Building better traders

As it celebrates 30 years of success, leading online trading provider CMC Markets continues to innovate – and help a new generation of clients invest in the financial markets.

When Peter Cruddas dropped out of high school at age 15, few would have imagined he’d become a billionaire tech entrepreneur. But in 1989, the English trader started his company, CMC Markets, with just one phone, a desk and £10,000 in savings – and he’s remained an innovator in the financial sector ever since. Fast-forward 30 years and the industry – and the world – is a very different place. So, too, is CMC Markets. The global online retailtrading provider has amassed 15 offices around the globe and more than 200 awards for its products, including overall satisfaction awards as voted by Australian traders. Today, CMC Markets offers its Australian clients the opportunity to trade on the financial markets via contracts for difference (CFD) and stockbroking services. Its multi-award-winning Next Generation trading platform provides clients with access to thousands of global financial instruments anytime, anywhere via desktop or mobile – a feature that’s seeing its demographic evolve as quickly as advancements in technology are being made. “Not only does the number of products and prices in our system continue to grow, the uptime for the Next Generation platform is in excess of 99.9 per cent, meaning our traders can place a trade wherever they are, whenever the markets are open,” says Matthew Lewis, CMC Markets head of Asia-Pacific. “Clients can also benefit from automated execution with a median execution time of just four milliseconds.” Alongside increasing flexibility in accessing the markets, the advent of programmatic algorithmic trading has seen a steady uptake by younger generations. Add to this a housing market that’s becoming more difficult to enter and perhaps it’s not surprising that millennial and Gen-Z investors are flocking to alternative investment options. To help this new audience build its confidence in the markets, the company launched its own podcast series, The Artful Trader. Hosted by chief market strategist Michael McCarthy and chief market analyst Michael Hewson, the podcast features experts talking about resilience, preparation and determination – and how they can turn you into a better trader. “Our purpose is to make the financial markets truly accessible for all investors, including those just starting out,” says Lewis. “Our continued focus is on empowering traders with free education tools and resources to provide the best trading experience possible to our clients.” To find out more about CMC Markets, visit cmcmarkets.com.