CFD trading has gained popularity in the financial world recently and many more financial institutions are offering CFD trading services online. CFD trading platforms are an apt choice for open, web-based software where one can purchase/sell various financial assets at current market prices.
These platforms usually offer different trading variants, such as CFDs, facilitating inter-bank and direct transactions between investors, or through brokers/agents, enabling them to trade virtually from anywhere. For more details on CFD trading, see the sections below.
CFDs are contracts based on foreign exchange markets, where the trader will speculate on the movements of underlying asset prices. Speculators will profit from the difference in the value of these assets (the price difference between when they were purchased and when they were sold).
CFD trading goes long when the underlying asset price is predicted to rise in the future and short when the prediction is that it will fall short. The CFD speculator will not need to purchase the underlying asset itself. He may simply hold a CFD’security’ with him or agree to ‘go short’ with him.
CFD trading involves various risks, both inherent and induced by how traders enter into the transactions. CFD trading south africa strategies are developed to ensure that the risk of losses is minimized as much as possible. These strategies are based on fundamental and technical factors and implemented by CFD dealers in their respective trading accounts.
Fundamental factors include the condition of the economy, interest rates, unemployment, inflation, etc., while technical factors include the time of day, order execution time, market depth and liquidity, brokerage service required, etc. Most importantly, CFD dealers have to follow certain regulatory requirements, like those of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
CFD trading strategies and tools are designed to maximize the gains from trading while minimizing the risk of loss. CFDs provide traders with a flexible means to capture the underlying asset’s full potential as well as minimize their losses about that target. CFD strategies employ several tools to help traders achieve their objectives and minimize risk. These tools include bid and ask spreads, margins, and expiry dates. These are all designed to help CFD dealers maximize their profits and reduce risk.
While CFDs are primarily designed for short-term gain, they do incorporate elements of risk management to minimize the potential losses that occur from unexpected changes in market conditions. CFD trading strategies use bid and ask spreads to specify the price of an asset class and help in identifying the market direction.
When the CFD trader decides to buy security, he places a bid on the CFD ‘security’. The CFD dealer has the right, but not the obligation, to sell those securities at a profit once the underlying quote or market move reaches the defined bid/ask spread. Conversely, when a CFD dealer decides to sell those securities, he must first offset his losses by selling another CFD contract.
CFD trading strategies allow CFD traders to profit from the volatility in international markets. A key advantage of CFD trading is that CFD trading can be done without the use of leverage, which limits the losses that CFD dealers may incur.