- IC Markets rebranded as IC (ic.com) in July 2026; the minimum deposit is $200 and the legal entities (ASIC, CySEC, FSA Seychelles, CMA Kenya) are unchanged
- IC's XAUUSD spread is variable, so measure it live on your own account, entity and session instead of relying on a remembered figure
- MetaTrader Raw charges a published $3.50 per side per lot ($7 round turn) and cTrader Raw $3 per side per $100,000 traded; confirm how each applies to gold in the commission table
- At about $4,125 gold (29 September 2026), 1 lot is 100 oz, so a $7 round-turn commission equals $0.07 of spread and a $0.20 spread costs $20 per lot
- Retail clients of the ASIC and CySEC entities are generally capped at 1:20 on gold, while the Seychelles entity offers much higher leverage with weaker protection
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Snapshot — 29 September 2026: spot gold traded near $4,125/oz, so one XAUUSD lot (100 oz) is about $412,500 of exposure and every $1 move is worth $100 per lot. IC Markets now trades as IC on ic.com (rebranded July 2026). Verify the live quote before trading. Source: Reuters via WAM.
Practical Answer Framework#
Short Answer
IC (formerly IC Markets) can suit XAUUSD traders who want raw pricing, but its gold spread is variable. The real decision depends on all-in cost — spread plus commission plus slippage — during your session, plus swaps, the legal entity and lot sizing.
Detailed Explanation
IC offers Standard (spread-only) and Raw accounts on MetaTrader, plus cTrader Raw and TradingView access. Raw marketing shows spreads "from 0.0 pips" on forex, but gold is quoted in dollars per ounce and widens around US data, the daily rollover and thin sessions. Because commission is charged separately on Raw, you must convert it into an equivalent spread (commission ÷ 100 for a 100-oz lot) before comparing with Standard.
Example
At the same minute you record an illustrative $0.10 gold spread on MetaTrader Raw and $0.22 on Standard. Raw cost per lot = $10 + $7 commission = $17; Standard = $22. Raw wins by $5 per lot. For a trader doing 40 lots a month, that is $200 — but only if the gap holds in the sessions you actually trade.
Common Mistake
Inventing a "typical IC gold spread" from memory or a forum screenshot, instead of reading the live quote and contract specification on your own account.
Professional Tip
Confirm which account row you will use (Standard, MetaTrader Raw or cTrader Raw) before comparing, because each has a different commission basis.
IC Entities, Deposit and Leverage#
Short Answer
According to our IC directory profile, checked 29 September 2026, IC operates through ASIC, CySEC, FSA Seychelles and CMA Kenya entities, with a $200 minimum deposit and leverage up to 1:5000 depending on the entity.
Detailed Explanation
| Entity | Regulator and licence | Typical clients |
|---|---|---|
| International Capital Markets Pty Ltd | ASIC 335692 | Australia |
| IC Markets (EU) Ltd | CySEC 362/18 | EU / EEA (ICF cover up to €20,000) |
| Raw Trading Ltd | FSA Seychelles SD018 | Many international clients |
| IC Markets (KE) Limited | CMA Kenya 199 | Kenya (non-dealing broker) |
Retail clients of the ASIC and CySEC entities are generally capped at 1:20 leverage on gold, so 1 lot at $4,125 needs about $20,600 margin. The Seychelles entity offers far higher leverage but different protection and compensation rules.
Example
An Australian retail client and a Seychelles-entity client both buy 0.10 lot of gold at $4,125. The ASIC client posts about $2,063 margin at 1:20; the Seychelles client at 1:500 posts about $83. Both gain or lose exactly $10 per $1 move. Lower margin only frees capital for more positions — which is how offshore accounts get over-leveraged.
Common Mistake
Assuming the ASIC licence covers your account because IC is "an Australian broker". Many international clients are routed to Raw Trading Ltd in Seychelles.
Professional Tip
Check the company name in your client agreement and search it on the ASIC register or CySEC list. Our IC safety review covers the entities in more depth.
