GRADTRADERS AUSTRALIA

Australian Traders: Free Tools, Research & More from GradTraders

Free tools and research for Australian traders, from ASX shares and the Australian dollar to global markets. Compare providers and follow Matthew’s Nikkei 225 Challenge live on Monday morning.

Use Global Market Radar — Free Explore Trading Research

150+Research articles

24Brokers compared

50Comparison fields

How we research →

Matthew Jackson · GradTraders · Australia guide · Content revised 9 October 2026

THE NIKKEI 225 CHALLENGE · MONDAY MORNING IN AUSTRALIA

Why follow the Nikkei 225 Challenge?

Every Monday, Matthew trades the Nikkei 225 on a one-minute chart, often in less-than-ideal market conditions. Australian viewers can follow Tokyo’s opening session during their own morning.

Follow him over weeks and months to see how he gets on when the market isn’t making things easy. The livestreams and public Trading Record let you follow the trades and results over time, including the difficult sessions.

The Challenge uses a demo account. Weekly results and replays are published in the Trading Record.

Watch Monday Live View the Full Challenge

Matthew Jackson TradingWatch the Day 2 replay, then follow subsequent sessions through the Challenge and public Trading Record.Click the image to play Day 2 · English captions through YouTube CC

Tokyo Monday 09:00 JST corresponds to Monday 08:00 Perth, 09:30 Darwin, 10:00 Brisbane, 09:30 or 10:30 Adelaide, and 10:00 or 11:00 Sydney/Melbourne depending on daylight time.

FREE GRADTRADERS TOOLS

Three free tools from GradTraders

Premium market tools. Free to use.

See what’s moving across global markets without constantly switching between charts. The GT Global Market Radar brings your chosen markets together on one screen, with candle-based price signals, market activity indicators and countdowns to market openings and closings.

Built by Matthew Jackson, it’s designed to stay open beside your charts throughout your trading session.

Price Action: candle-based volatility signals across eight timeframes, highlighting new closing highs and lows.
Participation: unusually high or low tick activity across four short-term timeframes.
Market countdowns: time to the next opening or closing event, shown in your timezone.
A global snapshot: keep your chosen markets in view together, with market status, holidays and alerts close at hand.

Open Global Market Radar — Free Read the Full Guide

Prop Firm Offer Finder

Filter more than 140,000 possible combinations by firm, programme, account size and conditions before comparing the final rules.

Open the Free Offer Finder

Compound Interest Calculator

Model starting capital, regular contributions, time and assumed returns directly in the browser. It is free and requires no email address or account.

Open the Free Calculator

AUSTRALIAN BROKER RESEARCH

Compare platforms, costs and the Australian account behind them

Start with the way you trade: connected charting, specialist share-CFD platforms or a simpler native interface. Our research brings those differences together with the Australian entities and their account documents.

GradTraders Partner · connected trading platforms

IC Markets Australia

Matthew trades through IC Markets, giving the research a direct connection to the public Challenge and Trading Record. Its Australian service lists MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView.

International Capital Markets Pty Ltd · AFSL 335692. Compare spreads, commissions and financing for the instruments you use.

Visit IC Markets IC Markets Review

GradTraders Partner · platform breadth

FP Markets Australia

Compare MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, alongside Iress and Mottai on relevant share-CFD accounts. The platform and account type affect what you can trade and what it costs.

First Prudential Markets Pty Ltd · AFSL 286354. Research the specific platform’s fees and product coverage.

Visit FP Markets FP Markets Review

GradTraders Partner · native web & mobile platform

Plus500 Australia

Research its proprietary web and mobile interface if you prefer an integrated CFD platform rather than a separate MetaTrader or cTrader setup.

Plus500AU Pty Ltd · AFSL 417727. CFDs do not give you ownership of the underlying shares; compare spreads, overnight funding and the current PDS.

