Financial Spread Betting

Spread Betting
           
Financial Spread Betting

Financial Spread Betting


A guide to financial spread betting with a look at the pros and cons, the financial spread betting companies, reducing your risk, trading orders, market commentary and how to trade.

Financial Spread Betting

Financial spread betting is an increasingly common tool for speculating on the markets. Spread betting comes with a number of important characteristics and benefits that make it a convenient way of trading. Advantages include:
  1. The ability to speculate across an extensive range global markets. Many spread betting providers offer countless markets which normally include stock market indices, stocks and shares, foreign exchange, commodities, bonds and interest rates.

  2. Financial spread betting is tax free*, there is no capital gains tax, no income tax and no stamp duty to pay on spread bets.

  3. You can go long (ie buy) or short (ie sell) of a market. This means that you're able to make a profit with markets which are falling or rising.

  4. Financial spread betting is commission-free and there are no brokers’ fees (the spread betting companies’ fees are built into the prices).

  5. You can trade via mobile phone applications, online and over the phone.

  6. The vast majority of new trades are processed automatically, or at least within a matter of seconds.

  7. When the closing bell sounds, not all financial spread betting markets will close. Whilst the New York, Frankfurt and London stock exchanges may close many important markets remain open. Companies like Financial Spreads offer 24 hour trading, 5 days a week on key markets like the FTSE 100, EUR/USD, gold and crude oil. Note that with 24 hour trading, out-of-hours pricing may be applied, ie the spreads will sometimes be wider.

  8. Spread betting certainly has it’s risks (see below) but there are a few steps you can take to limit your potential losses. One example is that you can add a Stop Loss to your trades. If a market moves against your position then the Stop Loss will close your spread bet and prevent you from losing any more money. Note that not all Stop Losses are guaranteed. Also see financial spread betting orders.

  9. Some of the spread betting firms have started to provide free financial data for their clients. The data available can vary; however, it can often include Events Calendars, Market Heat Maps, Technical Analysis and Company Specific Data.

Financial Spread Betting Companies

In the table below we have listed some of the largest financial spread betting companies.

How do you know which spread betting company is right for you?

Rather than give you a list of spread betting companies, here are a few suggestions on what you might look for when choosing a company to trade with.

Many UK investors pick a firm that is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), this means client funds are segregated from “the company’s funds” and that the investor is protected by the Financial Service Compensation Scheme should the company in question go bankrupt.

Note that whilst you do not pay direct commissions with spread betting, many investors often don’t realise that the firm’s fee or commission is built into the spread/pricing.

The smaller the spreads offered by the firm in question, the lower your trading costs. Note that it has become quite a competitive market and a number of operators, like Financial Spreads, now offer spreads as low as 1 point on the FTSE 100 index, DAX 30, EUR/GBP, EUR/USD and USD/JPY. For a price comparison see spread betting comparison.



Financial Spread Betting Companies
Note that most firms listed on this site offer a broad selection of financial instruments including forex, many UK and international shares, stock market indices and commodities. For more details see: spread betting companies.

If you are less familiar with spread betting then choosing a firm that offers demo accounts can be helpful. Demo accounts are free accounts, with virtual funds, where you can practice trading the markets, try trading orders etc.


  Financial Spreads ETXCapital IG Index Capital Spreads GFT City Index
Spread Betting Company Review Click for Financial Spreads Review Click for ETXCapital Review Click for IG Index Review Click for Capital Spreads Review Click for GFT Review Click for City Index Review
New Account Offer? Financial Spreads: New Account Offer? ETXCapital: New Account Offer? IG Index: New Account Offer? Capital Spreads: New Account Offer? GFT: New Account Offer? City Index: New Account Offer?
Trading Charts? Financial Spreads: Trading Charts? ETXCapital: Trading Charts? IG Index: Trading Charts? Capital Spreads: Trading Charts? GFT: Trading Charts? City Index: Trading Charts?
24 Hour Spread Betting? Financial Spreads: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets? ETXCapital: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets? IG Index: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets? Capital Spreads: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets? GFT: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets? City Index: 24 Hour Spread Betting Markets?
Stop Losses Available? Financial Spreads: Stop Loss Orders Available? ETXCapital: Stop Loss Orders Available? IG Index: Stop Loss Orders Available? Capital Spreads: Stop Loss Orders Available? GFT: Stop Loss Orders Available? City Index: Stop Loss Orders Available?
Guaranteed Stop Available? Financial Spreads: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? ETXCapital: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? IG Index: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? Capital Spreads: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? GFT: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? City Index: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available?
Demo Account? Financial Spreads: Demo Account? ETXCapital: Demo Account? IG Index: Demo Account? Capital Spreads: Demo Account? GFT: Demo Account? City Index: Demo Account?
Regulated by? Financial Spreads - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission ETXCapital - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission IG Index - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission Capital Spreads - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission GFT - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission City Index - Regulated by:

