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CFD Broker Finder™ – Compare CFD trading platforms

Compare fees and trading software to find the best CFD broker for you.

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Belinda Punshon
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Name Product Minimum Opening Deposit Minimum Opening Deposit Commission - ASX 200 Shares Available markets Platforms
Vantage CFD
Vantage CFD
$200
$200
$8 AUD or 0.08%
Forex, CFD shares, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities
MetaTrader 4
MetaTrader 5
TradingView
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Vantage FX has some of the lowest CFD trading fees in Australia, plus you can place trades and find global trends through the new TradingView charts platform.
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eToro CFD
eToro CFD
US$200
US$200
No commission
Forex, Shares, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Commodities, ETFs
eToro Trading Platform
Note: This broker offers CFDs which are volatile investment products and most clients lose money trading CFDs with this provider.
Join the largest social trading network in the world.
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Plus500 CFD
Plus500 CFD
$200
$200
No commission
CFD on Forex, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, Indices, Shares, Options and ETF's
Plus500 Trading Platform
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade CFDs on Australian and International shares, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities and more.
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Capital.com CFD
Capital.com CFD
$0
$0
$0
Forex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs
Mobile Trading Platform
Disclaimer: Volatile investment product. Most clients lose money trading with this provider.
Trade with an award winning platform that allows access to over 4,000 markets, across CFDs with leverage across the world’s most popular indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, shares and currency pairs.
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ThinkMarkets CFD
ThinkMarkets CFD
$0
$0
$0 for standard account
Forex, indices, commodities, metals, share CFDs, ETF CFDs, futures
MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, ThinkTrader
Disclaimer: Trading CFDs and forex on leverage is high-risk and losses could exceed your deposits.
Trade forex, commodities and CFDs using MetaTrader4/MetaTrader5 platforms or access advanced analysis tools through ThinkTrader.
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IG CFD broker
IG CFD broker
$0
$0
0.08% with $7 minimum
Indices, FX, Shares, Commodities, Cryptocurrency, ETPs, Options, Interest Rates, Bonds
MetaTrader 4
ProReal Time
IG Trading Platform and Apps
L2
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade from over 15,000 markets with Australia's leading service for CFD trading and forex.
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IC Markets CFD (True ECN Account)
IC Markets CFD (True ECN Account)
US$200
US$200
0.1% per side
ASX shares, global shares, indices, commodities, forex, cryptocurrencies
MetaTrader 4
MetaTrader 5
cTrader
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade 230+ different products with fast execution under 40 milliseconds on average.
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Go Markets CFD
Go Markets CFD
$200
$200
$0
Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto
MetaTrader 4
MetaTrader 5
WebTrader
Mobile Trading Platforms
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade over 600 products across CFDs, forex, indices, metals and commodities with award winning education and customer service provided.
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Saxo Capital Markets CFD
Saxo Capital Markets CFD
3,000
3,000
0.10% with $6 minimum
Indices, FX, Shares & ETFs, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Options, Bonds
SaxoTraderGO
SaxoTraderPRO
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Award-winning trading platfrom with extensive charting tools and reliable execution.
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City Index CFD
City Index CFD
$0
$0
0.08% with $5 minimum
ASX shares, 4,500 global shares, indices
MetaTrader 4
At Pro
Advantage Web
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade CFDs on indices, FX, global & Australian shares and commodities, plus access other markets such as metals, bonds and interest rates.
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Blueberry Markets CFD Trading
Blueberry Markets CFD Trading
US$100
US$100
$20 per month subscription plus 2% of trade size
Indices, ASX200 Shares, Commodities, Cryptocurrency
MetaTrader 5
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Bottom of the market fees on forex, CFDs and commodities with 24/7 quality customer service.
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Pepperstone CFD
Pepperstone CFD
$200
$200
No commission
ASX shares, global shares, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities
MetaTrader 4
MetaTrader 5
cTrader
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Trade stock indices on the global market, via Pepperstone's MetaTrader 4 and cTrader client terminals.
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CMC Markets
CMC Markets
$0
$0
0.09% with a $7 minimum
Forex, Indices, Commodities, Cryptocurrencies, Global shares, ASX shares, Bonds
CMC Next Generation CFD, MetaTrader 4
Disclaimer: CFD Service. Your capital is at risk.
Share CFD and forex ideas with other traders and take your strategy to the next level with over 100 technical indicators and charts on CMC’s mobile-friendly Next Generation platform.
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Trading CFDs and forex on leverage is high-risk and you could lose more than your initial investment. It may not be suitable for every investor. Refer to the provider’s PDS and consider the risks before trading.

What are CFDs?

Contracts for difference (CFDs) are derivative investment products where a trader can speculate on the price movements of stocks, commodities, market indices and cryptocurrencies. You can also trade CFDs on currencies, but in Australia we typically refer to this as forex trading.

Because you're trading a contract, rather than owning the underlying asset, CFD traders can both profit and lose money regardless of whether prices are going up or down. For that reason, CFD trading often becomes more popular during times of market volatility, as traders seek to profit by 'shorting' the market when it falls.

