Spread betting

Spread betting or financial spread betting is an increasingly popular form of investing in stocks and shares. It is a fast paced, flexible way to trade and bet on how financial markets and share prices will behave without physically owning any stocks.

It is a practice that allows you to bet on the direction of shares and commodities. One of the major attractions of spread betting is its tax free status. Because spread betting is in effect gambling the profits are not subject to capital gains tax or stamp duty.

Spread betting or financial spread betting is a risky business so you should take advice from an expert before you start investing your money. There are now a wide variety of platforms for spread betting and most of them are online. The best of these sites offer free advice, the latest market and corporate news and analysis to offer the most competitive spreads and margins as well as instant 24-hour access to your account.

	The top five reasons you should consider spread betting Whether you are an experienced investor or looking to get into the stock market for the first time, there are a number of reasons as to why you might wish to consider learning to spread bet as an alternative to traditional stock purchases.
	Barclays Stockbrokers launches financial spread betting Barclays Stockbrokers has launched a financial spread betting and professional trader platform.
	TD Waterhouse launches financial spread betting Execution-only broker TD Waterhouse has unveiled its new online Financial Spread Betting service.
	Betting on volatility: Spreadbetting on the markets Financial betting has grown massively in recent years and the latest volatility has led more investors to look at gambling.
	HSBC: New funds to spread risk HSBC has launched a new range of funds which allow investors to spread their cash across a range of assets.