Indices Trading

Trade the world’s leading stock exchanges with Index CFDs across powerful platforms.

Trade Indices with an award-winning broker

Click here for our full list of Indices & typical Spreads

FTSE 100, S&P 500, Nikkei 225, Hang Seng, DAX 40 are some of the most important stock indices in the world. Their performances are always at the forefront of financial news updates. If you would like to trade stock indices without actually investing in one, Contracts for Difference (CFD) on indices may be the solution you are looking for.

FP Markets provides exposure to a wide array of global stock indices through Index CFDs with competitive leverage on world-class trading platforms. We’ve partnered with leading banking and non-banking financial institutions to ensure a deep liquidity pool so that you get the best available market prices and ultra-low latency order execution.

What are the benefits of indices trading?

Trading Index CFDs allows you to speculate on the direction of the underlying index’s movement, without having physical ownership of any shares.
Exposure to international stock indices.
Competitive leverage means you can choose to increase your exposure with only a small investment.
Trading CFDs on Indices can be cost-efficient as not owning the underlying asset may mean fewer tax liabilities.
Suitable for hedging strategies or portfolio diversification.

What is the best platform to trade Indices?

MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader are the most popular platforms for trading Indices.

Discover the benefits of Index CFD trading using the MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and cTrader trading platforms. Available on desktop and mobile, the MT4/MT5 and cTrader platforms can change your trading perspective.

Customisable interface, including colours of technical indicators
One-click trading
MarketWatch
Live price streaming on Live and Demo accounts
128-bit SSL encryption for secure trading
Expert Advisors (EAs)
Customisable alerts
Compatible with iOS, Android and Mac devices

Are there more platform options?

We recommend MT4 and MT5 for Indices but a range of products can also be traded on the cTrader platform.

Why Trade Index CFDs with FP Markets?

Accessible & Affordable

Benefit from our low-cost, competitive margins, starting at just 1%.

Convenient Contract Size

With a US$1 per point movement exposure, cash index contracts allow you to tailor your position size.

Zero Commissions

The cost of cash index contracts is built into the bid-offer spread.

Hedge Risk

Diversify your portfolio by trading Index CFDs and hedge your risks.

What is Index trading?

Stock market indices measure a specific stock market. They represent the value of a country’s group of stocks. Investors use the calculated value of a stock index as an indicator of the current value of their component stocks. Every stock exchange has a benchmark stock index, while some have several.

If you do not want to invest in several different shares belonging to a specific stock exchange, trading Index CFDs may be a good option to add to your portfolio. CFDs are financial derivatives that track the price movements of an asset without the trader having to own the asset itself. Trading CFDs on indices enables traders to open large positions with a small initial capital, thanks to leverage and low margin requirements. Traders can go long or short depending on their goals and take advantage of deep liquidity as well as tight spreads which are prime characteristics of major indices.

Index trading example

Suppose you want to trade CFDs, where the underlying asset is the US30, known as ‘Dow Jones Industrial Average Index’.

The US30 is trading at: Bid Price: 42497.00 / Ask Price: 42499.00

Index trading example

You decide to buy five contracts of US30 because you think that the US30’s price will rise in the future. Your margin rate is 0.5%. This means that you need to deposit 0.5% of the total position value into your margin account.

Index trading example

In the next hour, if the price moves to 43500/43502, you have a winning trade. You could close your position by selling at the current (bid) price of US30 which is 43500.

Index trading example

In the next hour, if the price moves to 43500/43502, you have a winning trade. You could close your position by selling at the current (bid) price of US30 which is 43500.

Index trading example

In the loss scenario where your free equity (account balance + Profit/Loss) falls below the margin requirements, the broker will issue a margin call. If you fail to deposit the money, and the market moves further against you, when your free equity reaches the 50% of your initial margin the contract will be closed at the current market price, known as ‘stop out’.

Index trading example

Had the price declined instead, moving against your prediction, you could have made a loss. This continuous evaluation of price movements and resultant profit/loss happens daily. Accordingly, it leads to a net return (positive/negative) on your initial margin.

In the loss scenario where your free equity (account balance + Profit/Loss) falls below the margin requirements, the broker will issue a margin call. If you fail to deposit the money, and the market moves further against you, when your free equity reaches the 50% of your initial margin the contract will be closed at the current market price, known as ‘stop out’.

6 reasons to choose FP Markets

Reliable & regulated

Licensed across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring transparency and security.

Cost-effective trading

Spreads as low as 0.0 pips, fast execution, and transparency.

Market expertise

Trade smarter with in-depth, real-time analysis from our Research Team.

Multilingual support

A dedicated multilingual Customer Support team available in your preferred language.

Intuitive platforms

Trade with confidence on industry-leading platforms available across all devices.

Portfolio diversity

10,000+ CFDs across Forex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, ETFs, and Digital Currencies.