Convert IC Gold Spreads Into All-In Cost#
Short Answer
All-in cost per lot = spread × 100 + commission + slippage × 100. Plan with IC's published commission baseline, then verify the XAUUSD row in your commission table.
Detailed Explanation
Published baselines from our directory:
- MetaTrader Raw: from 0.0 pips plus $3.50 per lot per side ($7 round turn)
- cTrader Raw: from 0.0 pips plus $3.00 per side per $100,000 traded
- Standard: spread-only, no separate commission
Commission on metals can differ from forex. If a commission is charged by USD notional, gold's price matters: at $4,125, 1 lot is about $412,500, so $3 per $100,000 would equal about $12.38 per side ($24.75 round turn) — much more than the forex-lot figure suggests. Treat that as a scenario to check, not a quoted IC rate.
| Illustrative cost at ~$4,125 gold | 1 lot | 0.10 lot | 0.01 lot |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.20 spread | $20.00 | $2.00 | $0.20 |
| $7 round-turn commission | $7.00 | $0.70 | $0.07 |
| $0.15 slippage | $15.00 | $1.50 | $0.15 |
Example
You scalp 0.20 lot with a $2.50 target ($50). An all-in cost of $0.27 per ounce ($0.20 spread + $0.07 commission equivalent) costs $5.40, or 10.8% of the target. If you cannot bring that below 10%, widen the target or reduce trade frequency.
Common Mistake
Copying an EUR/USD lot-size habit onto XAUUSD because both symbols sit on the same Raw account. One lot of gold at $4,125 moves $100 per $1.
Professional Tip
Open the XAUUSD (or gold symbol) specification on MT4, MT5 or cTrader for your entity: contract size, tick value, margin currency, swap rules, minimum volume and commission. Use the gold lot size guide and our IC commission calculator guide to turn that into risk per trade.
Gold Session Checklist Before Scaling Lots#
- Confirm which account row you will use (Standard, MetaTrader Raw or cTrader Raw)
- Record gold spreads during the London–New York overlap and separately near scheduled US data (NFP 2 October, CPI 14 October, FOMC 27–28 October 2026)
- Add round-turn commission in account currency and convert it to a price distance for your lot size
- Check overnight swap or Islamic settings if you hold past rollover
- Size gold with lower leverage than you would use on major FX pairs; tick value can make a "normal" lot aggressive
- Keep a two-column log — quiet-session average versus event-window average — before deciding Raw is cheap enough
Raw vs Standard for IC XAUUSD#
| Trader profile | Usually start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High-frequency gold scalping | Raw / cTrader Raw after live maths | Spread savings compound over many lots |
| Small or infrequent gold trades | Standard after commission comparison | Simpler; commission may outweigh savings |
| News-avoiding swing holds | Either; focus on swaps and gap risk | Minimum spread matters little over days |
For a deeper comparison see IC Standard vs Raw Spread and the IC scalping guide.
Glossary#
- IC: the brand name IC Markets adopted in July 2026 (ic.com).
- Raw account: raw spread plus separate commission.
- cTrader commission: charged per side per $100,000 of notional traded.
- Tick value: profit or loss from the smallest price change for a given lot size.
- Raw Trading Ltd: IC's FSA Seychelles entity (SD018) used for many international clients.
- Rollover: the daily cut-off when swaps apply and spreads often widen.
Related IC and Gold Research#
Continue with our IC Markets review, IC account types and IC safety review. For gold broker comparisons, read best brokers for gold trading, lowest spread XAU/USD brokers for scalping and XM vs Exness vs IC Markets. New to gold? Start with the pillar gold XAU/USD trading complete guide.
Bottom Line#
Trade gold with IC only after you measure session spreads, commission and lot risk on the live XAUUSD specification for your entity — not after a single Raw headline. The $200 minimum and raw pricing suit active traders; beginners should start small and treat leverage as a risk, not a feature.
Risk warning: Leveraged gold CFDs can lose money rapidly, especially when spreads widen. At about $4,125 per ounce, a $10 move on one lot is a $1,000 gain or loss. Protection and leverage depend on the IC entity that holds your account. Educational content only; not investment advice.
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