Contract for Difference: A guide for beginners

What Is a Contract for Differences (CFD)?

A contract for differences (CFD) refers to the agreement made in financial derivatives trading. In CFDs the price difference between the open and closing trade prices are settled in cash and no goods are delivered physically. Visit multibank group

Contracts for differences is a much more elaborate trading strategy that is best suited to senior or experienced traders. Due to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulations, U.S traders cannot access CFDs. Traders across U.K., Europe, and Asia can use them easily.

Understanding CFD

Using CFDs traders can make the most of the price movement of securities and derivatives. Derivatives refer to financial investments that stem from an underlying asset. Basically, investors use to speculate on whether the price of the underlying asset or security would increase or decrease. CFD traders might predict either–the price going up or down. Traders who think the prices would rise will purchase the CFD, whereas the ones who feel the prices may dip would sell their position.

If a CFD buyer expects the asset’s price to rise, they may put their position out for sale. The overall difference in the purchase price and the sale price are netted with one another. It is an indicator of the profit or loss from the trades which is ultimately settled via the investor’s brokerage account.

On the other hand, if the trader thinks that the security’s price could fall, they may choose to place an opening sell position. An offsetting trade has to be bought to close the position. Once again, the overall difference of the gain or loss gets cash-settled.

CFDs are available for:

• Currency
• Global financial indices
• Bonds
• Stocks
• Commodities
• Sectors
• Cryptocurrencies

Spread bets also work in a similar way as CFDs; they’re leveraged derivatives that also act as speculation tools for traders. The main differentiating factor in these situations is that spreads come with an expiration date whereas CFDs do not. The tax-free nature of spread betting in the U.K. and Ireland makes it popular among the residents.

How do CFDs work?

Contracts for differences are handy for trading a number of assets such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Traders would find these products useful to predict the price movements in commodity futures contracts like crude oil and corn. Futures contracts are binding agreements or contracts wherein the two parties are obligated to purchase or sell a particular asset at a predetermined price on a future expiration date.

Even though CFDs let investors speculate on the price movements of futures, unlike futures contracts, they don’t come with an expiry date. CFDs are traded over-the-counter (OTC) with the help of a wide network of brokers who are responsible for the market demand and supply for CFDs that help in determining the prices. This implies that CFDs cannot be traded on major exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).  They are essentially tradable contracts between a trader/customer and the broker, who basically deal with the difference in the starting rate of the trade and its value when the trade is settled.

Leverage in CFD trading

Remember that trading contracts for difference (CFDs) is the same as holding onto a leveraged position. This would imply that you pay for only some portion of the trade while the balance are funds borrowed by your broker.

Leveraged trading is also called trading on margin. A 10% margin indicates that you need to deposit just 10% of the trade value you’re eyeing. The remainder is taken care of by your CFD provider.

For instance, if you wish to process an order worth $1,000 where your broker demands 10% of margin, you can open the trade for just $100 as the initial amount.

Advantages of CFD

• With CFDs, traders can access all the pros and cons of owning a security without taking direct ownership of the asset.
• When CFDs are traded on margin, it implies that the broker makes it possible for investors to open bigger positions by borrowing funds to increase their profit potential. However, brokers would have specific requirements with regard to account balances before offering such a service.
• Trading on margin CFDs generally has even higher leverage than typical traditional trading. For standard leverage in the CFD market, the margin required could be 2% or less to offer up to 20% of the margin. Remember that low margin needs mean you can earn more with less.
• Generally, the rules and regulations in the CFD market are less than standard exchanges. This is why CFDs tend to have low capital requirements in a brokerage account. Many brokers allow you to open an account with as little as $1,000.
• Additionally, as CFDs mimic ongoing corporate moves, a CFD owner may earn cash dividends that boost the ROI. A large number of CFD brokers have their products out in the leading markets worldwide. Traders can easily access a market that is available on the broker’s platform.

Disadvantages of CFD

• If there is a lot of volatility or price fluctuations that are affecting the underlying asset,  the bid-ask spread can be huge. When you have to pay a huge spread on entries and exits, it takes away any chances of earning from small moves in CFDs. In which case, the number of winning trades decreases while losses increase.
• Because the CFD industry is not well-regulated, traders establish faith and trust in their brokers on the basis of its reputation and financial viability. This is a major reason why CFDs cannot be accessed at all in the United States.
• Another interesting thing is that shares – multibank group trade on leverage. Hence, if the investors are holding a losing position, they may get a margin call from their broker. This implies that they will have to add more funds to their trading account in order to balance out the losing position. Even though leverage could boost CFD-related gains, it may even amplify losses. In every trade, there is a risk of losing 100% of your investment.