Spread betting forex

Spread betting forex is a tax-free* method of trading the currency markets. Traders are able to speculate on the price movements of currency pairs by opening a position based on whether they think the currency will appreciate or depreciate. If you expect the value to rise, you would open a long or ‘buy’ position, or if you expect the value to fall, you would open a short or ‘sell’ position.

With a spread betting account, you never own the underlying asset. If the market moves in your favour, this will lead to capital profits, but equally, if the market moves against your position, this will result in losses.

When trading currency pairs, there are usually two quotes given: the bid price and the ask price. The difference between the bid (sell) price and ask (buy) price of a currency pair is referred to as a spread in forex. In general, traders prefer currency pairs with tighter spreads, as this allows them to enter and exit trades more quickly with lower transaction costs.

There is a wide range of forex spread betting strategies that can be applied to the market, and some that are particularly effective when trading in the short-term, as linked above. These include trend following, news trading, forex scalping and hedging forex, of which the latter is a method of protecting against currency risk.

Spread betting is the most popular product on our platform in the UK, closely followed by CFD trading. With CFDs, you can trade on the forex market in a similar way to spread betting, by speculating on currency pair price movements. You also do not have ownership of the underlying asset. Contracts for difference are derivative products that require a trader to exchange the difference in value of a currency pair between the time that the position opens and closes. Likewise, if the market moves in your favour, you may experience profits, but if the market moves in an opposing direction, you may experience losses. Read our CFD definition article for more information.

Both products use leverage to gain better exposure to the FX market. CFDs are most commonly used for share dealing, and they also provide access to exchange-traded funds, another type of stock investment, whereas spread betting forex is thought to be the most popular method of currency trading. The main difference between spread betting and CFDs is the way that they are treated for taxation: spread betting is exempt from stamp duty, capital gains tax and commission charges, whereas CFD traders are required to pay both capital gains tax and commission on their profits.

Read our article on spread betting vs CFDs​ for a full list of differences between the products. Spread betting is only available in the UK and Ireland, so if you are planning on opening trades within another region, you may want to consider forex CFDs.

As mentioned in this article, spread betting the forex markets involves the use of leverage, also called trading on margin. When opening a position, forex spread betters are only required to place a fraction of the full trade value as their deposit. This provides them with better exposure to the markets. However, forex leverage comes with many risks that all traders should prepare for beforehand. Spread betting forex on leveraged positions will calculate losses at full trade value, meaning that while profits can be magnified if the markets move in your favour, there is the chance of losing all your capital if the markets move in the opposite direction.

You may also have to pay spread betting holding costs, depending on the assets and how long your positions last. In some cases, these costs can even succeed the profits made on your account; therefore, it is important that you deposit a sufficient amount of funds in your account to cover any holding costs.

At CMC Markets, our forex traders often choose to practise with virtual funds on a demo account before depositing live funds, in order to familiarise themselves with the market. Opening a forex demo account is a simple process and will give you the opportunity to practise your forex spread betting strategies with £10,000 worth of virtual currency.

It is important to find a forex spread betting platform that is suitable for your trading plan. Our online trading platform, Next Generation, is an award-winning system that caters for traders of all experience levels.

If you are a remote trader, our platform is available when trading from home, thanks to our advanced mobile technology. Our forex spread betting platform is also suitable for traders on-the-go, whether you prefer to trade on a mobile or tablet device. Learn more about mobile trading apps here.