Most foreign exchange brokers offering accounts to retail traders operate in one of two ways. It is unlikely that you will be enrolling with a broker who has their own dealing desk. Rather more likely, you will be having a look at either an ECN broker or a market maker. ECN foreign exchange brokers use the Electronic Communication Network, a world online marketplace that caters for many different sorts of trader from retail to the massive banks and market makers. The spread on the ECN is little, infrequently just about non existent, so brokers using this network will often either add 2 pips to the genuine spread or charge commission or costs per deal.
ECN brokers are usually better for scalpers and will even welcome them because they’re dealing without delay with a big market. They are also sometimes well controlled. ECN brokers also tend to offer fewer charts and may have a less user friendly dealing system because they don’t seem to be especially planning to attract newbies. They tend to presume that you know what you are doing and have a paid subscription to do your technical research some place else.