Futures trading
Take longer-term positions without owning any assets. 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.
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
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.
Discover thousands of futures markets
Ways to trade futures with us
Speculate on underlying futures prices with spread bets and CFDs.
Here are the key benefits of each:
| Spread betting | CFD trading | |
| Main features | 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 | 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 | OTC – trading on underlying | OTC – trading on underlying |
| Traded in | £ or other base currency per point of movement | Contracts |
| Liquidity | 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 capital gains tax (CGT) or stamp duty3 | No stamp duty, but you do pay CGT. Losses can be offset as a tax deduction3 |
| Commission | Commission-free* | Commission-free* |
| Platforms | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 | Web platform, mobile trading app and MT4 |
| Learn more | Learn more |
*Other fees may apply
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 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
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
Open a UK futures trading account in minutes
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to 15,000+ 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
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
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 15,000+ 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.
- Spread bet futures
- CFD futures
| 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
- Web-based platform
- Mobile trading app
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
-
Israel strikes Iran as oil prices surge and markets tumble amid Middle East escalation
2025-06-13T02:48:20+0100 -
Brent crude oil price probes resistance while silver, aluminium prices come off Wednesday’s highs
2025-03-13T10:14:47+0000
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.
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
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.
*Demo accounts are only available for spread betting and CFD trading.
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 15,000+ 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.
Connect with us
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Professional clients trading spread bets and CFDs can lose more than they deposit.
Options and futures are complex instruments which come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. They’re not suitable for most investors. Before you invest, you should consider whether you understand how options and futures work, the risks of trading these instruments and whether you can afford to lose more than your original investment.
Trading stocks and shares ‘on margin’ within a US options and futures account – meaning that you only finance part of the cost of acquiring a position in a security – carries additional risks over buying securities on a fully funded basis and may result in losses exceeding your original investment. Trading on margin will also result in additional costs to you as the investor and any securities purchased using margin may be held as collateral by the lender, restricting both your rights as shareholder, and your ability to use the securities until the margin trade is closed. You should familiarise yourself with these risks before trading on margin.
The value of shares, ETFs and other ETPs bought through a share dealing account, a US options and futures account, a stocks and shares ISA or a SIPP can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Some ETPs carry additional risks depending on how they’re structured, investors should ensure they familiarise themselves with the differences before investing.
Share dealing and IG Smart Portfolio accounts provided by IG Trading and Investments Ltd, CFD accounts and US options and futures accounts are provided by IG Markets Ltd, spread betting provided by IG Index Ltd.
IG is a trading name of IG Trading and Investments Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 11628764), IG Markets Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 04008957) and IG Index Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 01190902). Registered address at Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA. IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355), IG Trading and Investments Ltd (Register Number 944492) and IG Index Ltd (Register number 114059) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
The information on this site isn’t directed at residents of the United States, Belgium or any particular country outside the UK and isn’t intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.