What is direct market access (DMA) trading?

How to place orders on an exchange Direct market access (DMA) trading is the process of placing orders directly with an exchange. DMA trading is available for a variety of financial instruments, including stocks and forex. You can also trade contracts for difference (CFDs) using direct market access.

How does DMA trading work?

DMA trading is different because it removes the middleman. Orders aren’t placed by the broker. Instead, you place the orders directly with the exchange. This requires special software that gives you access to an exchange. It also requires a deeper knowledge of trading because you have to manually search through an exchange’s order book.

Do you need a brokerage for DMA trading?

Big businesses, institutional investors, and high net worth individuals can get direct market access, but the average person placing a few trades per month will almost always use a brokerage. For those that want to try DMA trading, it is possible. Here’s how: Firstly, you need DMA trading software.