CFD trading with IG
Turn ambition into reality with the the world’s leading CFD provider 1
- Forex, shares, indices, commodities and more
- Tight spreads and low margin rates
- Direct Market Access (DMA)
More than a trading platform
We support you at every stage of your journey
IG Academy
Access education for any and all experience levels. Free online courses, webinars, seminars, and video tutorials.
Round-the-clock support
Available 24 hours a day, except from 6am to 4pm on Saturday (UTC+8). Access designated support team members for 1-2-1 calls.
Easy-to-use app
Our trading platforms and mobile app are designed to be user-friendly and straightforward.
Exclusive trading hours and pricing
Exclusive 24/7 pricing on global indices, major forex pairs and our full range of cryptocurrencies through out-of-hours and weekend trading. 2 Extended hours on more than 90 key US stocks.
Meet your needs
As well as spot (cash) CFD trading, we offer CFDs on options, futures, knockouts, and more to suit your trading goals.
Latest news and expert analysis
Stay informed with the latest critical news and expert analysis i Get news and commentary from market experts and senior financial analysts, directly on our platform. to heighten market awareness.
Trade your way
Find the right account for you; trade indices, forex, shares, commodities and cryptocurrencies
Here’s what our clients say
IG Group - Proudly award-winning
2023
Excellence in FinTech Trading Platform Excellence Awards
2023
Excellence in Diversified Financial Services Excellence Awards
2023
Best Platform for the Active Trader ADVFN International Financial Awards
2023
Best Multi Platform Provider ADVFN International Financial Awards
Join IG
It takes just 3 simple steps
A few questions
Let us know a bit more about you
Get swift verification
We can usually verify your identity in a couple of days
Fund and start trading
We accept all major credit and debit cards, and bank transfers
Trade seamlessly
On our user-friendly and award-winning platforms 3
All the features you need, whenever and wherever you need them.
*For clients trading on iOS, we´ve launched a PWA that offers a seamless trading experience for regions where the app is not available.
Our comprehensive online platform keeps you in control with alerts, signals, and trading analytics supplementing your strategy.
Learn moreUsing ProRealTime, MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or L2 Dealer? Looking for advanced charting or automated trading i Automated trading is the use of algorithms for making trade orders. ? Trade with IG and enjoy exclusive add-ons.
Learn more
Equip yourself for success
With powerful trading tools
Trading alerts
- Immediate economic event reaction: set alerts and reminders on our economic calendar
- React instantly to email, SMS and push notifications
- Get IG exclusive price change alerts when your market moves
Algorithmic trading
- Utilise ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4 , as well as our native APIs
- Trade according to data and pattern recognition
- Maximise your exposure to the underlying market with automated i Automated trading is the use of algorithms for making trade orders. buy and sell orders
Trade analytics tool
Improve your trading outcomes by exploring your trading statistics, tracking your trades and analysing your performance directly on our platform.
Learn more
Trading charts
- Enhance your analysis with 32 customisable indicators and 19 drawing tools
- Benefit from HTML5 technology and watch market developments in real time
- Keep your charts informed with a curated news and analysis feed, plus trade from them directly
Trading signals
- Get concise market analysis at a glance with an in-platform panel providing key metrics
- Maximise your time efficiency with continuous analysis done for you
- View entry and exit points, support and resistance levels, plus confidence levels for each signal
Risk management tools
Using stop losses or limit orders can help you define the level you'd like your trade executed at so you can manage unfavourable market movements.
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Guaranteed stop
Attach a guaranteed stop to your position, and it’ll always be closed out at exactly the price you specified. You’ll only pay for your stop if it’s triggered.
Learn more Explore more platform featuresThe numbers speak for themselves
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years’ expertise
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Countries
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global clients
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+worldwide markets
Everything you need, in one place
An award-winning platform is just the start 3
An award-winning platform is just the start 3
IG Newsroom
- The breaking news you need, when you need it
- Keep up to date with market movements
- See the latest critical news directly on our platform
Education and Community
- IG Academy and Community
- Access to the thoughts and opinions of expert traders
- Webinars, seminars, educational videos and interactive forums
Round-the-clock support
- Live chat, 1-2-1 calls, and round-the-clock support via phone and email
- A designated support member
- We support you at every step
Tools and data analysis
- Powerful, data-driven analysis tools: trading alerts, signals, algorithmic i With us, you can trade with algorithms through our partnerships with cutting-edge platforms including ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4 (MT4), as well as with our native APIs. trading and intuitive charts
- Use guaranteed stops, stop loss limits, and built-in risk protection to always stay in control
Try our free demo account
Test your trading skills and refine your strategy, without pressure
- $20,000 virtual funds
- Simulates a live trading environment
- Strategize and test, with zero pressure
Always transparent
- Open a free account, with no hidden costs
- No management fees, ever, for CFDs
- There’s no minimum balance required to create a CFD trading account with us
Spreads
Your main payment for CFD trading is the spread (or commission in the case of share CFDs or Forex DMA) – the difference between the buy and the sell price. This is our charge for executing your trade.
| Market | Number of individual markets | Minimum spread | Margin rates from Retail clients | Leverage equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forex | 80+ | 0.6 | 0.50% | 1:200 |
| Indices | 80+ | 0.1 | 0.50% | 1:200 |
| Shares CFDs | 13000+ | 0.1 | 10% | 1:10 |
| Commodities | 35 | 0.3 | 0.7% | 1:143 |
| Cryptocurrencies | 6 | 1 | 10% | 1:10 |
IG Group foundations
- Established and trusted: FTSE 250 listed
- Join the market leaders: 1 50 years’ trusted experience
- Always be informed: direct access to expert analysis and IG’s latest news
- IG Academy: acquire vital knowledge and crucial skills
- Peer support: join and interact with a community of expert traders
Search our markets then start your journey
FAQs
CFD stands for ‘contract for difference’, a type of derivative product that you can use to speculate on the future direction of a market’s price. When trading via CFDs, you don’t take ownership of the underlying asset, which means you can take advantage of rising and falling markets by going long or short.
