Partner Programs

MB Trading (MBT) and MB Trading Futures (MBTF) users must review the following Provisions and indicate their agreement to these provisions by clicking "I agree" below.

MBT and MBTF provides third party links and software applications solely as a convenience or for educational or informational purposes to its users. MBT and MBTF customers / users must review the following Provisions and indicate their agreement to these provisions by clicking "I agree" below.

MBT and MBTF, including its officers, members or employees, may: (1) have an affiliation with independent third party providers; (2) have direct or indirect control over independent third party providers; and/or (3) have discretion to alter the content of any third party link or software application.

MBT and MBTF does review the content of third party websites for compliance with federal, state or SRO rules or regulations regarding promotional material including advertising unless, otherwise not required by regulation. By linking to any third party website, you acknowledge and affirm that upon clicking on a third party link, you will immediately leave a website maintained by MBT and MBTF. You further acknowledge that all websites accessed through any third party application are not controlled by MBT and MBTF, except for MBT and MBTF’s website.

MBT and MBTF does not warrant the timeliness, accuracy or completeness of any facts, material or information contained on any third party website that is outside the control or knowledge of MBT and MBTF. Moreover, MBT and MBTF does not warrant the functionality of any third party application downloaded from its website. By clicking on any third party link or downloading any third party application, you hereby confirm and agree that MBT and MBTF shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage caused by use of or reliance upon facts, material or information obtained through the use of the third party website or application or for any loss or damage caused by use of a third party application.

Any opinions or recommendations expressed on any third party website or within any third party application are solely those of the independent providers and are not the opinions, recommendations or necessarily the views of MBT and MBTF. Furthermore, MBT and MBTF does not provide any legal, tax, accounting or investment advice concerning the suitability or profitability of any security or investment information contained on the third party website. Such links do not constitute a solicitation by MBT and MBTF to buy or sell any security or other investment.

MBT and MBTF reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to add or discontinue third party links or software application downloads on its website at any time and for any reason. Trademarks, logos, and service marks represented on this website are trademarks of their respective companies. Permission was granted for their use.

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Futures FAQ

General Stocks

General Options

General Futures

General

Do you trade Options on Futures?

No
Can I trade Futures in an IRA?

No
Do you charge to use your trading platform?

We do not charge for MBT Desktop/Desktop Pro, MBT MetaTrader 4, MBT Mobile, and MBT Web. We only charge for supplemental quotes & the MBT LightWave platform.
Can I trade Forex, stocks, options, and futures from one account?

No, you will need one account for Forex and the other for stocks, options, and futures. Both accounts can be linked to the same username but the funds will be totally separate and transactions cleared through two different institutions.
I have a demo account. How can I open a live account? The sign-up page tells me my e-mail address is already in use.

Please use your demo username and log into the website in order to apply for a live account. Click on Applications under the My Profile section.
I do not live in the United States can I open an account with your company?

Yes, if you live in one of our approved countries listed here: http://www.mbtrading.com/futuresAccountRequirements.aspx
We will need a copy of your passport, a utility bill to verify your address, and a W-8BEN tax form which we will provide to you.
How do I open an MB Trading account?

To open an account, click the "Get Started Now" link on our home page and complete the online application. Then simply print and sign the application and mail it to MB Trading within 30 days.
What is the fastest way to open an account?

The fastest way to open an account is by filling out an application online. You will be guided through a series of forms appropriate for the type of account you choose to open. You will be assigned an account number immediately and you can use this number to fund your account once your account is approved. Once your account is funded, you can begin trading.
What is the minimum amount required to open an account?

You can open a futures account with $2,000.
How do I fund my account?

You can fund your account by ACH transfer, check, wire, or ACAT or DTC transfer of securities. Please visit our DEPOSITS page for details.
Where can I send my funding check?

Please make checks payable to our clearing firm, "Penson Financial Services" include your 8-digit MB Trading account number (start with number 7xxxxxxx) in the memo field, and mail the check to MB Trading at:
MB Trading
Attn: Cashiering Department
1926 East Maple Ave
El Segundo, CA 90245
Can I transfer my existing brokerage account to MB Trading?

You can transfer a securities account to MB Trading by ACAT (Automated Customer Account Transfer) or by DTC (Depository Trust Company) transfer. A partial or full ACAT can be used to close an account and/or transfer securities and/or cash from one financial institution to your MB Trading account within 7 to 10 business days. A DTC transfer can be used to partially transfer cash and fully paid for securities from one financial institution to your MB Trading account. Please visit our "Deposits" page for details. If you wish to transfer your futures account, you will need to complete the Penson Futures External Transfer form.
What is the difference between a cash account and a margin account?