 'F' stands for Financial Services Authority, and 
'C' stands for Financial Services Commission
Spread betting services may also be available from other companies. Notes.


For individual financial spread betting company reviews also see:

Financial Spread Betting Risks

Financial spread betting is a leveraged form of investment, it carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses that are greater than your initial investment.

Please ensure that financial spread betting fits your investment needs as it might not be appropriate for all classes of investor.

Before you start trading, make sure you fully appreciate the risk involved. Make sure that you only spread bet with funds that you can afford to lose.

Where you feel it is required, seek independent advice.


Financial Spread Betting Guides and News

Each day Online-Spread-Betting.com offers the latest views and news on the markets, with different articles focusing on areas such as the forex market, UK share tips, technical analysis, market data etc. For the latest views and opinions on the markets see:

Financial Spread Betting Markets

Online-Spread-Betting.com offers hundreds of spread betting guides on individual markets. Each spread betting guide comes with detailed trading examples, where to find charts, which companies offer which markets etc. For more information see:

Financial Spread Betting Orders

Spread betting can be risky and therefore, much like all your investing, only trade with money you can afford to lose.

To help you manage your risk, spread betting companies normally let you use a number of trading orders, the more widely used orders are:
  • Stop Loss
  • Guaranteed Stop
  • Limit Order

Stop Loss - a Stop Loss is a trading order designed to help an investor if they are losing money on a trade. A Stop Loss order can close and settle your trade if the underlying market moves against your position and through a certain level. You can generally state the level that the order is set at.

Be aware that Stop Loss orders aren't completely guaranteed, in the event that the market ‘gaps’ or jumps across the price level you set your Stop Loss at, then your trade will be closed at the next traded price.



Financial Spread Betting Orders

Guaranteed Stop - a Guaranteed Stop order works just like a standard Stop Loss however the closing price level of your financial spread bet is guaranteed. So even if the underlying financial instrument you are trading gaps over the level of your Guaranteed Stop, your spread bet will still be closed at the price you selected.

Keep in mind that if you want to add a Guaranteed Stop to a trade, there is generally a small premium for this extra insurance and, generally, it is a marginally larger spread/price.

Both types of Stop order are important considering the fact that spread betting is leveraged and comes with a high level of risk. These orders help to lessen any unwanted shocks.


Limit Order – a Limit order is designed to assist you if you're making a profit on your trade. A Limit order would close your spread bet if and when the market you are trading moves in the way that you successfully forecast and through a certain price level. In most instances you'll be able to state the level at which your Limit order is set.

Put simply, Limit orders will close and settle your trade to lock in your profit. A good number of traders always use Limits because they can help to prevent you from getting carried away and not closing your trade according to your plan.


  Financial Spreads ETXCapital IG Index Capital Spreads GFT City Index
Stop Losses Available? Financial Spreads: Stop Loss Orders Available? ETXCapital: Stop Loss Orders Available? IG Index: Stop Loss Orders Available? Capital Spreads: Stop Loss Orders Available? GFT: Stop Loss Orders Available? City Index: Stop Loss Orders Available?
Guaranteed Stop Available? Financial Spreads: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? ETXCapital: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? IG Index: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? Capital Spreads: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? GFT: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available? City Index: Guaranteed Stop Loss Available?
Stop orders may also be available from other companies. Notes.


Reducing Your Financial Spread Betting Risk

It doesn’t matter whether you are using CFDs, spread bets or investing in stocks and shares, you can lose money on your investment.

