Cannon Trading Company, Inc.

What Cannon Trading Company, Inc. does

Cannon Trading Company, Inc. is a privately held, Los Angeles-based Independent Introducing Broker (IIB) founded in 1988 by Mike Levy and supervised by the CFTC and registered with the NFA (ID #0216708). The firm provides execution and brokerage services across global futures and options markets, including agricultural, energy, metals, financial, and cryptocurrency futures listed on CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX, and Eurex. It serves a heterogeneous client base spanning self-directed retail traders, broker-assisted professional traders, institutional and corporate accounts, hedgers, international traders (including a dedicated Korean Futures Broker service), day traders, and systems/algo traders. Revenue is generated primarily through per-side commissions on executed futures trades under a volume-tiered schedule that ranges from $0.74/side at entry level down to $0.18/side for traders exceeding 50,000 contracts per month, supplemented by ancillary platform/data fees and CME Electronic Membership application revenue (~$2,000 per enrollment).

The firm's core technology stack combines proprietary platforms (free CannonX/E-Futures International, Mac-compatible Cannon Pro and FireTip) with curated access to ten-plus third-party platforms including Sierra Charts, CQG, Rithmic, MultiCharts, TradingView, Bookmap, MotiveWave, MetaTrader 5, and OptionVue. API access supports algorithmic and systems traders. Market intelligence offerings include the Cannon Edge daily futures insight feature with proprietary trend signals, Futures 102 daily briefing, and daily support and resistance level publications. A distinctive service, the Day Trader Lifeline, provides free emergency broker assistance for trade exits during technical failures.

Distribution operates through a hybrid model: online self-service account opening with sub-day approvals across clearing partners Ironbeam ($1,000 minimum), StoneX ($2,000 minimum), Phillip Capital ($5,000 minimum), and Dorman Trading (recommended for active micro futures traders), supplemented by phone-based broker-assisted sales and direct enterprise service for institutional clients. Marketing relies on a content-heavy stack including a TraderPlanet #1 Blog-awarded website, weekly newsletter, YouTube channel, podcast on Apple/Spotify/Amazon Music, active social media presence, and Trustpilot reviews, supported by a 4.9/5 customer satisfaction rating. The firm maintains no disclosed venture or private equity backing and operates as a stable founder-controlled enterprise under continuous Levy family leadership.

Name

Cannon Trading Company, Inc.

Legal name

Cannon Trading Company, Inc.

Website

https://cannontrading.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cannon Trading Company, Inc. is a CFTC-regulated, NFA-registered Independent Introducing Broker founded in 1988 that provides futures and options execution, brokerage support, and multi-platform trading access to retail, professional, institutional, and international traders via four clearing firm partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Per-Side Commission on Futures Trades: Volume-tiered commission structure ranging from $0.74 per side (1-1000 contracts) down to $0.18 per side for traders executing over 50,000 contracts monthly. Micro contracts have lower rates ($0.39 for 1-1000 down to $0.12 for above 50000). Rates exclude exchange fees and NFA fees.
2. CME Electronic Membership Services: Corporate membership program for institutions, corporations, and LLCs that trade minimum 50 contracts/day, providing exchange fee savings of $0.50-$1.01 per side on E-Mini and currency contracts. Application fee approximately $2000.
3. Platform and Data Fees: Additional fees may apply based on trading platform selection, with some platforms available free (CannonX) and others carrying software fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cannon Trading Company, Inc. is an Independent Introducing Broker (IIB) that provides futures and options brokerage services to institutions, professional traders, hedgers, and individual investors worldwide. The firm routes trades through clearing partners (StoneX, Ironbeam, Dorman Trading, Phillip Capital), offers access to 10+ trading platforms including the free proprietary CannonX platform, and delivers per-side commissions, market intelligence, and emergency broker support to active futures traders.

