Best Livestock Brokers 2025
We test and list top brokers with Livestock trading in 2025.
-
1Plus500 is a reputable broker that began operating in the US in 2021. It is accredited by the CFTC and NFA to provide futures trading on forex, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and interest rates. The creation of an account on Plus500 takes only 10 minutes, and you need a minimum of $100 to start trading. Its user-friendly web platform makes it a strong choice for US traders.
-
2
Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 4.5 Established in 1999, FOREX.com is part of StoneX, a global financial services company that serves over a million customers. It's regulated in the US, UK, EU, Australia, and other countries. The broker offers a wide range of markets beyond forex and provides competitive pricing on advanced platforms. -
3
Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 3.0 InstaTrade, located in the British Virgin Islands, is an online broker that focuses on structured fixed income products and active trading via CFDs. Its no-spread accounts, outstanding research primarily from InstaTrade TV, and access to the well-known MT4 and InstaTrade Gear make it a good choice for traders of all levels. -
4
Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 4.8 Pepperstone, established in Australia in 2010, is a highly-regarded forex and CFD broker serving more than 400,000 international clients. It provides access to over 1,300 instruments through leading trading platforms such as MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView, while keeping fees relatively low and transparent. The company is regulated by known authorities including FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, offering a safe trading environment for all. -
5
Trust Platform Assets Fees Accounts Research Education Mobile Support 4.7 Established in 1989, CMC Markets is a reputable brokerage firm authorized by various top regulators such as the FCA, ASIC and CIRO, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They boast a global client base of over 1 million traders and have received numerous awards.
Compare Brokers
Safety Comparison
Compare how safe the Best Livestock Brokers 2025 are.
Mobile Trading Comparison
Compare the mobile trading features of the Best Livestock Brokers 2025.
Comparison for Beginners
Compare how suitable the Best Livestock Brokers 2025 are for beginners.
Comparison for Advanced Traders
Compare how suitable the Best Livestock Brokers 2025 are for advanced or professional traders.
Accounts Comparison
Compare the trading accounts offered by Best Livestock Brokers 2025.
Detailed Rating Comparison
Compare how we rated the Best Livestock Brokers 2025 in key areas.
Fee and Cost Comparison
Compare the cost of trading with the Best Livestock Brokers 2025.
Broker Popularity
See how popular the Best Livestock Brokers 2025 are in terms of number of clients.
Broker | Popularity |
---|---|
InstaTrade |
|
Pepperstone |
|
FOREX.com |
|
CMC Markets |
|
Why Trade With Plus500 US?
Plus500 US is an excellent choice for beginners, offering a user-friendly platform, low trading margins, and access to the Futures Academy to improve trading skills. Its strong tools and reliable service earned it second place in DayTrading.com's 'Best US Broker' award.
Pros
- The account setup, pricing structure, and web platform make futures trading simpler than competitors like NinjaTrader.
- Plus500 US stands out due to its affordable fees for trading. It offers competitive margins and does not charge for inactivity, live data, routing, or platform usage.
- Plus500 is a respected publicly traded company. It boasts an impressive base of over 24 million traders and sponsors the Chicago Bulls, adding to its credibility.
Cons
- Testing showed fast response times for support, but phone aid is not available.
- The private trading platform is easy to use, but doesn't have the advanced analysis tools that platforms like MetaTrader 4 do.
- Plus500 US doesn't include social trading features, unlike platforms such as eToro US. Including this feature may benefit potential traders.
Why Trade With FOREX.com?
FOREX.com is a top-tier brokerage suitable for forex traders of all skill levels. It offers more than 80 currency pairs, has small spreads starting from 0.0 pips, and features low fees. The platform provides powerful charting tools that include over 100 technical indicators and multiple research aids.
Pros
- FOREX.com provides top-tier forex pricing beginning at 0.0 pips. They also offer competitive cashback rebates up to 15% for dedicated traders.