A cash account is not issued any margin or short selling abilities. A margin account is issued 4:1 intraday and 2:1 overnight buying power as well as the ability to short sell securities. Margin accounts with balances less than $25,000 are limited to three (3) day trades in five (5) business days, whereas cash accounts are limited to their aggregate cash per day. Margin accounts with balances greater than $25,000 have no restriction on the number of trades placed.
Can I fund in currency other than USD?

No, any funds received in other denominations may be returned or subject to additional conversion fees.
Can I transfer open positions from another firm?

Yes, you can transfer a securities account to MB Trading by ACAT (Automated Customer Account Transfer) or by DTC (Depository Trust Company) transfer. Futures positions can be transferred by completing the Penson Futures External Transfer Form.
What types of orders are accepted for futures?

Click HERE for a list of all order types.
Is MB Trading registered?

Yes, MB Trading Futures, is registered as a RFED with the CFTC and a member of NFA.
What is your current commission rate?

Click HERE to view our Fees page.

Securities products are offered through Manhattan Beach Trading Financial Services, Inc. ("MBTFS"), member FINRA, SIPC. MB Trading Futures, Inc. (MBTF) is a CFTC registered RFED and member of NFA. MBTF offers execution and settlement services for futures based products and off-exchange foreign currency (Forex) products. Trading in futures, options and Forex is speculative in nature and not appropriate for all investors. Investors should only use risk capital when trading futures, options and Forex because there is always the risk of substantial loss. MBTFS and MBTF are sometimes referred to collectively herein as "MB Trading."

¹MB Trading FX offers two Forex pricing models. Both models employ our RFED to client facing execution system with slightly different pricing and markup models. For purpose of clarity the two pricing models (Plan 1 and Plan 2) both operate on the same technology. The underlying technology is named The MB Trading Electronic Xrossing Network, abbreviated as EXN for the remainder of this disclaimer. The main differentiator between the models is twofold.

A. Difference in amount of markup or markdown of liquidity partner (banks) quotes when displayed to clients.
B. Commission Structure charged to client

Plan 1 or “Pay for Limit” plan employs the EXN technology in a commission model. This model charges a client 2.95 in their base currency per 100k of executed currency for market orders and pays a client 1.95 of base currency for posted, executed limit orders. In the Pay for Limits model, the term "Payment for Limit Order" refers to a non-market order which is not immediately executable and rests on the internal limit order book for some period of time, thus adding liquidity when another order of equal or greater value fills with the resting order.

Free Commission Plan employs the EXN technology in a markup only plan, which means that MB Trading receives a markup embedded in the spread as compensation. This plan does not add an additional commission, does not pay the client a rebate for posted liquidity as Plan 1 does yet does still offer the benefit of allowing the client to post quotes which is displayed to all other clients on Plan 2.

Additional information to note is that “Actual Total Paid to Clients” counter is kept on the company website which displays The Actual Total Paid to Clients currency number which is updated every five minutes and stops counting during the weekend when the market is closed. The number calculates from the launch of Pay for Limits, which was January 31, 2011.

Due to higher cost of business in China, “Get paid for limit orders” is not available for Chinese residents. All Chinese residents have a fee of 2.95 for all order types. Accounts with special commission rates are excluded from Payment for Limit Orders. There is a minimum fee of $0.01 for all Forex and spot trading orders that take liquidity.

MB Trading earned a 4.5 out of 5 star rating in Barron’s 2011 Review of Online Brokers, tying for the top spot overall. The company earned a total of 33.8 points, one tenth of a point under the top score. MB Trading also scored in the top three for separate categories of Range of Offerings, Trade Experience, Trading Technology, Usability, and Customer Service and Education. MB Trading earned a 4.5 out of 5 star rating in Barron's 2010 Review of Online Brokers. The company ranked second overall and tied for first place in the categories of Trade Experience and Portfolio Analysis & Reporting. The company also won the category of Usability. The company also tied for first place in the separate categories of "Best for Frequent Traders" and "Best for Options Traders."

*Real-time Forex Quotes are provided via the MBT Quote API. Quotes are available during platform hours from Sunday at 5 pm EST to Friday at 5 pm EST, except during the scheduled maintenance period from 4:58 pm to 5:06 pm EST. Extended maintenance periods are possible, and messages regarding maintenance are sent via the MBT Desktop, MBT Desktop Pro, and MBT Web 2.0 trading platforms. In addition, MBT begins MetaTrader 4 maintenance at 4:57 pm EST, one minute earlier.

MB Trading provides Google Translation of our website for educational or informational purposes for its international customers. The graphics, applications and some portions of the website are not translated. Customers must bear the sole responsibility of evaluating their regional translation before making any decisions based on such information outside of what the English version of the site represents.