Glossary
Spread Betting and CFD trading carry a high level of risk to your capital; you should ensure you understand the risks involved. Please read the full risk warning.
The following are brief definitions of many of the terms commonly associated with derivative trading. You will find more explanation of the concepts specific to Spread Betting and CFDs within the educational pages of this website.
After hours trading
trading an instrument outside of its regular trading hours.
Ask price
the quoted price at which someone can buy. Also called the 'offer price'.
Bear
a 'bear' is pessimistic about the market and expects it to fall. A 'bear market' is a term used to describe a falling market, or one that is trending lower. The opposite of a 'bull'.
Bid price
the quoted price at which an investor can sell.
Bid-offer spread
the difference between the buy and sell prices.
Blue chip
blue chip companies are large, well established and typically conservatively managed. The term refers to the highest valued poker chip.
Bond
the purchaser of a bond effectively lends money to a company or government in return for a fixed level of income (the 'coupon') and the return of their investment at the end of the bond's life ('the maturity date').
Bull
a 'bull' is optimistic about the market and expects it to rise. A 'bull market' is a term used to describe a rising market, or one that is trending higher. The opposite of a 'bear'.
BUND
the long-term (10-year) German Government Bond.
CAC 40
the index of 40 of the largest companies on the official list of the French Stock Exchange.
Capital Gains Tax (CGT)
a UK tax on investment profits. Spread Betting profits are free of UK CGT under current UK laws, but CFD profits are taxable.
CFD
a Contract For Difference is a financial derivative product, that allows you to deal in the price movements of a wide range of instruments without actually owning the underlying asset, and to trade on margin.
Closing price
the price at which a product was traded to close an open position. See 'closing trade'. It may also refer to the price of the last transaction in a day's trading session.
Closing trade
a trade of equal size to a previous one, but in the opposite direction, therefore closing out the open trade and resulting in a net profit or loss.
CME
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Commodities
physical products, such as metals, oil, gas, and agricultural products.
Contract For Difference
a CFD is a financial derivative product, that allows you to deal in the price movements of a wide range of instruments without actually owning the underlying asset, and to trade on margin.
Contract periods
the months that are available to trade with quarterly Spread Bet contracts, typically March, June, September and December.
CPI
the Consumer Price Index, used by the government as a measure of inflation.
Currency cross
the exchange rate between two currencies.
Daily bet
a Spread Bet that expires at the end of the day.
DAX 30
the index of 30 of the largest companies on the official list of the German Stock Exchange.
Day trading
the opening and closing of a position within the same trading day.
Derivative
a financial contract the value of which is derived from that of an underlying asset (e.g. an equity, index, sector, currency or commodity). Both financial Spread Betting and CFDs are financial derivative products.
Dividend
the portion of a company's retained profits paid to shareholders.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
the index of 30 of the largest companies on the official list of the New York Stock Exchange.
Down bet
a Spread Bet position taken in anticipation of a falling price. Also referred to as a 'sell' or 'going short'.
ETF
an Exchange Traded Fund tracks the price of a specific index or basket of securities that would otherwise be difficult and cost-ineffective to gain direct exposure to - for example an emerging-market economy.
Ex-dividend
purchases of shares made while a share is 'ex-dividend' are not be eligible for the most recent declared dividend. A share will theoretically fall by the value of the declared dividend on the ex-dividend date.
Expiry date
the date on which a Spread Bet expires. The trade is automatically closed on this date unless it is closed beforehand or rolled over to the next expiry date. CFDs have no expiry date.
Financing
the cost of keeping a position open until the expiry date (Spread Betting only) or until the position is closed. Financing is payable on long positions, and receivable on short positions. You can find details of these charges for particular Markets within the relevant Market Information tab, which is located on the Trading Platform next to each Market or by calling us on 0117 988 9915.
Foreign exchange
the exchange of two different countries' currencies. The exchange rate is the price at which the two currencies are exchanged, determined by the relative strength of the two individual currencies.
Forex
an abbreviation for 'foreign exchange'.
FSA
the Financial Services Authority is the governing body that regulates the activities and products of the UK financial services industry, including Spread Betting and CFDs.
FTSE-100
the index of the 100 largest companies on the official list of the London Stock Exchange, as measured by market capitalisation.
FTSE-250
the index of the 100-350 largest companies on the official list of the London Stock Exchange, as measured by market capitalisation. The FTSE-250 does not include those companies in the FTSE-100.