- Numerous educational materials such as tutorials, webinars, and a comprehensive YouTube channel are available to assist you in learning about the financial markets.
- The Web Trader remains one of the top platforms for budding traders, boasting a sleek design and more than 80 technical indicators for market analysis.
Cons
- Demo accounts have a limited time duration of 90 days, which may not be sufficient for thoroughly testing trading strategies.
- The funding options are not as extensive as those of top competitors such as IC Markets and lack several widely-used e-wallets, particularly UnionPay and POLi.
- FOREX.com has expanded their trading offerings, but these remain limited to forex and CFDs. Unfortunately, they don't provide options to invest in actual stocks, ETFs, or cryptocurrencies.
Why Trade With InstaTrade?
InstaTrade provides active trading on an extensive platform. It has a unique offering known as Fixed Income Structured Product (FISP), which allows for passive investment. Investors can potentially earn up to a 50% return within 6 months, provided certain conditions are fulfilled.
Pros
- VPS hosting is suitable for algorithmic trading strategies. It uses a dedicated server to offer quick execution speeds, potentially as fast as 9 milliseconds.
- InstaTrade provides a high-quality range of charting tools for traders. Its web trader includes over 250 indicators, 11 types of charts and a design that's easy to use.
- InstaTrade TV provides video interviews and insightful market information about stocks, cryptocurrencies, and more. It assists in identifying opportunities for quick trading.
Cons
- InstaTrade is registered in the British Virgin Islands, providing minimal regulatory protections for retail traders.
- InstaTrade's learning resources are helpful for new traders but are not as organized or comprehensive as those provided by top companies such as eToro.
- The advertising of FISP, specifically about its "profit guarantee" and "risk-free trading," creates unease.
Why Trade With Pepperstone?
Pepperstone is a leading choice for trading with low spreads, quick execution, and advanced charting for experienced traders. New traders benefit from no minimum deposit, a wealth of educational resources, and 24/7 support. Operating under ASIC regulation, Pepperstone is a top option for Australian traders and won DayTrading.com's 'Best Aus Broker' award for 2025.
Pros
- Pepperstone has won several annual DayTrading.com awards, including 'Best Overall Broker' in 2025 and 'Best Forex Broker' runner-up in 2025.
- Pepperstone provides impressive transaction completion speeds, averaging about 30ms. This allows for quick order processing and execution, making it suitable for traders.
- Support for numerous top-charting platforms such as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and cTrader. These cater to different short-term trading styles, including algorithmic trading.
Cons
- Despite market improvements, the crypto options provided are fewer compared to other brokers like eToro, with no chance to buy actual coins.
- Pepperstone's demo accounts last for 30 days. This might be insufficient for learning the various platforms and testing trading strategies.
- Pepperstone does not support cTrader Copy, a popular feature in the cTrader platform available at alternatives like IC Markets, though it has launched an intuitive copy trading app.
Why Trade With CMC Markets?
CMC Markets offers a great online platform for traders. It has advanced charting tools and a wide variety of CFDs to trade, including a large selection of currencies and customized indices. It caters to traders at all levels.
Pros
- CMC provides great pricing, with narrow spreads and low fees for trading except for stock CFDs. The Alpha and Price+ programs also give benefits to active traders, including up to 40% spread discounts.
- The brokerage excels by offering various useful resources. These include scanners that identify trading patterns, webinars, tutorials, updates from news outlets, and research from esteemed companies like Morningstar.
- CMC Markets is strictly overseen by respected finance entities, helping to ensure safe and reliable trading. Its excellent reputation ensures a secure trading environment.
Cons
- The CMC Markets app provides full trading services, but its design and user experience are not as good as leading competitors such as eToro.
- CMC provides a commendable range of assets, but lacks support for actual stock trading and UK customers are unable to trade cryptocurrencies.
- A $10 monthly inactivity fee is charged after one year of no trading activity. This could discourage occasional traders.
