What are the costs involved in share basket trading?

There are a number of costs to consider when trading on share baskets, including spread costs, holding costs (for trades held overnight) and guaranteed stop-loss order charges (if you use this risk-management tool). Learn more about our costs

How does spread betting/trading CFDs on share baskets work?

When you spread bet or trade CFDs on share baskets through our platform, you don't buy or sell the underlying shares. Instead, you're taking a position on whether you think the instrument's price will go up or down. With spread betting, you buy or sell an amount per point movement for the 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.

What is the tiered weight methodology for share baskets?

You can find all the information about how our share baskets are created in our share baskets methodology. View our share baskets methodology

What are the risks of share basket trading?

You can lose all of your capital – leveraged trading means that both profits and losses are based on the full value of the position. Risk of account close-out – market volatility and rapid changes in price can cause the balance of your account to change quickly, and if you don’t have sufficient funds in your account to cover these situations, there is a risk that your positions will be automatically closed by the platform. Market volatility and gapping – financial markets may fluctuate rapidly, which can result in market gapping. This may mean that stop-loss orders are executed at unfavourable prices. Sector risk – it's possible that the shares of many companies in the same sector will fall in price at the same time, due to an event that impacts the industry as a whole.

Share Baskets Trading | Spread Betting & CFDs

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 investors¹

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 are share baskets?

Share baskets are mini portfolios of stocks built around popular themes and growing trends, with constituent stocks handpicked by our traders and analysts to give you maximum exposure to those themes from a single position.

These include our BATMMAAN, Software as a Service, and US Semiconductors baskets, which provide bespoke portfolios for investing in technology trends such as the AI revolution, as well as Space Exploration, and Weight Loss & Personal Health, which focus on industry leaders innovating in burgeoning markets.

Pick your share basket:

5G

US NDAQ 100

Why trade share baskets with us?

Spread bet or trade CFDs on our exclusive share baskets – mini portfolios of stocks built around a specific theme.

Your favourites in one place

Our traders and analysts have identified current and emerging trends driving the economy, and the companies potentially well-placed within each industry.

Lower risk

Share baskets give you broad exposure to a theme, avoiding the risk of putting all of your eggs in one basket when you trade on a single company.

One position

Share baskets allow you to gain exposure to a theme without opening and maintaining multiple positions, potentially saving you time and money.

Leveraged trading

We offer up to 5:1 leverage on share baskets. This means for every £1, you'll have £5 of exposure.

Low cost

Trade commission-free with reduced holding costs and exposure to some of the highest-performance companies in the world.

Holding costs (annual)

SHARE BASKETS (BUY) = 1.9%

UK 100 (BUY) = 8.19%

What are other traders saying about CMC Markets?

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

great chartsgreat chartsYves Larochelle,19 hours ago

like numbersnumberslike numbersAlbert,2 days ago

So easy to useSo easy to use, no irritating complication like I’ve experienced on other platform, I certain that I’m sticking with them…Millie,3 days ago

I use CMC for spread bettingI use CMC for spread betting. It’s pretty easy to use. Like any leveraged trading platform, it’s easy to take a lot of risk! Easy to use,3 days ago

very easy platform quick to move around…very easy platform quick to move around user friendly easy to learn comfortable to use Yunus Luqmani,5 days ago

New hereNew here, and finding my way around and looking to the futureRobert Patterson,5 days ago

Prefect dataPrefect dataKhalil,6 days ago

Good simple to use appGood simple to use appDIPA LAKHMAN,7 days 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,22 October

Enjoying the demo facilityEnjoying the demo facility. Allows you to experiment with strategies.Gavin Hatchett,21 October

How we build our share baskets

Step 1

Trend identification

Firstly, our analysts research and select existing and emerging trends driving the economy, such as AI, space exploration, or weight loss and personal health.

STEP 2

Impact analysis

Then, they examine the data to determine the companies they believe are best positioned to benefit from these trends, varying their weighting in the index based on their exposure.

Step 3

Basket formation

Finally, we group the top companies into baskets, which operate in a similar way to an index such as the FTSE 100, giving you broad exposure to an industry.