GRADTRADERS NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Traders: Free Tools, Research & More from GradTraders

Free tools and practical research for New Zealand traders. Follow NZD and global markets, compare providers and watch Matthew’s public Nikkei 225 Challenge around Monday lunchtime.

Use Global Market Radar — Free Explore Trading Research

150+Research articles

24Brokers compared

50Comparison fields

How we research →

Matthew Jackson · GradTraders · New Zealand · Revised 9 October 2026

NIKKEI 225 CHALLENGE · MONDAY 12:00 NZST / 13:00 NZDT

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. For New Zealand, Tokyo’s opening session arrives around lunchtime on Monday—an opportunity to follow the Challenge during normal waking hours.

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 include the difficult sessions as well as the better results.

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 Day 9, then follow subsequent sessions through the Challenge and public Trading Record.Click the image to play · English captions through YouTube CC

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 combines candle-based price signals, market activity 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: Your chosen markets 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 in the browser. It is free and requires no email address or account.

Open the Free Calculator

BROKER RESEARCH

Research the New Zealand service behind the platform

Start with the product you want to trade and the legal entity offering it. A foreign licence or an FSPR registration alone does not establish that a provider holds the FMA licence required for a retail derivatives offer.

GradTraders Partner

Plus500

Research example: the FMA lists Plus500AU Pty Ltd, FSP486026, as a licensed derivatives issuer. Its native web and mobile CFD platform is a route to investigate alongside the New Zealand client documents.

Compare spreads, overnight funding, platform features and the instruments you intend to trade. CFDs are leveraged contracts and do not give you ownership of the underlying shares.

Read the Review Compare Broker Costs

GradTraders Partner

IC Markets

Read the Review

GradTraders Partner

FP Markets

Use the FP Markets review as a platform and cost comparison. Its published website restriction excludes New Zealand residents; it is not presented here as an available New Zealand account.

Read the Review

Go beyond the three partner examples

Our broker research compares 24 providers across 50 fields. Investigate platforms, costs, support, deposits and withdrawals, then read the account documents for the service available to you.

Compare 24 Brokers How we research

PROP-FIRM RESEARCH

Four approaches to compare before paying for an evaluation

GradTraders Partner

FTMO

Compare objectives, loss limits and allowed strategies, then read the fee and reward conditions. Use the programme’s current eligibility information to confirm the service available for your New Zealand residence.

Visit FTMO Read the Review

GradTraders Partner

The5ers

Compare its progression and scaling approach alongside FTMO. Research the drawdown calculation, trading conditions and reward rules for the particular programme.

GradTraders code: UR06YMJ — check current checkout conditions.

Visit The5ers Read the Review

GradTraders Partner

Funded Trading Plus

Explore its choice of simulated programmes. Compare the exact loss limits, fees and reward rules with the other approaches rather than choosing by account size alone.

GradTraders code: GRADTRADERS10 — check current checkout conditions.

Visit Funded Trading Plus Read the Review

GradTraders Partner

E8 Markets

Compare programme structures, platforms and trading rules. Check the specific programme’s current eligibility, drawdown and reward conditions before paying.

Visit E8 Markets Read the Review

Compare Prop Firms Open the Free Offer Finder

Confirm residency eligibility, platform access and payment conditions for the programme before purchase. Simulated account sizes are not cash you own, and evaluation fees can be lost.

SOFTWARE & TRADING TOOLS

Build a workflow for local and global markets

Bring NZD and local shares into your charts, test your approach and review your trades. Hosting and automation are specialist additions when your trading platform supports them.

GradTraders Partner

TradingView

Follow New Zealand shares, NZD currency pairs and overseas markets with watchlists and alerts. Check the available exchange data and subscriptions separately from the charting plan.

Visit TradingView Explore Trading Research

GradTraders Partner

Forex Tester

Practise and test an idea across historical data before taking it into a live market. Check the symbols, data coverage and features of the Online or Desktop product you intend to use.

Visit Forex Tester Explore Trading Research

GradTraders Partner

TraderSync

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

Visit TraderSync Explore Trading Research

GradTraders Partner

EA Builder Pro

Turn defined trading 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 Explore Trading Research

GradTraders Partner

ForexVPS.net

Compare Sydney and other published hosting locations against your broker’s actual trading server. Choose by measured latency and software needs rather than the closest city to your home.

Visit ForexVPS.net Explore Trading Research

GradTraders Partner

FXVM

Compare a second hosting provider for compatible trading software. Check location, measured latency, memory and support against the requirements of the application you will run.

Visit FXVM Explore Trading 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 to inspect a trade as it unfolds, then connect that session to the weekly Trading Record.

Tokyo’s Monday 09:00 cash open is Monday 12:00 NZST or 13:00 NZDT in Auckland and Wellington. The stream starts shortly beforehand. Watch live around lunch or catch up through the replay and weekly record; holiday changes are announced on the channel.

