Options trading

Q: How do I become an options trader?

Here are the broad steps involved in becoming an options trader. Learn how options work Research and choose an options trading strategy Create a spread bet or CFD account Pass our options suitability test (unless you’re a professional client) Practise options trading with your demo account Start trading on your live account when you’re ready

Q: Can I trade options in my existing CMC Markets account, or do I need a separate options trading account?

You don't need a separate account. If you’re a retail trader, you'll need to pass our suitability test before you can trade options using your existing spread betting or CFD account. If you're a professional client, you can trade options using your existing spread betting or CFD account, without needing to pass the suitability test.

Q: Are there any fees or commissions associated with options trading?

As a CMC Markets customer, you won’t pay any commission, holding fees or financing fees when you trade options with us. The only costs you’ll pay are the spread and, if the instrument you’re trading is priced in a currency other than your home currency, a currency conversion fee. We charge of the realised profit or loss to convert foreign currencies into your home currency

Q: How much money do I need to open an options trading account?

There is no minimum amount needed to open an options account with us.

Q: What resources or educational materials are available to help me learn more about options trading?

Our website has a range of learn articles, guides, and resources to help you navigate your options trading journey. You may find the following resources useful: What is options trading? Trading options with CMC Options volatility

Q: How are option trades settled?

Option trades on our platform are cash-settled. Trading options with us doesn’t entitle you to any rights in relation to the underlying asset, and exercise of an option doesn’t result in the acquisition or disposal of an instrument. Instead, an option contract which has reached its expiry date will be closed and cash settled, with an amount payable to you (if the market moved in your favour) or by you (if the market moved against you).

Q: Can I trade options on all types of securities (eg stocks, ETFs, indices)?

Currently you can trade options on Indices S&P 500 Nasdaq 100 FTSE 100 DAX 40 CAC 40 Russell 2000 Euro 50 Netherlands AEX25 Stocks: Alphabet NVIDIA Broadcom Salesforce Netflix Amazon Tesla Alibaba Ford JPMorgan Apple inc American Airlines Bank of America Gamestop Marathon Digital Meta Platforms C3.ai Baidu Robinhood Moderna Microsoft Arm holdings Coinbase Intel MicroStrategy Micron Technology Nio Novavax Pfizer Palantir Technologies Super Micro Computer SoFi Technologies Exxon Mobil SpaceX ETFS: IShares Silver trust Ishares Emerging markets SPDR Gold Shares Ishares 20+ year Treasury Bond A range of leading indices, including the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, FTSE 100 and DAX, the 'magnificent seven' US tech stocks, namely Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla and our Gold and Silver ETFs.

Q: Is it free to open an account?

There's no cost to open a live trading account with us. You can also view prices and use tools such as charts, Reuters news, or Morningstar quantitative research equity reports, free of charge. You'll need to deposit funds in your account to place a trade.

Q: Is CMC Markets regulated?

Yes, CMC Markets UK plc (registration number 173730) is fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. Retail client money is held in segregated client bank accounts and money held on behalf of clients is distributed across a range of major banks, which are regularly assessed against our risk criteria.

Q: Is CMC Markets covered by the FSCS?

Yes, your eligible deposits with CMC Markets are protected up to a total of by the Financial Services Compensations Scheme (FSCS), the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. If CMC Markets ever went into liquidation, retail clients would have their share of segregated money returned, minus the administrator's costs in handling and distributing these funds. Any shortfall of funds up to may be compensated under the FSCS.

Financial Conduct Authority regulated

Protected up to £85,000³

FTSE 250 group

2026 WINNER

Best Spread Betting Broker

Good Money Guide Awards 2026

2025 WINNER

Best Mobile Trading Platform

ADVFN International Financial Awards

2025 WINNER

No.1 Commissions & Fees

ForexBrokers.com Awards

What are options?

An option is a contract that gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a financial product at an agreed price if the product moves beyond that price within a specific period of time.

With us, you can trade options as a spread bet, or use a CFD account to trade OTC options. All our options products are cash settled.

You can trade options with us across major US and European stock indices, gold and silver ETFs, plus the magnificent seven US tech giants: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla.

OTC = over the counter. Learn more about OTC financial products here.

Options trading costs

0% commission
No holding costs
Spread – the difference between the buy and sell price of an instrument
Currency conversion fee (0.7%) – applied when the account currency differs from the instrument currency

PRODUCT	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND
	0.11
	0.11
	0.11
	0.2
	0.2
	0.11
	0.11
	0.05
	0.05

	0.13
	0.13
	0.11
	0.13
	0.13
	0.13
	0.13
	0.13
	0.10
	0.11
	0.13
	0.13
	0.05
	0.10
	0.11
	0.10
	0.10
	0.03
	0.03
	0.05
	0.10
	0.07
	0.03
	0.13
	0.11

PRODUCT	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND
	5
	0.4
	3.5
	2.5
	4.4
	0.5
	0.7
	0.2

PRODUCT	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND
	0.11
	0.11
	0.13
	0.11

Create account

Why trade options with us?

Trade on market volatility

Speculate on price movements across major US and European indices, the 'Mag 7' US stocks, and gold and silver ETFs.

Take control of position size

With our fractional options you can take a position size as small as a hundredth of an option (0.01 of a unit).

Hedge market risk

Protect your downside and mitigate potential losses to an existing portfolio.

Enact your strategy

Take advantage of the flexibility that options offer, whether you favour daily or monthly time horizons, yield enhancement strategies, or trading non-directionally in flat markets.

