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      Trade CFDs on key US shares 24/5.

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      Discover our tight spreads, plus all other possble fees

    • Trading hours
    • Maintenance schedule
    • Risk management
    • Funding and withdrawals
    • Forex

      Get great rates on majors like EUR/USD, plus minors and exotics

    • Commodities

      Trade on metals, energies & softs, with oil spreads from 2 cents

    • Cryptocurrencies

      Speculate on Bitcoin, Ether and more, with a trusted broker

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      Trade through supercharts with tight spreads

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      Explore the apex in trading automation with our execution tech

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    • cTrader
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      Latest news and analysis from our experts

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      Your regular round-up of key events

    • Meet the analysts

      Our global team giving your trading the edge

    • Who we are

      Pepperstone was born from the dream of making trading better

    • Company news
    • Company awards
    • Protecting clients online
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Beginner

What should I be aware of when using an EA with a broker?

While most EAs and strategies are allowed to be used at the discretion of the trader, it’s important to be mindful of some EA etiquette and to be aware of the types of strategies that are not allowed. 

For example, using a latency arbitrage EA, or an EA engaged in front-running or insider trading, is not allowed. The latter is illegal. Some brokers may not allow hyperactive EAs.

There are a couple of things you can do to ensure your EA can be used without issues. The first relates to message frequency. Where possible, you want to limit the number of messages the EA sends to the server to less than 30,000 in a day. This is a very high range already, so if it's sending more than this, there’s a problem with your EA. This is what’s known as a hyperactive EA, and typically occurs where excessively frequent changes are made to orders (we’re talking nearly every second) or where your EA is trying to place trades which you don’t have the capital for.

Such EAs can cause issues for a broker’s server during times where it needs to process a high volume of orders, and if not rectified the EA may be banned from use. Generally this can be fixed by throttling the frequency by which the EA can make changes to orders, or by building logic to check the free margin of the account before placing order open requests.

If a broker doesn’t allow high frequency EAs, you can limit the number of orders it sends per day, or change the criteria for which it will place orders.

Pepperstone doesn’t represent that the material provided here is accurate, current or complete, and therefore shouldn’t be relied upon as such. The information provided here, whether from a third party or not, isn’t to be considered as a recommendation; or an offer to buy or sell; or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any security, financial product or instrument; or to participate in any particular trading strategy. We advise any readers of this content to seek their own advice. Without the approval of Pepperstone, reproduction or redistribution of this information isn’t permitted.

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Risk warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75.1% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs 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.

Trading derivatives is risky. It isn't suitable for everyone and, in the case of Professional clients, you could lose substantially more than your initial investment. You don't own or have rights in the underlying assets. Past performance is no indication of future performance and tax laws are subject to change. The information on this website is general in nature and doesn't take into account your or your client's personal objectives, financial circumstances, or needs. Please read our legal documents and ensure you fully understand the risks before you make any trading decisions. We encourage you to seek independent advice.

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