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You can ask them to negotiate on fees, usually they will at least match a lower comms rate assuming you have written quotes. In that sense it doesn't matter which is lowest, you can then choose the vendor that gives you the right quality.
It also depends on the platform you are using. For example if you want to use Xtrader PRO you can pay $1200 per month or $.50 per transaction. AMP was giving me for eminis $4.55 R/T and I wanted to use Xtrader PRO for extra $.50 per trade. So it would be $5.05 per trade for eminis. Now I trade with Dorman Trading and I use CQG Qtrader. My commission for CL is $3.76 R/T + $0.25 per trade for CQG. It's the lowest commission I've found so far.
Feel free to shop, but remember the commissions at a broker will not kill your trade, but poor customer service and technology will. So do your due diligence when shopping.
Non-member exchange fees for CL are $1.45/side or $2.90 round turn. NFA Fees are $0.02/side. So if your paying $3.76 R/T your paying $0.41/side for execution. Compared with Retail Rates at places like Interactive Brokers that's pretty good.
Commissions scale with volume and high volume traders get rates significantly lower than that. Combine that with the fact that a high volume trader is almost sure to be a member and their clearing rate for CL could be as low as $1.20/$1.25 R/T.
This... +1... of course a great broker has great rates, great customer service and great technology.
$3.76 R/T before the CQG fees of $40/mo and 25 cts/trade is a good price, and as noted a couple of posts above, it beats Interactive Brokers' $4.64 R/T for CL.
For non-member (retail) and without minimum volume, I *think* the next cheapest rates are from Ironbeam or one of their introducing brokers. The last time I saw one of their ads they were $1.00 R/T which would be $3.94 R/T for a CL contract with exchange and NFA added in.
I've never looked at Dorman -- are you going direct or through an introducing broker, and are you getting all the data fees for the CME (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX) and ICE US at no additional cost?
I agree 100% with @tturner86 on the subject of fees. His comments apply to all facets of trading not just Futures trading.
You have to find a broker who you are comfortable with. One that reliably, efficiently executes your trades. The fact that they might charge a few percent more than others in the same business is immaterial if you are making decent trades for decent returns.
that's true. if you are a high volume trader the commission is a different story. my monthly volume is around 800 RT's which is probably not enough for a lower commission.