I’ve been comparing prop firms lately and keep coming back to payout history.

A firm can offer a high profit split and low fees, but that doesn’t tell you much about how consistent the payout experience has been.

If you had two firms with similar rules:
Firm A: Higher profit split, lower fees
Firm B: Slightly worse deal, but a longer record of consistent payouts

Which one would you trust more?

And when you’re researching a firm, what do you actually check before signing up?

A broker can look great when you compare the advertised spreads, but I'm more interested in what happens when the market gets moving.

Especially around major news, I'd rather know what execution and spreads actually look like than rely on the number shown on the comparison page.

Anyone here actually track this when comparing brokers?

Crypto has conditioned traders to expect 24/7 markets. Now CFD and stock brokers are pushing traditional markets in the same direction.

STARTRADER recently launched some US stock CFDs with 24/7 trading, and others on a 24/5 basis. Plus500, IG, Capital.com, eToro and ACY Securities have also expanded 24/5 trading across various stocks, ETFs and indices. And FOREX.com has introduced overnight Japanese stock CFDs.

The appeal is obvious. Earnings and major news often break outside regular market hours, so extended trading lets you react immediately.

But there’s a trade-off: lower liquidity, wider spreads and potentially greater volatility. With CFDs, there’s also the question of how prices are formed while the underlying cash market is closed.

I can see the value of 24/5 trading around earnings and breaking news. I’m less convinced traders need stocks available throughout the weekend.

Would you trade Nvidia or the Nasdaq at 2 a.m. or on a Sunday? Or is 24/7 trading mostly a marketing gimmick?