Financial Spread Betting - Faq - What Is Financial Spread Betting

There is a new way to bet on the stock market. It is financial spread betting. Many people are asking what is financial spread betting?

People are interested in this new concept is that it allows people to speculate on the movement of the market and make large profits but without the actual initial large out lay of buying shares. Instead of buying shares with this type of investemnt you are betting on individual financial markets form the FTSE to the price of gold.

The way you play is to bet if you believe that market will go up or down over a given period. It is an exciting and sometimes high risk strategy that can reap large profits quickly but can also cause people to lose money at a fast rate too; although you can but stop losses on bets to minimise losses on a bet.

Financial spread betting works using the world markets such as the FTSE 100 and how it will react in a given day. It is easier to explain this type of finanacial speculation by example. On any given day you can find out on the web or by placing a call to a spread betting firm to find the "spread" on the FTSE 100. They will give a spread such 6350-6500 (6500 to place a "buy" or "up" bet and 6350 for a "sell" or "down" bet).

If you believe that the FTSE 100 will rise, you then place an "up" bet. You would bet a certain amount per point. For example you could bet 10 GPB(Great British Pounds) sterling per point. If the FTSE 100 rose to 6700 within the period specified by the betting firm (usually one trading day) this would be a raise of 200 points. This would mean that you would earn 10GBP x 200 points which would mean a net profit of 2,000 GBP sterling.

If you were to feel that the market was going to fall then you would place a "down" bet. If we use the same example of 10 GBP per point if the FTSE were to fall to 6200 which would be a fall of 150 points your profit would be 10 GBP x 150 points which equates to a 1,500 GBP sterling net profit. If the FTSE 100 were to rise however to 6500 you would lose 1,500 GB pounds.

Financial spread betting offers an easy way for individuals to bet on the movement of the market. This type of finacial speculation now opens the way for individual people to use the market other than through selling short in or investing in a hedge fund. It is more immediate and the potential profits are huge. It can be done from the comfort of your own home with many companies now offering financial spread betting accounts that can be accessed and monitored at home and can fit around you daily life.