With spread betting there are two simple ways of reducing your risk:
  1. Small Stakes
  2. Stop Losses / Guaranteed Stop Losses

Small Stakes - with most spread betting companies you can trade with smaller stakes such as £1 per point.

To gain a little exposure you could just trade the UK, US or German stock market indices, ie speculate on whether the FTSE 100, Dow Jones or DAX 30 etc will rise or fall.

If you speculate on the FTSE 100 to go up, with a £4 per point stake, and it goes up by 60 points then you would make 60 points x £4 per point = £240.

Of course the market could go against you and rather than going up by 60 points it might drop by 75 points. So with your £4 stake you would lose 75 points x £4 per point = £300.

Note that you can trade the markets in Dollars, Sterling or Euros. If you want to trade in Dollars then 60 points x $4 per point = $240.


Stop Losses / Guaranteed Stop Losses - naturally all investors want to reduce their losses and, as discussed above, with financial spread betting you can limit your losses without impacting your upside.

With online spread betting companies like CMC Markets and FinancialSpreads.com you can add a Guaranteed Stop at let's say, 45 points.

If you were betting on the FTSE 100 then your bet would be closed if the FTSE 100 moved against you by 45 points. Therefore, instead of losing £300, you'd only lose 45 points x £4 per point = £180.

In addition, if you had correctly predicted the market direction then your upside would still be £240 if it moved 60 points or £400 if the FTSE 100 moved up by 100 points.

So what is the catch? As discussed previously, there are risks. Nevertheless, perhaps we should talk through how a trade works in more depth.


Financial Spread Betting - Worked Example

A popular market with many spread bettors is the EUR/USD exchange rate. Looking at a site like Capital Spreads, you might find a price of $1.42767 - $1.42777.

Therefore, you could bet on EUR/USD to:
  • Go higher than $1.42767, or
  • Go lower than $1.42777.
When spread betting, you trade on every unit the market goes up or down. In the case of the EUR/USD market a unit is $0.00010 of the forex pair's price movement.

In this case, you might choose to spread bet £2 for every $0.00010 the EUR/USD rises or falls.


Financial Spread Betting on EUR/USD to Rise

If you were to buy the EUR/USD at $1.42777 and the forex pair went up then the market might be re-priced at $1.43205 - $1.43215. In that case, you could decide to take your profits by closing your trade at $1.43205.

P&L = (final price of the market - opening value of the market) x stake per $0.00010
P&L = ($1.43205 - $1.42777) x £2 per $0.00010 stake
P&L = $0.00428 x £2 per $0.00010
P&L = £85.60 profit

Financial markets also move down, if the market had moved down to $1.42277 - $1.42287, you could choose to close your trade to prevent further losses. If this were the case, you would sell your spread bet at $1.42277.

With the same £2 per $0.00010 stake:

P&L = (final price of the market - opening value of the market) x stake per $0.00010
P&L = ($1.42277 - $1.42777) x £2 per $0.00010 stake
P&L = -$0.00500 x £2 per $0.00010
P&L = -£100.00 loss


Financial Spread Betting on EUR/USD to Fall

A major advantage of financial spread betting is that you can ‘short’ a market, ie speculate on it to fall.

When we began this example, the market was priced at $1.42767 - $1.42777.

If you were to go short of the EUR/USD at $1.42767 and the forex pair fell then the market might be re-priced at $1.42372 - $1.42382. Assuming this was the case, you might decide to close your spread bet for a profit at $1.42382.

P&L = (opening value of the market - final price of the market) x stake per $0.00010
P&L = ($1.42767 - $1.42382) x £2 per $0.00010 stake
P&L = $0.00385 x £2 per $0.00010
P&L = £77.00 profit

Of course, if the market had moved against your position and risen to $1.43207 - $1.43217, you might decide to close your trade to limit your losses. If that happened, you would buy the market at $1.43217.

So, with the same £2 per $0.00010 stake:

P&L = (opening value of the market - final price of the market) x stake per $0.00010
P&L = ($1.42767 - $1.43217) x £2 per $0.00010 stake
P&L = -$0.00450 x £2 per $0.00010
P&L = -£90.00 loss

EUR/USD Rolling Daily spread betting market correct as of 01-Sep-11.