Plus500 Research Compare Broker Costs

Go beyond the three partner examples

Our broker research compares 24 providers across 50 fields. Use it to investigate platforms, costs, support, deposits and withdrawals, then check the Australian entity and documents for the account you choose.

Compare 24 Brokers IC Markets vs FP Markets

CFDs are leveraged products with a high risk of loss. Before opening an account, match its legal entity and AFSL and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD). A global affiliate link does not by itself establish the entity offered during registration.

PROP-FIRM RESEARCH FOR AUSTRALIAN TRADERS

FTMO’s Australian service and three approaches to compare

Start with FTMO’s dedicated Australian service, then compare evaluation structures, drawdown rules and reward terms across our other prop-firm partners.

GradTraders Partner · dedicated Australian service

FTMO Australia

FTMO Australia is operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd, AFSL 525757. Its platform is a demo trading and education service; the evaluation and FTMO Account use simulated funds.

Compare objectives, fees and permitted strategies, and read the local account documents before paying.

Visit FTMO FTMO Review

GradTraders Partner · progression & scaling

The5ers

Compare its progression and scaling models with FTMO’s evaluation approach. Check the drawdown calculation, trading conditions and reward rules for your chosen programme.

GradTraders code: UR06YMJ — check current purchase conditions.

Visit The5ers The5ers Review

GradTraders Partner · evaluation choices

Funded Trading Plus

Compare the available simulated evaluation structures and their rules. The useful difference is how profit targets, drawdown and trading restrictions work together.

GradTraders code: GRADTRADERS10 — confirm current checkout applicability.

Visit FT+FT+ Review

GradTraders Partner · programme & platform choice

E8 Markets

Research its programme options, platform access and trading rules alongside the other three firms. Check how its drawdown and reward requirements fit the strategy you intend to test.

Visit E8 Markets E8 Review

Compare Prop Firms Use the Free Offer Finder

Programme availability and terms can change. Confirm Australian residency eligibility, platform access and payment conditions before purchase. Simulated account sizes are not cash you own, and evaluation fees can be lost.

SOFTWARE & TOOLS FOR AUSTRALIAN TRADERS

Build your workflow for charts, testing and trade review

Bring ASX and global market research together, practise your approach and review what you actually did. Hosting and automation tools fill specialist roles when your platform supports them.

GradTraders Partner · Australian & global charts

TradingView

Follow ASX shares, Australian indices, currencies and overseas markets with charts, watchlists and alerts. IC Markets Australia and FP Markets Australia list TradingView connections; exchange data subscriptions are separate from charting plans.

Open TradingView TradingView Review

GradTraders Partner · review your own trading

TraderSync

Bring entries, exits, screenshots and recurring mistakes together. Review your decisions across a larger sample and check import support for your broker and trading platform.

Visit TraderSync Software Research

GradTraders Partner · historical strategy practice

Forex Tester

Practise and test trading ideas across historical data before taking them into a live market. Check the exact symbols and data available for the instruments you intend to study.

Visit Forex Tester Backtesting Research

GradTraders Partner · MetaTrader automation

EA Builder Pro

Turn defined rules into an Expert Advisor without hand-coding it. For a compatible MT4 or MT5 workflow, test the rules and account restrictions before running automation.

Visit EA Builder Pro Automation Research

GradTraders Partner · Sydney & global hosting

ForexVPS.net

Run compatible trading software when your computer is off. Sydney is among its published locations; compare measured latency to your broker’s actual trading server.

Visit ForexVPS Latency Research

GradTraders Partner · a second VPS comparison

FXVM

Compare another hosting option with Sydney and other global locations. Choose the location and plan for your trading server, software and resources rather than your home address alone.

Visit FXVM Latency Research

Over 150 articles to help you find your next trading tool or provider

Explore over 150 articles covering brokers, prop firms, trading software, trading guides and more. The valuable GradTraders research bank brings these choices together, helping you compare costs, features and practical uses. Behind the broker research is a database of 24 providers and 50 comparison fields, covering platforms, support, deposits, withdrawals and more.