Product overview

Cannon Trading Company, Inc. is a futures and commodities brokerage firm established in 1988, offering a comprehensive trading ecosystem with multiple trading platforms, market intelligence tools, and clearing partnerships. The core product portfolio centers on the proprietary CannonX/E-Futures International platform (free trading platform) and TransAct AT (day trading platform), supplemented by access to major third-party trading platforms including Sierra Charts, CQG, Rithmic, TradingView, MultiCharts, and Trading Technologies (TT). The firm provides API access for algorithmic traders, the iSystems automated trading platform for CTAs and managed accounts, and market intelligence features including Cannon Edge daily insights, Futures 102 Daily Briefing, and Support & Resistance Levels. Services span self-directed online trading, broker-assisted trading, professional/institutional services, international traders, and CME Electronic Membership for reduced exchange fees. The company operates through clearing partnerships with IronBeam, StoneX, Dorman Trading, and Phillip Capital, offering competitive commission schedules starting at $0.18 per side for high-volume traders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CannonX: Free futures trading platform offered by Cannon Trading
• E-Futures International (CannonX)
• Cannon Pro
• Day Trader Lifeline
• CannonEdge
• Futures 102
• AIM (Always In the Market)

Products and services

• CannonX / E-Futures International Proprietary free futures trading platform offering live charts, futures news, advanced order entry, time-released orders, futures option chains, and a strategy creator. Targets self-directed futures and options traders needing professional tools without advisory fees.
• Cannon Pro Professional Mac-compatible trading platform offering full futures and forex capabilities. Serves Mac users in active trading who need a professional-grade trading interface.
• TransAct AT Day trading platform with fast execution engine, aggressive day trading margins, and advanced order entry. Integrates with Sierra Charts. Targets active day traders needing fast order routing and execution.
• Day Trader Lifeline Emergency support service allowing self-directed traders to call for broker assistance getting out of trades or placing stops during internet or computer emergencies, included at no additional charge.
• Cannon Edge Daily futures market insight feature providing current price, daily percentage change, 30-day and 52-week highs/lows, and proprietary short-term and long-term trend signals across equity indices, metals, energies, currencies, and agricultural markets.
• AIM (Always In the Market) Trading program combining always-in-the-market futures positions with weekly short option straddles for income generation, available across Micro Crude Oil, Micro E-mini Nasdaq, Micro E-mini S&P 500, and U.S. 30-year bond contracts.
• iSystems Automated Trading Platform Platform for accessing automated trading systems, algorithmic trading strategies, and CTAs (Commodity Trading Advisors) for managed futures accounts, targeting professional and systems traders.
• CME Electronic Membership Program Corporate membership program for institutions, corporations, and LLCs trading a minimum of 50 contracts/day, providing exchange fee savings of $0.50-$1.01 per side on E-Mini and currency contracts, with an approximately $2,000 application fee.
• Futures Trading API API access enabling systems and algorithmic traders to connect their trading systems to futures markets programmatically for automated execution and strategy deployment.
• Futures 102 Daily Briefing Free daily market intelligence briefing aggregating macro strategy, bank analysis, geopolitics, and technical analysis from publicly available sources for futures traders.
• FireTip Mac-compatible futures and options online trading platform offered through clearing partner integrations, targeting Mac-using active traders.
• Self-Directed Online Futures Brokerage Futures and options brokerage account service for self-directed traders, providing online account opening through clearing partners (Ironbeam $1,000 minimum, StoneX/Gain $2,000 minimum, Phillip Capital $5,000 minimum, Dorman recommended for micro futures), with most accounts approved within one business day.
• Broker-Assisted Futures Trading Broker-assisted futures trading service providing Series 3 licensed broker support for order execution, market commentary, and strategic guidance via phone at 1-800-454-9572 / 310-859-9572, targeting traders who value expert guidance over self-execution.
• Professional Traders & Institutional Services Institutional futures brokerage service providing CME Electronic Membership, co-location, master/allocation accounts, API access, and customized back-office solutions for high-volume traders, corporations, LLCs, and institutional investors.
