Week of 10 to 14 August 2026·Published
Week in Brief
EUR/USD spreads tightened from 0.829 to 0.7 pips average this week, with BlackBull Markets holding 0.1 pips every single day. Three index instruments (GER40, NAS100, US500) plus BTC/USD ran on just 3 to 4 brokers, making their averages thin.
Spread Movements by Instrument
EUR/USD
tightened- Week range
- 0.7 to 0.829 pips average across 7 brokers
- Cheapest
- BlackBull Markets at 0.1 pips
- Notable
- Average fell from 0.829 to 0.7 pips on 2026-08-14 as XM cut its rate from 2 to 1.1 pips, a 45% drop.
GBP/USD
tightened- Week range
- 0.943 to 1.1 pips average across 7 brokers
- Cheapest
- BlackBull Markets at 0.1 pips
- Notable
- Average dropped from 1.1 to 0.943 pips on the final day as XM moved from 2.4 to 1.3 pips, a 46% cut, while dearest shifted to OANDA at 2 pips.
USD/JPY
tightened- Week range
- 0.857 to 1.029 pips average across 7 brokers
- Cheapest
- BlackBull Markets at 0.1 pips
- Notable
- Average fell from 1.029 to 0.857 pips on 2026-08-14 as XM cut from 2.5 to 1.3 pips, a 48% reduction.
XAU/USD
tightened- Week range
- 0.24 to 0.3 USD average, but broker count ranged 2 to 3, so this is a coverage artifact not a clean trend
- Cheapest
- BlackBull Markets at 0.12 USD
- Notable
- Gold coverage stayed thin this week, so the daily range moves with which brokers are quoting.
WTI/USD
widened- Week range
- 3.125 to 3.5 points average across 4 brokers
- Cheapest
- ThinkMarkets at 1.5 to 2 points
- Notable
- Average moved between 3.125 and 3.5 across the week with ThinkMarkets cheapest every day and Swissquote dearest at 5.2 to 6.2 points.
US500
stable- Week range
- 0.675 to 0.7 points average across 4 brokers
- Cheapest
- IG Group at 0.4 points
- Notable
- Average held at 0.675 points on four of five days, with a single tick to 0.7 on 2026-08-13.
GER40
widened- Week range
- 2.343 to 4.477 points average across only 3 brokers, thin coverage
- Cheapest
- IG Group at 1.4 points on the final day
- Notable
- Average nearly doubled on 2026-08-14 as BlackBull Markets jumped from 1.3 to 7.7 points, a 492% increase, flipping it from cheapest to dearest.
NAS100
widened- Week range
- 1.4 to 1.567 points average across only 3 brokers, thin coverage
- Cheapest
- ThinkMarkets at 0.8 points
- Notable
- Average oscillated between 1.4 and 1.567 points with ThinkMarkets cheapest and Swissquote dearest every day.
BTC/USD
widened- Week range
- 18.333 to 21.863 price-points average across only 2 to 3 brokers, thin coverage
- Cheapest
- ThinkMarkets at 15 price-points
- Notable
- Average jumped from 18.333 to 21.863 between 2026-08-10 and 2026-08-11 then eased to 20 on 2026-08-14 when coverage dropped to 2 brokers.
Broker Spotlight
BlackBull Markets was the tightest broker overall, topping the cheapest-broker tally with 23 of 45 key instrument-days and holding 0.1 pips in EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY every day this week. BlackBull Markets itself swung to a 7.7 point GER40 spread on 2026-08-14, up 492% from 1.3, making it that day's dearest broker on an instrument it usually leads.
Market Context
- Gold bounced from a weekly low on a softer US Dollar Friday, coinciding with the XAU/USD average settling at 0.257 USD on 3 brokers.
To Watch Next Week
- UoM Consumer Sentiment Index release, watch USD-pairs including EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY for spread reaction.
- Fedspeak shift flagged by ING, watch EUR/USD and USD/JPY given this week's tightening trend.
- GER40 spreads after BlackBull Markets' 492% jump on 14 August, watch whether the wider quote persists.