In the first part of our Introduction to Forex we talked about basic concepts and characteristics of Forex trading. In this part the focus is on the different types of Forex brokers. This should give you a clearer picture of how the Forex machine works, and how to select the right broker.

There are three main types of Forex brokers out there, namely Market Maker brokers, Electronic Communications Network (ECN) brokers and Straight Through Processing (STP) brokers. Each type operates and makes money in a different way, and it is important to know the difference before deciding which one to use.

Market Maker brokers are the most common. They are named Market Makers because they essentially “make” the market for their customers – they buy when a trader wants to sell and they sell when a trader wants to buy. Using a Market Maker broker, you will ...