Indices Spreads

SEARCH BY SYMBOL

Symbol	Product	Standard A/c
Symbol	Product	Min	Avg
AUS200	Australia 200 Index vs Australian Dollar Cash	-	1.33
CHINA50	China A50 Index vs US Dollar Cash	-	8.01
EURO50	Euro 50 Index vs Euro Cash	-	2.05
FRA40	CAC 40 Index vs Euro Cash	-	2.3
GER40	German 40 Index vs Euro Cash	-	1.4
HK50	Hang Seng Index vs Hong Kong Dollar Cash	-	4.55
ITA40	Italy 40 index vs Euro Future	-	15
JP225	Japan 225 Index vs Japanese Yen Cash	-	4.8
SPA35	Spain 35 Index vs Euro Cash	-	5.66
UK100	UK100 Index vs Great Britain Pound Cash	-	1.27
US100	US Tech 100 Index vs US Dollar Cash	-	1.29
US30	US 30 Index vs US Dollar Cash	-	1.2
US500	US 500 Index vs US Dollar Cash	-	0.46
USDX	USD Index Basket vs US Dollar Future	-	0.05
VIX	VIX Index Cash vs US Dollar Future	-	0.16

Dividends Adjustments

When holding a Long position on a Cash Index CFD contract that includes dividend-paying stocks, you will be entitled to an amount equal to the amount based on the number of contracts you hold after the close of the business day before the ex-dividend date.

Conversely, if you hold a Short position in a Cash Index CFD which pays a dividend, you will be required to pay an amount based on the number of contracts you hold after the close of the business day before the ex-dividend date. These adjustments may be made either as a cash adjustment into your MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) trading account or included in the overnight swap (rollover) rate.

What are the most traded Indices?

Dow Jones

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, often referred to as ‘the Dow’, is a price-weighted index of the 30 largest companies listed in the US. Salesforce, Boeing and Walt Disney are among the companies that make up the index.

S&P 500

The S&P 500 tracks the 500 largest US stocks and is weighted by market capitalisation. Well known companies on the S&P 500 include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Tesla.

FTSE 100

The FTSE 100 is made up of the 100 largest stocks by market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange. It is commonly referred to as the Footsie and includes major financial institutions such as Lloyds and Barclays.

ASX 200

The ASX 200 tracks the performance of the 200 largest publicly listed companies on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices, it is widely regarded as the primary benchmark for the Australian equity market.

How to identify what moves an Index’s price?

Several factors can influence an index’s price, including:

Movement in its constituents

Significant price movement in stocks included in a particular index could be a reason for a change in the index’s value.

Financial news and data

Financial news updates and reports can affect stock markets and benchmark indices. Inflation metrics, unemployment reports, and monetary policy decisions are some of the sets of data that can influence global markets.

Political news

Elections, political crises, and changes to trade relations are among the political factors that can impact financial markets and key components such as indices.

Changes in composition

The addition or removal of stocks from an index can cause fluctuations in its value.

Sector-specific factors

Changes in regulatory frameworks or technological breakthroughs could influence company valuations of a specific index sector.

Why trade Indices?

Trading opportunities

Index CFDs allow traders to speculate on both rising and falling global markets. Traders can take advantage of fluctuating indices by opening long or short positions depending on the market outlook.

Hedging

Indices can be an effective tool for hedging portfolio risk. For example, if your portfolio consists of a specific sector’s shares, you can open a CFD position on a relevant index to balance potential losses from market downturns.

Diversification

Index CFDs allow traders to gain exposure to global markets without having to invest in individual stocks. For instance, Australian traders can access global indices like the DAX 40 or the Hang Seng Index to diversify geographically.

Leverage

One of the prime characteristics of Index CFD trading is leverage; this allows traders to manage larger positions with a smaller initial margin. Risk management is essential when trading with leverage.

How to trade Indices?

One of the ways to trade indices is through Index CFDs on an online trading platform. Index CFDs allow traders to speculate on indices’ price movements without owning the underlying stocks. FP Markets offers Index CFD trading via the MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader trading platforms. For more information regarding trading indices and its various aspects, check out How to Trade Indices.

Indices - FAQs

Why are Stock Indices important?

Indices are an important part of global investment. They are used as a benchmark to gauge the performance of an overall market, or a specific sector of a market. Indices show trends and changes in investing patterns. Calculated using an array of different methods, investors often use them as part of their trading strategy.

What are the benefits of trading Index CFDs?

Trading Costs:With CFD trading you do not take ownership of the underlying asset. This reduces the overall costs associated with trading.

Less Volatile:As indices are made up of a number of different stocks, they are not as susceptible to sharp changes in value.

Leveraged Trading:Enables traders to gain larger exposure to Indices by depositing only the margin required to open the trade, rather than the full value of the position.

Find out more about the Benefits of Indices CFDs and how to trade them.

Can I profit from Index trading?

By accurately predicting an index’s price movement, you can make a profit. However, if markets move against your plans, Index CFD trading can result in loss of capital. One of the key advantages of trading cash Index CFDs is that you can open long and short positions. This means that traders can benefit from both rising and falling indices’ values. Read our Beginner’s Guide on Index Trading.

Trade with an award-winning broker

Indices Trading

Trade Indices with an award-winning broker

Click here for our full list of Indices & typical Spreads

What are the benefits of indices trading?

What is the best platform to trade Indices?

Are there more platform options?

Why Trade Index CFDs with FP Markets?

Accessible & Affordable

Convenient Contract Size

Zero Commissions

Hedge Risk

What is Index trading?

6 reasons to choose FP Markets

Indices Spreads

Dividends Adjustments

What are the most traded Indices?

Dow Jones

S&P 500

FTSE 100

ASX 200

How to identify what moves an Index’s price?

Movement in its constituents

Financial news and data

Political news

Changes in composition

Sector-specific factors

Why trade Indices?

Trading opportunities

Hedging

Diversification

Leverage

How to trade Indices?

Indices - FAQs

Why are Stock Indices important?

What are the benefits of trading Index CFDs?

Can I profit from Index trading?

Start trading the global markets with a regulated broker