Read time … min

AI-native runtime for CMC Markets trading strategies

Author CMC Markets API Direct (FIX 4.4) strategies in Cursor, Claude Code or any AI IDE. Deploy from GitHub into a managed cloud runtime with first-class MCP control, logs and region selection.

By the TradingHost engineering team

Section 01 · At a glance

At a glance

Broker
CMC Markets (LSE-listed, CMCX.L)
Broker type
Forex, CFD and spread-betting broker
Asset class
Forex, indices CFDs, commodities CFDs, share CFDs, ETF CFDs, treasury CFDs, cryptocurrency CFDs (entity-dependent)
Supported products
12,000+ tradable products across spot FX, indices, commodities, share CFDs and ETFs, with treasuries and (per entity) crypto CFDs. UK retail clients can place spread bets in addition to CFDs.
Runtime model
Containerised strategy runtime
Deployment source
GitHub
Languages
Any language that runs in a container (FIX is language-agnostic)
Common integrations
CMC Markets API Direct (FIX 4.4), MT4 bridge, custom connectors. Retail clients on Next Generation (web) do not have a separate REST API.
AI workflow integration
MCP control surface for Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and CLI agents
TradingHost role
Runtime, deployment, logs, health checks, region selection, MCP control
CMC Markets role
Broker account, market access, execution venue
Regulators
CMC Markets UK Plc (FCA firm reference 173730, UK); CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd (ASIC AFSL 238054, Australia); CMC Markets Germany GmbH (BaFin, Germany); CMC Markets New Zealand Limited (NZ FMA); CMC Markets Canada (Singapore) Pte Ltd (MAS, Singapore).
Retail leverage caps
UK (CMC Markets UK Plc, FCA, ESMA-aligned) and Germany (CMC Markets Germany GmbH, BaFin, ESMA-aligned) and Australia (CMC Markets Asia Pacific, ASIC): 30:1 on major FX, 20:1 on non-major FX and gold, 10:1 on non-gold commodities and non-major indices, 5:1 on stocks, 2:1 on crypto CFDs. New Zealand and Singapore entities apply their per-jurisdiction rules.
Access tier
CMC Markets API Direct is positioned for institutional and high-volume clients; it is not the standard retail onboarding flow. Retail clients are typically routed to Next Generation (web) or MetaTrader 4. Confirm API Direct eligibility with CMC during onboarding.
Affiliation
TradingHost is independent and is not affiliated with CMC Markets plc or any CMC Markets entity

Section 02 · What CMC Markets offers

What CMC Markets offers

CMC Markets offers 12,000+ tradable products covering FX, indices, commodities, share CFDs, ETFs, treasury CFDs and (per entity) crypto CFDs. The programmatic surface is CMC API Direct, a FIX 4.4 session positioned for institutional and high-volume traders. Retail clients without API Direct access use the Next Generation web platform or MT4. Specifics live in the CMC Connect documentation.

Markets and strategy patterns

  • API Direct FIX 4.4 strategies on 12,000+ products
  • 70+ FX currency pair systematic strategies
  • 1,000+ share CFD pairs and basket strategies
  • Major and minor indices CFD breakout (FTSE 100, S&P 500, DAX 40)
  • Treasury CFD curve trades
  • Spread bet versus CFD order routing (UK retail)
  • Demo Next Generation validated logic ported to API Direct

API surface

Product surfaces
12,000+ tradable products: 70+ spot FX pairs, major and minor indices CFDs, commodities CFDs, 1,000+ share CFDs, ETF CFDs, treasury CFDs. Crypto CFDs depend on the entity. UK retail clients additionally see spread-bet versions of CFD products.
Connection methods
CMC Markets API Direct uses FIX 4.4 for order routing and market data. The retail Next Generation web platform does not expose a separate REST API; programmatic access is via API Direct or via the MT4 bridge for EA strategies. API Direct is positioned for institutional and high-volume clients.
Authentication
FIX session credentials (SenderCompID, Password and host) are provisioned by CMC after API Direct onboarding. Demo and live API Direct credentials are separate. Onboarding is a relationship-driven process; eligibility for retail traders depends on volume and account profile.

For specifics, refer to CMC Markets

CMC Connect (API Direct) documentation and the institutional API brochure are the source of truth for FIX endpoints, instrument identifiers and onboarding.

Section 03 · Build with AI

Build your CMC Markets strategy with AI

Pick an integration method, fork a TradingHost framework starter, and author your strategy in an AI IDE. CMC API Direct (FIX 4.4) is the canonical path; MT4 EAs run inside the terminal rather than on TradingHost. NautilusTrader does not ship a CMC adapter today.

  • CMC API Direct (FIX 4.4)

    Institutional-tier FIX 4.4 session for order routing and market data. The canonical TradingHost-compatible path; requires API Direct onboarding.

    CMC Connect overview

  • Custom FIX engine

    quickfix-python, QuickFIX/J, OnixS or your own FIX 4.4 implementation. Any FIX engine in any container language works against CMC API Direct credentials.

