Get to grips with the basics of how to trade bitcoin with our step-by-step guide.
Interested in bitcoin trading with IG?
CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. CFDs are complex financial instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
How to trade bitcoin CFDs
As the world’s first cryptocurrency, many see bitcoin as the most likely contender to mount a serious challenge to traditional (or ‘fiat’) currencies. Considering its price history, though, it looks like there’s going to be lot of volatility along the way.
You can start trading bitcoin by following these four steps:
Ways to deal bitcoin
There are two ways to deal bitcoin: buy the cryptocurrency itself in the hope of selling it on at a profit, or speculate on its value without ever owning the token. The latter is how CFDs work.
A CFD enables you to trade a contract based on prices in the underlying market. CFDs are leveraged products, meaning you can put down a small initial deposit and still gain the exposure of a much larger position. This can magnify your profits, though it can have the same effect on your losses.
Find out more about the differences between buying cryptocurrencies and trading them.
Do I need to use an exchange to trade bitcoin?
When you trade bitcoin, you never interact directly with an exchange. Instead, you trade on our buy and sell prices, which we source from a number of exchanges on your behalf. In order to take a position on bitcoin’s price, then, all you need is an IG trading account.
Bitcoin exchanges work the same way as traditional exchanges, enabling investors to buy the cryptocurrency from or sell it to one another. But there are a number of advantages to cutting them out of the equation entirely:
- They lack proper regulation, public records and the infrastructure needed to respond quickly to support requests
- Their matching engines and servers are unreliable, which can result in the suspension of markets or reduced execution accuracy
- They impose fees and restrictions on funding and withdrawing from your exchange account, while accounts themselves can take days to acquire
By trading bitcoin, you also gain significantly improved liquidity at your chosen touch price. When you buy and sell direct from the exchange, you generally have to accept multiple prices in order to complete your order.
What moves bitcoin’s price?
While bitcoin’s volatility makes the cryptocurrency an attractive opportunity, it also makes it a particularly risky market to speculate on. Its price can shift significantly and suddenly – and since the bitcoin market operates around the clock, this is liable to happen any time of day.
As a decentralised currency, bitcoin is free from many of the economic and political concerns which affect traditional currencies. But as a market still in its adolescence, there is a lot of uncertainty entirely unique to the cryptocurrency.
Any one of the following factors could have a sudden and significant impact on its price, and as such you need to learn to navigate the risks they may open up.
Bitcoin supply
There may be a finite supply of bitcoins – 21 million, all of which are expected to be mined by 2040 – but even so, availability fluctuates depending on the rate with which they enter the market, as well as the activity of those who hold them
BTC market cap
The value of the bitcoin market – and how valuable it is perceived to be – both influence whether traders will look to get in on a surging opportunity, or short the latest bubble
Bad press
All currencies are affected by public perception, but none more so than bitcoin, whose security, value and longevity is in question even at the best of times
Integration
Bitcoin’s profile – and confidence in traditional currencies – will depend on its integration into new payment systems, crowdfunding platforms and more
Industry adoption
Bitcoin is yet to be embraced by businesses across the globe, and it remains to be seen what impact a more significant standing on the corporate stage will have
Key events
Any number of major events could have serious implications for the cryptocurrency, including regulation changes, security breaches, macroeconomic setbacks and more
Bitcoin trading strategies
Day trading
Take a position based on anticipated short-term movements, and close it out at the end of the trading day.
The strategy for you if: you want to respond to short-term opportunities in the bitcoin market, in light of developing news or emerging patterns.
Scalping
Place frequent, intraday trades on minor price movements.
The strategy for you if: you want to put yourself in a position to make small, continuous profits, rather than wait for one significant breakout or breakdown.
Swing trading
Catch trends the moment they form, and hold onto the position until the trend runs its course or shows signs of a reversal.
The strategy for you if: you want to capitalise on opportunities from market momentum.
Automated trading
Automate your trading processes to react to changeable market conditions on your behalf.
For you if: you’d prefer to be a passive trader.
FAQs
What are bitcoin’s trading hours?
Bitcoin (USD) opens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week except for Saturday from 2am to 12noon (Dubai time).
Market holidays may change these hours.
What other cryptocurrencies can I trade with IG?
We also offer CFDs on ether (the token of the ethereum network) and litecoin.
What is the bitcoin ticker symbol?
While ‘XBT’ is the official ticker symbol of bitcoin – with an ‘X’ to denote its international status – ‘BTC’ is often used to represent the cryptocurrency, and is recognised by most trading platforms and search engines.
Can I add trading alerts to bitcoin?
You can apply alerts to bitcoin price movements just as you can to any other market. Log in to our platform, go to a bitcoin market’s deal ticket and define your parameters. Enter a message if you’d like to remind yourself why you’ve enabled this alert, and click ‘set alert.’
Can I trade bitcoin on mobile?
Yes. Download our free IG Trading app to access bitcoin when you’re on the move, as well as the rest of our 17,000 markets.
You might be interested in...
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Bitcoin trading with IG
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What is bitcoin?
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Ether trading
Go long and short on ether, the token of the ethereum network
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