Take your position on over 80 international indices1 with the world’s No.1 spread betting and CFD provider2.
Call +35 318 009 95362 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Seize exclusive opportunities on more 24-hour indices
Benefit from our deep liquidity – increasing the chance of your larger trades being accepted
Get spreads from 1 point on the FTSE 100, 1.2 on the Germany 40 and 0.4 on the US 500
Deal on our award-winning platforms and mobile apps³
Give yourself an edge with weekend trading⁴ on key indices
Choose between over-the-counter (OTC) and listed products to trade indices
We offer over 40 more weekly trading hours than our nearest competitors, so you can:
Provider | Weekly trading hours (out of 168 total hours) |
IG | 158 |
eToro | 100 |
CMC markets | 114 |
City Index | 113 |
Provider | Weekly trading hours (out of 168 total hours) |
IG | 158 |
eToro | 97.5 |
CMC markets | 113.5 |
City Index | 113 |
Provider | Weekly trading hours (out of 168 total hours) |
IG | 158 |
eToro | 114.5 |
CMC markets | 115 |
City Index | 113.5 |
This data is based on analysis of the FTSE 100, Germany 40 and Wall Street offerings from our UK competitors’ websites – it’s correct to the best of our ability as of 23 July 2024. Some trading hours have been rounded up or down to the nearest half hour. This table is for comparative purposes only, and the data is subject to change.
Search real-time prices, find your next trade.
When you trade indices with us, you’ll use spread bets, or contracts for difference (CFDs) to gain exposure to price movements. Below are some of the key features of each.
Tax-free - keep 100% of your profits*
Zero commission and flexible position sizing - from 3p per point
Trade in € to avoid FX risk or charges
No stamp duty; CGT applies but losses can be offset against profits for tax purposes*
Commission-free on indices
Trade in underlying market currency
* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the Republic of Ireland.
Spread betting | CFD trading | |
Main benefits | Profits are tax-free in the UK5 | Tax-deductible losses are useful for hedging5 |
Accessible to | All clients | All clients |
Traded in | EUR (€) or other base currency per point of movement | Contracts |
Tax status | No capital gains tax (CGT) or stamp duty5 | No stamp duty, but you do pay CGT. Offset losses against profits for tax purposes5 |
Commission | Commission-free; you’ll pay a spread | Commission-free; you’ll pay a spread |
Platforms | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 |
Learn more | Learn more |
Indices measure the performance of a group of shares that are listed on a stock market.
Because there are no underlying physical assets to exchange, indices are traded with financial derivatives like spread bets and CFDs.
Spread betting, and CFD trading enables you to take a position with leverage.6 The margin required to open a position depends on the market, but the profit or loss of a trade is calculated based on the full size of your position and could substantially outweigh your margin amount.7
Market | Retail margin | Leverage equivalent |
Wall Street* |
5% |
1:20 |
Germany 40 |
5% |
1:20 |
US Tech 100* |
5% |
1:20 |
FTSE 100 |
5% |
1:20 |
US 500* |
5% |
1:20 |
Hong Kong HS 50 |
10% |
1:10 |
Japan 225 |
5% |
1:20 |
Weekend UK 100 Cash |
5% |
1:20 |
Weekend Germany 40 Cash |
5% |
1:20 |
A market’s spread varies depending on market conditions – it’s what you pay us to execute your spread bet or CFD index trade. We calculate it by determining the difference between the current buy and sell prices of a market. We’re constantly working to keep our spreads among the lowest in the industry.
Market | Spread betting minimum spread | CFD trading minimum spread | MT4 |
Wall Street | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
Germany 40 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
US Tech 100 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
FTSE 100 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
US 500 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Hong Kong HS 50 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Japan 225 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
Weekend UK 100 Cash |
8 | 8 | - |
Weekend Germany 40 Cash | 15 | 15 | - |
* Wall Street, the US Tech 100 and the US 500 are available to trade via spread bets, and CFDs.
Seize your next opportunity on our award-winning platforms and mobile trading apps.3
Take control of your indices trading with our clear price charts, in-platform news, analysis and more across our account types.
Take a position wherever you are, receive trading alerts and analyse price action with charting tools across account types.
Automate your index spread bet or CFD positions with MT4, one of the most popular third-party trading platforms.
Discover the differences between these two products and decide which is best for you.
Explore the features of OTC futures, and how you can get exposure.
Take control of your risk with in-platform tools – including stops, limits and alerts.
1 We offer 81 indices markets for CFD trading, and 69 indices markets for spread betting.
2 Based on revenue (published financial statements, 2023).
3 Spread betting and CFD trading platform and app: best platform for the active trader, best multi-platform provider and best finance app as awarded at the 2024 ADVFN International Financial Awards. US options and futures platform: best options trading platform as awarded at the 2024 ADVFN International Finance Awards; best overall options trading platform of 2024 as awarded by Investopedia (criteria, evaluation and ranking determined by Investopedia); No.1 desktop options trading platform and No.1 desktop futures trading platform as awarded at the 2024 StockBrokers.com awards.
4 Weekend trading hours on indices are from 8am on Saturday to 10.40pm on Sunday (UK time). Positions still open at 10.40pm (UK time) on a Sunday will roll over into regular weekday positions (with any attached stops-loss and take-profit orders remaining in place).
5 Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the Republic of Ireland.
6 Leveraged products are complex financial instruments, with which an upfront deposit – called margin– is used to open a larger trade. Your margin will only be worth a certain percentage of your trade, but potential profits and losses will be calculated based on the total position size, not your margin. This makes leveraged trading inherently risky, and it should never be approached without a trading strategy and adequate risk management measures in place.