Trading: everything you need to know

Q: What are the best trading platforms?

We offer the world's best platform and app. 1 Our platform has a user-friendly interface and fast response time, including on different programmes we offer like MT4 , ProRealTime , L2 Dealer .

Trading enables individuals and institutions to get access to the financial market. Learn how trading works, which markets you can speculate on, and how to get started with us.

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Trading essentials

Trading is the act of buying and selling financial assets for the purpose of making profit. You predict the price movement of the underlying asset by going long if you think the price will rise, or short if you think that it’ll fall.

You’ll get exposure through buying or selling different markets like shares, forex, commodities, and indices without taking ownership of the underlying asset.

With us, you can trade using CFDs. This is a popular way to trade because it’s more accessible than trading derivative products that are listed on an exchange.

Learn how to trade

What is trading?

Discover everything you need to know about trading CFDs and the financial instruments you can speculate on.

Trading for beginners

Explore the fundamentals of trading using our comprehensive guide for beginners to get started on the right foot, from explanation of trading terminology to how to read charts.

How to get into trading

Get started on your trading journey by learning the quick steps of how to get into trading and the risks involved. Then see examples of trades.

Trading vs investing

Explore the differences between trading vs investing, including timeframes for the markets you can speculate on.

Remember, with us you can only trade derivatives via CFDs.

How to trade online

Trade global markets 24/7 online. Explore our award-winning trading platform and mobile app¹, and our unparalleled offering.

How to choose the right broker for you

Choose the best broker for your preferred markets. Learn how to research track records and profiles, and how to assess commissions and other fees.

Trading with us

CFD trading

Exchange the difference in price between opening the position and closing it using a contract for difference (CFD).

Learn more

Markets and assets to trade

Trade shares to speculate on company stocks without taking ownership. You’ll take a position on the direction of the share price by going short or long.

Learn more about trading shares

Indices

Get exposure to an entire economy trading indices with us. You’ll speculate on the performance of groups of shares by going short or long on rising or falling markets.

Learn more about indices trading

ETFs

Speculate on exchange traded funds or ETFs, which are investment baskets that track the value of individual commodities as well as a collection of stocks.

Learn more about trading ETFs

Forex

Take a long or short position on the conversion of one currency into another. There are several types of forex pairs you can trade against each other.

Learn more about forex trading

Commodities

Choose from a variety of physical goods to buy or sell on the exchange. Trade commodities from different industries, from agriculture and energy to minerals.

Learn more about commodity trading

Live market prices for traders

With us, you can get exposure to a wide variety of markets in real-time. Our platform provides traders an option to set alerts on the markets you’ve taken a position on to take advantage of changing market evens.

Out of hours market prices

Do you want access to the most popular stocks after hours? With us, you can trade after the market has closed. We provide you with the longest trading hours for US stocks such as FTSE 100, Dow Jones, DAX, Hang Seng, and many others.

Note that trading after hours comes with the risk of experiencing high volatility in prices. This is because the trade volumes during this period is modest, thus, you’ll experience highs and lows at irregular intervals.

This provides traders with the opportunity to capitalise on the fluctuation in price. Every trade needs to take into consideration that trading after hours offers low liquidity and a wider spread in the market.

Trading strategies and styles you need to know

Trading strategies

Explore different trading strategies and styles tailored for CFD traders. You’ll take your position on the price movements of various financial markets without taking ownership of the underlying asset. These strategies are particularly geared towards short-term trading plans to get the best outcome.

Learn more about trading strategies

Day trading strategies

Trade a variety of markets over a short time frame to capitalise on fluctuations in price movements on the same day. You’ll choose from the best day trading strategies that prioritise taking different positions multiple times in 24 hours as the market price fluctuates.

Learn more about day trading

Scalping trading strategies

Discover how scalping works and the best trading strategies to use to capitalise on small changes in price to make a profit. There’s four scalping strategies to choose from where you’ll open and close a position quickly once a profit has been made to limit your exposure to risk.

Learn more about scalping

Swing trading strategies

Learn more about swing trading strategies in order to open a position that lasts for a couple of days to get the best outcome. Your position will be opened after hours and you’ll take advantage of the prevailing trend in the price movement to close your trade once profit is realised.

Learn more about swing trading

Best position trading strategies

Back your judgement using position trading strategies that enable you to place long-term trades and keep them open for an extended period. You can choose position trading strategies when you identify a trend emerging in the market and take advantage of it.

Learn more about position trading

Latest trading news

FTSE 100 and Dow slightly under pressure

Axel Rudolph, 2024-12-30T21:48:24+0000
FTSE 100, DAX 40 recover, helped by S&P 500 bounce back

Axel Rudolph, 2024-12-30T21:39:24+0000
What key factors will shape Wall Street's trajectory in 2025?

Tony Sycamore, 2024-12-30T04:14:44+0000
FTSE 100 and Nasdaq 100 dip despite Asian indices mostly trading higher

Axel Rudolph, 2024-12-30T03:04:32+0000

Free trading resources for traders

Learn how financial trading works by going through our comprehensive tools and resources available on
IG Academy
You can open a free demo account to practise and discover the best trading strategies that work before you move to a live account
Beginners and seasoned traders can act on trading signals that describe emerging chart patterns and key levels on a range of markets
You can customise trading alerts to receive automatic notifications when prices reach your specified targets

FAQs

How do I start trading?

To get started to trading, you need to understand the tools and platform you will use. Luckily, you can use resources from IG Academy to learn everything you need to know about trading and practise how to place a trade on our demo account in a risk-free environment.

How can beginners learn to trade?

Beginners can learn how to trade on our demo account that features all of the markets that you can take a position on live. You will be credited with $200,000 in virtual funds to take your first position.

What are the best trading platforms?

We offer the world's best platform and app.¹ Our platform has a user-friendly interface and fast response time, including on different programmes we offer like MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer.

How can I start trading shares?

With us, you can start trading company stocks through buying and selling shares online using CFDs without taking outright ownership of the asset.

How can I start trading forex and currencies?

You can trade forex and currencies on the spot, or via forwards and options using a CFD trading account.

Try these next

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<h3>Trading shares CFD</h3>

<h3>Benefits of CFD trading</h3>

Find out how to trade CFDs on our platform

Speculate on share prices using our leveraged trading products

Explore the main advantages of CFD trading

¹Awarded the Best Online Trading Platform by Influential Brands in 2019 and 2022.

Disclaimer:

All forms of investments carry risks and trading CFDs may not be suitable for everyone. CFDs are leveraged instruments and can result in losses that exceed deposits, so please ensure that you fully understand, and are aware of, the risks and costs involved. Refer to the Risk Disclosure Statement and Risk Fact Sheet.

IG Asia Pte Ltd (Co.Reg.No. 200510021K) is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and holds a capital markets services licence for dealing in capital markets products that are over-the-counter derivatives contracts and is an exempt financial adviser.

IG provides an execution-only service. The information in this advertisement does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) investment advice or an investment recommendation, or an offer of or solicitation for a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. You should consider your specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs before making a commitment to trade, including seeking advice from an independent financial adviser regarding the suitability of the investment, under a separate engagement, as you deem fit.

The information on this site is not directed at residents of the United States or Belgium and is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any country or jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

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