What Is Spread Betting?
Spread betting is the flexible and tax-efficient way to back your judgement in the financial markets.
You can go long or short of our huge range of markets to profit from rising or falling prices. You simply 'buy' if you think that the price is set to rise, or 'sell' if you think it will drop.
The degree to which you are correct dictates how much you win or lose. In simple terms: the more a price moves in your favour, the more money you make; the more the price moves against you, the more money you lose. And with Controlled Risk betting you can cap potential losses without putting a ceiling on your profit.
Why spread bet?
Spread betting is versatile, quick and easy. You can trade a number of different financial products on one account and our deal sizes are flexible so you can bet in amounts which feel comfortable to you.
All your profits are absolutely free from UK capital gains tax.* And there is no commission to pay when you open or close your bet. The only charge is our dealing spread.
Spread betting with IG Index
IG Index are the world leaders in online spread betting, offering a number of key advantages:
Immediate dealing at a fair price
Our PureDeal trading platform provides full account management and one-click dealing, so you can make the most of your know-how. To spread bet most effectively, our 'Price Improvement' facility gives you our best available price when your deal is executed. This is especially valuable in volatile markets.
Competitive spreads
We are committed to providing narrow spreads on all our products: from just 2 points on major indices and 0.1% per side on major shares. And remember, our dealing spread is the only charge you pay.
Incredible gearing
You can open a position without having to put down the full transaction value. So your funds are not tied up and you can open several positions at one time if you wish. Gearing can help you to maximise potential profits, although you should note that you can lose more than your initial outlay.
Limited risk betting
To avoid open-ended liabilities we offer a full limited risk service. You can pay a Controlled Risk premium to guarantee that your bet is closed out at a specified level should the market move against you. This does not place any cap on your profits, which are potentially limitless.
*Tax law can, of course, be changed or may differ if you pay tax in a jurisdiction other than the UK.