Flexible timeframes

As well as deciding whether you want to go long or short, when you place a Spread Bet you also need to specify a timeframe. This doesn't mean you are predicting what the price will be at a precise moment in the future, you are simply selecting an 'expiry date' when your trade will come to an end. You can close the trade and take any profit or loss at any time before that date.

When you search for a particular instrument, you will normally be given a choice of the available timeframes. For example:

You will see that each bet will have a slightly different spread. This is because for bets with a longer expiry, the additional costs involved in running that bet for a longer period have to be included, therefore the spread will be slightly larger.

Daily funded bet - the ultimate in flexibility

Daily funded Bets (DFBs) are a long-term bet on the cash price of an underlying instrument.Each day your bet remains open, we make a cash adjustment to your account to reflect the funding costs of your bet. We will also make dividend adjustments when applicable.With a DFB, it is easier to see the true profit and loss for each position you hold by avoiding multiple rollovers over a period of time. DFBs have a long expiry date of April 2016, you can close your bet whenever you choose before the expiry date.

Daily bets - for a shorter-term view

Daily bets are only available on indices, and will automatically close at the end of the business day, unless you instruct us to roll them over. If you open a bet when the market is closed then your bet will run until the end of the following business day.

Quarterly bets - ideal for a longer-term view

As the name implies, quarterly bets are based on a three-monthly cycle - March, June, September and December. They will typically expire towards the end of the expiry month. Details of the expiry dates can be found for particular Markets within the relevant Market Information tab, which is located on the Trading Platform next to each Market. You will be able to choose the 'quarter' in which you want the trade to expire. For example, in January, you can place a bet to expire for the quarter ending March, June or September.

Rollovers - giving you even more choice

Although every opening bet you place will have an expiry date, sometimes you may think a trade needs longer to realise its full potential. Whatever your timeframe - daily or quarterly, you will be able to roll a bet over, beyond its original expiry date. You can do this online, or over the telephone. The trade will be closed at the mid-price and then reopened at a price to reflect the cost of financing - the reopening price will be slightly higher than the closing mid-price, which will be a cost for long positions and effectively a credit for short positions.

Please note that not all timeframes are available for all instruments.