How We Can Help
We have a full package of tools and resources on offer to help you manage your risk. They are all easy to access and can be used at any time.
Education
TradeSense, our free, six-week educational guide, allows you to begin dealing in smaller than normal bet sizes, so you can limit your exposure as you build your spread betting confidence. Enrolling on TradeSense also allows you to benefit from a full module on risk management, including information about how to maintain a balanced portfolio and manage your personal risk/reward expectations. We also offer a range of free online seminars.
Market analysis
Our Market Analysis pages include the Market Update – a twice-daily round-up of indices and economic events – and the Forex Focus, which summarises FX activity across major pairs. Our Commodities Update gives insight into resources news and our daily-updated Economic Indicators include analyses of upcoming financial announcements. You can also sign up for our Monday Morning Briefing email to keep up-to-date with financial events scheduled for the forthcoming week.
Guaranteed Stops
When you open a position, the most effective way to manage risk is to put an absolute cap on your potential loss by using a Guaranteed Stop. This means that you specify the level at which you want your bet to be closed should the market move against you. In return for a slightly wider dealing spread, we then guarantee to close your position at that exact point, even if the market moves suddenly. With a Controlled Risk bet (a bet with a Guaranteed Stop attached), your maximum possible loss is known as soon as you open the position, making it an extremely effective risk management tool.
Non-Guaranteed Stops
Non-Guaranteed Stops can help manage risk without incurring the premium associated with a Guaranteed Stop. A non-Guaranteed Stop will trigger an order to close your position once the selected level has been breached. However, you should be aware that it will sometimes not be possible for the Stop Order to be transacted at the price you have selected. This may happen overnight or when the market moves very quickly. In these cases the Order will be transacted at a worse, and sometimes much worse, level than you have selected. This is known as 'slippage', and is determined on a basis which IG believes to be fair and reasonable. For more details on slippage please see our Bet Details.
Trailing Stops
Trailing Stops are also non-Guaranteed, but track your position while the market moves in your favour, providing protection if it starts to move in the other direction. This allows you to lock in profits without the need frequently to re-adjust the level of your Stop. There is no charge for setting a Trailing Stop.
Limit Orders
Placing a Limit triggers an order to close once a specified market level has been reached. It is an instruction to take profit if prices move in your favour. This means you can realise a pre-selected level of profit, even if the price later moves against you. Stop and Limit Orders are available over the phone as well as online, meaning you can manage risk wherever you are.
Types of bet
Some of the bets we offer are automatically limited risk and these can be of use when trying to minimise risk on your spread betting portfolio. Binary Bets also allow you to work out your maximum potential loss before opening the bet.
Buying an option is also an inherently limited risk bet. Please note that this is not true when selling options, for which risk is, in principle, unlimited.
Next steps
Find out more about our TradeSense education programme, which allows you to begin dealing in smaller than normal bet sizes, so you can limit your exposure as you build your spread betting confidence.
Or, if you're ready to start spread betting now, you can open an account online in minutes.