Research Methodology

1. Research questions

Research begins by defining what the page is trying to answer. “Which broker quoted the lowest spread during this test window?” is measurable. “Which broker is best for everyone?” is not.

The question determines the evidence, comparison set, exclusions, calculation, and limits. If the scope changes, the method must change with it.

2. Evidence sources

RinTrade separates evidence used to verify a broker fact from material used only to discover a topic or understand context. A source is judged by how directly it supports the claim, not by how confidently it is written.

Regulator and legal records

Preferred for licences, regulated entities, formal permissions, and public enforcement information.

Official broker material

Used for account terms, platform support, fee schedules, product details, and operational information, with the applicable entity and checked date attached where relevant.

First-hand observations

Used for measured platform conditions and workflow tests, with the account, server, platform, time window, and data-processing method documented.

Independent secondary material

Useful for context and discovery, but not automatically promoted into a verified broker fact or RinTrade score.

3. Evidence status

We track how well each piece of broker information is supported by evidence. These statuses describe our research, not the broker's reputation.

Source needed

We do not yet have verified evidence to publish this information.

Partially verified

Some research is available, but the evidence is incomplete. We withhold a final value or score.

Verified

The information has documented sources and a check date, and meets our verification requirements. We recheck it when the underlying facts change.

4. Broker reviews

Reviews use the same evidence records across RinTrade. Regulation, account conditions, trading costs, platforms, funding, and country availability may need different sources and recheck schedules.

Analysis and editorial conclusions build on those records. If important information is missing, the review should explain the gap.

5. Hands-on testing

A test result is useful only when readers can understand what was tested. RinTrade records the account category, platform, server or environment, instruments, timestamps, sample interval, cleaning decisions, and calculation used for the result.

Where publication is safe and practical, the cleaned observations, methodology, and checksums are made available so the result can be inspected. Raw private account details and internal system paths are excluded.

6. Rankings and comparisons

A data-study ranking follows its published calculation. The global spread study conducted on 9 July 2026, for example, ranks a defined set of Standard and Standard-equivalent accounts using synchronized quoted-spread observations and an equal-weight average across seven major currency pairs.

Overall, trust, fee, spread, and swap scores combine several inputs. We publish these scores only when every displayed input has been verified.

Before publishing, we also complete the page's scoring rules: the weight of each input, required evidence, treatment of missing data, recheck requirements, and how ties are handled.

Comparisons use the same verified facts. Placing two brokers side by side does not create new evidence.

• See the global spread study: Review the complete calculation, limitations, and supporting data.
• See the EURUSD spread ranking: The same minute-by-minute test, ranked on EURUSD alone.
• Open the study methodology JSON

7. Updates and corrections

Checked dates are part of the evidence. High-change fields need a new review when a source changes, a scheduled check becomes due, a broker updates its terms, a reader identifies credible contrary evidence, or the tested setup no longer matches the public description.

A correction updates the affected page and its underlying evidence records where applicable. Important changes remain visible through the page date or a correction note.

When a method change could affect which brokers are included, how a result is calculated, or what a conclusion means, we update the methodology date and explain the change on the affected study or policy page.

8. Editorial independence

Affiliate availability can affect whether RinTrade offers an account-opening link. It cannot determine which brokers enter a measurement set, change a recorded observation, override an exclusion rule, or supply a missing score.

Every RinTrade page discloses the commercial relationship in its footer. The fuller editorial rules explain how affiliate and sponsored material is separated from the research conclusion.

9. Limitations

Broker conditions vary by time, account, platform, entity, country, market conditions, and client classification. A quoted-spread study is not an execution test; a licence record is not a guarantee against loss; and a global comparison set does not prove that every broker accepts clients everywhere.

RinTrade therefore treats every result as an answer to a bounded question, not as a permanent promise about a broker.