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Note - Spread Betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and you can lose more than your initial investment, it may not be suitable for all investors. Ensure you only speculate with money that you can afford to lose and that you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent financial advice where necessary.

'Financial Spread Betting', Feature by D. Jones, last update: 21-May-12



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China and the Forex Markets, 26-Jan-10,
China and the Forex Markets : The forex markets continue to swing backwards and forwards. It does appear to me that if you took virtually any position in one of the major forex crosses and...see: China and the Forex Markets

Greek Debt and the Currency Markets, 21-Jan-10,
Greek Debt and the Currency Markets : With more news of the Greek Debt, as well as the embarrassing news regarding the unreliability of the data Greece has been providing, the Euro has naturally been under pressure. The result so far is...see: Greek Debt and the Currency Markets

Trading the Housing Market, 20-Apr-09,
Trading the Housing Market: Sentiment is now falling and whilst mortgage approvals have been suffering this is not the end (or even beginning) of the story. Viewings and enquiries at Estate Agents have been recording ever lower numbers. The mortgage offer is generally one of the last factors in a house purchase, first comes the hunt...see: Trading the Housing Market

FTSE 100 Day Trading, 19-Feb-09,
FTSE 100 Day Trading: The FTSE 100 made a series of attempts to trade below the 4000 marker at the end of last year and the start of 2009 but there is a definite support between 4000 and 4030. We will probably need something new to actually break lower. One of the major problems for any rally is that the...see: FTSE 100 Day Trading

FTSE 100 Futures, 19-Feb-09,
FTSE 100 Futures: Looking at the futures markets, trading is still continuing at quite a rate although some of the positions may be slightly smaller as traders reduce risk. Having said that, looking at the spread betting markets, the volume of trades...see: FTSE 100 Futures

Bonds vs Interest Rate Investing, 19-Feb-09,
Bonds vs Interest Rate Investing: Whilst the banks have been busily writing off all those CDO's, MBS's, Sub Prime lending bonds etc. somebody somewhere has made a great deal of money indeed. Yes, a few billion has been...see: Bonds vs Interest Rate Investing

Which Way to Spread Trade in 2009?, 2-Feb-09,
Which Way to Spread Trade in 2009: It could be argued that too many people are almost taking it for granted that there is further stock market weakness to come. It is precisely at times like this that the market...see: Which Way to Spread Trade in 2009?

Short Selling and Spread Betting, 2-Feb-09,
Short Selling and Spread Betting: For now it may be better to look at the companies that are reliant on the banks for credit. The heavily indebted companies, particularly those that need refinancing in the next...see: Short Selling and Spread Betting

Should We Spread Bet on Banks Shares?, 26-Jan-09,
The financial markets initially opened 2009 positively. However, the hesitation and volatility of 2008 soon returned. With the continued problems there has been more...see: Should We Spread Bet on Banks Shares?

The Financial Markets in 2009, 19-Jan-09,
The recent mini-rally cannot disguise the record-breaking 2008 financial market falls. The FTSE 100 plunged 31.3% to record the worst performance since its inception in 1984, ultimately closing 2008 at 4434.2. A year before the FTSE 100 closed at 6457. Unsurprisingly the battered banking sector has...see: The Financial Markets in 2009

UK Banking and Business Lending in 2009, 19-Jan-09,
With another 12 months of a probably contracting economy, I would look with a pretty jaundiced eye at a small business that required money to survive right at the beginning of the down turn. I might ask...see: UK Banking and Business Lending in 2009

A Courageous Market Decision, 17-Jan-09,
The huge injections of liquidity will keep the edifice lurching on a bit longer. Nevertheless the more we try to prop it up, the bigger will be the eventual fall. It will be many, many months before growth starts to...see: A Courageous Market Decision

European Banks in 2009, 17-Jan-09,
Spain's economy in the last 15 years has been built on property and the activity over the last year has taken its toll. Many of the developments now stand half built and many of those will have to be...see: European Banks in 2009

OPEC and the Control of Crude Oil Prices, 21-Nov-08,
OPEC and the Control of Crude Oil Prices: OPEC recently inspired such a rally when it announced a production cut. However that rally was both muted and short lived. Whilst many fear the cartel, the world has seen past evidence of poor attempts by OPEC to...see: OPEC and the Control of Crude Oil Prices