Broker reviews Prop firms Software & tools Trading guides Where traders invest

Compare 24 brokers How we research

THE CHALLENGE AND PUBLIC TRADING RECORD

Follow the trades beyond the final result

Use the replay checkpoints below to inspect a trade as it unfolds, then connect that session to the weekly Trading Record.

Tokyo’s 09:00 Monday cash open is 08:00 in Perth, 09:30 in Darwin and 10:00 in Brisbane. Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart are 10:00 AEST or 11:00 AEDT; Adelaide is 09:30 ACST or 10:30 ACDT. The stream starts shortly beforehand, with holiday changes announced on the channel.

Three public checkpoints from the Trading Record evidenceOpen the same public replay at three points to review the trade while it is still developing, the open P/L changing, and the final result.

15:30

Position still developingReview the trade before the outcome is known instead of seeing only the finished result.

30:00

Open P/L changesSee how the position is managed while the result is still moving rather than jumping to the close.

38:00

Final resultReview the result near the end of the stream, then connect it to the weekly Trading Record entry.

The images are YouTube preview images from the same public replay rather than stills captured at each timestamp. Each card opens the exact 15:30, 30:00 or 38:00 point in context.

View the Full Challenge Open the Trading Record

AUSTRALIAN MARKET RESOURCES

15 useful local resources for Australian traders

Exchange information, economic releases, company announcements and financial news—ready when you want to investigate further.

Expand for 15 helpful sites for traders in Australia

Australian markets & learning

ASX trading hours and calendarsCash-market and derivatives schedules, holidays and expiry calendars.
ASX futures marketResearch listed SPI 200 index futures and other ASX 24 contracts.
ASX online coursesExchange education on shares, ETFs, options and futures.
ASX company announcementsRead company releases behind the market headlines.
The ASX storyExplore the history of Australia’s exchange and market infrastructure.

Australian economy & the dollar

RBA monetary-policy calendarMeeting dates, policy announcements and minutes.
RBA Chart PackCharts on the Australian economy, financial markets and overseas context.
RBA exchange ratesOfficial Australian-dollar reference rates and historical series.
ABS release calendarPlan around Australian economic data releases.
ABS Consumer Price IndexAustralian inflation releases, data and methodology.

Checks, tax & financial news

ASIC professional registersSearch the company, licence number and authorised service.
Moneysmart share investingASIC’s education on researching, buying and monitoring shares.
Scamwatch investment scamsRecognise fake trading platforms and investment approaches.
ATO: investing versus share tradingUnderstand why investing and trading can have different tax treatment.
ABC business newsAustralian public-service reporting on business, markets and the economy.

AUSTRALIA · YOUR NEXT TRADING SESSION

Bring local preparation into a global trading routine

From the ASX to the Australian dollar

Use the ASX calendar for the market you follow and the RBA and ABS calendars for policy and economic releases. Keep the relevant charts beside Radar, then use your journal to review how those sessions affected your decisions.

Open Global Market Radar Trading Guides

Match the account to its Australian documents

Check the legal entity and AFSL, then read its PDS and TMD. ASIC’s retail CFD rules include leverage limits, margin close-out rules and negative-balance protection. These protections reduce some risks; they do not make CFD trading low risk.

Our regulation research explains the account-level distinctions. The local resources dropdown includes ASIC’s register and ATO guidance on share investing versus trading.

Entity & Regulation Research

DISCLOSURE & RISK

Important risk information

GradTraders provides general education and research only. Nothing on this page is personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice, or a recommendation to use a particular provider. Some links on this page are commercial partner links, and GradTraders may earn a commission from an eligible account opening or purchase at no additional cost to the reader. Commercial relationships do not determine our editorial conclusions.

CFDs and other leveraged products carry a high risk of loss. Read the provider’s current PDS, TMD and account terms before funding. Prop-firm evaluations have separate fees, simulated account structures and rules; evaluation fees can be lost. The Nikkei 225 Challenge uses a demo account with a defined £200 simulated risk budget, and its results are not audited real-money performance.

