Why Most Traders Never Ask About Slippage — And Should

Spread, commission, leverage — these get asked about constantly, because they're on every pricing page. Slippage almost never comes up in the same conversations, mostly because it doesn't appear anywhere on a marketing page for a prospective client to notice and ask about.

What slippage actually is

Slippage is simply the difference between the price you intended to trade at and the price you actually got filled at. Some slippage is normal and unavoidable — markets move between the moment you click and the moment the order reaches the market, especially during fast-moving conditions or around major news releases.

Why almost nobody asks about it

It's not on any pricing comparison page, it requires actual trade history to notice, and most traders don't know it's a distinct, checkable thing separate from the spread until they've been trading for a while. Brokers aren't hiding it exactly — it's just genuinely easy for it to never come up, since nobody's asking and it's not required marketing disclosure the way spreads and leverage caps often are.

The direct questions worth asking, before opening an account

• What's your execution model — do orders route to external liquidity providers, or fill against your own book?
• Do you offer negative slippage protection, or any policy on requotes?
• Can I see historical execution statistics, not just advertised spreads?
• What happens to my order during high-volatility news events specifically?

What's normal vs. what's actually a red flag

Random slippage, roughly balanced between working in your favor and against it over time, especially around news events, is expected and not a sign of anything wrong. Slippage that's consistently negative — always against you, rarely if ever in your favor, across a meaningful number of trades — is the pattern worth taking seriously and raising directly with the broker, or reconsidering the relationship if it doesn't improve.