Futures trading
Take longer-term positions without owning any assets. Choose between pure-form US futures or trading on underlying futures contracts with spread bets and CFDs.
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Contact us 08001953100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening an account.
Contact us 08001953100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Access to US-listed futures
Trade pure-form micro or major futures on a wide range of markets
Access to over-the-counter futures
Get exposure to underlying futures prices with spread bets and CFDs
Transparent pricing
Know your costs for longer-term trades up front, with no overnight funding fees
Round-the-clock dealing
Trade index futures 24/71 with spread bets and CFDs and 23/7 on a range of listed futures
Award-winning technology2
Deal from our web or mobile apps – whether you trade listed or OTC futures
Huge selection of markets
Access over 17,000 OTC markets as well as US-listed futures to suit your strategy
Discover thousands of futures markets
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Trade US-listed futures
Enjoy access to pure-form US futures on a wide range of markets, such as stocks, ETFs and futures options. All this, on an award-winning platform,2 with low commissions, and fantastic trading content from our colleagues at tastylive.
Trade on futures prices with spread bets or CFDs
You can take a position on underlying futures prices over the counter, using spread bets and CFDs. Again, an award-winning platform2 is all yours. You’ll speculate on the underlying market price, without entering the futures contract yourself. This can make your longer-term positions more cost-effective, as futures carry no overnight fees.
Ways to trade futures with us
Trade directly on US-listed futures in the UK or speculate on underlying futures prices with spread bets and CFDs.
Here are the key benefits of each:
| US-listed futures | Spread betting | CFD trading | |
| Main features | Pure-form options and futures are both derivative products. Futures enable you to speculate on the upward or downward direction of a futures contract. Options are contracts between two parties to exchange shares at a specific price by a certain expiration date | Spread betting stakes an amount of money for every point the underlying market moves. Spread bets are leveraged, meaning you put down a deposit to gain exposure to a position, with profit and loss calculated on the full position size. | CFDs are the buying and selling of contracts for difference. CFDs are leveraged, meaning you put down a deposit to gain exposure to a position, with profit and loss calculated on the full position size |
| Markets | Equity index futures, interest rate futures, forex futures, commodity futures and more | Index futures, commodity futures, bonds and rates futures, share forwards, forex forwards and ETF forwards | Index futures, commodity futures, bonds and rates futures |
| Listed vs OTC | Listed contracts | OTC – trading on underlying | OTC – trading on underlying |
| Traded in | $-denominated contracts | £ or other base currency per point of movement | Contracts |
| Liquidity | Our listed product range includes some of the most liquid futures and futures options | Our spread bet futures markets, however, remain highly liquid at all times thanks to our large number of clients and our technology | Our CFD futures markets, however, remain highly liquid at all times thanks to our large number of clients and our technology |
| Tax | No stamp duty. Tax deductible losses are useful for hedging3 |
No capital gains tax (CGT) or stamp duty3 | No stamp duty, but you do pay CGT. Losses can be offset as a tax deduction3 |
| Commission | Micro futures from $0.85 and major futures contracts from $1.25 | Commission-free | Commission-free |
| Platforms | Web platform and mobile trading app | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 |
| Learn more | Learn more | Learn more |
What are futures?
Futures are contracts that enable traders to lock in the current market price, without exchanging the asset until a predetermined future date.
When you trade with us, you can take a position on listed futures, or on an underlying future’s price using spread bets or CFDs.
How do I trade futures?
- Understand how futures trading works
- Create an IG trading account
- Place your first trade
- Monitor and close your position
Benefits of futures trading in the UK
- Take your capital further with leverage
- Access a huge range of markets
- Capitalise on rising and falling prices
- Hedge existing exposure
- Get better execution with our deep internal liquidity
Risks of futures trading in the UK
Equity risk
If you don’t have enough non-marginable equity to cover your buying power requirement, your account will be on margin – ie you’ll be borrowing money.
Price limits
You can’t take a position beyond certain limits. ‘Limit up’ is when the asset price reaches the upper limit set by an exchange, while ‘limit down’ is when the price reaches the lower limit.
Mark to market risk
Futures’ profit and loss gets realised each day based on the closing marks published by the exchange. So, even if you haven’t closed a position, it’ll mark to market each day.
Cash sweeps
Cash movements (or sweeps) due to overnight requirements or mark to market profits and losses could lead to a futures maintenance call being issued on your account.
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to 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 50 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to 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 50 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Costs and details
Our futures markets are designed to replicate the pricing and expiry dates of an underlying contract.
See our costs and details below.
