CFDs are a leveraged product and can result in losses that exceed deposits. Trading CFDs may not be suitable for everyone, so please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.

CFD trading

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Why trade CFDs with IG?

Join the world's No.1 CFD provider¹ for superior service and support
Competitive rates: Commodities from 0.3 points, indices from 0.4 points, shares from 0.1% commission
Use our mobile trading app to maximise your opportunities, wherever you are.

Opportunities to trade CFDs contracts priced from over 15,000 underlying markets: indices, forex, shares, commodities and more
Take control with our extensive range of stops, limits and alerts
Access our free research tools to become a better-informed trader

What are CFDs?

Contracts for difference (CFDs) allow you to open a contract for the difference in price of an asset, from the point of opening to when you close.

Importantly, CFDs are a leveraged product. This means you only have to put down a small deposit for a much larger market exposure.
Leverage comes with significant benefits and risks: your investment capital can go further, but you can also lose more than your initial deposit.
CFDs are priced on the movement of an underlying financial product. The movement of the underlying contract will impact the price of the CFD, so consider the underlying financial products price movements as significant driver of the CFD.

CFD trading allows you to take a position on the future value of an asset whether you think it will go up or down. While this means the product is very flexible, it also requires a high level of risk management.

It's important to remember you're trading contracts with IG, not physically trading in the underlying market. This means you don’t actually own any assets.

CFD trading account details

See CFD trading account information, including benefits, fees and what you get for free.
What can you trade on a CFD?

Here’s some detailed information on the markets you can trade on with CFDs, including indices, shares, forex, and commodities.

Choose from CFDs priced from over 15,000 underlying markets

Indices

FTSE 100, Wall Street, Germany 30 and more
Shares

Competitive rates on over 8000+ shares, plus DMA trading
Forex

Choose from over 90 currency pairs with the UK's No.1 retail forex provider2

Commodities

Trade on gold, silver, oil and dozens more commodity markets
Options

Trade volatility with our comprehensive, flexible options
Other markets

Deal on interest rates, bonds, sectors, ETPs and more

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It's free to open an account, and there's no obligation to fund or trade.

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CFD FAQs

How do I trade CFDs?

We set a price for a contract based on the underlying market, which you can buy or sell.

With each market you are given a 'buy' and 'sell' price either side of the underlying market price. You can trade on a market to go up (known as 'buying' or 'going long'), or you can trade on it to go down (known as 'selling' or 'going short').

Learn more about trading CFDs

How much does it cost to trade CFDs?

It depends on the market you choose. Generally you only pay a commission charge for share CFDs, or a spread (the difference between the buy and sell prices) for all other markets. There is a small charge to fund positions overnight, a small premium for guaranteed stops, and other fees.

See our full charges and fees

Is it risky?

Yes, CFDs do carry risk - if the market moves against you, you lose money. And because CFDs are leveraged products, you could lose more than your deposit.

IG offers a full range of tools to help you manage your risk.

See risk management tools

Can I trade CFDs with direct market access (DMA)?

Yes. We offer DMA on both shares and forex. It’s important to remember that while you’re trading on underlying market prices and depth with our DMA service, what you’ll actually receive on placing a trade is a CFD from us. It works like this:

DMA displays the best bid and offer price available for a particular market, plus further prices on either side of the order book
You place an order, and we instantaneously conduct a margin check to ensure you have sufficient funds to cover the margin on your proposed trade
If the margin check is satisfied we place an order in the market and, at the same time, create a parallel CFD between you and us

So while you’re trading at market prices, you won’t gain any ownership rights over the equities or currencies that form the subject of your CFD.

Buying Barclays plc light

Buying Barclays

	CFD
Underlying market/value	Barclays Plc 289.85/290
Our price	289.56/290.29
Trade	Buy at 290
Trade size	2000 shares
Margin required	£580 Number of shares x price x margin rate (10%)
What happens next?	The market rises steadily to 295.05
Underlying market	294.85/295.05
Close	Sell at 294.85
Gross profit	294.85 – 290 = 4.85p Gross profit = 4.85p x 2000 shares = £97
What if...	If the underlying market fell to 282.25 instead, and assuming same costs: -7.75p x 2000 shares Gross loss = £155

