Indices are a measure of a section of shares in the stock market, created by combining the value of several stocks to create one aggregate value. Major financial indices include the Dow Jones Industrial Average, FTSE 100, CAC 40, and DAX. The Dow Jones index, for example, represents 30 large publicly-listed companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Index Trading | Spread Betting & CFD Indices

Q: How can I trade on indices?

You can start trading on indices by opening a live account. If you would like to practise your index trading strategy first, you can open a demo account to trade with virtual funds.

Q: What is leveraged trading?

One of the features of spread betting and CFD trading is that you only need to deposit a percentage of the full value of your position – the initial margin requirement – to open a trade, known as trading on leverage. Trading on leverage amplifies your profits and losses equally, so it's important to manage your risk.

Q: How does spread betting/trading CFDs on indices actually work?

When you spread bet or trade CFDs on indices via our platform, you don't buy or sell the underlying index. Instead, you're taking a position on whether you think the index will go up or down. With spread betting, you buy or sell an amount per point movement for the index instrument you're trading, such as £5 per point. This is known as your stake. With CFD trading, you buy or sell a number of units for a particular instrument. For every point or unit that the price moves in your favour, you gain multiples of your stake, and vice versa. While you can trade on leverage, meaning you only need to put up a minor percentage of the overall trade’s value, any profit or loss is based on the full value of the trade. As a retail client, you can never lose more than the amount in your account, which is known as negative balance protection. See the major global indices you can trade with us.

Q: How does CMC Markets protect my money?

CMC Markets Germany GmbH is a broker regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). It holds funds of private clients separately from its own funds in separate bank accounts. In the unlikely event that CMC Markets Germany GmbH is unable to meet its financial obligations, the EdW would cover any claim for damages by claimants up to €20,000, provided that certain criteria are met.

Q: Is CMC Markets regulated?

CMC Markets Germany GmbH is a company authorised and regulated by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). CMC Markets complies with the requirements of §84 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG) regarding client funds.

Q: Is it free to open an account?

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

Q: How does CMC Markets make money?

Our income primarily comes from our spreads, while other fees, such as overnight holding costs, make a minor contribution to our overall revenue.

Q: What can I trade on with CMC Markets?

You can trade on financial instruments when you spread bet and trade CFDs with us. Take a look at our popular markets and instruments.

EU regulated

FTSE 250 group

2m+ global traders and investors³

2023 WINNER

Best Forex Broker

Good Money Guide Awards

2025 WINNER

Best Mobile Trading Platform

ADVFN International Financial Awards

2023 WINNER

No.1 Web Platform

ForexBrokers.com Awards

What is indices trading?

Index trading is the buying and selling of a group of stocks that make up an index, such as our UK 100 index (based on the FTSE 100), which tracks the largest 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange.

Trading on indices is popular with short-term traders who want to speculate on highly-liquid assets, with tight spreads and minimal slippage. Speculating on indices offers traders exposure to a wide range of stocks.

Why trade indices with us?

Your favourites in one place

Trade on over 70 cash and forward indices based on FTSE 100 and dozens of other global markets.

Trade out of hours

Favourites like the US T-Bond trade up to 23 hours a day, so you don't have to stop when the underlying markets do.

No partial fills

No dealer intervention – we don't reject or partially fill trades based on size.

Precision pricing

Enjoy friendly assistance around the clock with 24/5 dedicated support, ensuring you never trade alone.

Powerful technology you can rely on

To trade with us, you choose a CFD account that suits the platform you want to use.

Standard CFD account provides access to our proprietary and award-winning Next Generation platform, available on PC and mobile. This account can also be linked to TradingView.

To trade on Metatrader 4, you must create a separate MT4 CFD account. This account is only compatible with MT4 and does not provide access to Next Generation or TradingView.

Note: MetaTrader 4 only offers trading in currencies, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Read more below about the platforms we offer and find out which one best suits your trading style.

An award-winning platform & app

We've invested over £100m into our award-winning platform⁴, creating pioneering technology to suit all trading styles.

Advanced order execution
Intuitive charting, with mobile-optimised charts
Pattern recognition scanner
Gauge market sentiment
Morningstar equity research and Reuters news

Mobile

Packed with powerful features, yet intuitive, and available to all traders. Whatever the next step in your trading journey, our mobile platform can help you get there.