The GradTraders Research Bank

GradTraders was built from the research outward. Before the website and its articles, I developed a comprehensive broker research bank examining 24 brokers across six interconnected layers of detailed evidence, covering trading platforms, real costs and execution, international regulation, account reliability, withdrawals, reputation, investor protections and market access.

That foundation has grown into an extensive library of original comparisons, investigations and practical trading resources, supported by an ongoing commitment to verify, challenge and expand the underlying research — uncovering meaningful differences, exposing overlooked limitations and producing insights that go well beyond conventional trading reviews.

Last updated: 16 October 2026

Explore the GradTraders Research LibraryFive categories · All published articles

Broker Reviews & Comparisons Prop Firm Reviews Trading Software & Tools Trading Guides Where Traders Invest

Select a category, then scroll through its published research. Articles update automatically as the library grows.

GradTraders Australia FAQs

What time is the Nikkei 225 Challenge in Australia?

The stream starts shortly before Tokyo’s Monday 09:00 cash open: 08:00 Perth, 09:30 Darwin and 10:00 Brisbane. Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart are 10:00 AEST or 11:00 AEDT; Adelaide is 09:30 ACST or 10:30 ACDT. Check the channel announcement for holiday changes.

Why follow the Challenge over weeks and months?

Matthew takes positions on a one-minute chart every Monday, often in less-than-ideal market conditions. The livestreams and public Trading Record let you follow his decisions and results across winning and losing sessions.

Is the Global Market Radar free?

Yes. It brings global market views, candle-based price signals, tick-activity indicators and session countdowns together on one screen. The full guide explains how the indicators work and their data limitations.

What does the GradTraders research bank cover?

Over 150 articles cover brokers, prop firms, trading software, trading guides and more. The broker comparison contains 24 providers and 50 fields; our methodology explains how we research.

Which Australian broker entities are discussed here?

IC Markets lists International Capital Markets Pty Ltd under AFSL 335692; FP Markets lists First Prudential Markets Pty Ltd under AFSL 286354; Plus500 lists Plus500AU Pty Ltd under AFSL 417727. Match your actual account agreement to ASIC’s register and the provider’s documents.

What is different about FTMO Australia?

Its Australian service is operated by VRGK Tech Pty Ltd under AFSL 525757. The platform is a demo trading and education service using simulated funds. Read the local PDS, TMD and programme terms before purchase.

How should I compare the four prop-firm partners?

Compare FTMO Australia, The5ers, Funded Trading Plus and E8 by objectives, drawdown calculations, platforms, permitted strategies, fees and reward rules. Confirm the chosen programme’s current Australian eligibility before paying.

Do I need a Sydney trading VPS?

Not necessarily. ForexVPS and FXVM publish Sydney among their locations, but the useful location depends on your broker’s actual trading server and software requirements. Compare measured latency; many manual traders do not need a VPS.

Does the £200 Nikkei Challenge use real money?

No. It uses a demo trading account with a defined £200 simulated risk budget. Weekly results and replays are published through the Challenge archive and Matthew Jackson Trading Record.

Does GradTraders provide personal financial advice?

No. GradTraders provides general education and research, not personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Account, programme and software suitability depends on your circumstances and the current terms.

Sources and references

Australian market and economic references are gathered in the local resources dropdown. Provider sources supporting the comparisons are below.

IC Markets Australia regulation · IC Markets Australia TradingView · FP Markets Australia · FP Markets share-CFD platforms · Plus500 Australia documents · FTMO Australia disclosure · FTMO regional affiliate programmes · The5ers terms · FT+ country eligibility · E8 accepted countries · TradingView Australia · TradingView market data · ForexVPS locations · FXVM locations · Forex Tester · TraderSync · EA Builder Pro · ASIC retail CFD protections · ASIC 2026 CFD review

GradTraders International · How We Review · GradTraders Explained