
Where to Spread Bet?
It depends upon a number of factors including:- What level of service you are looking for
- What markets you are looking to trade
- What trading apps you want
- What trading order you prefer to use
- etc.
We have also listed which companies offer services such as charts and automatic stop losses as well as the companies with new account offers.
Spread Betting Services Comparison
The above spread betting services / markets may also be available with other companies. Also see Comparison Table Notes.The most popular market with spread betting account holders? The FTSE 100 – see below for a worked spread betting example.
Spread Betting Indices Comparison
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FTSE 100 Daily |
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FTSE 100 Futures |
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Wall Street (Dow) Daily |
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Wall Street (Dow) Futures |
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DAX 30 Daily |
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DAX 30 Futures |
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S&P 500 Daily |
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S&P 500 Futures |
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Other Indices |
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Spread Betting Shares Comparison
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FTSE 100 Shares |
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FTSE 250 Shares |
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Wall Street Shares |
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S&P 500 Shares |
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NASDAQ 100 Shares |
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DAX 30 Shares |
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CAC 40 Shares |
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Irish Shares |
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Other Shares |
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Spread Betting Forex Comparison
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Dollar/Yen Daily |
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Euro/Dollar Daily |
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Euro/Sterling Daily |
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Sterling/Dollar Daily |
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Sterling/Euro Daily |
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Other Forex |
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Spread Betting Commodities Comparison
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Gold Daily |
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Gold Futures |
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UK Crude Oil Daily (Brent) |
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UK Crude Oil Future (Brent) |
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US Crude Oil Daily (WTI) |
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US Crude Oil Future (WTI) |
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Other Commodities |
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Why Spread Betting?
All forms of speculation or investment, from trading stocks and shares to having a pension or buying a house, have a negative side. If you spread bet you can lose more than you initially staked.However there are number of interesting benefits:
- Spread betting profits are tax free*
- As shown above, spread betting offers a large variety of markets on which you can speculate including indices, foreign exchange, commodities and equities markets.
- Spread betting lets you trade in both directions. You can bet on markets to go down. If you think that a stock or share will go down you can speculate on it to go down. If you think that a stock market index like the FTSE 100 or Nikkei 225 will go up, you can spread bet on the index to go up.
- There are no broker’s fees or commissions on spread bets.
- Many of the firms now offer a variety of free data to their clients. As well as candlestick charts, some firms also offer technical analysis and analysis on companies sectors and companies.
How to Spread Bet
The most popular market with spread betting account holders? The FTSE 100.The current price of the FTSE 100 Index (December) market is 5128 – 5132 with Financial Spreads.
With a spread betting account you can speculate on the future value of the FTSE 100 to rise or fall. With this FTSE 100 Index (December) market, which closes on 18-Dec-09, investors can speculate on:
a) the FTSE 100 to finish higher than 5132 on the expiry date, or
b) the FTSE 100 to finish lower than 5128 on the expiry date.
Note that with the FTSE 100 market you trade in £X per point, where a point is 1 point of FTSE 100 movement. As a brief example, if you invested £4 per point and the FTSE 100 moves 8 points then your bottom line would change by £32.
FTSE 100 Index (December) Spread Trading Example
Considering an example, let’s assume you see the real time price on a UK spread betting website and it gives a spread of 5128 – 5132. So, having done your analysis of the markets, you might come to feel that the FTSE 100 index will go up and settle higher than 5132 on the expiry date. Therefore:
- You believe that the FTSE 100 should rise
- As a result, you decide you are going to ‘buy’ the market at 5132 and you bet £2 per point
- The FTSE 100 value increases. You leave your bet to run to the closing date of 18-Dec-09
- The index closes at 5176
- You initially bought the spread at 5132
- Profit / loss = (Closing Price – Opening Price) x stake
- Profit / loss = (5176 – 5132) x £2 per point
- Profit / loss = 44 x £2 per point
- Profit / loss = £88 profit
- You bought the spread bet at 5132
- Profit / loss = (Closing Price – Opening Price) x stake
- Profit / loss = (5090 – 5132) x £2 per point
- Profit / loss = -42 x £2 per point
- Profit / loss = -£84 loss
Spread betting carries a high level of risk. You can lose more than your initial investment or stake. Spread betting may not be suitable for all investors. Only trade with money that you can afford to lose. Make sure you fully understand the risk involved. If necessary, seek independent financial advice.