Tax treatment |
Profits made are exempt from stamp duty and capital gains tax in the UK and Ireland*. |
Since you don't own the underlying asset when trading CFDs, there is no stamp duty to pay. However, you will be subject to CGT. |
Who can spread bet and trade CFDs? |
Only available to customers who reside in the UK or Ireland. |
Available to customers globally. |
Short selling |
You can go long as well as short so you can take a long position when market prices are rising or open a short position when prices are falling. |
Ability to go long as well as short so you can take a long position when market prices are rising or open a short position when prices are falling. |
Commission charge |
When spread betting shares on our platform, no additional commission will be charged to your account (other fees and charges apply). |
When trading shares on our platform, a CFD commission will be charged to your account upon execution of any order. This is in addition to the spread. |
Spreads and holding costs |
An additional spread is built into the prices displayed on our platform, which is applicable upon execution of any order. Holding costs may apply to spread bets. |
With CFDs, holding costs may apply. |
Calculating profit and loss |
To calculate your profit or loss, find the difference between the price at which you enter and the price at which you exit, then multiply this difference by your stake. |
With CFDs, your profit or loss is determined by the difference between the price at which you enter and the price at which you exit, multiplied by the number of CFD units. |
Margined trading** |
Spread betting is a financial leveraged product, which means you only need to deposit a small percentage of the full value of the spread bet in order to open a position. |
CFDs are a leveraged product, which means that you only need to deposit a small percentage of the full value of the trade in order to open a position. |
Timeframe |
Short-term: daily, weekly, and monthly trades. |
Short-term: daily, weekly, and monthly trades. |
Forward contracts |
Yes |
Yes |
Range of markets |
More than 12,000 instruments, including forex, stock indices, shares, ETFs, commodities, bonds, and share baskets. |
More than 12,000 instruments, including forex, stock indices, shares, ETFs, commodities, bonds, and share baskets. |
Dividends |
We make dividend adjustments on stocks and indices positions. |
We make dividend adjustments on stocks and indices positions. |
Available for hedging |
Yes |
Yes |
Trading hours |
Trade out of hours on forex and major stock indices with 24/5 access. |
Trade out of hours on forex and major stock indices with 24/5 access. |
Corporate account |
No |
Yes |
Mobile trading |
Yes – iPhone, iPad, Android. |
Yes – iPhone, iPad, Android. |
Available on MT4 |
No |
Yes – forex, index and commodity CFDs. |