FTSE-350
the index of the 350 largest companies on the official list of the London Stock Exchange, as measured by market capitalisation. The FTSE-350 comprises those companies in both the FTSE-100 and the FTSE-250.
FX
an abbreviation for 'foreign exchange'.
Gapping
in times of high volatility (for example following a profit warning), a stock may jump - or 'gap' - to a certain level, without actually trading at a price in between. Also known as 'slippage'.
Gapping through
when the price of an instrument jumps to a price above or below a stop loss, without actually trading at the stop loss price. A Guaranteed Stop Loss protects against gapping.
Gearing
with derivative trading gearing relates to the concept of trading on margin. You control a certain value of an asset by paying just a fraction of that value, and effectively borrowing the rest. This can significantly increase both profits and losses relative to the initial outlay, and is why Spread Betting and CFD trading are riskier than normal share dealing. Also known as 'leverage'.
Gilts
UK Government Bonds. They are so called because the certificates were originally gilt edged.
Going long
a position taken in anticipation of a rising price. Also referred to as a 'buy'.
Going short
a position taken in anticipation of a falling price. Also referred to as a 'sell'.
Good For The Day (GFD)
an order, which if not filled, expires at close of business on the day it is placed.
Good Till Cancelled (GTC)
an order that will be carried forward indefinitely until it is either filled or cancelled.
Grey market
a term for trading on an informal market that is not actually listed on any exchange.
Guaranteed Stop Loss
an order that guarantees the trader will receive their chosen stop loss price, regaruless of whether it is worse than that level by the time the order is executed in the market, in return for a small premium.
Hedging
a hedge consists of reducing the risk of an existing position by taking an offsetting position in a related security. For example an investor who holds a share (i.e. is 'long') could hedge the position by taking an equal 'short' position in a Spread Bet or CFD on the same stock.
Index
a statistical indicator that represents the value and performance of the stocks it constitutes.
Initial margin
the initial deposit required to open a Spread Bet or CFD trade, calculated as a small percentage of the overall trade value.
Leverage
with derivative trading leverage relates to the concept of trading on margin. You control a certain value of an asset by paying just a fraction of that value, and effectively borrowing the rest. This can significantly increase both profits and losses relative to the initial outlay, and is why Spread Betting and CFD trading are riskier than normal share dealing. Also known as 'gearing'.
LIBOR
the London Inter Bank Offer Rate is the reference level, fixed daily, at which London banks will lend money to each other.
LIFFE
the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange.
Limit order
an order to buy or sell at a price better (i.e. higher or lower, respectively) than the current market price.
Liquidity
the volume of business that is or can be transacted in the market. Highly liquid markets typically have narrow spreads and can accommodate large deal sizes. Illiquid markets tend to have wider spreads, small deal sizes and are often very volatile.
Linked order
two orders placed against the same trade, for example a stop loss and a limit-sell on a long position. If one order is executed the other one will automatically be cancelled. Also known as 'One Cancels Other'.
Long
a position taken in anticipation of a rising price. Also referred to as a 'buy'.
Margin
Margin Trading requires you to deposit a small percentage of the underlying value of the investment you wish to deal in, rather than paying the full purchase price of the asset. This means you can increase your exposure to an underlying asset from the same capital outlay. As a result, you can multiply your potential return, giving you far greater profits or losses, than if you were to trade the underlying asset directly.
MARGIN CLOSE OUT LEVEL (IMPORTANT):
Our margin policy includes rights to effect closure at the Margin Close Out Level. If your Margin Level is at or below the Margin Close Out Level, we may close all or any of your Open Positions in markets that are open immediately and without notice at the next available Our Price. You should not expect to receive a margin call or warning prior to closure. We therefore strongly recommend that you strictly monitor your margin level.
To find out more about the Margin Close Out Level, please refer to Section 11 of our General Terms.Margin Level
The Margin Level is the ratio of your Net Equity to Total Margin
Example, you have a Cash Balance of £1,500 and you are losing £200, your Net Equity is £1,300.Margin Factor
Margin Factor is the percentage or number of units set for a Market. For shares these are calculated according to the share’s liquidity, market sector and capitalization.
Margin Level Indicator
The Margin Level Indicator displays the ratio of your Net Equity to Total Margin, which is the percentage of your Margin Requirement that is covered by your available funds plus any Unrealised Profit or Unrealised Loss.