• Futures Hedging Service Brokerage service supporting commercial hedgers in offsetting price risk on physical commodity positions through agricultural, energy, and metals futures markets.
• International Traders & Foreign Introducing Broker Services Futures brokerage services for non-US traders and foreign introducing brokers seeking access to US futures exchanges, including a dedicated Korean Futures Broker service and multi-currency account support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Commission rates as low as $0.18 per side for traders executing over 50,000 contracts/month
• +3 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StoneX (formerly GAIN Capital)coreTechnology or IntegrationClearing firm partnership providing futures and options execution with free in-house platform, API access, and 20+ third-party platforms. Minimum account $2,000. Supports US and international clients.
• IronbeamcoreTechnology or IntegrationClearing firm partnership offering self-directed and broker-assist accounts, futures and options, aggressive margins, Mac-compatible platforms including Sierra Teton, CTS, Rithmic, CQG, FIRETIP, TradingView and 20+ platforms. Minimum starting account $1,000. Supports US, Canada, and international clients.
• Dorman TradingcoreTechnology or IntegrationClearing firm partnership recommended for active micro futures traders with specialized micro futures focus and competitive micro contract pricing.
• Phillip CapitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationClearing firm partnership offering self-directed accounts, futures and options (no naked options), access to T.T., CQG, Sierra Teton, Rithmic, overcharts, Quantower and 20+ platforms, mobile app, and access to US and international exchanges. Minimum starting account $5,000.
• CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange)coreTechnology or IntegrationExchange partnership providing access to CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX futures markets. Institutional CME Electronic Membership program available for high-volume traders saving $0.50-$1.01 per side on exchange fees.
• EurexcoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean derivatives exchange partnership providing access to Micro DAX futures (FDXS) and other Eurex-listed products for traders seeking European market exposure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FuturesOnline: Online futures introducing broker offering volume discounts, multiple platforms, and broker-assisted support, competing with Cannon in the self-directed and professional trader segments.
• Tradovate: Cloud-native futures broker and clearing platform with a modern, low-cost commission model targeting the same self-directed day trader persona that Cannon serves through CannonX.
• AMP Futures: Futures introducing broker known for low per-side commissions and platform breadth (Sierra Charts, Rithmic, CQG, etc.), directly competing with Cannon on price-sensitive and platform-agnostic traders.
• NinjaTrader Brokerage: Futures broker tightly integrated with the NinjaTrader platform serving active and self-directed traders, with comparable commission structure and platform-led go-to-market approach.
• Daniels Trading: Long-standing independent futures broker (founded 1994) providing broker-assisted service, education, and multiple platforms to retail and professional futures traders — directly comparable mid-sized IIB peer.
• Optimus Futures: Independent futures introducing broker offering a multi-platform, multi-FCM model with volume-tiered commissions across global futures markets — directly comparable to Cannon's IIB model and customer mix.
• WH SelfInvest: European-headquartered futures and CFD broker with multi-platform offering and a focus on active traders, comparable to Cannon's international and multi-currency service model.

Broad incumbents

• Interactive Brokers: Large multi-asset online broker with deep futures, options, and global exchange access; a broad incumbent that competes for the same professional and self-directed futures traders as Cannon, but with far broader product scope.
• Charles Schwab: Major US retail broker (now including the former TD Ameritrade thinkorswim platform) offering futures trading to a mass-market retail base; a broad incumbent that overlaps with Cannon's self-directed retail segment but with vastly greater scale.
• StoneX: Global FCM and financial services firm that operates as a clearing partner to Cannon while also serving retail and institutional futures clients directly through its own brand — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Cannon's institutional and CME membership offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCf-asPYp_40m1unYPKpUhaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CannonTrading
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cannon-trading
• Instagraminstagram.com/CannonTrading
• Xx.com/CannonTrading

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cannon Trading Company, Inc.