Everyone talks about low spreads, low commissions, and high leverage, but with all these, it's even more important to check the availability of the broker. Look for a broker that's available at the time you need them. I would suggest opening a demo account with the brokers you are interested in, then mail them lots of questions. Now monitor how fast they respond to your query. If you find that customer service isn't good, wipe out that broker from your list.