Spread Betting Markets

As it has already been mentioned, one of the biggest drivers behind the rapid growth and popularity of financial spread betting is the wide range of trading instruments available to retail traders. Range of markets offered by spread betting brokers has considerably grown over recent years and now you can virtually spread bet on anything. Gone are the days when it was a privilege of wealthy and hedge funds to trade commodities and currencies, now every trader in the UK (and some other European countries) can trade all these derivatives from the comfort of their own homes.

Some spread bettors limit themselves to markets they are familiar or feel comfortable with but it doesn't have to be the case for everybody and it is always advantageous to have a wide range of markets to trade; and as you get more experienced you can start trading more market and take advantage of the current trends.

The following instruments are provided by every broker:

• Indices - arguably the most traded market when it comes to spread betting and the best market to start with for novice traders.
• Currencies - forex (foreign exchange) is the biggest financial market and no wonder it has drawn a wide range of traders.
• Commodities - historically, spread betting started with gold trading and now it is possible to trade a wide range of commodities.
• Individual Shares - with the recent developments in spread betting industry it is possible to trade domestic (European) shares as well as some exotic, like Indian and South African stocks.
• Interest Rates and Bonds - interest rates and bonds are the most neglected market and very often completely ignored by novice traders.

Even tough the range of offered markets varies considerably from broker to broker major markets are represented by every spread betting company. With some companies you can even request new markets to be added.