How to spot signs of a dealing desk model
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 8:46 am
Brokers either pass orders to the market (A-book) or take the other side internally (B-book), and many do a mix. A scalper's results can depend on which bucket the account falls into, and nobody announces it.
Signs sometimes cited by traders:
- Spreads that stay oddly smooth during volatile moments.
- Slippage that is very rarely positive.
- Stops that seem to get hit by wicks that other brokers' charts don't show.
- Account restrictions that appear only after consistent profits.
- Sudden changes in execution quality after a streak of wins.
None of these prove anything alone. A feed can be smooth for innocent reasons, and plenty of losses are just losses. But a cluster of several signs deserves attention.
The best defence is comparing with a second broker, ideally with a small account, to see if the same strategy behaves similarly. If the performance gap is large, that's information.
Has a gap like that ever appeared between two accounts running the same approach?
Signs sometimes cited by traders:
- Spreads that stay oddly smooth during volatile moments.
- Slippage that is very rarely positive.
- Stops that seem to get hit by wicks that other brokers' charts don't show.
- Account restrictions that appear only after consistent profits.
- Sudden changes in execution quality after a streak of wins.
None of these prove anything alone. A feed can be smooth for innocent reasons, and plenty of losses are just losses. But a cluster of several signs deserves attention.
The best defence is comparing with a second broker, ideally with a small account, to see if the same strategy behaves similarly. If the performance gap is large, that's information.
Has a gap like that ever appeared between two accounts running the same approach?