Selling the FTSE 100 Cash CFD and FSB Light

Selling the FTSE 100

	Cash CFD
Underlying market/value	FTSE 100 JUN13 Future 6400
Our price	FTSE 100 Cash 6441.05/6442.5
Trade	Sell at 6441.05
Deal size	1 contract £10 per contract
Margin required	£250 Margin requirement per contract x number of contracts £250 x 1
What happens next?	The market drops falls to 6310
Close	Buy at 6310.5
Gross profit	Gross profit = £1305.50 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 One contract is worth £10 per point
What if...	If the market rose 130.5 points instead: 130.5 x £10 £1305 gross loss

Selling the FTSE 100 Cash CFD and FSB Detailed

Selling the FTSE 100: detailed

	Cash CFD
Underlying market/value	FTSE 100 JUN13 Future 6400
Our price	FTSE 100 Cash 6441.05/6442.5
Trade	Sell at 6441.05
Trade size	1 contract £10 per contract
Margin required	£250 Margin requirement per contract x number of contracts £250 x 1
What happens next?	The market drops dramatically, reaching 6300 at 10pm, when funding is calculated. It rises a little overnight, to 6310
Funding	Funding = £3.47 (One-month LIBOR eg 0.49% minus 2.5% x £10 x 6300)/365
Close	Buy at 6310.5
Overall market movement & profit/loss	Gross profit = £1305.50 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 Each contract is worth £10 per point
Costs	1-point IG spread (included) Funding cost: £3.47
Net profit	£1302.03 net profit
What if...	If the market rose 130.5 points instead: 130.5 x £10 + £3.40 £1308.40 net loss

Example: buying cable (GBP/USD) detailed

Buying GBP/USD: detailed

	CFD
Market	Spot GBP/USD
Price	1.55797/1.55805
Trade	Buy 1 contract at 1.55805 (1 contract = £100,000)
Margin required	One contract is £100,000 and the margin rate is 0.5% = £500
What happens next?	GBP/USD climbs one hundred points into the next day.
Funding	Funding = size x (tom-next rate + admin fee of 0.3% pa) £10 x 0.25 = £2.50
Price	1.5695 - 1.56958
Close	You sell at 1.5695
Gross profit	£1145 1.5695 – 1.55805 = 0.01145 Number of contracts = 1 Value per contract £100,000 0.01145 x £100,000 = £1145
Costs	0.8 point IG spread (included) Funding cost = £2.50
Net profit	£1142.50
What if...	If the market dropped 114.5 points instead: £1145 + £2.50 Net loss = £1147

Example: buying cable (GBP/USD) light

Buying GBP/USD

	CFD
Market	Spot GBP/USD
Price	1.55797/1.55805
Trade	Buy 1 contract at 1.55805 (1 contract = £100,000)
Margin required	One contract is £100,000 and the margin rate is 0.5% = £500
What happens next?	GBP/USD climbs over one hundred points.
Price	1.5695 - 1.56958
Close	You sell at 1.5695
Gross profit	Gross profit = £1145 1.5695 - 1.55805 = 0.01145 Value per contract = £100,000 0.01145 x £100,000 = £1145
What if...	If the market dropped 114.5 points instead: Gross loss = $1145

Example: buying cable (GBP/USD) light

Buying GBP/USD

	Spread bet DFB	CFD
Market	Spot GBP/USD
Price	15579.7 - 15580.5	1.55797 - 1.55805
Deal	Buy $10 a point at 15580.5	Buy 1 contract at 1.55805 (1 contract = £100,000)
Margin required	One contract is £100,000 and the margin rate is 0.5% = £500
What happens next?	GBP/USD climbs over one hundred points.
Price	15695 - 15695.8	1.5695 - 1.56958
Close	You sell at 15695	You sell at 1.5695
Gross profit	*Gross tax-free profit = £1145** 15695 - 15580.5 = 114.5 Value per point = £10 114.5 x £10 = £1145	Gross profit = £1145 1.5695 - 1.55805 = 0.01145 Value per contract = £100,000 0.01145 x £100,000 = £1145
What if...	If the market dropped 114.5 points instead: Gross loss = $1145

To calculate your net profit or loss, you would need to factor in any funding charges. See our detailed example for more information.

What are DFBs?

Daily funded bets (DFBs) are long-term bets on the cash price of an underlying instrument. DFBs have no expiry date, so we make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges.

Why do CFD and spread betting FX prices look different?