Margin Multiplier
We may apply a Margin Multiplier to all Trades placed in your account or to a specific Trade. The application of a Margin Multiplier or any change in a Margin Multiplier will result in a change to the Margin Requirement for any Trades or Open Positions for the relevant markets.
Margin Requirement
Margin Requirement is the amount you must deposit to place a trade. In order to place a Trade you must have enough Net Equity (cash and unrealized profit) to cover the Margin Requirement for that trade.
Market Information
Provides the commercial details for each Market, including Market Hours, Margin Factors and other requirements for dealing in each Market. Market Information is available on the Trading Platform
Mid-price
the price half-way between the buy and sell prices.
NASDAQ 100
the index that reflects the performance of the 100 largest technology companies in the US, as measured by market capitalisation.
Nikkei 225
the index of the price-weighted average of 225 companies on the official list of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Normal Market Size
the amount of shares that can be traded at the current market price. This is calculated on the previous year's average daily turnover of each individual stock - currently 2.5% of the total volume of shares for each company. Market makers are not obliged to provide a quote for a transaction above the Normal Market Size.
Notional Trading Requirement
the multiplication factor used to calculate the margin required to open a Spread Betting position. For indices the factor is usually a number, so the margin required is the stake multiplied by this number. For equities it is usually a percentage, so the margin required is the stake multiplied by the price, multiplied by this percentage. Also known as the 'margin factor'.
NYMEX
the New York Mercantile Exchange.
NYSE
the New York Stock Exchange.
Offer price
the quoted price at which someone can buy. Also called the 'ask price'.
One Cancels Other (OCO)
two orders placed against the same trade, e.g. a stop loss and a limit-sell on a long position. If one order is executed the other one will automatically be cancelled. Also known as a 'linked order'.
Option
a financial derivative instrument that gives the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a certain asset at a fixed price (called the 'strike price') at a fixed point in the future (the 'expiry date'). Spread Betting on Options is a tax-efficient way to trade them, as Spread Bets are currently exempt from UK Capital Gains Tax (CGT).
Order
an instruction to execute a trade only when certain conditions are met. 'Limit orders', 'stop orders', and 'stop losses' are orders commonly used with Spread Betting and CFDs trading.
Our quote
the two-way (bid-offer) price quoted by a Spread Betting or CFD company, on which trades can be placed. This will rarely be the same as the market price.
Quarterly bet
a Spread Bet based on a three-monthly cycle - March, June, September and December. Quarterly bets typically expire towards the end of the expiry month, but can be closed out any time before the expiry date.
Resistance level
in Technical Analysis, the level above which it is supposeuly difficult for an asset's price to rise.
Rights Issue
the offer from a company to its existing shareholders to buy a proportional number of aitional shares at a given price (usually at a discount) within a fixed period.
Rolling daily bet
a Spread Bet that automatically closes and then re-opens at the same mid-price each business day until it is closed.
Rollover
extending a Spread Bet beyond its expiry date.
S&P 500
the index of 500 of the largest companies on the official list of the New York Stock Exchange.
Sector
a group of shares that are similar with respect to type and industry, e.g. the Banking or Mining sector.
Short
a position taken in anticipation of a falling price. Also referred to as a 'sell'.
Slippage
in times of high volatility (for example following a profit warning), a stock may jump to a certain level (either up or down), without actually trading at a price in between. Also known as 'gapping'.
Stake
the size per unit of movement for a Spread Bet, e.g. ??1 per penny movement for an equity Spread Bet.
Stamp Duty (UK)
a tax of 0.5% levied on purchases of UK equities. Both Spread Bets and CFD trades are exempt from Stamp Duty under current UK laws.
Stop loss
an order which closes out a position at a certain price, chosen by the investor. An ordinary stop loss order may be executed at a price worse than the chosen level, if the price 'gaps' past that level.
Stop order
an order to buy or sell at a price worse (i.e. higher or lower, respectively) than the current market price, in order trade with the momentum.
Support level
in Technical Analysis, the level below which it is supposeuly difficult for an asset's price to fall.
Technical Analysis
the use of charts and other visual representations of historical data to identify trends, and attempt to predict the future performance of financial markets and instruments.
Up bet
a Spread Bet position taken in anticipation of a rising price. Also referred to as a 'buy' or 'going long'.
Volatility
the measure of the uncertainty or risk regarding the typical size of changes in an instrument's value.
Index