Slippage, Requotes and NFA Regulation

Slippage and requotes are among the two most frustrating things that a Forex trader faces, as they cut into a trader's profits, sometimes substantially. Simply put, requotes are circumstances in which a broker cannot place a trade for the requested price, and the broker then confirms with the trader whether he or she wishes to place the trade at a different price. Requotes occur mostly around the time of a big news announcement, or more frequently with brokers who have slower than ideal trade execution times.

Similarly, slippage is a difference in the price that a trader thinks the trade will be executed at, and the price that the trade is actually placed for. Though some argue that slippage is a natural result of the volatile Forex market or the consequence of weekend trading when opening rates may not match the prior week's closing rates, experienced traders should have an idea of whether their broker engages in slippage too frequently or at times when such a misrepresentation is uncalled for.

The NFA, which has recently exercised its control over US based Forex brokers has recently flexed its muscles again, by cracking down on brokers that engage in slippage and requotes. Great news for American Forex traders – the NFA is moving to change the way requotes are implemented, so that they might sometimes be a good thing for traders.

New directives passed by the NFA in January and brought into effect at the end of March now require that just as requotes are imposed in favor of the broker, NFA regulated brokers must also offer requotes when the price moves in favor of the trader. Likewise, the NFA now requires that slippage be applied uniformly as well, regardless of how the market has fluctuated. Finally, NFA regulated Forex brokers must now provide more transparency about their slippage and requote policies. A full explanation of the new regulations are listed in Compliance Rule 2-36.