Learn more about what CFD trading is .
First, learn more about CFD trading via IG Academy or our demo account. Once you are confident enough, and familiar with the risks, you can open and fund a CFD account , choose which market you want to trade and do thorough analysis of the asset. When you’re ready to trade CFDs, you’ll just need to choose your position size and implement your risk management strategy.
Learn more about how to start trading CFDs .
The main way we make money is through the spread that we wrap around the underlying market price. The cost of trading is already factored into these two prices, called the offer and the bid, which means that you’ll always buy slightly higher than the market price and sell slightly below it. Share CFDs are generally priced slightly differently from other CFD markets. Unlike many other CFD providers, we do not wrap our own spread on top of the market spread. Instead, we take a small commission fee when you open and close the trade.
Learn more about our charges .
We do not aim to profit if a client loses, and our business model is based on providing a fair experience to all traders.
Learn more about how we make money .
You can open a position that will become profitable if one of your other positions begins to incur a loss. An example of this would be taking out a short position on a market that tracks the price of an asset you own. Any drop in the value of your asset would then be offset by the profit from your CFD trade.
To find out about using CFDs for hedging, read our guide on hedging here.
When you trade CFDs, you buy a certain number of contracts on a market if you expect it to rise, and sell them if you expect it to fall. The change in the value of your position reflects movements in the underlying market. You can close your position any time when the market is open.
Futures , on the other hand, are contracts that require you to trade on the expected future price of a financial instrument. Unlike CFDs, they specify a fixed date and price for this transaction – which can involve taking physical ownership of the underlying asset on this date – and must be purchased via an exchange. The value of a futures contract depends as much on market sentiment about the future price of the asset as current movements in the underlying market.
It’s worth keeping in mind that with us you can speculate on the price of futures contracts without buying the contracts themselves.
CFD positions do not have an expiry date on most markets, so can be held open for as long as you choose to maintain your position. The main CFD markets that have an expiry date are futures and forwards, and options . However, overnight funding fees will be incurred if spot positions are left open after 10pm UK time (international times may vary).
You can trade CFDs on over 17,000 markets* with us, including indices, shares, forex, cryptos, commodities and more. You can even trade CFDs out of hours on certain markets, enabling you to make the most out of breaking news and any macroeconomic announcements – both after the market closes and before it opens.
*IG Group's total markets
Anyone with a CFD trading account can take a position with CFDs. Why not create an account with us. Still, CFD trading is not for everyone.
As it’s a leveraged product, losses will be magnified. That is why it’s especially important to understand the risks involved and take steps to prepare yourself to trade CFDs.
If you’re unsure whether CFD trading is right for you, you may want to practise CFD trading in a risk-free environment with a free demo account.
Because CFDs are leveraged, you’ll only need to put up a fraction of the cost of your position upfront – 10% for most share CFDs, 0.5% for major indices, 0.5% for major forex pairs, 10% for cryptos and from 0.5% to 2% for most commodities. Bear in mind, though, that because they are leveraged, you can lose more than your margin amount in CFD trades as both losses and profits are calculated based on the entire value of your position.
There is also a small charge to fund positions overnight and for guaranteed stops (if triggered), and there may be additional fees for specialist tool.
You can trade CFDs on our award-winning online trading platform and mobile trading app, 3 both with real-time news and analysis available in-platform, so you can trade anywhere, anytime. You can also use our services with specialist third-party platforms including, ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4.
To open a new CFD trading account with us, you just need to fill in a form so that we can establish your previous experience and available funds. This way, we can ensure you get the best trading experience possible.
Our mobile trading apps, state-of-the-art technology and free educational tools make the process of switching your account to us is fast and effortless. You can be signed up and ready to trade within minutes.
Most CFD trades don’t have an expiry. However, it’s important to remember that all spot positions left open after 10pm UK time* will incur overnight funding fees. This is slightly different if you’re trading CFD futures – which allow you to speculate on the price that the underlying asset will be on a specific date, at which point the trade will expire. You won’t incur overnight funding on your CFD futures trades.
*International times may vary
Yes, you can hold CFD positions overnight. However, you’ll be charged an overnight funding charge on any positions still open after 10pm (UK time).* This fee covers the capital you’ve effectively borrowed from us and reflects the cost of holding your position open.
*International times may vary
CFD trades are standardised into lots, but each market has its own minimum number of contracts that aim to mimic how the asset is traded on the live underlying market. For example, for share CFDs, the contract size is usually the equivalent of one share of the company you’re trading. For forex, there are standard lots which equal 100,000 units of the base currency, or mini lots that are equal to 10,000 units of the base currency.
For most CFD trades, the cost of opening your position is covered in the spread. This means the buy and sell prices already include any charges additional charges. However, for share CFDs you will pay a commission instead of our spread, which means that the buy and sell prices match the underlying market price as it is in real-time.
Yes. Trading CFDs means you can take a position on markets that are both rising and falling in value. You can ‘buy’ an asset in the hope that its price will rise (going long), or ‘sell’ the asset in the hope that its price will fall (going short).