UK Spreadbet firms to be investigated by the FCA

the largest CFD and spreadbet provider IG have contacted customers. they have said the FCA are proposing to cut leverage to 50:1 for FX for traders who have more than 12 months 'experience'. The insane leverage available may be getting trimmed. 50:1 is still more than enough for any trader using sensible MM. my 2c.

edit - 25:1 proposed for trades with <12 months experience. I am a big beleiber in light regulation however I think capping leverage at say 50:1 across the board is a good thing.

What they ought to do is regulate the way they quote, not leverage IMO. If someone has the ability to blow an account they will find a way to do so.
 
DIE GAIN CAPITAL DIE!!

Visaria I just looked at the current IG PDS and it doesn't state that, but they have changed it so many times. I'm 100% sure that it was there as I'd read it b4. I've read on many sites that people make decent $$ from a trade then IG wouldn't pay up and say they can do this because it say it in the PDS.

DIE GAIN!!
 
DIE GAIN CAPITAL DIE!!

Visaria I just looked at the current IG PDS and it doesn't state that, but they have changed it so many times. I'm 100% sure that it was there as I'd read it b4. I've read on many sites that people make decent $$ from a trade then IG wouldn't pay up and say they can do this because it say it in the PDS.

DIE GAIN!!

Really? Wouldn't there be some blogging activity on the net already? I doubt this allegation is factual.
 
I think it depends on the strategy. My main strategy targets taking out the bulk of the average daily range as profit and typical stop will be 1/3rd of ADR, that doesn't mean I am shit or bust, I get out when I think I am wrong. I do see evidence in price of traders playing strategies without stops, so they will average in at select points or some will just have larger puke points. In addition a lot of this comes down to size, for the guys doing nose bleed size they are often very wary of revealing a stop.


Yes, it probably depends much on the strategy and very obviously on the volume. Swing trade accumulating over several days or weeks a significant portion of the daily volume in one stock and it's easy to see how having a stop triggered would be disastrous with the resulting slippage . Large hedge funds could bring the stock price close to zero for a few moments at least and even independent traders who trade a significant size would see a disastrous loss. Also even with a small position some slipages can be nasty if the market has a moment of panic.

Anyway I can understand some people place hard stops, other mental stops or no stops, but find bewildering someone finds the issue cut and dry, never mind each trader's situation.
 
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I live in Australia and one of the football teams here is sponsored by them.... guess what they are called??? THE MELBOURNE DEMONS !!!!

AHAHAHAAHHAAH.

Also a side note is the fact that IG won't let any1 comment on their you tube channel, probably more disgruntal customers.

I also noticed that Germany isn't letting these bucketshops sponsor major football clubs as well.
 
Yes, it probably depends much on the strategy and very obviously on the volume. Swing trade accumulating over several days or weeks a significant portion of the daily volume in one stock and it's easy to see how having a stop triggered would be disastrous with the resulting slippage . Large hedge funds could bring the stock price close to zero for a few moments at least and even independent traders who trade a significant size would see a disastrous loss. Also even with a small position some slipages can be nasty if the market has a moment of panic.

Anyway I can understand some people place hard stops, other mental stops or no stops, but find bewildering someone finds the issue cut and dry, never mind each trader's situation.

fo sure nothing is cut and dry in trading.
 
Last week, the FCA announced a proposal that looks to make some significant rule changes to the Spread Betting industry in the UK. The most important of these changes involves raising the margin requirements for Spread Bet trading, which would mean you will need to put more money in your account to trade these products.

Under the FCA’s proposed rules, you would be subject toincreased margin requirements on your account. The proposed margin requirements are as follows:

Clients with less than 12 months trading experience All other clients
Major currencies 25:1 (or 4% margin) 50:1 (or 2% margin)
Major indices and gold 20:1 (or 5% margin) 40:1 (or 2.5% margin)
Minor indices and other commodities 10:1 (or 10% margin) 20:1 (or 5% margin)
Single stock equities, other asset classes 5:1 (or 20% margin) 10:1 (or 10% margin)

Example

If the UK 100 was trading at 7000 and you opened a spread betting position at £10/point, the difference in the amount of margin you'd need now vs the future (if the FCA's proposals were implemented) would be as follows

CURRENT MARGIN
FCA PROPOSED MARGINS
Current margin requirement
Clients with less than 12 months' trading experience Client with more than 12 month's trading experience
£350 (0.5% x 10 x 7000) £3500 (5% x 10 x 7000) £1750 (2.5% x 10 x 7000)
As well as increasing margin requirements, the FCA has proposed:

  • The publication of standardised risk warnings and the disclosure of average client profit and loss ratios. We support this measure, as we are committed to ensuring that our customers understand the risks related to the financial products they trade and to promoting transparency relating to trading outcomes.

  • A ban on bonus promotions. The FCA has stated that bonus promotions have been abused and may inappropriately encourage customers to open accounts or trade. We do not support aggressive marketing tactics, especially those aimed at inexperienced traders.
 
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