High-frequency trading (HFT) refers to a type of algorithmic trading system that conducts a large number of trades throughout the trading day within extremely narrow time frames. A piece of algo trading software may execute hundreds of trades per day, while an HFT system can execute many thousands of trades in a matter of seconds. Usually employed by institutions or professional traders, HFT systems utilize complex mathematical algorithms that rapidly analyze market prices and news events in order to identify trading opportunities.
HFT systems also demand extraordinary computing power and require advanced high-frequency trading software. These high-powered trading programs can open and close trading positions in just microseconds. Reducing latency (the time elapsed between when an order is placed and when it is executed) is of such importance for HFT trading strategies that the servers that run these advanced trading systems typically need to be within close physical proximity of the broker’s data center or trading venue.
Yes, high-frequency trading is legal. That being said, it’s possible that high-frequency trading strategies will not be permitted by your broker. Price-driven strategies (such as scalping) or latency-driven arbitrage strategies are prohibited altogether by some brokers. You should check with your broker directly to see if your HFT strategy will be allowed – and it’s always important to carefully examine your broker’s terms and conditions.
If your broker does permit HFT strategies or systems, it’s important to note the specific kinds of trading conditions that are available and to pay attention to your broker’s execution methods and trading costs. Even if your broker permits high-frequency trading, it may simply not be a feasible strategy if your broker makes it cost-prohibitive.
Though HFT systems are legal, they are also controversial. There are some well-known HFT practices that are simply illegal, such as spoofing and front-running.
Spoofing: Spoofing occurs when a high-frequency trading system rapidly places a large number of orders – and then cancels those orders before they can be executed. This strategy is done with the intent of creating an artificial sense of demand for a certain asset or instrument (or falsely driving demand downwards).
Front-running: Sometimes, HFT traders (or institutions) are able to identify significant impending orders for a certain asset or instrument within the market – before the orders are executed. This is (typically) done illegally, with insider (or, non-public) information. Then these traders or institutions are able to use the speed of HFT systems to quickly buy large amounts of that asset, which can be turned around and sold at a profit.
All that being said, over the last 20 years or so I have seen rules and regulations put in place to prevent practices like front-running, and to generally uphold market integrity and protect market participants. For example, some securities exchanges have implemented a universal speed bump that slows down all incoming orders in an attempt to level the playing field. Today, HFT strategies that are latency-driven or solely looking for price arbitrage are prohibited altogether by many forex market brokers and trading venues.
What are the best stock brokers for high-frequency trading?
Our research team has tested a wide range of stock brokers that offer algorithmic trading, API access, and cash equities. Thanks to its low trading costs and connectivity to over 100 trading venues across the globe, Interactive Brokers is our top pick for high-frequency trading. If you want to read more about Interactive Brokers’ stock trading offering, you can read the full-length review of Interactive Brokers on our sister site, StockBrokers.com.
Check out a gallery of screenshots from Interactive Brokers’ mobile stock trading app taken by the research team at our sister site, StockBrokers.com, during their product testing.
The following brokers are our top picks for using high-frequency trading strategies to trade stocks:
Can you do high-frequency trading on a mobile app?
Generally speaking, it isn't possible to run true high-frequency trading software from your mobile device. That being said, there are a number of third-party solutions that allow traders to run algo trading software on a variety of platforms and devices. For example, Capitalise.ai is a tool that allows you to build algorithmic HFT systems using natural (code-free) language. Trading with Capitalise.ai is not done on the typical scale of HFT, but it still offers a form of algorithmic trading that – for now – is as close as you'll get to running a full-fledged HFT strategy from your mobile device.
The following forex brokers offer Capitalize.ai for trading forex algorithmically:
smartphoneTrading on the go?
Check out my guide to the best mobile forex trading apps to learn more about mobile trading and to find my top picks for the best mobile trading apps.
Can you do high-frequency trading with forex?
Yes, there are many algorithmic trading programs that can be used by traders in the forex market to trade at a high frequency – sometimes thousands of orders per day. Though HFT software is typically found at institutional trading desks, it is becoming more common for retail forex traders to gain access to algorithmic trading programs – including those that could meet the definition of being an HFT.
To set up a high-frequency trading strategy for forex, you’ll need to determine what kind of strategy you will employ, and decide how orders will be triggered programmatically – regardless of whether you are using a trading API with your own software or a third-party trading platform such as MetaTrader.
Check out our full-length guide to the best brokers with Trading APIs, as well as our guide to the best MetaTrader brokers.
HFT strategies that are more price-sensitive will likely use limit orders, whereas execution-sensitive strategies may use market orders.
Note: Many brokers offer multiple execution methods across their account types and platforms.
Is high-frequency forex trading profitable?
Yes, high-frequency trading strategies can be profitable for forex traders. That being said, all trading strategies – including those that utilise HFT systems – involve risk. When considering any forex trading strategy, it’s important to remember that the vast majority of retail forex traders lose money. Finding success and making money with an HFT system will depend largely on which HFT system you’ve chosen, and on your HFT program’s configurations.
Choosing an HFT system: Thousands of individual HFT programs can be leased or purchased from third-party developers. One such source for third-party HFT systems is MetaTrader’s MQL5 community – you can learn more about MetaTrader and MQL5 by reading our popular MetaTrader 5 guide.
Check out a gallery of screenshots of the MQL Dashboard and Source Library, taken by our research team.
Note: Leasing or purchasing a third-party HFT system does not guarantee success or profitability, however, and any program’s overall effectiveness will still rely on the quality of its historical data and its actual live trading results, among other factors.
How do I get started with HFT trading?
HFT and algorithmic trading are nearly synonymous when it comes to retail trading. Most retail traders that dabble in HFT start out with commercially-available algorithmic trading systems that are compatible with popular trading platforms, such as MetaTrader, cTrader, and NinjaTrader.
If you decide to build your own HFT system, you’ll need to test your strategy by performing backtests on historical data. It’s important to use that data to get an idea of how your system would have performed before using it on a forward-testing basis.
Retail vs. Institutional: Retail trading systems for HFT might carry out tens or thousands of trades per day, whereas institutional HFT systems can execute thousands of trades per minute. These systems require advanced (and extremely expensive) equipment, as well as the ability to physically co-locate near the exchange or trading venue.
What is the best forex broker for high-frequency trading?
IC Markets is the best broker for traders who are looking to run high-frequency trading strategies for forex and CFDs, thanks to its robust order execution policy, low trading costs, and the option for FIX API connectivity to its cTrader platform. Our research team has conducted extensive testing on IC Markets’ entire product offering, check out our full-length review of IC Markets to read more about our findings.
Check out a gallery of screenshots from IC Markets’ desktop trading platform, taken by our research team during our product testing.
If you are looking to run your HFT systems at IC Markets, you have the option to either build it on MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) using the MQL syntax, or use the cTrader platform outright (or via API). “MQL” is MetaQuotes Software’s own programming language, designed to allow programmers to develop scripts, libraries, and technical indicators. You can learn more about MQL and MetaTrader by reading our full guide to MetaTrader 5 or by checking out my MT4 vs MT5 guide.
computerTrading APIs
There's a wide range of third-party applications that can be used to programmatically connect to FIX APIs for the purpose of trading using an HFT system, and open-source code can be found on Github. For more in-depth information about trading APIs, read our guide to the best brokers for trading APIs.
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill
