Trading FAQs

CFD traders are using the 80-20 rule – what is this?

There are numerous trading strategies that CFD traders are currently using. Strategies may vary from pairs trading to arbitration plays, portfolio hedging and more complex butterflies. I want to discuss a very basic strategy that many traders are using although there are traders out there that are still oblivious to this strategy. Those of you…

Where did CFDs come from, and why the weird name?

Contracts for Difference or CFDs were originally developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1990’s by Smith New Court, a London based trading firm. CFDs were mainly used by the firm’s hedge fund clients to short sell using the benefits of leverage and also to take advantage of the stamp duty exemptions, which were…

What does the term scalping mean, and how can a scalper make money on CFDs?

Scalping is a trading technique that involves opening and closing positions intraday in a variety of instruments such as FX, Futures or CFDs; typically “scalpers” will aim to profit from small price movements in their trading positions. They will also tend to trade much more frequently than medium to longer term “trend” following traders. It…

How CFDs are taxed

If you’ve been unnerved at the market fall, and you dread conversations with your CFD provider, here’s a surefire way to turn the tables: ask your provider about the tax treatment of CFDs Your provider will instantly utter the weasel word “compliance”, firmly state that it couldn’t possibly be seen to be giving individual tax…