Bond trading and investing
Trade on bond futures prices or earn income from dividend-paying bond ETFs. Take a position on our global offering using CFDs, or invest in bond ETFs by opening a share trading account.
Start trading today. For account opening enquiries call 1800 601 799 between 9am and 6pm (AEDT) weekdays, or email newaccounts.au@ig.com.
Contact us: 1800 601 799
Start trading today. For account opening enquiries call 1800 601 799 between 9am and 6pm (AEDT) weekdays, or email newaccounts.au@ig.com.
Contact us: 1800 601 799
Why trade or invest in bonds with us?
Take a position with CFDs or buy bond
ETF shares
Deal in fractions of contracts,
off-exchange, with CFDs
Invest in bond market ETFs
easily and from $5 Commission for Australian, or $0 for International ETFs1
Choose from a comprehensive
selection of global
bond futures and ETF markets
Speculate on bond price
movements over the short,
medium and long term
Receive coupon payments
in the form of dividends with
a bond ETF
What are bonds?
Bonds are financial instruments that enable governments and corporations to raise capital. Investors loan money to the bond-issuer by buying bonds and, in return, receive a series of interest payments at specified dates. At maturity, the bond-issuer will repay the original sum lent – known as the bond’s ‘principal’.
Bonds can be bought and sold on the secondary market like other financial securities – meaning that their prices fluctuate. High interest rates, for example, tend to make bonds less attractive by providing other opportunities to earn returns with low risk. For this reason, interest rates and bond prices tend to have an inverse relationship.
How to trade bonds
While buying bonds as an individual can be difficult, an alternative strategy is to take a position with CFDs or buy bond ETF shares.
Both these strategies are available with IG:
- Trading on the price movement of bond futures, or bond ETFs using CFDs
- Investing in bond ETFs with our share trading account
When trading with a CFD, you’ll never take ownership of an asset, and will instead take a position on the market either rising in value or falling. When investing in a bond ETF via a share trading account, you will buy and own actual ETF shares – earning dividends if the fund pays any.
But, please remember that all trading and investing incurs risk. This is only amplified when trading on leverage. Learn more about how to manage your risk.
Ways to trade or invest in bonds with us
| Assets | Markets | How to trade or invest |
| Bond futures | Government bond futures markets | CFDs |
| Bond ETFs | Bond ETFs tracking government bonds | Share trading |
Trading vs investing in bonds
Why would I trade bonds?
- Trade on the inverse relationship between interest rates and bond prices
- Speculate on both rising or falling bond prices
- Take a position in the short to medium term
- Hedge existing investments
Why would I invest in bonds?
- Diversify your portfolio and mitigate risk
- Earn income through dividend payments
- Gain wide exposure to bond markets
- Enter and exit liquid markets quickly
- Take a position in the long term
Start trading bonds now
Start trading bonds now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 48 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Start trading bonds now
Start trading bonds now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 48 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Trade bonds with IG's award winning platform2
Seize your opportunity on our award winning web-based platform and mobile trading app.
- Web-based platform
- Mobile trading app
Take control of your trading with our clean deal ticket, clear price charts, and in-platform news and analysis.
Trade wherever you are, and receive trading alerts and signals on the go through email or push notifications.
Bond trading and investing costs
- CFD trading costs
- Share trading costs
| Margin* | Minimum margin requirement of 20% |
| Spread | From 1 point |
*Leverage can magnify both your profits and losses as they’ll be based on the full exposure of the trade, not just the margin required to open it. This means losses as well as profits could far outweigh your margin, so always ensure you’re trading within your means.
Our bond ETFs are bought and sold as shares on an exchange, paying dividends.
Open an IG share trading account and you can buy and sell ETFs directly from as little as $5 (Australian ETFs), or $0 commission for International ETFs1.
Bond markets to watch
Prices below are indicative only and subject to IG’s website terms and conditions.
- Popular bonds
- US bonds
Open an account in minutes
It’s free to open an account, takes less than five minutes, and there’s no obligation to fund or trade.
Open an account in minutes
It’s free to open an account, takes less than five minutes, and there’s no obligation to fund or trade.
Open a share trading account in minutes
It's free to open an account, takes less than five minutes, and there's no obligation to fund or trade.
Open a share trading account in minutes
It's free to open an account, takes less than five minutes, and there's no obligation to fund or trade.
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1 Commission rates differ for AU, US and international shares. See our full list of share trading charges and fees.
2 Best finance app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2022.
