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NASDAQ and NYSE hire market makers which are basically traders and dealers. Their role is simply to raise the liquidity of the exchange. They also help their respective exchanges in providing more efficient and fluid trading while maintaining an orderly and fair markets. In short, market makers facilitate the smooth running of the financial markets.
Specialists on the other hand are the ones who work on the trading floor of NYSE and facilitate trades of specific stocks. They can be considered as a type of market maker.
In this article titled Market Makers vs Specialists, we will try to discover what the similarities and differences are between the two. Do note here that Nasdaq has no trading floor. It is an electronic market and has a computer network. It also relies on several market makers for such stocks which are actively being traded on the exchange.
The Nasdaq exchange compiles of several large investment companies and these companies trade through an electronic network. So, each security listed has multiple market makers, approximately fourteen if you take the average into account. These market makers provide efficient and liquidity trading.
Maintaining their own inventories, these market makers buy and sell stocks from it to dealers and customers. They facilitate competitive prices and hence the best price is quoted to investors.
Hiring or employing market makers mean willingness of the exchange to trade securities of specific companies to dealers and brokers who are members of the exchange. Hence, it is a system to facilitate the smooth flow of the markets. It provides assistance to traders and investors when buying and selling.
If there is no such market maker, the exchange may experience less overall investment activity and even insufficient transactions.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is traded in person, unlike the Nasdaq that is traded on an electronic network. The NYSE is traded on a trading floor and hence specialists here need to fulfill more duties compared to market makers on Nasdaq.
Bids and asks in NYSE are forwarded competitively by traders and investors. Specialists post such bids and asks to ensure things are accurate and done in a timely manner. They also ensure the best price is being maintained on the trading floor.
The specialist is also entitled to the open price of specific stocks each morning and this may not the same as the closing price of the previous day.
Specialists accept limit orders which are relayed by traders and investors through dealers, brokers, or electronic trading. However, it is their role to ensure such orders are also transacted aptly on behalf of others.
As the specialists have direct contacts with bidders and sellers, both parties in the trade ensure each other have ample interest for a stock. If the trade is not matched, the specialists seek such investors who were lately active on the exchange. This is a catalyst role.
The specialists also provide shares if the market is undergoing a buying frenzy phase. They do so up until the price has stabilized. If there is a large selloff, they buy shares for their own inventory.
In the same way, when there is an imbalance in the demand and supply of a specific stock, the market makers in Nasdaq here act as a principal and make adjustments from their own inventory.
In this article titled Market Makers vs Specialists, we tried to focus on the roles and duties of the two. We found market makers employed in Nasdaq and specialists are an important part of NYSE and they are a kind of market maker. Both work for the smooth functioning of the exchanges and both play important roles in improving the liquidity of the exchanges.
Before we wrap up it is also important to understand that Nasdaq has no real trading floor, unlike the NYSE. It is traded on an electronic network.
Traders who are seeking to trade on these two exchanges are suggested to understand these better and not to be carried away by surprising fluctuations of the markets. It is assumed that both market makers and specialists are able to keep the proper functioning smooth and balanced.
We've collected thousands of datapoints and written a guide to help you find the best Market Makers Vs Specialists for you. We hope this guide helps you find a reputable broker that matches what you need. We list the what we think are the best below. You can go straight to the broker list here.
There are a number of important factors to consider when picking an online trading brokerage.
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Here are the top .
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eToro
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IC Markets
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XTB
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AvaTrade
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Roboforex
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FP Markets
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Plus500
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Pepperstone
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EasyMarkets
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XM
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FXPrimus
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Regulation | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Markets In Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Financial Services Authority (FSA), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), FCA number FRN 522157, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), CySEC Licence Number: 169/12, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores, Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego, Belize International Financial Services Commission (IFSC) under license number IFSC/60/413/TS/19, Polish Securities and Exchange Commission (KPWiG) | Central Bank of Ireland, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Financial Services Authority (FSA), South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), Financial Stability Board (FSB), Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM), Financial Regulatory Services Authority (FRSA), British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI) | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | Plus500UK Ltd authorized & regulated by the FCA (#509909), Plus500CY Ltd authorized & regulated by CySEC (#250/14), Plus500AU Pty Ltd (ACN 153301681), ASIC in Australia AFSL #417727, FMA in New Zealand, FSP #486026 and Authorised Financial Services Provider in South Africa FSP #47546 | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA), Pepperstone Markets Limited is incorporated in The Bahamas (number 177174 B), Licensed by the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) number SIA-F217 | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) | International Financial Services Commission (IFSC), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), Markets In Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) |
Min Deposit | 200 | 200 | No minimum deposit | 250 | 1 | 100 | 100 | 200 | 100 | 5 | 100 |
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Used By | 17,000,000+ | 180,000+ | 250,000+ | 200,000+ | 10,000+ | 10,000+ | 15,500+ | 10,000+ | 142,500+ | 70,000+ | 10,000+ |
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Platforms | Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, MT5, Mirror Trader, ZuluTrade, Web Trader, cTrader, Mac | MT4, Mirror Trader, Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | Web Trader, MT4, MT5, AvaTradeGo, AvaOptions, Mac, Mobile Apps, ZuluTrade, DupliTrade, MQL5 | MT4, MT5, Mac, Web Trader, cTrader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, MT5, IRESS, Mac, Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, MT5, Mac, ZuluTrade, Web Trader, cTrader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, MT5, Mac, Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps | MT4, Mac, Mirror Trader, Web Trader, Tablet & Mobile apps |
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Up with fxprimus |
Risk Warning | 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. | Losses can exceed deposits | 79% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | 72% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider | Losses can exceed deposits | Losses can exceed deposits | 76.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79.3% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money | Your capital is at risk | Your capital is at risk | Losses can exceed deposits |
Demo |
eToro Demo |
IC Markets Demo |
XTB Demo |
AvaTrade Demo |
Roboforex Demo |
FP Markets Demo |
Plus500 Demo |
Pepperstone Demo |
easyMarkets Demo |
XM Demo |
FXPrimus Demo |
Excluded Countries | IR, KP, BE, CA, JP, SY, TR, IL, BY, AL, MD, MK, RS, GN, CD, SD, ZW, ET, GH, TZ, LY, UG, ZM, BW, RW, TN, SO, NA, TG, SL, LR, GM, DJ, CI, PK, BN, TW, WS, NP, SG, VI, TM, TJ, UZ, LK, TT, HT, MM, BT, MH, MV, KZ, GD, FJ, BB, BM, BS, AG, AI, AW, LB, SV, US, PY, HN, GT, PR, NI, VG, AN, | AF, GN, SL, BW, IR, SY, MM, IQ, TG, KH, LS, YE, CI , LR, ZW, CU, LY, TZ, CG, ML, BO, LR, NE, AO, GM, NG, AG, GH, KR, KG, GN, SN, NA | US, IN, PK, BD, NG , ID, BE | BE, BR, KP, NZ, TR, US, CA, SG | US, JP | US, JP, NZ | MY, BE, US, CA, CN, ID, PH, TG, NG, DO, MA, ZW, PR, TZ, TN, UG, BW, AO, AE | BR, KR, IR, IQ, SY, JP, US | US | US, CA, IL, KR, IR, MM, CU, SD, SY | AF, CI, CU, IQ, IR, LY, MM, KR, SD, PR, US, AU, SY, DZ, JP, EC. |
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