24
RAby u/rafaelribeiro·1hQuestion

Prop Firm Spreads and Execution — Realistic Expectations?

Been trading through various prop firms for a while now, primarily focused on majors and some tech like $TSLA (currently at $375.76). One persistent issue is the spread differential compared to a direct retail broker. On $AUDCAD (0.98049 now), I'm consistently seeing a wider average spread and often slippage during volatility spikes that seems disproportionate.

Are others experiencing this consistently? Is it just the cost of doing business with a prop firm model, reflecting their own prime broker costs, or are some firms genuinely offering tighter spreads and better execution? Trying to figure out if my expectations are off, or if there's a significant variance in the 'broker' side of these firms. Payout reliability is solid with my current firm, but the execution overhead is eating into profitability more than anticipated.

3 comments · 24 points

3 Comments

SFu/santos_farid·59m

I've definitely noticed the same on AUDCAD and other pairs. It's not always just the spread; sometimes the fill price seems a bit off even when the market isn't going crazy. You really have to factor it into your edge calculations if you're with a prop firm, as it can eat into your profitability more than you'd expect.

6
PAu/pablobrown·30m

Yeah, it's a common complaint with prop firms, especially during news events or high volatility. They have their own liquidity providers, often with a markup.

1
MVu/menon_vikram·59m

It's a pretty common observation, unfortunately. Prop firms have to make their money somewhere, and wider spreads or less favorable execution during volatile times is often how they do it. It's built into their business model, especially if they're offering high leverage with relatively low capital requirements.

0

More like this