You trade forex via CFD in contracts or lots. We therefore display CFD forex prices in the same way you would expect to see them on an FX exchange: e.g. 1.31425
Because you spread bet on forex in currency per point, we display prices differently e.g. 13142.5. This makes it easier to see per point movements.

This makes no difference to the price you deal at or your potential profit or loss: it simply makes it easier to track per point movements.

*Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

Example: buying cable (GBP/USD) detailed

Buying GBP/USD: detailed

	Spread bet DFB	CFD
Market	Spot GBP/USD
Price	15579.7/15580.5	1.55797/1.55805
Deal	Buy £10 a point at 15580.5	Buy 1 contract at 1.55805 (1 contract = £100,000)
Margin required	One contract is £100,000 and the margin rate is 0.5% = £500
What happens next?	GBP/USD climbs one hundred points into the next day.
Funding	Funding = size x (daily tom-next rate + admin fee of 0.8% pa) £10 x 1.05 = £10.50	Funding = size x (tom-next rate + admin fee of 0.3% pa) £10 x 0.25 = £2.50
Price	15,695 - 15,695.8	1.5695 - 1.56958
Close	You sell at 15,695	You sell at 1.5695
Gross profit	£1145 15,695 – 15,580.5 = 114.5 Value per point = £10 114.5 x £10 = £1145	£1145 1.5695 – 1.55805 = 0.01145 Number of contracts = 1 Value per contract £100,000 0.01145 x £100,000 = £1145
Costs	0.8 point IG spread (included) Funding cost = £10.50	0.8 point IG spread (included) Funding cost = £2.50
Net profit	£1134.50 tax free*	£1142.50
What if...	If the market dropped 114.5 points instead: £1145 + £10.50 Net loss = £1155.50	If the market dropped 114.5 points instead: £1145 + £2.50 Net loss = £1147

What are DFBs?

Daily funded bets (DFBs) are long-term bets on the cash price of an underlying instrument. DFBs have no expiry date, so we make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges.

Why do CFD and spread betting FX prices look different?

You trade forex via CFD in contracts or lots. We therefore display CFD forex prices in the same way you would expect to see them on an FX exchange: e.g. 1.31425
Because you spread bet on forex in currency per point, we display prices differently e.g. 13142.5. This makes it easier to see per point movements.

This makes no difference to the price you deal at or your potential profit or loss: it simply makes it easier to track per point movements.

*Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

Selling the FTSE 100 Cash CFD and FSB Detailed

Selling the FTSE 100: detailed

	Spread bet DFB	Cash CFD
Underlying market/value	FTSE 100 JUN13 Future 6400
Our market and price	FTSE 100 DFB 6441.05/6442.5	FTSE 100 Cash 6441.05/6442.5
Deal	Sell at 6441.05	Sell at 6441.05
Deal size	£10 per point	1 contract £10 per contract
Margin required	£250 Margin factor x deal size 25 x £10	£250 Margin requirement per contract x number of contracts £250 x 1
What happens next?	The market drops dramatically, reaching 6300 at 10pm, when funding is calculated. It rises a little overnight, to 6310
Funding	Funding = £3.47 (One-month LIBOR eg 0.49% minus 2.5% x £10 x 6300)/365
Close	Buy at 6310.5	Buy at 6310.5
Overall market movement & profit/loss	Gross profit = £1305.50 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 £10 per point	Gross profit = £1305.50 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 Each contract is worth £10 per point
Costs	1-point IG spread (included) Funding cost: £3.47
Net profit	*£1302.03 tax-free net profit**	£1302.03 net profit subject to tax
What if...	If the market rose 130.5 points instead: 130.5 x £10 + £3.40 £1308.40 net loss

Daily funded bets (DFBs) and Cash CFDs are no-expiry deals on futures markets. We make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges for any DFB or Cash CFD held open overnight.

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

Selling the FTSE 100 Cash CFD and FSB Light

Selling the FTSE 100

	Spread bet DFB	Cash CFD
Underlying market/value	FTSE 100 JUN13 Future 6400
Our market and price	FTSE 100 DFB 6441.05/6442.5	FTSE 100 Cash 6441.05/6442.5
Deal	Sell at 6441.05	Sell at 6441.05
Deal size	£10 per point	1 contract £10 per contract
Margin required	£250 Margin factor x deal size 25 x £10	£250 Margin requirement per contract x number of contracts £250 x 1
What happens next?	The market drops falls to 6310
Close	Buy at 6310.5
Gross profit	*Gross tax-free profit = £1305.50** 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 £10 per point	Gross profit subject to tax = £1305.50 6441.05 – 6310.5 = 130.55 One contract is worth £10 per point
What if...	If the market rose 130.5 points instead: 130.5 x £10 £1305 gross loss

To calculate your net profit or loss, you would need to factor in any spread or funding charges. See our detailed example for more information.

