Trading Futures with CFDs
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 08:12 | 
Written by Luigi Fedel |
Many people today are choosing to invest online in the stock exchanges around the world. One term that keeps coming up is that of the Contract for Difference or CFD. The reason why many people have not heard of it is because in the US it is against the law and considered to be a form of short-selling. However, in many indices around the globe, the Contract for Difference is a perfectly legitimate means of making money in the stock market.
Many people today are choosing to invest online in the stock exchanges around the world. One term that keeps coming up is that of the Contract for Difference or CFD. The reason why many people have not heard of it is because in the US it is against the law and considered to be a form of short-selling. However, in many indices around the globe, the Contract for Difference is a perfectly legitimate means of making money in the stock market.
The concept of a CFD or Contract for Difference is that a contract is agreed upon in which the seller of a share of stock will pay the difference between the stock's current value, and it's assessed value at the completion of the contract. However, when the value goes the opposite way, then the buyer has to pay the difference between the prices.
An investor is able to speculate as to whether a particular share of stock is going to increase in value later on. They never actually purchase the share of stock as with a normal trade, but instead they make their profits through the speculation of the share's value.
As an investor, you can take the long or short positions with a share or even an entire index. On the index level it is similar to that of trading futures except that with Contracts for Difference, there is no expiry date. The buyer chooses to keep the trade open until they feel like closing it. Upon the closure of the CFD, the trade is considered to be complete unless there is a difference caused by a loss.
In most cases, you can even trade Contracts for Difference on margins which can range anywhere from 1% all the way up to 30%. These margins make CFD's highly lucrative if they are a profitable trade. But if they are a loss, the margins will definitely cost the investor.
Depending on the index, a CFD is either listed or it is not. For example, in Australia, some CFD's are actually listed on the main Index; where as other places do not actually list them even if they are available.
While not as risky as penny stocks, trading Contracts for Difference is a risky investment. In order to minimize the potential for losses, one should only deal with CFD's in a stable market. This risk can be minimized even further by not using a margin in the trade. If you loose a margin, yes the profits can be simply amazing, but so too can the losses should the share not go the way you had planned it too.
Many people today are choosing to invest online in the stock exchanges around the world. One term that keeps coming up is that of the Contract for Difference or CFD. The reason why many people have not heard of it is because in the US it is against the law and considered to be a form of short-selling. However, in many indices around the globe, the Contract for Difference is a perfectly legitimate means of making money in the stock market.
The concept of a CFD or Contract for Difference is that a contract is agreed upon in which the seller of a share of stock will pay the difference between the stock's current value, and it's assessed value at the completion of the contract. However, when the value goes the opposite way, then the buyer has to pay the difference between the prices.
An investor is able to speculate as to whether a particular share of stock is going to increase in value later on. They never actually purchase the share of stock as with a normal trade, but instead they make their profits through the speculation of the share's value.
As an investor, you can take the long or short positions with a share or even an entire index. On the index level it is similar to that of trading futures except that with Contracts for Difference, there is no expiry date. The buyer chooses to keep the trade open until they feel like closing it. Upon the closure of the CFD, the trade is considered to be complete unless there is a difference caused by a loss.
In most cases, you can even trade Contracts for Difference on margins which can range anywhere from 1% all the way up to 30%. These margins make CFD's highly lucrative if they are a profitable trade. But if they are a loss, the margins will definitely cost the investor.
Depending on the index, a CFD is either listed or it is not. For example, in Australia, some CFD's are actually listed on the main Index; where as other places do not actually list them even if they are available.
While not as risky as penny stocks, trading Contracts for Difference is a risky investment. In order to minimize the potential for losses, one should only deal with CFD's in a stable market. This risk can be minimized even further by not using a margin in the trade. If you loose a margin, yes the profits can be simply amazing, but so too can the losses should the share not go the way you had planned it too.
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