Razor Gold: what is it and how does it work?
What is Razor Gold?
Razor Gold is a commission-based pricing model for trading spot gold (XAU/USD) on a Pepperstone Razor account. It’s designed to give you more transparent execution costs, and pricing closer to institutional trading environments.
Rather than incorporating all trading costs into a single spread, Razor Gold separates pricing into two distinct components:
- • Raw market spreads
- • A fixed commission per trade
This means you’ll typically see tighter spreads, while commission is charged separately.
How does Razor Gold pricing work?
When you trade gold, your primary trading cost is usually the spread – the difference between the buy and sell price.
With traditional spread-only pricing, our costs are incorporated into the spread. This means that the displayed spread is typically wider than the underlying market price.
Razor Gold separates these costs differently. Instead of widening the market spread to include our costs, you gain access to tighter raw spreads while paying a separate fixed commission.
| Standard spread-only pricing | Razor Gold pricing |
| Wider all-inclusive spread | Tighter raw spread |
| No separate commission | Fixed commission charged |
| Trading costs bundled together | Spread and commission shown separately |
While your overall trading costs may remain broadly comparable in many market conditions, the pricing structure itself becomes more transparent.
What are raw spreads?
Raw spreads are spreads that more closely reflect underlying market pricing before additional markups are applied. Because the spread itself is tighter, we charge a separate commission to cover execution costs. This pricing structure is already widely used across forex markets and is particularly popular among active traders who monitor spreads closely.
Raw spreads can fluctuate depending on market liquidity and volatility, meaning displayed pricing may move dynamically throughout the trading day.
Why do some traders prefer commission-based pricing?
For many traders, commission-based pricing offers greater clarity around how execution costs are structured. Instead of seeing one combined spread, you can separately identify:
- • The underlying market spread
- • The broker commission
This can make it easier to:
- • Analyse trading costs more precisely
- • Monitor pricing consistency across sessions
- • Estimate round-trip trading costs before entering positions
If you trade frequently, this additional transparency can be particularly useful when comparing trading conditions across products or platforms.
Who is Razor Gold designed for?
Razor Gold is generally suited to traders who prefer active trading conditions and more detailed pricing visibility. It may appeal to you if you:
- • Trade gold regularly
- • Use scalping or intraday strategies
- • Closely monitor spreads and execution
- • Already use Razor pricing for forex trading
- • Prefer institutional-style pricing models
What are the potential advantages of Razor Gold?
Greater pricing transparency
You’ll see spreads and commission displayed separately, making execution costs easier to analyse.
See raw spreads in real time
Get a clearer view of live market conditions with spreads that more closely reflect underlying market pricing.
Familiar structure for FX traders
Already trade FX on a Razor account? Razor Gold gives you the same consistent, intuitive pricing structure.
Built for active trading styles
High-frequency trader? Small pricing differences can have a greater impact across large volumes or frequent trades. Razor Gold provides the visibility you need to monitor spread changes closely, enabling you to act when it’s most beneficial to your strategy.
Are there any drawbacks?
Commission-based pricing can initially feel more complex than spread-only pricing, particularly if you’re newer to trading. Some traders prefer seeing all costs bundled into one spread rather than calculating spread and commission separately.
If you trade less frequently, simplicity may feel more important than detailed pricing visibility. Ultimately, the most suitable model depends on your personal trading preferences and strategy.
Can I still choose spread-only pricing?
If you prefer keeping everything bundled into a single spread, you can still trade gold using our Standard pricing model. Razor Gold simply gives you another option if you’d rather see raw spreads and commission separately.
Final thoughts
Razor Gold gives you a more transparent way to trade XAU/USD. Instead of wrapping all trading costs into the spread, it separates raw spreads and commission so you can see pricing more clearly – just like how many traders already trade forex on Razor accounts.
If you actively trade gold and pay close attention to execution costs, Razor Gold gives you more visibility into how they are structured. However, if you’d rather one all-inclusive spread, Standard pricing is still available too.