CFD trading lets traders profit from rising and falling asset prices without owning the asset. This article provides a practical, real-world example of CFD trading on an Iqcent. We walk through analyzing markets, opening a position, setting stops, monitoring trades, and closing for profit.
What is CFD Trading?
CFD stands for “contract for difference” – a derivative product for speculating on asset price movements without ownership. Traders contract with brokers to profit from the price difference between opening and closing trades.
The most commonly traded CFD assets are stocks, forex, commodities, crypto, and indices. Using leverage, traders can gain large market exposure with a small deposit.
Some key benefits are easy access, leverage, the ability to go short, and no need to take ownership. Drawbacks are lack of asset ownership, high leverage risks, and potential for unlimited losses.
CFDs allow speculating on rising or falling prices. With proper risk management, CFDs can be an effective trading instrument across global markets. But leverage also amplifies losses, so caution is required when investing.
How to trade CFDs on Iqcent Broker
Trading CFDs requires following key steps to properly set up and manage your trades.
- Log into your broker account: Go to your broker’s website or app and enter your username and password to access your trading account.
- Select CFDs as your instrument: Find the menu options for trading instruments and select “CFDs” to indicate you want to trade contracts for difference.
- Pick an underlying asset: Browse the available CFD markets, such as forex, stocks, commodities, and indices, and choose an asset you want to trade.
- Analyze the chart: Study the historical price movements and technical indicators to identify potential trading opportunities.
- Enter trade details: Configure your trade size, stop loss, take profit, and other parameters in the order ticket based on your analysis.
- Execute your trade: Click the buy or sell button to enter your CFD trade based on whether you think the asset price will rise or fall.
- Monitor your trade: Watch the live price movements and be ready to close your position when your take profit or stop loss is reached.
- Close your position: Once ready, close your open CFD trade by clicking the close button to secure your profits or limit your losses.
Real Life Example
Here is a real-world scenario of how CFD trading works on the Iqcent app:
Opening a GBP/USD CFD Position
After analyzing the charts, you believe the British pound is overextended against the US dollar and likely to weaken. On Tuesday morning, you log into your Iqcent account and see the GBP/USD CFD bid/ask price is 1.3600/1.3602.
You open a short position for $1,000, leveraging the fixed 1:500 Iqcent offers. This gives a $500,000 position size. You set a stop loss at 1.3700 to limit losses if the price rises. Your take profit is 1.3400.
Opening Sell Price: 1.3602
Stop Loss: 1.3700
Take Profit: 1.3400
You’ll profit if the GBP/USD price drops from your 1.3602 entry as expected. But your short CFD will close if the price rises above your 1.3700 stop.
Closing the GBP/USD CFD Short
The next day, you notice GBP/USD falling steadily. Around noon, the bid/ask price reaches 1.3400/1.3402, triggering your take profit order, which closes the position.
Closing Sell Price: 1.3400
Gross Profit: (1.3602 – 1.3400) x $500,000 = $20,200
Using the 1:500 leverage, you earned $20,200 profit on this short GBP/USD CFD trade by following your analysis. The disciplined stops helped lock in gains.
FAQs
What is Iqcent CFD Leverage?
Iqcent offers CFD leverage up to 1:500, allowing you to take much larger market positions with less capital. But leverage also increases risks if prices move against you.
What assets can I trade CFDs on?
Iqcent trading platform provides CFD trading on forex, commodities, global stocks, major indices, and leading cryptocurrencies.
What are the risks of CFD trading?
High leverage with CFDs can amplify gains and losses if the market goes against you. Always use stop losses and manage risks properly when CFD trading. The potential for losing all your deposits exists without proper risk controls.