Pros and Cons of CFDs
CFDs, like spread betting, allow you to go long, or to go short. These are terms that reflect on the price of the shares with which you are trading, if you go long, that means that you are trading on the fact that the value of the stock will rise, whilst going short, conversely is trading on the prediction that the value of the stock will drop. Going short, however, when it comes to CFDs is short-selling, and therefore currently banned on a wide variety of stocks.
One of the advantages of CFDs is that there is a wide variety of shares and indexes that you can trade upon, it is important, though, that you know the market you are trading in very well before you begin. It is possible to lose large sums of money on CFDs, and the companies that operate CFD trading, like City Index, are keen to make sure that those who trade on them know what they are doing.
The major advantage of CFDs is that the commission is low, the same process on the stock exchange would require a lot more capital, and would also be subject to UK Stamp Duty that would minimise your profits. Capital Gains Tax is also not an issue as CFDs count as gambling and therefore are subject to gambling tax.
What is a CFD?
CFD stands for Contract For Difference. The reason why CFDs are a popular trading product, is that they are traded on leverage, and the leverage is typically 10 to 1.
Contracts for differences allow investors to take long or short positions, and unlike futures contracts have no fixed expiry date or contract size.
CFDs can be used to speculate on upward or downward price movements, making them a flexible alternative to traditional trading.
CFD prices
As with traditional share dealing, CFD prices are quoted as a Bid (the price you can sell at) and an Offer (the price you can buy at). You then buy a CFD based on the value of a certain amount of the underlying asset.
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The advantages to CFD trading are:
Margin trading
To open a CFD position, you need to deposit only a fraction of the full value of your trade, usually around 10-30 per cent. CFD trading therefore offers the possibility of a much better return on your initial investment than paying for the trade in full.
However, any losses will be amplified in the same way, as shown in the example below:
If you bought $10,000 of shares directly and the price moved by $500, you would make a profit (or loss) of 5 per cent. If you opened a CFD on the same shares with a margin of 10 per cent, your outlay would be $1,000, and the value would still move by $500 giving you a profit (or loss) of 50 per cent.
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CFDs are not suitable for 'buy and forget' trading or long-term positions. Each day you maintain the position it costs money (if you are long), so there is a time when CFDs become expensive. For short-term trading they have advantages, provided you get the markets right. But be prepared at some economic stage to cut the position.
Contracts for difference (CFDs) are instruments that offer exposure to the markets at a small percentage of the cost of owning the actual share. This allows the investor to buy or sell an instrument, which usually costs only 10 per cent of the price of the underlying share. It offers great leverage opportunities.
Commission is normally charged at 0.25% of the contracts for difference contract face value on both opening and closing a transaction. Some brokers, such as ManDirect and Selftrade, use real prices with no hidden charges added to the bid/offer spread, and fees are levied separately. Others claim to offer commission-free trades, but the cost is usually factored into the spread.
Contracts for difference provide an excellent vehicle for short term trading strategies and are the preferred vehicle amongst hedge funds and professional traders. Trading the UK stock market through more traditional means is both cost prohibitive and cumbersome. Financial spread betting enjoys a higher growth rate, and acts as an effective entry level product, allowing the individual a lower level of financial commitment. However, ultimately the more professional player will be unwilling to trade indefinitely on someone else's prices. Current estimates of CFD activity suggest that upwards of 25% of Stock Exchange transactions are CFD related.