Barack Obama and the Credit Crunch, 20-Nov-08,
Barack Obama and the Credit Crunch: It is a moot point as to how long the current banking crisis will take to build itself up to the level where financial institutions feel strong enough to begin large scale lending again. With major manufacturers in the US...see: Barack Obama and the Credit Crunch

The Negative Financial Markets, 31-Oct-08,
The Negative Financial Markets: The markets are at their lows as investors shun trading equities and bank liquidity stubbornly refuses to move Libor back into more reasonable territory. 3 month Libor is still high whilst base rates are falling. That shows that...see: The Negative Financial Markets

Liquid Financial Markets, 19-Oct-08,
Liquid Financial Markets: Irish banks which were virtually the first recipients of State support are now pretty much at their lowest levels. They are even under the prices that triggered the intervention in the first place. With no shorting of financial shares...see: Liquid Financial Markets

Spread Betting on Gold Falling, 17-Oct-08,
Spread Betting on Gold Falling: if the financial structure of the major banks can be secured the value of precious metals might come in for some serious shorting pressure. It is not difficult to...see: Spread Betting on Gold Falling

Is it Finally Time to Invest?, 17-Oct-08,
Is it Finally Time to Invest? The wild swings in share markets over the past month have not been conducive to sensible decision taking. It is all very well for the Sage of Omaha to be entering the market but not many people can afford his time scale. Nearly all hedge funds...see: Is it Finally Time to Invest?

Is it Time to Buy into the Banking Sector?, 3-Oct-08,
Is it Time to Buy into the Banking Sector?: If I was sitting at my desk and was asked which bank in the world would I buy into, with any spare $5bn I happened to have lying around, I think that...see: Is it Time to Buy into the Banking Sector?

Will Commodities Prices Collapse?, 3-Oct-08,
Will Commodities Prices Collapse? Commodity markets are falling again but for how long? Is this just a correction? There is clearly some profit taking from traders and anyone who spread bet on commodities. Naturally many companies that benefit from...see: Will Commodities Prices Collapse?

Oil and Mining Sector Broker Recommendations, 23-Jul-08,
Oil and Mining Sector...But why? Far East growth may simply still outstrip any downturn in the West. That and the Supply / Demand equation often fails to work quickly with commodities. Supply is very difficult to increase and demand is almost impossible to decrease...see: Oil and Mining Sector Broker Recommendations

Far East Banking Lesson - Teachings from Japan, 23-Jul-08,
If the large private financial institutions have helped cause many of the credit crunch problems through excessive risk taking should they be bailed out? If they were largely the sole beneficiary of the risks should they be bailed out by the tax payer? In a black and white world...see: Far East Banking Lesson - Teachings from Japan

Which Central Bank is Correct?, 23-Jul-08,
But which of these three policies will work and which will be taught in schools? Personally I believe that, within reason, all three will probably end up with pretty much the same result as the influences on all the Western nations are...see: Which Central Bank is Correct?

Spread Betting Markets Overview, 16-Oct-09,
Spread Betting Markets Overview: Foreign exchange markets are often extremely volatile as a result of the fact that they are heavily influenced by economic and political pressures, especially relating to specific...see: Spread Betting Markets Overview

Financial Spread Bets, 16-Oct-09,
Financial Spread Bets: Financial Spread Betting is a rapidly growing area of investment that does not require the parties involved to exchange, or even own, the assets they are speculating on. It is generally easiest to think of as...see: Financial Spread Bets

UK Shares Trades, 5-Oct-10,
UK Shares Trades: UK Shares News - a look at the Top 10 UK shares that have been bought and sold over the last week plus commentary from CEO of TD...see: UK Shares Trades

UK Share Trading Index, 21-Oct-10,
UK Share Trading Index: Index of UK shares trading articles with the weekly UK share Top Ten Buys and Sells from TD Waterhouse...see: UK Share Trading Index

Spread Trading Strategy, 21-May-12,
Spread Trading Strategy: A range of trading strategies on a variety of markets from banking to coffee, from crude oil to trading the FTSE 100...see: Spread Trading Strategy




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