CFD Meaning - What Is CFD Trading
CFD Meaning - What Is CFD Trading
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Learn to trade Trading guides CFD trading guide What is CFD trading and how does it work?
So what does CFD mean in trading? CFDs allow you to speculate on various financial markets,
including stocks, indices, commodities, forex pairs, and cryptocurrencies. You never buy the
assets, but trade on the rise or fall in their price, usually over a short period of time.
A CFD is a contract between a broker and a trader who agree to exchange the difference in
value of an underlying security between the beginning and the end of the contract, often less
than one day.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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One of the major benefits of CFD trading is that you can speculate on the asset’s price
movements in either direction. You simply buy or sell a contract depending on whether you
believe the asset’s price will go up or down. You open a long or a short trade accordingly.
However, you should always note that leverage trading can amplify your wins, but can also boost
your losses.
Buy
If you thinkwith
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price of an over-the-counter
asset will rise, instruments
then you do would open
not entail the a long of
transfer (Buy) position
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and other profit if
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
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the deposit. with your
profits doexpectations.
not guarantee future profits.
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Sell
If you think the price of an asset will fall then you would open a short (Sell) position and profit if it
falls in line with your prediction.
Watch a short video below to learn how to make your first trade.
Your broker needs to know a little about you before they can offer you margin trading, so they ask
you to set up a special account, proving your identity and ability to cover losses. Often you can
practise trading in a demo account, but you will need to add funds to create a CFD trading
account before you can trade properly.
Some regulators require that new customers pass an ‘appropriateness’ test. This often means
answering some questions to demonstrate that you understand the increased risks – and not just
the potential rewards – of trading on margin. It’s best to thoroughly educate yourself on how
leverage and margin work before trading.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
Some experienced traders set up more than one CFD account with the same broker to trade
different assets or to follow alternative trading strategies.
Leveraged trading is also referred to as trading on margin. A10% margin means that you have to
deposit only 10% of the value of the trade you want to open. The rest is covered by your CFD
provider.
For example, if you want to place an order for $1,000 worth of Brent crude oil and your broker
requires 10% of margin, you will need only $100 as the initial amount to open the trade.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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The price to buy will always be higher than the current underlying value and the sell price will
always be lower. The difference between these prices is called the CFD spread. At Capital.com,
we do not charge CFD commission on any trades made with us.
The Buy price (offer) is the price at which you start, or open, a long position
The Sell price (bid) is the price at which you open a short position
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
For example, if you expect the price of gold to increase you may want to open a position with a
CFD on gold. Imagine the quoted price is $1,200/$1,205 (this is the bid/ask spread) and you buy
100 CFDs on gold (taking a long position). The size of the position taken (the contract value) is
illustrated below.
Now imagine that the price of gold increases as expected, the profit from this trade is illustrated
below.
You can open an account for free and practise in demo mode. Capital.com is a flexible and
scalable solution for everyone, regardless of your risk appetite, experience or the amount of
money you have to trade.
CFD trading is considered a cost-effective way of entering the financial markets. With some
brokers, CFD costs include a commission for trading various financial assets, however,
Capital.com doesn’t take commissions for opening and closing trades, for deposits or
withdrawals.
The major CFD cost is the spread – the difference between the buy and sell price at the time you
trade. There is an additional charge of an overnight fee, which is taken if a trade is kept open
overnight.
As contracts for difference are leveraged products, you can open much larger positions with a
lower initial deposit than you need to buy traditional shares. For example:
Funds required to $ 2,702 = $135.10 Buy price x 100 shares x 20% $13,510 (100 shares
open a trade margin (Margin required) at 135.10)
$1,490
$1,490
The choice of available CFD options is constantly growing. In 2020, Capital.com significantly
expanded its offering and added new markets, which will bring many new attractive trading
opportunities. They include: thematic indices (Corona anti-virus index, Crypto index), futures (US
crude oil, UK Brent oil), cryptocurrencies (Cardano, Polkadot), MOEX and SGX-traded stocks, etc.
If you believe the market will rise, you Buy or ‘go long’.
If you believe the market will fall, you Sell or ‘go short’.
When you open a CFD position, you select the number of contracts you would like to trade (buy
or sell) and your profit will rise in line with each point the market moves in your favour.
You purchase 100 CFDs on Apple shares at $160 a share, so the total value of the trade will be
$16,000. If Apple appreciates to $170, you make $10 a share, which is a $1,000 profit.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
The
to thesteps in the
underlying illustration
assets, are a risky below are:can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
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limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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2. 160 You see the price fall, and decide to open your trade (Buy the CFDs).
3. 170 You see the price of your CFD rise, and close your trade (Sell the CFDs), making a profit of
$10
This time, let’s say, you decide to sell 100 CFDs on Apple at $170 per share, which then falls to $160
per share. You will have made a profit of $1,000, or $10 per share.
2. 170 You see the price of your CFD rise, and open your trade (Sell the CFDs), making a profit of
$10
3. 160 You see the price fall, and decide to close your trade (Buy the CFDs).
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
https://capital.com/what-is-cfd-trading 11/21
12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
There are two types of margin you should be familiar with when trading CFDs.
2. Maintenance margin: This may be required if your trade starts making losses that are not
covered by the deposit margin or additional funds held in your account.
The margin required depends on the deal offered by your broker and varies between asset
classes and within different regulated areas.
For example, you buy 100 CFDs on Apple at a price of $135.10. Your initial outlay is $2,702 ($135.10
Buy price x 100 shares x 20% margin). The value of Apple stock moves to 150, and you decide to
sell at this value – a 14.9 point increase.