While CFDs can be profitable, they're also highly risky, complex products that are ideally suited to more experienced traders. This guide offers a complete overview of CFDs, including how they're traded, some trading strategies and what risks are involved.
It’s important to understand clearly from the outset that at no point do you own the underlying asset itself, nor are you trading the underlying asset either. You own the CFD, or contract, which is provided to you by the CFD provider.

Vantage CFD Trading Offer

Enjoy some of the lowest CFD trading fees in Australia when you trade stocks, forex, commodities and cryptocurrencies.

  • Trade stock & index CFDs, metals, commodities, energy
  • $0 commission for clients with a standard account
  • 24-hour customer support
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Disclaimer: Trading CFDs and forex on leverage is high-risk and losses could exceed your deposits.

Why trade CFDs?

  • CFDs allow you to speculate on thousands of financial products and global markets which you may otherwise be unable to access.
  • You can go long or short, hence you can profit (and also lose money) in both rising and falling markets.
  • You can usually access free demo accounts, plus charts and trading tools through your broker.
  • CFD contracts don’t necessarily have a fixed expiry date, meaning you can close out your position when you decide.

How to select the best CFD trading platform

The CFD broker you chose will very much depend on your trading style and what instruments or assets you prefer to use. If you're looking for the best online platform or app for you, consider the following:

  • Available markets. Does the broker offer forex, gold, silver, cryptocurrency, stock market indices, global stock CFDs, ASX200 CFDs
  • Direct share CFDs. Not all brokers offer CFD trading on shares, and some that do charge an additional subscription fee to access them
  • Currencies. If you're looking to trade forex, check whether your preferred pairings are being offered
  • Commission fees. There's often a brokerage fee charged when trading stock and stock index CFDs, check it's not too high
  • ASX live data. Does it charge a fee to access live stock market data from the ASX and other stock market indices?
  • Minimum opening balance. Some brokers require a high minimum opening balance before you start trading – consider trialling the demo version first if it has one
  • Platforms and software. Which trading platforms do they offer and can you add-on software or analytics tools such as PsyQuation?
  • Other types of trading. Do you also want to invest directly in shares, ETFs, forex or managed funds?

What can you trade with CFDs?

Some of the most common markets you can access with CFDs are shares, indices, forex, bonds, cryptocurrencies and commodities like oil or gold.

If you want to trade CFDs, you need to fully understand how the CFD itself works as well as the underlying asset. If you have no experience trading shares, for example, it's probably not be a good idea to buy a shares CFD.

What are the risks?

CFDs are extremely risky, complex products and are ideally only suited to very experienced financial traders. Here are some of the potential risks that you should know about before deciding if CFD trading is right for you.

  • CFDs are complex. CFDs are very intricate and confusing products. Even if you have a general understanding of what a CFD is, this doesn’t mean you’re ready to start trading CFDs.
  • You can lose more than your initial capital. If you gamble on the pokies, the most money you can lose is the amount you put into the pokie machine. This is not the case with CFDs. If you lose a CFD trade you can lose much more money than you started with, meaning you actually owe the CFD provider money, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  • You don’t own the underlying asset. When trading CFDs all you own is the contract between you and the CFD provider. Therefore you can’t benefit from the capital growth of the underlying asset over the long term.
  • CFDs depend on how the market performs. Even though you don’t own the underlying asset, CFDs are still affected by market conditions. This can increase risks even more in a volatile market.

How to decide if CFDs are right for you

Due to the complexity and high level of risk involved, CFDs will not be suitable for the vast majority of traders. CFDs could be right for you if you:

  • Are an experienced trader
  • Have a strong understanding of not only CFDs but many financial products and markets
  • Possess a high tolerance to risk, and are not at all risk-averse
  • Can afford to lose quite a bit of money (it’s not guaranteed that you will, but you need to be comfortable you can afford to lose if you did)
  • Have some level of legal expertise to understand the complexity of CFDs
  • Are not interested in owning the underlying assets
  • Understand the measures available to minimise your risk and are experienced using these tools, for example stop-loss orders
  • Have conducted plenty of research – trading CFDs is not a decision that should be taken lightly

Ready? Compare CFD trading accounts now.

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Wait, I still have more questions!

CFD and share trading glossary

  • Ask or Ask price. This is the price a CFD trader can open a Sell Position, or close a Buy position.
  • ASIC. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission
  • Bid or bid price. The price a CFD trader can open a Buy Position, or close a Sell Position.
  • CFD (Contract for difference). This is a contract entered into by two parties who agree to exchange money according to the change in value of an underlying asset.
  • Contract currency. This is the currency in which a particular asset is traded.
  • Dealing. Dealing is when you open or close a CFD position.
  • Derivative. A financial instrument whose price is derived from an underlying asset.
  • Going long. When you open a buy position.
  • Going short. When you open a sell position.
  • Hedging. Taking an opposite position to reduce the risk associated with an initial position.
  • Initial margin. This is the minimum initial amount of money a CFD trader must outlay to open a position.
  • Leverage. Leverage allows you to trade a larger value asset than the worth of your initial investment. This is sometimes also referred to as gearing.
  • Open interest. This is the interest rate that applies to all CFD positions that are held open overnight.
  • Stop-loss. A stop-loss order can be placed when a CFD position is opened and is triggered when the price reaches a specified level. These orders are used to close out positions that have resulted in a loss and aim to prevent further loss.
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Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, CFDs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading CFDs and forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades.

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