  • MT4 bridge

    CMC offers an MT4 bridge for EA-style strategies. EAs run inside the MetaTrader terminal, not on TradingHost.

  • Custom connector

    Your own Java, C#, Python or Go integration on top of CMC API Direct.

Framework support for CMC Markets products

CMC API Direct (FIX 4.4) spans CMC's full multi-asset surface. Retail clients without API Direct access use Next Generation (web) or MT4. Crypto CFDs depend on the entity.

FrameworkFXIndicesCommoditiesCFDCrypto CFDs
CMC API Direct (FIX 4.4)SupportedSupportedSupportedSupportedPartially supported
Custom FIX engineSupportedSupportedSupportedSupportedPartially supported
MT4 bridgePartially supportedPartially supportedPartially supportedNot documented as supportedNot documented as supported
NautilusTraderNot documented as supportedNot documented as supportedNot documented as supportedNot documented as supportedNot documented as supported

✓ confirmed support per CMC Connect documentation. "in terminal" means the strategy runs in the MetaTrader desktop. "entity-dependent" means availability depends on the CMC entity.

TradingHost does not force a framework. It runs your project.

Author with AI

The framework starters above pair naturally with AI IDEs. The TradingHost MCP control surface closes the loop: AI tools can inspect deployments, review logs and manage the runtime alongside you, never the trade execution path.

Section 04 · Run on TradingHost

Run your code on TradingHost

CMC Markets provides the broker account and FIX API Direct access. TradingHost provides the production environment where your CMC-connected strategy runs.

Instead of running strategy code on a laptop, desktop machine, generic VPS or manually configured server, you deploy from GitHub into a TradingHost-managed container runtime.

You

  • Your repo contains your code.
  • Your deployment defines how it runs.
  • Your strategy connects to CMC Markets via API Direct FIX 4.4.

TradingHost

  • Keeps the runtime online.
  • Surfaces logs and health checks.
  • Region selection.
  • Controlled deployment surface.

Deployment flow

  1. STEP 01

    Connect GitHub

    Authorise TradingHost to access your GitHub account.

  2. STEP 02

    Link a repo or start from a framework

    Point TradingHost at your existing strategy repo, or fork a TradingHost CMC API Direct FIX 4.4 starter.

  3. STEP 03

    Deploy into a TradingHost container

    Pick a region (EU for CMC Markets UK Plc and the FCA-regulated UK / EU entities; US-East when paired with US market data), supply the environment values your strategy needs (CMC API Direct SenderCompID, Password, host and port), and deploy. TradingHost builds your container from the repo and runs your strategy on managed Kubernetes infrastructure.

  4. STEP 04

    Monitor logs and health

    Watch live logs, health and runtime state from the TradingHost dashboard. The same surface is reachable through MCP from any AI IDE, so Cursor, Claude Code or a CLI agent can read deployment state and manage the runtime alongside you.

  5. STEP 05

    Update and redeploy

    Push changes to your GitHub main branch and TradingHost redeploys automatically.

Deploy

Section 05 · Operational notes

Operational notes for CMC Markets

Things that bite you when you actually run a CMC Markets strategy in a containerised cloud runtime. Every claim is paraphrased from CMC's own documentation, the LSE filings or the relevant regulator; the deployment-side guidance is from running these strategies on TradingHost.

  1. 01 · API Direct gating

    CMC API Direct is institutional-tier, not the default retail onboarding flow

    CMC Markets API Direct is positioned for institutional and high-volume traders. Retail clients onboarding through the standard CMC flow are routed to Next Generation (web) or MT4 by default. API Direct access requires a separate relationship-driven onboarding, where CMC evaluates account volume, profile and use case before issuing FIX credentials. Plan for this onboarding latency when building a CMC-targeted strategy on TradingHost.

    SourceCMC Connect / API Direct

  2. 02 · FIX 4.4

    Standard FIX 4.4 protocol; CMC publishes its own session specifications

    CMC API Direct is standard FIX 4.4 with a CMC-specific dialect documented in the CMC Connect onboarding materials. Any FIX engine in any language can speak it (quickfix, QuickFIX/J, OnixS, or your own). Sequence numbers, heartbeats, logon and logout follow FIX 4.4 conventions; CMC-specific fields are documented in the institutional brochure provided at onboarding.

    SourceCMC Institutional API brochure (PDF)

  3. 03 · Spread bet vs CFD

    UK retail clients place spread bets or CFDs, with distinct ticker conventions

    CMC Markets UK Plc offers both CFDs and spread bets to UK retail; the latter is a UK-specific tax-advantaged instrument. Spread bet versions of CFD products use distinct ticker conventions in the API. A strategy that hard-codes 'CFD' tickers cannot place spread-bet trades, and vice versa. Read the account type at session creation and branch order routing accordingly.

