Our Optimus Futures review breaks down this U.S. futures brokerage firm. Optimus has highly rated customer service, and has been around since 2005. They have high-end trading tech and a choice of data feeds for futures, options, Forex, and bitcoin derivatives from various exchanges.
Table of Contents
Optimus Futures Review Introduction
Optimus Futures has a wide range of data feeds, platforms, and clearinghouses, not so different from other options. However, their customer focus is their differentiator. Optimus Futures has something for every type of trader. From beginner to experienced professional, including personalized guidance and customizable technology.
Beginning futures traders will be pleased with their educational resources. For example, self-help guides and videos, allowing the newb to get up and trading quickly. The experienced trader will enjoy the customization allowed with O.F.’s advanced trading platforms. Including tools for perfecting trading strategies and low latency data.
O.F. also offers a free news trading platform to its users, a perk available in other equity platforms but not for most commodities programs. The news platform can be custom-tailored to provide real-time financial market news adding to your analysis. Let’s continue with our Optimus Futures review.
Optimus Flow Platform
Let’s do an Optimus Futures review of their platform. After all, this is the foundation of every trader’s success. If your platform stinks, so will your trading. The Optimus Flow trading platform is quite intuitive. There are interactive, customizable panels to build your perfect trading screen.
What’s more, you have several charting features with live data. This includes Depth of Market, over 40 built-in indicators, and strategy backtesting. We found that order execution was faster than usual.
O.F. has both a desktop and mobile app called CQG for Android and iOS. This allows for trading on the go and access when you may need it.
There are two versions of the program; a paid and a free version. The paid version obviously comes with a wider array of features. But you can sign up for a two-week trial of the paid version for free to check it out. The functionality that comes with the free trial is as follows:
- Depth of Market (DOM) Surface Track liquidity changes with their order book and the participant activity with the Heatmap
- Volume Analysis Tools – for price analysis, including volume profiles, cluster chart, time stats, historical time and scales, time histogram, price stats, and a volume impact indicator
- TPO Profile Chart – showing price distribution during a defined period. This reveals the level where the price has spent the most time.
These functions allow you to see the trading volume and the order book. This is unavailable to most traders. It does provide a better overview or a trade. There are also 3rd party addons available like MultiCharts, Sierra Chart, as R | Trader Pro, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView, to name a few (full list here).
Learning
While most experienced traders have their systems down or continuously refine them, a brokerage can aid with actionable insights. These insights include error prevention and market knowledge for opportunity identification. But with markets ever-changing, no one knows everything.
And the best brokers will provide info to help with trading goals. Hence this Optimus Futures review. O.F. is in the upper tier in the industry for support and guidance provided to self-directed traders in their preferred format.
- Self-help guides – from first steps to advanced techniques
- Online videos – 46 different YouTube playlists and a slew of other videos to aid in knowledge
- Third-party market news and research – depends on the clearing firm selected, incudes Hightower Research and others.
- Podcasts – nearly 100 episodes of audio and video podcasts with new episodes about every ten days. Topics include trading psychology, risk management, and day trading strategies.
- Blog – produced about once a week covering a vast array of futures trading for every level of trader.
- Futures Trading Community – There are discussions about trading-related and technical subjects rather than forum warriors or pump and dump garbage. O.F. monitors for software improvements and questions and gives excellent/timely feedback to users.
What Does Optimus Futures Cost? (Pricing Review)
Our Optimus Futures review found that they have very competitive commissions. Their margin quote is fully transparent; unlike other companies that hide a trade’s price. There are free trading platforms, personalized training from a platform technician. And one-on-one support for anything trading-related. The minimum balance required is only $500.
Individual and joint brokerage accounts are available, including trusts and IRAs for traders in most countries, allowing for self-managed personalized portfolios with futures, F.X., options, automated systems, or managed accounts.
Clients wishing to seek enhanced growth with a portion of their IRA can trade futures in a Traditional, Rollover, or Roth IRA.
Customer Service
An Optimus Futures review found that they have excellent customer service. Reaching a highly trained staff member is accessible via the phone, email, chat, or remote session. Nothing is a problem until it is one. And if you’ve ever had trouble with a broker, you know this well.
Having immediate access to someone who knows what they’re doing with the software, understands markets, and wants you to improve your skills and abilities, rather than a salesperson in the Philippines or India, can save you from headaches and losses. Especially when needed.
Funds Protection
U.S.-based, O.F. is a National Futures Association member (id 0481133) and registered with the CFTC. Funds are also segregated at the FCM (Futures Commission Merchant), meaning it is only for your use, not for the FCM’s operation. Segregation isn’t required of all U.S.-based financial institutions (only registered FCMs). And non-U.S. companies may or may not require segregation of funds. However, this policy is essential to keep funds safe and is sound practice to look for. Which is a plus for this Optimus Futures review.
Optimus Futures Review Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this Optimus Futures review. We want to have the right trading ideas to develop solid techniques using accessible technology at reasonable costs with any platform. Optimus Futures checks all these boxes while adding quality to the mix.
This feature set is sadly a unique combination and what should be expected from a top-of-the-line brokerage. This, however, is the kind of product Optimus Futures is supplying its customers and can therefore easily be recommended. This recommendation is bolstered by their 100% “excellent” Trustpilot reviews. Any level of trader will be pleased with O.F.’s quality.
As always, never put at risk with a single position more than you can afford to lose, and good luck with all your trades.