CFD vs Options

[Sotnis]

I've never traded a CFD before, and I'm trying to figure out how they are better and sucking up all the liquidity in non-US markets.

Case in point, options and futures liquidity in other equity/index markets, especially European and Hong Kong, is pathetic. People trade CFDs.

From what I gather, CFDs are more like futures, where you put down margin of 5-10% of the underlying and have some maintanance margin.

Although you can hold them much longer, paying only interest, if the market moves against you, then you have to close the position or get margin called.

This is not better than an option. Since there are no margin calls from being simply long a call or put. The underlying's price can dance around arbitrarily and if you eventually get your direction, then congratulations.

Anyway, is my understanding correct?

 

[d08]

DMA CFD brokers (like IB) depend on the underlying liquidity so you don't really gain anything but better margins. I would never go with a non-DMA CFD broker because of the large(r) spreads and nasty games played due to conflicts of interest.

 

[destriero]

I've never traded a CFD before, and I'm trying to figure out how they are better and sucking up all the liquidity in non-US markets.

Case in point, options and futures liquidity in other equity/index markets, especially European and Hong Kong, is pathetic. People trade CFDs.

From what I gather, CFDs are more like futures, where you put down margin of 5-10% of the underlying and have some maintanance margin.

Although you can hold them much longer, paying only interest, if the market moves against you, then you have to close the position or get margin called.

This is not better than an option. Since there are no margin calls from being simply long a call or put. The underlying's price can dance around arbitrarily and if you eventually get your direction, then congratulations.

Anyway, is my understanding correct?

Ugh.

The Asian futures markets typically (not always) have smaller notional-values and some have much higher daily volume. Look at the KOSPI futures in SK. Their options are all one-tick wide within the 25-delta risk-reversal strikes. Over 10x the volume and OI of the /ES. EUREX discourages spoofing and the sovereign index futures markets are much smaller in terms of population; Germany is far smaller in population, geography and fewer financial centers. They are, however, far more productive than us, but that's not the point.

People "trade" CFDs due to either the 1) tax advantage, 2) being undercapitalized or, 3) ease of participation. We cannot trade them here (offshore dealers) in the US at retail. There would be limited interest in US domestic CFD markets as they would not be tax-free/advantaged.

I am getting the feeling that my answer is in search of a relevant question.

 

[zdreg]

DMA CFD brokers (like IB) depend on the underlying liquidity so you don't really gain anything but better margins. I would never go with a non-DMA CFD broker because of the large(r) spreads and nasty games played due to conflicts of interest.

how much time does it take to put up a cfd order?

 

[d08]

how much time does it take to put up a cfd order?

I can only speak for equity CFDs, it takes exactly the same amount of time as the 'STK' field is just substituted with 'CFD', for trading purposes there is no difference.
Oddly enough, some CFD contracts (certain ETFs) require more margin than the underlying (both init. and maint.), I have no idea why this is, perhaps someone from IB can shine a light.

 

[GarrettKimmel]

The major benefit is liquidity - you can trade instantly.

The drawbacks are a lot of leverage which some traders may misuse, possibly high fees, and the fact that the counterparty to your trade is the broker instead of another trader. And there's the issue of CFDs are illegal for USA residents to trade.

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/?f=/en/trading/pdfhighlights/PDF-CFDs.php&ns=T http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/04/09/another-market-not-available-to-u-s-citizens/

 

[d08]

The major benefit is liquidity - you can trade instantly.

The drawbacks are a lot of leverage which some traders may misuse, possibly high fees, and the fact that the counterparty to your trade is the broker instead of another trader. And there's the issue of CFDs are illegal for USA residents to trade.

https://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/?f=/en/trading/pdfhighlights/PDF-CFDs.php&ns=T http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/04/09/another-market-not-available-to-u-s-citizens/

You have to specify which broker because with IB they hedge your position and the interests are aligned. Non-DMA brokers are likely to play all sorts of dirty games and are a completely different story. With IB fees are the same except the second tier commissions (>300k) are expensive relative to equities since there is only a minor discount. Below 300k the commissions are actually slightly lower for CFDs. The leverage differences aren't that huge and it's always up to the trader to manage risk.
The above applies to US CFDs.

The latter is something I never understood but only affects some countries (US, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia) and makes no sense to me.