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Shares trading
Start stock trading with CFDs or spread bets to gain exposure to a huge range of international shares and ETFs. Alternatively, you can buy stocks online with our share dealing service.
Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com to talk about opening a trading account. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday.
Contact us: 0800 195 3100
Ways to buy and sell stocks online
There are two ways to trade shares online with IG: using our leveraged products to trade on share prices or investing in stocks directly via our share dealing service.
Stock trading
Our CFD and spread betting products enable you to gain full exposure to markets while only putting down a small deposit.
They also enable you to buy and sell shares online without ever owning the underlying asset. Not only does this have tax benefits,1 but it means you can take advantage of markets that fall in price as well as those that rise.
Investing in stocks
Our share dealing service enables you to invest in company shares with a view to selling them for a profit at a later date. When you buy shares, you can also earn an income from any dividend payments and gain shareholder rights.
With our share dealing service, you can buy and sell US shares commission-free, and UK shares for as little as £3 per trade.2
Trade shares on margin
Low margins enable you to gain full exposure for just a small initial deposit
Pay less tax
Spread bets are tax-free, while CFDs enable you to offset losses against profits for tax purposes1
Access over 12,000 markets
Go long or short on a wide range of popular UK, US and international stocks
Extended hours on US stocks
Trade out-of-hours on over 70 key US stocks, exclusively with IG
See the difference in shares costs
The table below shows the average cost of buying, holding and selling shares with IG – depending on whether you decide to spread bet, trade CFDs or share deal.
- Tesla Motors Inc.
- Apple Inc.
- Lloyds Banking Group PLC
- BHP Group PLC
- Nintendo Co. Ltd
- Volkswagen
Tesla Motors Inc.
Buy 17 shares at $750 with a FX rate of 1.305 (GBP/USD)
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £0.13/pt | Buy 17 shares | Buy 17 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000 | $2550 | $12,750 |
| Charge to open | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | * | $127.50 |
| Overnight funding | £1.12 | $1.48 | - |
| Charge to close | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Total fees | £2.16 | £24.24 | £97.70 |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
* A 0.5% FX conversion is applied to any profits or losses from CFD positions.
** Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
Apple Inc.
Buy 42 shares at $308 with a FX rate of 1.305 (GBP/USD)
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £0.32/pt | Buy 42 shares | Buy 42 shares |
| Capital required to open | £1982.53 | $2587.20 | $12,936.00 |
| Charge to open | £1.28 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | * | $129.36 |
| Overnight funding | £1.13 | $1.50 | - |
| Charge to close | £1.28 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Total fees | £3.69 | £24.26 | £99.13 |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
* A 0.5% FX conversion is applied to any profits or losses from CFD positions.
** Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
Lloyds Banking Group PLC
Buy 16,000 shares at 62.5p
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £160/pt | Buy 16,000 shares | Buy 16,000 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000.00 | £2000.00 | £10,000.00 |
| Charge to open | £10.00 (spread) | £10.00 (commission) | £3.00* (commission) |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | - | - |
| Overnight funding | £0.88 | £0.88 | - |
| Charge to close | £10.00 (spread) | £10.00 (commission) | £3.00* (commission) |
| Total fees | £20.88 | £20.88 | £6.00** |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020.
* Place 10+ trades on UK shares in the previous month to qualify for a £3 commission rate. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
** While the surface cost for leveraged trading appears more, the benefit of spread betting or trading CFDs is their tax efficiency in the UK.1 Also, the minimum capital required to open a position is only a fifth of that needed for a share dealing position.
BHP Group PLC
Buy 476 shares at A$40 with a FX rate of 1.904 (AUD/GBP)
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £2.50/pt | Buy 476 shares | Buy 476 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000.00 | A$3808.00 | A$19,040.00 |
| Charge to open | £15.00 (spread) | $19.04 (commission) | $19.04 (commission) |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | * | $190.40 |
| Overnight funding | £0.88 | $1.78 | - |
| Charge to close | £15.00 (spread) | $19.04 (commission) | $19.04 (commission) |
| Total fees | £30.88 | £21.04 | £120.10 |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
* A 0.5% FX conversion is applied to any profits or losses from CFD positions.
Nintendo Co. Ltd
Buy 32 shares at ¥43470 with a FX rate of 143.25 (JPY/GBP)
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £0.23/pt | Buy 32 shares | Buy 32 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000.00 | ¥278,208.00 | ¥1,391,040.00 |
| Charge to open | £25.07 (spread) | ¥1,500.00 (commission) | We currently do not offer Japanese equities on share dealing accounts |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | * | We currently do not offer Japanese equities on share dealing accounts |
| Overnight funding | £0.88 | ¥93.30 | We currently do not offer Japanese equities on share dealing accounts |
| Charge to close | £25.07 (spread) | ¥1,500.00 (commission) | We currently do not offer Japanese equities on share dealing accounts |
| Total fees | £51.02 | £21.70 | We currently do not offer Japanese equities on share dealing accounts |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
* A 0.5% FX conversion is applied to any profits or losses from CFD positions.