Three public checkpoints from the Trading RecordOpen the same public replay at three points to review the developing trade, the changing open P/L 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.

These are YouTube preview images from the same public replay, not 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

LOCAL MARKET RESOURCES

15 useful local resources for traders

15 useful local sources for markets, economic data and financial news.

Expand for 15 helpful sites for traders in New Zealand

Markets & learning

NZX trading dayUnderstand the exchange’s trading phases.
NZX market holidaysOfficial market-holiday and abbreviated-day notice.
NZX company announcementsCompany releases from the Main Board.
S&P/NZX indicesFollow the exchange’s local benchmark indices.
NZX investing overviewExchange resources for understanding investing.

Economy & data

RBNZ official cash rateUnderstand the OCR and find announcement dates.
RBNZ Monetary Policy StatementsEconomic assessment, policy and forecasts.
RBNZ exchange and interest ratesHistorical currency and interest-rate data.
Stats NZ release calendarUpcoming official economic publications.
Stats NZ consumers price indexInflation figures, definitions and methodology.

Checks & financial news

FMA licensed providersCheck the licence for the activity offered.
FMA warnings and alertsInvestigate warnings about firms and scams.
Financial Service Providers RegisterIdentify registered financial service providers.
Sorted: investingLocal guidance for understanding investing.
RNZ business newsNew Zealand public-service business reporting.

NEW ZEALAND

Make the research part of your trading routine

Prepare for the New Zealand dollar and the next overseas session

Use the NZX calendar, RBNZ announcements and Stats NZ release dates to prepare your watchlist. Radar keeps the markets together as Asia, Europe and the US move through their trading day.

Open Global Market Radar — Free

Separate FSPR registration from an FMA licence

Use the FSPR to identify the company, then check the FMA’s licensed-provider listing for the activity offered. For a retail derivatives account, investigate the actual derivatives issuer and its New Zealand documents.

Explore Trading Research

DISCLOSURE & RISK

Important risk information

GradTraders provides general education and research, not personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Some links and banners are commercial partner placements; GradTraders may earn a commission from an eligible purchase or account opening at no additional cost to the reader. Commercial relationships do not determine our editorial conclusions.

CFDs are complex leveraged instruments with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Check the provider’s current risk disclosure, residency eligibility and legal entity before opening an account. Prop-firm evaluations have separate fees and rules; evaluation fees can be lost.

The Nikkei 225 Challenge uses a demo account with a defined £200 simulated risk budget. Simulated performance and advertised evaluation account sizes are not cash owned by the trader or a promise of future results.

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 New Zealand FAQs

When is the Nikkei 225 Challenge in New Zealand?

Tokyo’s Monday 09:00 cash open is Monday 12:00 NZST or 13:00 NZDT in Auckland and Wellington. The stream starts shortly beforehand. Watch live around lunch or catch up through the replay and weekly record; holiday changes are announced on the channel.

Is Global Market Radar free?

Yes. The market overview, candle-based signals, tick-activity indicators and session countdowns are free. The full guide explains the data and limitations.

What does the research bank cover?

Explore over 150 articles covering brokers, prop firms, trading software, trading guides and more. The broker database covers 24 providers and 50 comparison fields.

How do I investigate the broker behind the account?

Are IC Markets and FP Markets signup offers for New Zealand residents?

Our IC Markets research remains useful for comparing platform features and costs. Its international service lists New Zealand as a restricted country, so this card links to research rather than a signup offer. Use the FP Markets review as a platform and cost comparison. Its published website restriction excludes New Zealand residents; it is not presented here as an available New Zealand account.

How do I compare prop-firm programmes?

Compare simulated evaluation programmes separately from a normal brokerage account. For New Zealand traders following Asia or overseas sessions, drawdown calculations, overnight rules and platform access matter more than the headline account size. Confirm residency eligibility, platform access and payment conditions for the programme before purchase. Simulated account sizes are not cash you own, and evaluation fees can be lost.

Do I need a trading VPS?

Not every trader needs one. A VPS can keep compatible trading applications running when your computer is off. Choose by software requirements and measured latency to your trading server.

Does the Challenge use real money?

Does GradTraders provide personal investment advice?

No. GradTraders provides general education and research, not personal financial, investment, tax or legal advice.

Sources and references

The local dropdown gathers market, economic and public-interest resources. These provider references support the country-specific research.

Plus500AU: FMA · Plus500 NZ terms · IC Markets restrictions · FP Markets restrictions · FTMO eligibility · The5ers terms · FT+ countries · E8 countries · Forex Tester · TraderSync supported brokers · EA Builder Pro · ForexVPS locations · FXVM

GradTraders International · How we research · GradTraders Explained