Daily funded bets (DFBs) and Cash CFDs are no-expiry deals on futures markets. We make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges for any DFB or Cash CFD held open overnight.

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

Buying Barclays plc light

Buying Barclays

	Spread bet DFB	CFD
Underlying market/value	Barclays Plc 289.85/290
Our price	289.56/290.29	289.85/290
Deal	Buy at 290.29	Buy at 290
Deal size	£20 per point	2000 shares
Margin required	£580.58	£580
What happens next?	Our price rises steadily to 295.35	The market rises steadily to 295.05
Underlying market	294.85/295.05
Close	Sell at 294.55	Sell at 294.85
Gross profit	294.55 – 290.29 = 4.26 *Gross tax-free profit = 4.26 x £20 = £85.2**	294.85 – 290 = 4.85p Gross profit = 4.85p x 2000 shares = £97
What if...	If the underlying market fell to 281.95 instead: -8.34 pts x £20 Gross loss = £166.80	If the underlying market fell to 282.25 instead, and assuming same costs: -7.75p x 2000 shares Gross loss = £155

To calculate your net profit or loss, you would need to factor in any spread, commission or funding charges. See our detailed example for more information.

Daily funded bets (DFBs) are long-term bets on the cash price of an underlying instrument. DFBs have no expiry date, so we make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges.

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

Buying Barclays plc detailed

Buying Barclays: detailed

	Spread bet DFB	CFD
Underlying market/value	Barclays Plc 289.85/290
Our price	289.56/290.29	289.85/290
Deal	Buy at 290.29	Buy at 290
Deal size	£20 per point	2000 shares
Margin required	£580.58 Deal size x price x margin rate (10%)	£580 Number of shares x price x margin rate (10%)
What happens next?	By 4.35pm our price has risen to 292.25: this is the level our funding is calculated at. It rises steadily the next day, reaching 295.35	By 4.35 the market has risen to 291.95: this is the price our funding is calculated at. It rises steadily the next day, reaching 295.05
Funding	Overnight funding charge of £0.48 (One-month Libor + 2.5% eg 0.49% + 2.5%) x deal size x price)/365 (2.99% x £20 x 292.25)/365	Overnight funding charge of £0.48 (One-month Libor + 2.5% eg 0.49% + 2.5%) x number of shares x price)/365 (2.99 % x 2000 x 2.9195)/365
Underlying market	294.85/295.05
Close	Sell at 294.55	Sell at 294.85
Gross profit	£85.20 294.55 – 290.29 = 4.26 Value of one point = £20 4.26 x £20 = £85.20	£97 294.85 – 290 = 4.85p 4.85p x 2000 shares = £97
Costs	0.1% spread of price (included) Funding: £0.48	Commission £ 20 Value of position x 0.10% (Minimum £10) (2000 x 2.90) x 0.10% = £5.8 (2000 x 2.9485) x 0.10% = £5.90 Funding: £0.48
Net profit	£84.72 profit tax-free*	£76.52 profit subject to tax
What if...	If the underlying market fell to 281.95 instead: 281.95 – 290.29 = -8.34 pts -(8.34 x £20 + £0.48) £167.28 net loss	If the underlying market fell to 282.25 instead: 282.25 – 290 = -7.75p -(7.75p x 2000 shares + £0.48 + £20) £175.48 net loss

Daily funded bets (DFBs) are long-term bets on the cash price of an underlying instrument. DFBs have no expiry date, so we make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect funding charges.

*Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

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²UK's largest retail FX provider based on number of active accounts (Investment Trends UK Leveraged Trading Report October 2016).

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CFDs are a leveraged product and can result in losses that exceed deposits. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.

Trading CFDs may not be suitable for everyone, so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. IG does not issue advice, recommendations or opinion in relation to acquiring, holding or disposing of a CFD. IG is not a financial advisor and all services are provided on an execution only basis.

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