Volkswagen
Buy 64 shares at €183.2 with a FX rate of 1.1746 (EUR/GBP)
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Buy £0.54/pt | Buy 64 shares | Buy 64 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000.00 | €2344.96 | €11,724.80 |
| Charge to open | £9.72 (spread) | €10.00 (commission) | €10.00 (commission) |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | * | €117.25 |
| Overnight funding | £0.88 | €0.67 | - |
| Charge to close | £9.72 (spread) | €10.00 (commission) | €10.00 (commission) |
| Total fees | £20.32 | £17.68 | £116.93 |
This information is correct as of 10/01/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
* A 0.5% FX conversion is applied to any profits or losses from CFD positions.
The differences in detail
Take an in-depth look at the differences between speculating on shares using spread bets or CFDs and investing via our share dealing service.
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Popular stocks to watch
- UK stocks
- US stocks
- FANG stocks
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Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Buy
Sell
Change
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Buy
Sell
Change
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Buy
Sell
Change
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
And many more…
We offer over 12,000 stocks and ETFs for you to trade via leveraged products. Use our market finder tool to see price charts, historical data, market sentiment and analysis on the stocks you are interested in.
Can’t find what you need? Give us a call on 0800 4096789 and we’ll see if we can add it.
Grey market and IPO trading
We also offer certain ‘grey markets’ before stocks go public. This can give you the opportunity to speculate on the price at which the company will finish trading on its first day.
Grey market and IPO trading
We also offer certain ‘grey markets’ before stocks go public. This can give you the opportunity to speculate on the price at which the company will finish trading on its first day.
Open a share trading account in minutes
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 16,000 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 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 16,000 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 45 of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Start trading now
Log in to your account now to access today’s opportunity in a huge range of markets.
Shares trading costs and details
Read on for the costs and charges of share trading, or discover physical share dealing fees here.
- Spread betting costs
- CFD trading costs
Margin
Spread bets are leveraged, so you can gain full exposure with just a small deposit, known as margin. As your profit and loss are based on the full value of the position – not just the margin – leverage can magnify your profits, as well as your losses.
| Market | Retail | Leverage equivalent | Professional | Leverage equivalent |
| Apple | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| Barclays PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| BHP Billiton PLC (LSE) | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| GlaxoSmithKline PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| Vodafone Group PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
Spreads
For spread bets, the costs of any given shares trade are factored into the spread, which is the difference between the buy and sell prices that is wrapped around the underlying market price. We work to keep our spreads among the lowest in the business.
| Market | Minimum spread |
| Apple | 0.10% |
| Lloyds Banking Group PLC | 0.10% |
| Deutsche Bank AG | 0.10% |
| Westpac Banking Corporation | 0.10% |
Margin
CFDs are leveraged, so you can gain full exposure with just a small deposit, known as margin. As your profit and loss are based on the full value of the position – not just the margin – leverage can magnify your profits, as well as your losses.
| Market | Retail | Leverage equivalent | Professional | Leverage equivalent |
| Apple | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| Barclays PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| BHP Billiton PLC (LSE) | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| GlaxoSmithKline PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
| Vodafone Group PLC | 20% | 1:5 | 4.5% | 1:22 |
Commission
With share CFD trades, you’ll be dealing at the real market price. Instead of being charged via the spread, you’ll pay a small commission when you open the position and when you close it. In each instance, a minimum charge applies.
| Market | Commission per side | Min charge (online) | Min charge (phone) |
| UK | 0.10% | £10 | £15 |
| US | 2 cents per share | $15 | $25 |
| Euro | 0.10% | €10 | €25 |
Trade shares on our web platform and on the move
With IG, you’ll have access to several trading platforms including:
These can all be tailored to suit your trading style and preferences, with personalised alerts, interactive charts and risk management tools.
What is share trading?
Share trading usually refers to the process of speculating on an underlying share price using derivatives, while share dealing commonly describes the process of buying and taking ownership of a company’s shares.
How to buy and trade shares
Whether you want to trade or invest, you’ll need to open an account. Once you’re set up, you just need to decide which stock you want to trade, perform analysis on the company and industry it’s in, and then open your first position.
DMA for the experienced trader
Our DMA service enables you to trade CFDs on the underlying market price, and gain greater visibility and depth.
Latest shares news
Open a share 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.
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1 Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
2 Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
3 Online Personal Wealth Awards 2019.
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