The profit you have made from this trade is $1,490, calculated by multiplying the point increase
with the number of contracts purchased (14.9pt increase x 100 shares = $1,490).
Funds available
$ 3,000 $3,000
(Balance)
Funds required to open $ 2,702 = $135.10 Buy price x 100 shares $ 2,702 = $135.10 Buy price x
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
a trade
to the x 20%and
underlying assets, are a risky activity margin
can bring not only profit but also losses. The20 shares
size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
$298
$1,490
You'll be able to monitor all positions that you have opened within the platform as well as close
the positions when you want.
Profit and loss are easily calculated: you just multiply the number of contracts you hold by the
difference in price. Your profit to loss ratio, often abbreviated to P&L, can be defined using the
following formula:
For example, if you were to purchase 1,000 CFDs on Aviva at 400p per share and sell them at
450p per share your profit would be £500. This is illustrated below.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
What is the contract length of CFDs?
Most CFD trades have no fixed expiry date, meaning that the CFD contract length is unlimited. A
trade is closed only when placed in the opposite direction, i.e. you can close a buy trade on 100
CFDs on silver only by selling these CFDs.
However, If you want to keep your daily CFD trade open after the cut-off time (usually 10pm UK
time, but can vary for international markets), you will be charged an overnight funding fee.
Capital.com only charges overnight fees on the leveraged portion of the trade – not on the total
trade size.
Once you have your account set up and devised a trading plan, it is important to determine how
much you are willing to risk to formulate an appropriate CFD risk management strategy. If you are
risk-averse, then you will be looking for opportunities with lower risk-to-reward (R-R) ratios.
For instance, if you are looking for slow and steady growth, asset classes with higher volatility
should form
Transactions anon-deliverable
with proportionally small part of
over-the-counter your portfolio.
instruments It isthe
do not entail strongly
transfer recommended to diversify
of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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across all asset classes to increase the likelihood of attractive trading opportunities, as well as to
mitigate risk.
Similarly, you can place stop-losses to mitigate CFD risks and restrict your potential losses. A
stop-loss is the point at which a position is automatically closed out if the price of the asset
drops below the amount you decide, in advance, that you are prepared to lose.
Stops and limits are crucial risk management tools and you are strongly advised to use them.
The value maintained in a margin account acts as collateral for credit. If your exposure is about
to exceed the maintenance margin requirement, Capital.com notifies you via a ‘margin call’. This
is where you will either need to top up your balance or close some of your positions.
If you do not act and the closeout level is reached, your positions will be automatically closed.
With negative balance protection, you can be sure that your account balance will never drop
below zero. If a market suddenly moves against you, Capital.com platform can close the affected
position to protect you.
Remember to employ risk management techniques in every trade and be even more cautious
when trading CFDs on assets that have a history of being highly volatile like cryptocurrencies.
Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the risks that
come with CFD trading.
Hedging
Hedging in trading is a crucial risk management strategy used by experienced traders.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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A hedge is a risk management technique used to reduce losses. You hedge to protect your profit,
especially in times of uncertainty. The idea is that if one investment goes against you, your hedge
position goes in your favour.
CFD hedging provides an opportunity to protect your existing portfolio due to the fact that you
can sell short by speculating on a price downtrend.
For example, you have an existing portfolio of blue-chip shares. You want to hold them for a long
time, but you feel as if the market is about to witness a short dip, and you are concerned about
how this will affect the value of your portfolio.
With leveraged trading, you can short-sell the market in order to hedge against this downtrend
possibility. Then, if the market slides, what you lose on your portfolio can be offset by the gain
from your short hedge using CFDs. If the market rises, then you will lose on your hedge but gain
on your portfolio.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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12/4/21, 9:24 AM CFD Meaning | What is CFD Trading | Capital.com
Advanced AI technology at its core: A Facebook-like News Feed provides users with
personalised and unique content depending on your preferences. If a trader makes decisions
based on biases, the innovative News Feed offers a range of materials to put you back on the
right track. The neural network analyses in-app behaviour and recommends videos, articles
and news to polish your investment strategy.
Trading on margin: Providing trading on margin (up to 200:1 leverage), Capital.com gives you
access to financial markets with the help of CFDs.
Trading the difference: When trading CFDs, you don’t buy the underlying asset itself, meaning
you are not tied to it. You only speculate on the rise or fall of the asset price. When CFD
trading you employ the same strategies as you would in traditional markets, with the
exception that you can short-sell with CFDs. A CFD investor can go short or long, set stop and
limit losses and apply trading scenarios that align with their objectives.
All-round trading analysis: The browser-based platform allows traders to shape their own
market analysis and forecasts with sleek technical indicators. Capital.com provides live market
updates and various chart formats, available on desktop, iOS, and Android.
Focus on safety: Capital.com puts a special emphasis on safety. Licensed by the FCA, CySEC
and NBRB, it complies with all regulations and ensures that its clients’ data security comes first.
The company allows you to withdraw money 24/7 and keeps traders’ funds in segregated
bank accounts.
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
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to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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Risk warning: transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size
of the potential loss is limited to the funds held by us for and on your behalf, in relation to your trading account. Past profits do not guarantee future
profits. Use the training services of our company to understand the risks before you start operations.
Closed joint-stock company “Capital Com Bel” is regulated by National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, registered by Minsk city executive committee
19.03.2019 with company registration number 193225654. Address: 220030, the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, Internatsionalnaya street 36/1, office 823.
Certificate of inclusion in the register of forex companies No. 16 dated 16.04.2019.
Regulations
Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments do not entail the transfer of ownership and other rights
to the underlying assets, are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is
limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits.
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