippage due to low liquidity and/or latency is frequent especially around such events.

The next chart shows how EURSD spreads got somewhat wider right before the economic event, how they sky-rocketed right after the announcement and how they consolidated after a couple of minutes at a slightly higher level. The y axis shows the actual aggregated spread of 90+ brokers expressed in percentage of its 12:25 value. In plain English, the peak around 500% means that the monitored 90+ brokers’ spreads got 5x wider at the busiest time.

EURUSD spreads NFP may

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Editors’ Picks

EUR/USD extends slide below 1.1700

EUR/USD extends slide below 1.1700

The EUR/USD pair nears its weekly low at around 1.1660 in the American session on Tuesday, retreating from the 1.1750 price zone tested earlier in the day. Cautiously optimistic markets support the US Dollar in the near term.

GBP/USD consolidates around 1.3500; looks to US macro data for fresh impetus

GBP/USD consolidates around 1.3500; looks to US macro data for fresh impetus

The GBP/USD pair oscillates in a narrow range, around the 1.3500 psychological mark during the Asian session on Wednesday, and for now, seems to have stalled the previous day's retracement slide from its highest level since September 18. Moreover, the fundamental backdrop seems tilted in favor of bullish traders and suggests that the path of least resistance for spot prices is to the upside.

USD/JPY stalls upside near 156.80 as USD meets fresh supply

USD/JPY stalls upside near 156.80 as USD meets fresh supply

USD/JPY has stalled its renewed upside near 156.80 in the Asian session on Wednesday, consolidating above 156.50. The renewed US Dollar selling remains a drag on the pair even as a cautious market mood keeps the haven demand for the Japanese Yen somewhat underpinned. All eyes are on the key US data releases. 


Editors’ Picks

AUD/USD drops and pops after softer Aussie CPI, near 0.6750

AUD/USD drops and pops after softer Aussie CPI, near 0.6750

AUD/USD reverses a quick downtick to near the 0.6720 region to test 15-month highs at around 0.6750 in Wednesday's Asian session. The pair experiences light volatile trading following the release of softer Australian consumer inflation figures, which tempered bets that the RBA could opt for a rate hike next month. 

USD/JPY stalls upside near 156.80 as USD meets fresh supply

USD/JPY stalls upside near 156.80 as USD meets fresh supply

USD/JPY has stalled its renewed upside near 156.80 in the Asian session on Wednesday, consolidating above 156.50. The renewed US Dollar selling remains a drag on the pair even as a cautious market mood keeps the haven demand for the Japanese Yen somewhat underpinned. All eyes are on the key US data releases. 

Gold sees profit-taking decline after facing rejection at $4,500

Gold sees profit-taking decline after facing rejection at $4,500

Gold price sees a decline on profit-taking after facing rejection at $4,500 in the Asian trading hours on Wednesday. Despite the pullback, the traditional safe haven remains underpinned by geopolitical tensions and expectations of Fed rate cuts. The US ADP Jobs data, JOLTS Job Openings Survey and ISM Services Purchasing Managers Index report will be published on Wednesday. 

Pump.fun prepares for early-year rally as DEX volume skyrockets

Pump.fun prepares for early-year rally as DEX volume skyrockets

Pump.fun (PUMP) is rising alongside crypto majors such as Bitcoin (BTC) and is trading above $0.002400 at the time of writing on Tuesday. The Decentralized Exchange (DEX) native token outlook builds on a bullish tone developed since December 30.

Implications of US intervention in Venezuela

Implications of US intervention in Venezuela

Events in Venezuela are top of mind for market participants, and while developments are associated with an elevated degree of uncertainty, we are not making any changes to our markets or economic forecasts as a result of the deposition of Nicolás Maduro. 

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