Find out about how you can open Buy or Sell positions with CFDs on financial instruments such as Forex, Stocks, Commodities and Indices with Plus500.
This video demonstrates the features of trading CFDs with Plus500, including trading with leverage (i.e. opening a position with just a fraction of its total value), and low minimum deposits, as well as how to open a sell (short) position, which is just as straightforward as opening a buy (long) position.
'Contracts for difference', or just CFDs, are tradable products that follow the prices of global financial markets. A CFD allows you to obtain direct exposure to an underlying asset, for example, Gold, UK 100 or EUR/USD, without the need of owning the underlying asset. You will make gains or incur losses as a result of price movements in the underlying asset.
The objective of CFD trading is to speculate on the price movements of an underlying asset (generally over a short term). Your profit or loss depends on movements in the price of the underlying asset and the size of your position.
For example, if you believe the value of a stock, such as Apple, is going to increase, you can open a Buy CFD position (also known as "going long") with the intention to close the CFD position at a higher value. The difference between the price you opened and the price you closed the CFD position equates to your potential profit or loss, minus any relevant costs.
If you think the value of a stock, such as Facebook, is going to decrease, you can open a Sell CFD position (also known as "going short") at a specific price, with the intention to close it at a lower price. Your profit or loss is calculated based on the difference between these opening and closing prices.
Leverage is a concept that enables you to multiply your exposure to a financial instrument without committing the whole capital necessary to own the physical instrument.
When trading CFDs, you are engaging in leveraged trading, which means you don’t need to commit the full amount of capital for your trade value. For example, with a leverage of 1:10, your initial margin requirement for this particular CFD is 10%. This means you only need to deposit $100 to gain a notional exposure of $1,000.
Margin is the amount of capital that you need to have in your trading account to open and maintain your CFD position(s). These funds are required in order to cover any potential losses you may incur.
There are two main types of margin:
The margin requirements vary from one financial instrument to the other, and are specified in each instrument's details.
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CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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