    SourceCMC Connect / API Direct

  4. 04 · FTSE-listed parent

    CMC Markets plc is FTSE-listed (LSE: CMCX); regulator filings are public

    CMC Markets plc trades on the London Stock Exchange under ticker CMCX. The parent company files audited results twice a year. For algorithmic trading purposes the LSE listing matters as a credibility signal and because regulator-facing reporting is well-established. Counterparty risk is lower than at non-listed retail FX shops, though not zero.

    SourceLondon Stock Exchange (CMCX)

  5. 05 · Multi-entity

    Leverage and product availability depend on which CMC entity holds the account

    CMC Markets UK Plc (FCA 173730), CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd (ASIC AFSL 238054), CMC Markets Germany GmbH (BaFin), CMC Markets New Zealand Limited (NZ FMA) and CMC Markets (Singapore) Pte Ltd (MAS) operate as separate entities. The API surface is the same across entities, but leverage caps, eligible products, complaint-handling jurisdiction and reporting regime follow the entity.

    SourceFCA register: CMC Markets UK Plc 173730

  6. 06 · Trade reporting

    EMIR, MiFID II and ASIC reporting is CMC's responsibility

    CMC Markets UK Plc reports under FCA / MiFID II / EMIR rules. CMC Markets Germany GmbH reports under BaFin / MiFID II / EMIR rules. CMC Markets Asia Pacific reports under ASIC derivative trade-reporting rules. TradingHost does not perform regulatory trade reporting on your behalf. The strategy code you run on TradingHost is your own algorithmic activity; reporting attaches to the CMC entity holding the account.

    SourceFCA register: CMC Markets UK Plc

Section 06 · Built for

Built for

TradingHost CMC Markets runtimes are best suited to:

  • Developers building strategies in AI IDEs (Cursor, Claude Code)
  • Institutional-tier FIX 4.4 strategy developers
  • Quant FX and indices systematic traders
  • UK spread bet and CFD developers
  • Teams moving from MetaTrader and VPS hosting to containerised deployment

Connecting GitHub and creating your first strategy is free.

Section 08 · FAQ

FAQ

No. TradingHost is independent and is not affiliated with CMC Markets plc or any CMC Markets entity.

No. TradingHost is not a broker and is not a registered investment firm. TradingHost is a cloud runtime that runs your strategy code. The broker relationship, the account, the leverage, the execution and the regulatory protections all live with the CMC Markets entity that holds your account.

No. Your FIX client connects to CMC API Direct and sends instructions according to your own logic. TradingHost provides the runtime where that code runs.

No. CMC API Direct access is provided by CMC Markets after a relationship-driven onboarding. You are responsible for your CMC account, FIX credentials and compliance with CMC's terms.

It depends. CMC API Direct is positioned for institutional and high-volume clients. Retail traders onboarding through the standard flow are typically routed to Next Generation (web) or MT4. Eligibility for API Direct is decided by CMC based on volume, account profile and use case.

Yes. CMC API Direct is standard FIX 4.4, so any Python FIX engine (quickfix-python, simplefix, etc.) works against CMC FIX credentials.

Yes. TradingHost supports any language that can run inside a container. CMC API Direct is FIX 4.4, so any FIX engine in any language works.

If your strategy is an MT4 EA compiled in MQL4, that EA runs inside the MetaTrader 4 terminal and traditionally needs a Windows VPS. For TradingHost, port the logic to CMC API Direct (FIX 4.4); that becomes the TradingHost-compatible shape.

Open a CMC Markets account, request API Direct onboarding through CMC Connect. Fork a TradingHost CMC API Direct FIX 4.4 starter, or connect your own GitHub strategy repo. Linking a GitHub repo and creating a strategy is free; runtime plans are listed on the pricing page.

Yes, if you have API Direct access. Leverage is set by the CMC entity. CMC Markets UK Plc (FCA), CMC Markets Germany GmbH (BaFin) and CMC Markets Asia Pacific (ASIC) apply ESMA-aligned caps. CMC Markets New Zealand and CMC Markets Singapore follow their respective rules. The API surface is the same across entities.

In your GitHub-controlled secrets workflow. TradingHost reads the SenderCompID, Password and host details at runtime through GitHub repository secrets, environment secrets or your own approved secret-management process.

Yes. TradingHost supports MCP-based control for AI IDEs including Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and CLI-based AI agents. MCP is a control and observability surface, not the trade execution path.

No. EMIR and MiFID II trade reporting is the broker's responsibility. CMC Markets UK Plc reports under FCA / MiFID II / EMIR rules. CMC Markets Germany GmbH reports under BaFin / MiFID II / EMIR rules. CMC Markets Asia Pacific reports under ASIC derivative trade-reporting rules. TradingHost runs your code; the CMC entity handles regulatory reporting.

No. TradingHost is focused on production runtime and deployment. Backtesting belongs in your research stack, in a framework like NautilusTrader, or in AlgoBuilder.