- US options and futures
- Spread bet futures
- CFD futures
| Tick size | Tick value (standard) |
Market hours | Overnight requirement | |
| E-Mini S&P 500 Futures | 0.25 | $12.50 | 5pm – 4am | $12,980 |
| Crude Oil Futures | 0.01 | $10 (cents/barrel) |
5pm – 4am | $9,389 |
| Gold Futures | 0.1 | S10 (100 troy oz) |
5pm – 4am | $11,000 |
| Three-month SOFR | 0.0025 | $6.25 | 5pm – 4am | $220 |
| Euro FX Futures | 0.00005 | $6.25 | 5pm – 4am | $2,310 |
Want to take a smaller position? Trade our mini or micro futures contracts. They work in the same way as full-sized futures, with the same benefits.
To take a shorter-term position, try daily funded bets.
| Value of one contract (standard) |
Market hours | Dealing spread | Margin requirement (retail) |
||
| FTSE 100 Futures | £10 | 7am – 9pm | 4 | 5% | |
| All other times | 8 | ||||
| Wall Street Futures | $10 | 8am - 9pm | 6 | 5% | |
| 9.15pm - 9.20pm | 17 | ||||
| 10pm - 11pm | 17 | ||||
| All other times | 10 | ||||
| Oil – US Crude | $10 (cents/barrel) |
1am – 11pm | 6 | 10% | |
| Gold | $100 (100 troy oz) |
24 hours (except 10pm – 11pm) |
0.6 | 5% | |
| Treasury Bond (Decimalised) |
$10 | 11.30pm – 10pm | 4 | 20% |
Want to take a smaller position? Trade our mini futures contracts for indices, commodities and bonds. They work in the same way as full-sized futures, with the same benefits.
To take a shorter-term position, try daily funded bets.
| Value of one contract (standard) |
Market hours | Dealing spread | Margin requirement (retail) |
||
| FTSE 100 Futures | £10 | 7am – 9pm | 4 | 5% | |
| All other times | 8 | ||||
| Wall Street Futures | $10 | 8am - 9pm | 6 | 5% | |
| 9.15pm - 9.20pm | 17 | ||||
| 10pm - 11pm | 17 | ||||
| All other times | 10 | ||||
| Oil – US Crude | $10 (cents/barrel) |
24 hours (except 10pm – 11pm) |
6 | 10% | |
| Gold | $100 (100 troy oz) |
24 hours (except 10pm – 11pm) |
0.6 | 5% | |
| Treasury Bond (Decimalised) |
$10 | 11.30pm – 10pm | 4 | 20% |
Want to take a smaller position? Trade our mini futures contracts for indices, commodities and bonds. They work in the same way as full-sized futures, with the same benefits.
To take a shorter-term position, try daily funded bets.
Trade futures on the UK’s best trading platforms2
Trade anything, anywhere, anytime on our award-winning platforms.2
- US options and futures platform
- Web-based platform
- Mobile trading app
Trading on the tastytrade platforms gets you secure, fast, and reliable trade execution with real-time prices4 and more.
You can choose the platform that suits your trading preferences and strategy – with unique price alerts, interactive charts and a suite of risk management tools available on each.
You can choose the platform that suits your trading preferences and strategy – with unique price alerts, interactive charts and a suite of risk management tools available on each.
Get the latest futures news
-
WTI stabilizes above 1-month low while gold price hits record high and natural gas slips
2024-07-17T09:57:42+0100 -
Brent crude oil price recovery underway with gold and silver prices rising as well
2024-07-11T09:44:29+0100
Open a futures 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 futures 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 futures 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 futures 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 futures 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 futures 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.
FAQs
How does IG ensure deep liquidity on futures markets?
Futures are a highly liquid market, but there are times when this isn’t the case.
Our listed product range includes some of the most liquid futures and futures options. This can help in reducing entry and exit slippage.
Our CFD and spread bet futures markets remain highly liquid at all times thanks to our large number of clients and our technology – ensuring best execution even on larger trades.
For our CFDs and spread bets on commodity and bond futures, the last dealing day may not be the same as the underlying exchange-traded contract. As these futures approach their expiry date, the market can become illiquid – because most traders will have already closed or rolled over their contract to avoid physical settlement. Spreads often widen as a consequence.
By having our contracts expire slightly earlier than in the underlying, we ensure you receive the best price that we can offer.
Try these next
Find opportunities across 17,000+ markets.
Protect your capital with our in-platform tools.
Discover the advantages of spread bets and CFDs.
1 24/7 excludes the hours from 10pm Friday to 8am Saturday (UK time), and 20 minutes just before the weekday market opens on Sunday night.
2 Best trading platform as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards and Professional Trader Awards 2024. Best trading app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2024. Best platform for options trading – ADVFN International Finance Awards 2024.
3 Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
4 tastytrade account must be funded in order to receive real-time quote data.
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