Online Broker: Which Type Are You Looking For

In the context of trading in stocks and other financial instruments, the term online broker may refer to different types of individuals or business entities involved in the business of buying and selling in financial markets. A broker is a firm or an individual who charges a commission or fee for executing buy and sell orders on behalf of investors. Almost every traditional broker that matters has an online presence and acts as an online broker by providing clients with a trading platform. In that sense, an online broker is no different from brokerage firms that we are all know very well.

Technically, the role of a broker is limited to providing quotes and communicating orders to the stock exchange. However, it is highly competitive market out there, the reason why most brokers in the financial markets provide a host of other services such as market analysis and investment advice. Such brokers are known as full service brokers.

The internet has given birth to another breed brokers known as discount brokers. A discount broker is an online broker who executes buy and sell orders on your behalf for a fee that is much lower than a full-service broker and provides no other service.

There is yet another type of online broker, who although not a broker in the true sense of the term, is often referred to as such. Although involved in the business of executing orders, such brokers are primarily dealers and not agents. A broker is an agent who acts on behalf of a client and does not assume any risk. A dealer is a principal who trades in his or her own account and is party to a buy or sell contract. Such so-called online brokers are commonly involved in over-the-counter markets such as forex and CFD trading.

Global Markets: Investment Rules

There are many investors who want to expand their portfolios by investing in global markets as there is a huge potential for growth in emerging markets. Many investors, however, have difficulty in accessing a suitable platform for trading in global markets. One way that you can do so is to find a really good CFD provider who offers trades in CFDs based on financial securities across the globe. The decision to invest in global markets should be based on sound economic sense. One of the mistakes that investors tend to make is to get lured by high GDP growth rates revealed by emerging markets. A healthy GDP growth is a genuine indicator of the growth of an economy but the same cannot be said for stock market returns. It makes good sense to bet on the strength of a country’s currency on the base of its growth rates, but stock trading is a different ball game altogether.

When you buy stocks in global markets the performance of individual companies is of greater importance, just as it is in the case of investing in domestic stocks. For that purpose, investors need to study the fundamentals of the company and the general direction in which the country’s stock market is headed for.

Markets all over the world are the same; so are the basic investment rules. It is entirely your choice which of the two rules, fundamental or technical analysis, you choose for making investment decisions regardless of whether you are putting you money in domestic or global markets. However, invest on the basis of technical analysis if you have a short time horizon. But if you have a long term perspective, it would be wise to stick to fundamentals.

Contracts for Difference: The Simplest Derivative in the Financial Market

Contracts for difference or CFDs are derivatives that may refer to underlying assets such as stocks, forex, indices or any other financial instrument. Although similar to some other derivative products available for trading, contracts for difference are slightly different.

Contracts for difference refer to agreement between a buyer and seller stipulating that the seller will pay the buyer, or receive as the case may be, the difference between the current value of the contract and the value at the time the contract was made. The purpose is to allow traders to speculate on price movement; there is no commitment as to actual delivery of the underlying asset. Traders can benefit from downward price movements as well by going short or sell CFDs as prior ownership is not an issue.

It can be said that most of the features of contracts for difference mimic the features of derivative products such as call and put options and futures. However, there are some basic differences that need to be understood. Options involve attaining the right (although not the obligation) to buy the underlying asset at a fixed price at a later date. CFDs do not give this right to a buyer.

However, the biggest difference is with time value. The value of options decays with time. The time premium reduces as the expiry date approaches near. It is not the case with contracts for difference as they mirror the price of the underlying asset. It is this simplicity of pricing that makes CFDs more popular than other derivatives. Add the ability to employ leverage and you have the simplest derivative in the financial market.

Why Is CFD Training Necessary

CFD, a tradable financial instrument that allows traders to participate in the price action of an underlying asset without owning it has made it possible to trade in financial markets with little capital. The simple pricing of CFDs has been one of the major reasons behind its immense popularity. However, there are some complexities of financial markets which make CFD training necessary if you are new to the trading.

CFD or contract for difference is a derivative product that refers to and mirrors the price of an underlying asset, which may be a company’s share, forex or an index. It is an agreement between two parties, typically buyer and seller, to pay or receive the difference between opening and closing values of the contract.

Just as it is with any other business venture, a basic CFD training course will act as the first step on the road to the success of your CFD trading project. A basic course will explain the features of the CFD market, market terminology and how to identify winning trades. The next and also more important step is to take up an advance CFD training course.

Advanced CFD training courses are basically about teaching trading strategies for managing the risks associated with trading in markets. The CFD market employs leverage, which makes it possible for traders to initiate large trades with a very small capital outlay. While it increases the profit potential of a trade, there is also concomitant higher risk of loss, one of the major reasons why CFD training is necessary.