Learn more about options

If you’re a retail (non-professional) client when you enter into a long OTC option trade with us, you risk losing the entire margined amount when opening the trade. When you enter into a short OTC option contract, your potential loss is unlimited – however, retail clients benefit from negative balance protection, which means any potential loss is limited to your invested capital. Learn more about the risks here.

Spread betting involves risk. Although the Spectre account has no leverage, you may lose your full committed amount.

What do our customers say about trading with us?

Discover why 2 million+ global traders and investors choose us.⁴

I like it because it’s easy to trade or…I like it because it’s easy to trade or make deposit or withdraw and quick login and logout and no extra charges Afsin,8 hours ago

Enjoying the demo facilityEnjoying the demo facility. Allows you to experiment with strategies.Gavin Hatchett,yesterday

Intuitive to get started and useIntuitive to get started and use, Carl F,3 days ago

trading system is okaytrading system is okayCindy,3 days ago

Everything worksEverything works, professional-looking interface which is intuitive and easy to use. Andrej Močan,4 days ago

I’ve had a very positive experience…I’ve had a very positive experience with CMC Markets. The platform is straightforward and easy to use, with useful trading tools and clear pricing. I’ve also found the customer service team to be helpful and responsive. Overall, I’m very happy with the service and would recommend CMC Markets.Yin Liu,5 days ago

Great platformGreat platformJames Taylor,6 days ago

Quick response and reported price…Quick response and reported price actions , easy on the eye on the phone darren stewart,6 days ago

MGMJLook like my money going over there.Fashion Nova,14 October

GoodIt was greatFarzad,14 October

Discover our award-winning trading platform²

Ultra-fast execution

Experience fully automated, lightning-quick execution speeds. ⁵

Transparent pricing

See bid and ask prices, premiums, and more up front, helping you to understand your costs before you place a trade.

Powerful charting tools

Gather and analyse data, with over 115 indicators and drawing tools.

Market insights

Understand trends with our pattern-recognition scanner, and gauge market sentiment with our handy tools.

Real-time Greeks

Gain deeper insight into your options trades with real-time Greeks. Assess risk and market movements, empowering more informed trading decisions.

On-the-go trading

Download our mobile app and get the functionality of our web platform in your pocket, allowing you to open, close and modify trades on the move.

Instant notifications

Set up trade execution and price alerts, and receive them via push notification, text message or email.

FAQs

Options trading FAQs

How do I become an options trader?

Can I trade options in my existing CMC Markets account, or do I need a separate options trading account?

Are there any fees or commissions associated with options trading?

How much money do I need to open an options trading account?

What resources or educational materials are available to help me learn more about options trading?

How are option trades settled?

Can I trade options on all types of securities (eg stocks, ETFs, indices)?

Currently you can trade options on

Indices

S&P 500	Nasdaq 100	FTSE 100
DAX 40	CAC 40	Russell 2000
Euro 50	Netherlands	AEX25

Stocks:

Alphabet	NVIDIA	Broadcom	Salesforce	Netflix
Amazon	Tesla	Alibaba	Ford	JPMorgan
Apple inc	American Airlines	Bank of America	Gamestop	Marathon Digital
Meta Platforms	C3.ai	Baidu	Robinhood	Moderna
Microsoft	Arm holdings	Coinbase	Intel	MicroStrategy
Micron Technology	Nio	Novavax	Pfizer	Palantir Technologies
Super Micro Computer	SoFi Technologies	Exxon Mobil	SpaceX

ETFS:

IShares Silver trust	Ishares Emerging markets
SPDR Gold Shares	Ishares 20+ year Treasury Bond

A range of leading indices, including the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, FTSE 100 and DAX, the 'magnificent seven' US tech stocks, namely Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla and our Gold and Silver ETFs.

New to CMC Invest?

Is it free to open an account?

Is CMC Markets regulated?

Is CMC Markets covered by the FSCS?

How does CMC Markets segregate client money?

How does CMC Markets make money?

Dive deeper

Trading options with us

Learn how to trade options on our platform. Discover the options chain, our range of order types, how to open an order ticket and more.

Options volatility

Find out how market volatility affects option prices, and discover strategies to optimise your trading in turbulent times.

Options Greeks

Explore how traders use a group of financial metrics, known as Greeks, to measure the factors that influence the price of an options contract.

Any questions?

Email us at

clientmanagement@cmcmarkets.co.uk

or call on +44 (0)20 7170 8200

We're available whenever the markets are open, from Sunday night through to Friday night.

¹You won’t pay any commission when you trade options with us. The only costs you'll incur are the spread (the difference between the bid price and the ask price) and, if the instrument you're trading is priced in a currency other than your account currency, a currency conversion fee, which is charged at 0.5% of your realised profit or loss.

²Recent awards include: Best Spread Betting Broker, Good Money Guide Awards 2026; No.1 Most Currency Pairs & Best-in-class for Overall Excellence, MetaTrader, Mobile Trading App, Professional Trading, Research & TradingView, ForexBrokers.com Awards 2026; Best Broker for Active Traders, Professional Trader Awards 2025; Best Mobile Trading Platform and Best Spread Betting & CFD Education Tools, ADVFN International Financial Awards 2025; No.1 for Commissions & Fees, ForexBrokers.com Awards 2025.

³XX

⁴Based on over 2 million unique user logins across CMC's trading and investing platforms, including partners, as at November 2025.

⁵0.009 seconds CFD median trade execution time on CMC Markets' web and mobile platforms, 1 April 2024-31 March 2025.