CFD or Contracts For Difference trading is a popular method of investing into financial markets and is a worthy adversary to spread betting – especially for those living outside of the United Kingdom.  Although it doesn’t provide the Capital Gains Tax saving that spread betting does (in the UK), there are various benefits that make it a useful investment instrument.

When an investor opens a contract they are either...

Some people have mistaken ideas about what financial spread betting is due to a wrong association they make between the word “betting” and gambling. Spread betting involves stakes but it is not exactly gambling. It is just a way of getting exposure to financial markets, and a very effective one when compared to other traditional approaches.

Spread betting lets you trade shares in a simple way. Instead of buying a certain...

One of the most popular markets in Horse Racing spread betting is the winning distances market. The quote is based on the sum of the winning distances of all races on a particular card. As the pricing up of this market is based much more on human opinion than some of the other core spread betting markets, it provides one of the best opportunities to make a profit given the right approach. This article will attempt to provide an insight...

Spread betting can be risky and volatile, but one way to eliminate the risk and actually to ensure a profit is through arbitrage trading, or arbing as it is known in the industry.

When placing any spread bet, the gambler hopes to be given the opportunity to trade out of his or her position for a guaranteed profit after the quote has moved in the desired direction. Here is an example:

A spread betting company has an opening...

Whether you are a financial spread bettor who also has an interest in sport, or primarily a sports enthusiast who is looking for an alternative to standard fixed odds gambling, sports spread betting could be for you. Indeed, several spread betting companies offer a comprehensive selection of sports markets to compliment their financial offer, the most prominent of them being Sporting Index, Spreadex and Extrabet, the sports wing of IG...

This article focuses on the basics of interpreting charts.  It might seem a little pointless to view charts in lines, bars and candlesticks, but it is worth remembering all trading instruments are simply that just other ways of displaying the data whether as a moving average or as a chart.  Moreover, seeing charts displayed in different ways allows you to see certain things that you couldn’t in another form.

Lets take...

f you’ve decided to go down the technical analysis route it is worth remembering simple is often best in technical analysis.  It is only worth betting on something you understand, if you don’t understand it there isn’t much point on putting money on it, so it’s best to start off simple.  We’ll first look at the basics; support and resistance lines.

A support line is a point where it is believed...

It is common knowledge that no fewer than 80% of those who take part in spread betting fail to make long term profits.  Those that are successful aren’t necessarily mathematical geniuses as understanding the psychology of traders and their reactions to market data is probably  the most potent skill an investor can have.  Although we can’t teach you how to second guess the markets, or judge the psychology of...