Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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What is over-the-counter trading?
Over-the-counter trading, or OTC trading, refers to a trade that is not made on a formal exchange. Instead, most OTC trades will be between two parties, and are often handled via a dealer network. OTC trading is less regulated than exchange-based trades, which creates a range of opportunities, but also some risks which you need to be aware of.
When you trade OTC with a trading provider, you'll usually see two prices listed: a single buy price, and a single sell price. This differs from on-exchange trading, where you will see multiple buy and sell prices from lots of different parties.
Pros and cons of OTC trading
Pros of OTC trading
The most popular OTC market is forex, where currencies are bought and sold via a network of banks, instead of on exchanges. This means that forex trading is decentralised and can take place 24 hours a day, rather than being tied to an exchange’s open and close times.
Stocks and other financial instruments can also be traded OTC – this includes derivatives such as swaps and forward contracts.
OTC trading gives companies that don’t meet stock exchange requirements the opportunity to raise capital, which can help fund expansion and growth. Shares that are traded OTC tend to be cheaper than those listed on a centralised exchange. As a result, you can buy a lot of shares for a small amount of capital.
OTC trades have greater flexibility when compared to their more regulated and standardised exchange-based counterparts. This means that you can create agreements that are specific to your trading goals.
Cons of OTC trading
The unregulated nature of OTC trading means that there is a higher risk of a counterparty defaulting on any given agreement. This is particularly true for swaps and forward contracts.
Trading stocks OTC can be considered risky as the companies do not need to supply as much information as exchange-listed companies do. This means that companies can often claim to be ‘up and coming’ which is not always the case.
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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Professional clients can lose more than they deposit. All trading involves risk.
The value of shares, ETFs and ETCs bought through a share dealing account, a stocks and shares ISA or a SIPP can fall as well as rise, which could mean getting back less than you originally put in. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
CFD accounts provided by IG Markets Ltd, spread betting provided by IG Index Ltd and share dealing and stocks and shares ISA accounts provided by IG Trading and Investments Ltd. IG is a trading name of IG Markets Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 04008957), IG Index Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 01190902) and IG Trading and Investments Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales under number 11628764). Registered address at Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA. IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355), IG Index Ltd (Register number 114059) and IG Trading and Investments Ltd (Register number 944492) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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