Most traders never ask how their broker makes money. The answer changes everything about who you can trust.
THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE
A-BOOK
STP / ECN
Orders → Liquidity Providers
Earns from spreads/commissions
Your win = broker neutral
⚖ No conflict of interest
B-BOOK
MARKET MAKER
Orders kept in-house
Earns when you lose
Your win = broker loses
⚠ Conflict of interest
A-Book = broker aligned with you. B-Book = broker profits from your losses.
A-BOOK — THE TRANSPARENT MODEL
💵 Earns from spread or commission only. Not your losses.
⚖ Zero conflict of interest. Tighter spreads. Transparent pricing.
B-BOOK — THE CONFLICT MODEL
❌ Your trade never leaves the broker. They take the other side.
💰 Broker profits = your losses. Built-in conflict of interest.
THE HYBRID MODEL — MOST BROKERS
SAME BROKER. DIFFERENT BOOKS.
📊
Profitable traders / High volume → sent to A-Book. Broker passes the risk out.
👶
Smaller / Less profitable traders → kept on B-Book. Broker takes the other side.
⚙️
Dynamic allocation. Your book can change as your account grows.
Most retail traders start on the B-Book. Become consistently profitable and you get moved.
THE FLOW — HOW ORDERS TRAVEL
A-BOOK
Broker = your partner
B-BOOK
Broker = your opponent
SPREADS — WHAT YOU PAY EVERY TRADE
SPREAD = BUY PRICE − SELL PRICE = BROKER'S CUT
GOLD XAU/USD — TYPICAL SPREADS
A-BOOK ECN
$0.18
A-BOOK STP
$0.30
B-BOOK FIXED
$0.55
B-BOOK NEWS
$3.00+
Variable spread (A-Book): tight in calm markets, widens slightly on news. Fair.
Fixed spread (B-Book): sounds stable but widens massively during news — exactly when you trade.
YOUR ACCOUNT TYPE ON PU PRIME
ONE ACCOUNT. STANDARD.
STANDARD ACCOUNT ✓
Variable spread. STP execution. Access to all instruments. This is the account type used in this community.
When you open through the community link — select Standard Account. All the strategies, lot sizes, and examples in this vault are built around it.
Link in bio → Open PU Prime → Select Standard → Start trading with the full framework.
EXECUTION — WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS
YOU CLICK BUY AT $2,312
↓
ORDER REACHES BROKER
↓
A-BOOK STP
⚡ <100ms
Fills at $2,312
B-BOOK MM
⏱ 1–3 sec delay
Fills at $2,310 ▼
At 8:35AM during your entry window — a 2 second B-Book delay means price has already moved. You're filled at a worse price before your trade even starts.
5 B-BOOK TACTICS THAT COST YOU MONEY
01
Slippage — you click $2,312 and fill at $2,309. Happens constantly on volatile entries.
02
Requotes — broker rejects your price mid-click. "Price has changed. Accept new price?" You accept. It's worse.
03
Execution delay — broker holds your order 1–3 seconds. Watches which way price moves. Then fills you.
04
Stop hunting — broker can see your stop loss level. Brief price spike triggers it. Then price reverses.
05
Spread widening — right before 8:30AM news, spread explodes from $0.30 to $3.00. Your entry is immediately deep in the red.
A-BOOK BROKERS HAVE NO REASON TO DO ANY OF THIS
HOW TO SPOT YOUR BROKER'S MODEL
🔵
A-BOOK signs: STP, ECN, NDD, DMA — in their description. Variable spreads. Commission per trade. External liquidity listed.
🔴
B-BOOK signs: "Market Maker" in terms. Always fixed spreads. No liquidity providers mentioned. Deposit bonuses with lock-up conditions.
⚠️
Warning signs: Withdrawals delayed or questioned. Profits suddenly trigger account "review." Execution worsens when you start winning.
✅
Test first: Deposit minimum. Place 3–5 trades. Check slippage. Withdraw immediately. If no problems — broker is likely legitimate.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01
A-Book: your order goes to real market. Broker earns spread/commission only.
02
B-Book: broker takes opposite side. Profits directly from your losses.
03
Spread types: variable (A-Book, fair) vs fixed (B-Book, widens on news).