Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 72% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

A guide to trading from home

In the past, traders would be required to work full-time on the trading floor of a stock exchange or broker’s office. However, with advanced technology and online trading platforms, it is easier than ever to work from home and trade the financial markets. For many, it is considered a part-time or short-term hobby; for others, it is a full-time occupation from the comfort of their own study.

Trading from home can be an efficient way to generate more income using your flexible timetable. Online brokers provide the option to trade all financial markets, whether this be forex, shares or treasuries, without requiring the knowledge equivalent to that of a professional trader. The amount of money you gain or lose will depend on your skill set, however, and how many hours a day you commit to your trading strategies. This article provides information on how to work from home online trading, tips for an effective home trading setup and how to manage your risk when you start trading.

Our flexible online trading platforms allow you to spread bet and trade CFDs on a variety of markets and instruments across the globe. With a spread betting account, traders are exempt from paying capital gains tax and is only available in the UK and Ireland, whereas CFDs require traders to pay this tax but are available on an international level. Please note, however, that tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and can change or may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK. Read more about the differences between spread betting and CFD trading to decide which product best suits your trading personality.

Open a live account to start trading the financial markets now.
Open a demo account to practise trading risk-free with virtual funds.

How to trade from home

Make sure that you are in a comfortable environment with the ability to keep a focused mindset. Trading from home can provide many distractions and you will need to pay close attention to your positions, especially when trading in volatile markets. It may be wise to choose an empty, quiet room with all your resources in one place.
Educate yourself. Keeping up to date with market news and analysis is vital when trading for a living. We also offer an economic calendar with important updates and changes in the financial markets. Morningstar reports that focus on the share market are available on our trading platform, Next Generation, if you are interested in quantitative research and price updates. It is also a good idea to read external material, such as widespread financial journals, magazines and newspapers that focus on current financial affairs.
Build an appropriate trading plan. Decide whether you want to focus more on technical analysis, fundamental analysis or a mixture of both when building a trading plan. Determine the amount of money you are comfortable investing and losing, with the intention of sticking to it.
Open a demo account and practise trading at home with virtual funds. Put into place your take profit and stop-loss orders in order to mitigate risks as much as possible. Consult our money and risk management guide for more tips on how to trade safely.
Try out various trading strategies, technical indicators and platform tools to see what works for you and what does not. This way, you will know which of these are most effective for profits and which should be avoided in your next trades.
When you are ready, open a live account and deposit real funds.
Pay attention to your mental wellbeing. Psychology plays an important role in online trading, as traders can often become overwhelmed, impatient or greedy after experiencing losses. Read about the three most common trading mistakes and how to avoid them.
Report your findings. Many traders choose to keep a trading diary with records of previous positions, statistics and other useful information that can be used in the future. This will make trading at home a lot smoother.

How to start forex trading from home

The forex market is one of the most popular among traders, due to its high liquidity, volatility and accessibility for information. The forex market is open 24 hours per day during the week, due to the different time zones between continents. This makes it easier for traders who only have a few spare hours per day or per week, as they are not restricted to daily stock market hours, for example.

So, can you make money trading forex at home? There is no shortage when it comes to forex trading strategies. Day trading, swing trading and scalping in forex are all popular strategies among in-house and home traders alike. The use of technical indicators also helps to identify trends, price charts and predictions for the future market. This information is easy to find online and is key if you want to make money from your trading at home plan.

At CMC Markets, we offer more than 330 currency pairs to trade, including major, minor and exotic forex pairs. Major forex pairs such as USD/JPY and GBP/USD have spreads starting from just 0.7 points. For more information and tips, read our article on the best currency pairs to get a head start forex trading from home.

How to make money trading stocks from home

Stocks or shares are also very popular instruments for trading, due to their international availability. It is possible to trade on both established, blue-chip companies within the stock market and penny stocks. You do not need a large amount of money to invest in penny stocks, as these often sell for around $1 and can vastly increase in value over a number of years. Therefore, they are popular assets to trade for a living as any stock has the potential to grow, develop and start producing profits.

Home trading software

Our award-winning online trading platform, Next Generation, has over 9000 instruments that are available for spread betting or CFD trading. We also offer the option to trade CFDs on a range of markets including forex, indices and commodities with the universally acknowledged trading platform, MetaTrader 4. These platforms differ in relation to position sizes, platform tools, installation requirements, executions and stop loss orders, among many other factors.

Mobile trading apps

Mobile trading applications are perfect for those who do not own a desktop computer, or are often on the move throughout the day. Our mobile trading apps work with both iOS and Android software systems and include all the regular features of our home trading software. Learn more about our iPhone and Android trading apps.

Summary

In short, opening a brokerage account to start trading from home couldn’t be easier, with a wide range of products, markets and technical indicators available. Therefore, your main focus when trading for a living should be improving your educational knowledge, building an appropriate trading strategy and learning from your mistakes. When combined, all of these elements can help you to succeed in making money from your own home.

Disclaimer: CMC Markets is an execution-only service provider. The material (whether or not it states any opinions) is for general information purposes only, and does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment or other advice on which reliance should be placed. No opinion given in the material constitutes a recommendation by CMC Markets or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person.

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