SCAN THIS QR CODE
TO DOWNLOAD THE APP

Desktop

We've built our web trading platform to be powerful and intuitive. It combines leading-edge features and security, fast execution, and best-in-class insight and analysis. Designed to support any strategy.

Try our platform

recommended

TradingView

A globally-renowned charting experience for every trader. Enjoy the best of both worlds: TradingView's supercharged charts, with our tight spreads.

Supercharged charting
Join the community
Market calendar
Flexible price alerts
Smooth integration

Open an accountLearn more

Mobile app

TradingView's mobile apps are available on the App Store and Google Play Store. Ensure that your device is up to date and your operating system is supported.

Google PlayApp Store

Desktop app

Tradingview's desktop app is available for download on Windows, Mac and Linux.

LinuxWindowsMacOS

recommended

MetaTrader 4

Trade on the world's most popular trading platform, with tight spreads and fast, transparent execution.

Trade on forex, indices and commodities
Tight spreads from 0.0 pips with our FX Active account
One-click trading
Customisable charts with pre-installed indicators
Automated trading with Expert Advisors

Open a demo account

Mobile

Millions of traders have already chosen the MetaTrader 4 mobile app to trade on the financial markets, anytime and anywhere.

Desktop

Download MetaTrader 4 for PC or MAC and trade on the world's most popular trading platform.

What are other traders saying about CMC Markets?

Discover why 2 million+ global traders and investors choose us.⁵

Prefect dataPrefect dataKhalil,12 hours ago

Good simple to use appGood simple to use appDIPA LAKHMAN,20 hours ago

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,yesterday

Enjoying the demo facilityEnjoying the demo facility. Allows you to experiment with strategies.Gavin Hatchett,2 days ago

Intuitive to get started and useIntuitive to get started and use, Carl F,4 days ago

trading system is okaytrading system is okayCindy,4 days ago

Everything worksEverything works, professional-looking interface which is intuitive and easy to use. Andrej Močan,5 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,6 days ago

Great platformGreat platformJames Taylor,7 days ago

Quick response and reported price…Quick response and reported price actions , easy on the eye on the phone darren stewart,16 October

Indices trading costs

Trade on more than 70 stock index instruments based on the FTSE 100 and regional indices from Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the US.

instrument	min spread	margin rate	price	day	week	Trend

Pricing is indicative only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

product	min spread	margin	price	day	week	trend	Holding Cost Buy Overnight	Holding Cost Sell Overnight

Pricing is indicative only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

NAME	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND	Holding Cost Buy Overnight	Holding Cost Sell Overnight

Pricing is indicative. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

NAME	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND	Holding Cost Buy Overnight	Holding Cost Sell Overnight

Pricing is indicative only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

INSTRUMENT	MIN SPREAD	MARGIN RATE	PRICE	DAY	WEEK	TREND	HOLDING COST BUY	HOLDING COST SELL

Pricing is indicative only. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Dive deeper

What is indices trading?

Learn what indices trading is and how you can speculate on the performance of entire stock markets.

What are indices?

How to trade indices

Understand the steps to start trading indices, from selecting an index to analysing market trends.

How to trade indices

What is the FTSE 100?

Discover more about the FTSE 100, the index that tracks the top 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

FAQs

New to index trading?

What are indices?

How can I trade on indices?

What is leveraged trading?

How does spread betting/trading CFDs on indices actually work?

New to CMC Markets?

How does CMC Markets protect my money?

Is CMC Markets regulated?

Is it free to open an account?

How does CMC Markets make money?

What can I trade on with CMC Markets?

Do you have any questions?

Email us at info@cmcmarkets.ie or call us on +353(0)1 256 3000 (lines open 24 hours, Monday to Friday).

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

²Max discount in tier. Discounts are based on our tiered-volume discount scheme and are variable per product.

³XX

⁴Best Mobile Trading Platform, ADVFN International Financial Awards 2024 & 2025; Best Mobile Trading Platform, Professional Trader Awards 2024; No.1 Web Platform, ForexBrokers.com Awards 2023.

⁵Based on over 2 million unique user logins across CMC's trading and investing platforms, including partners, as at November 2025.

⁶Interest scheme T&Cs apply.

Indices trading

What is indices trading?

Why trade indices with us?