Filters
Understanding Livestock Trading
Livestock trading involves buying and selling contracts based on meat production, like cattle and pigs. It lets traders make money by predicting how meat prices will change.
What is Livestock Trading?
At its core, livestock trading is about buying and selling farm animals indirectly by using financial contracts called futures. These contracts protect livestock businesses from losing money when unexpected events happen, like bad weather or disease outbreaks.
– Futures Contracts: Think of a futures contract as a promise. Farmers use these promises to lock in a price to sell animals in the future. Traders, who aren’t farmers, buy these promises hoping to make money if prices change in their favor.
– Trading Platforms: The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is a big market for these trades, while others use Brazil’s exchange and online platforms.
– Types of Livestock: Main categories include Cattle and Lean Hogs. Cattle are further divided into Feeder Cattle (young calves) and Live Cattle (ready for slaughter).
Market Factors Affecting Livestock
Many things affect the prices in livestock trading.
Seasonality
– Prices can go up and down certain times of the year, like rising for cattle in barbecue season or for hogs during Christmas.
Livestock Cycle
– Farmers will grow or shrink their herds based on demand and prices. This affects supply and eventually, the prices.
Supply Factors
– Weather: Bad weather impacts animal growth.
– Feed Prices: Costs of grains like corn affect how many animals farmers can afford to raise.
– Disease: Outbreaks can drop prices as fewer animals are available.
Consumer Demand
– People’s preferences, population, and incomes influence how much meat is bought and sold.
How To Trade Livestock
Several ways exist to trade livestock. Here are the most common:
Futures
– How It Works: Futures allow for buying livestock at a future date for an agreed price. They are traditional but can be complex and expensive.
Options
– What They Are: Like futures but offer flexibility on price ceilings and floors, so they aren’t as risky.
CFDs (Contracts for Difference)
– Description: Lets you bet on price differences without actually owning the livestock. They’re flexible and usually cheaper to start with.
ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)
– Inventories: These are bundles of investments, offering a safer way to get into livestock trading. They’re not as volatile as futures or CFDs.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Livestock Trading
Pros
- Increased meat consumption in new markets
- Variety of trading options available
- Acts as a hedge against inflation
Cons
- Prices can change rapidly in the short term
- Futures trading can be costly
How to Begin Trading Livestock
Step 1: Choose Your Trading Method
– Options: Futures are popular but complex. Options and CFDs are more flexible, while ETFs are good for steady, long-term investments.
Step 2: Select Your Trading Platform
– Choosing the Right Broker: Look for brokers like eToro and CityIndex, and consider factors like fees, platform features, and reliability.
Step 3: Create a Trading Strategy
– Example Strategies: Combine knowledge on cattle and hog pricing dynamics with seasonal trends and government reports to strategize your trades effectively.
Step 4: Execute Your First Trade
– Execution: Decide if you believe market prices will rise (bullish) or fall (bearish) and choose the appropriate contract to buy.
Trading Tips for Success
– Keep informed about grain prices as they impact livestock costs.
– Have a risk management plan in place.
– Understand how different livestock types affect each other.
– Be mindful of seasonal meat demands.
– Use official reports to gauge market movements.
Conclusion
Livestock trading is a longstanding and diverse market involving cattle and hogs. It depends greatly on understanding production cycles, external factors, and economic links. Use the guide above to get started and improve your chances in the livestock trading market.
FAQs
What Are the Livestock Trading Hours?
– Most trading is via the CME, from 08:30 to 13:05 CT.
Can Livestock Markets Be Used for Trading?
– Yes, traders often use more flexible tools like CFDs and options.
How to Choose a Broker for Livestock Trading?
– Check which broker suits your needs, focusing on spreads, leverage, and platform features.
Is There a Livestock Trading App?
– Yes, brokers like eToro and forex.com offer mobile apps for trading on the go.
What Are the Livestock Trading Markets?
– The main markets include Lean Hogs, Feeder Cattle, and Live Cattle.