The rise of CFDs (contracts for difference) and spreadbetting over the last decade has naturally impacted on the amount of trading in physical shares using a traditional stockbroker. There is no doubt that the internet has altered the share trading process to the benefit of private clients in terms of cost and access to information and markets, and with broadband and efficient streaming this really is a boost for those looking to capture real time movements using online trading. The first part of this paper discusses why CFDs and spreadbets are now so popular, and then the subtle differences between the two will be explained.

CFDs and Spreadbetting - the best way to trade the stockmarket

In the old days, what now looks a very cumbersome system involved phone based dealing with the client having to wait for a dealing report from the broker, and this would be followed up with a paper based settlement and certification system. The introduction of nominee accounts and the crest settlement system was a great step forward, and in terms of deals carried out for investment, rather than trading, the system works well.

But for traders, this reduction in certification has gone hand in hand with the biggest change in the industry, the explosive growth of CFDs and spreadbetting, which have principally three main benefits over traditional share dealing:

First, there is no stamp duty to pay under current tax laws, so there is an immediate pick up of 0.5% on all UK based trades. The reason is simply that with a CFD, the client is contracting to pay the difference between the opening and closing prices of the position taken ? essentially the profit or loss. Delivery never takes place and there is no time limit on the CFD, therefore there is no stamp duty. Spreadbets are treated as bets and are not currently subject to duty likewise.

Second, clients have the ability to take long or short positions on the underlying share, commodity or index. This is an option that many traditional stockbrokers still prohibit, and is useful both as a speculation and for hedging purposes. CFDs offer a simple and effective way to protect against a potential fall in the stockmarket or for that matter any instrument, without having to sell shares in a portfolio and then buy them back.

Third, traders can utilise generous margin rates, which by using leverage, enable large position sizes to be opened using a relatively small amount of deposit. It goes without saying that there is an associated risk which mirrors the amount of leverage, but for experienced traders this to some extent bears some similarity to traditional physical trading for extended settlement. For CFD traders, margin rates of as low as 1% are available, which again is very attractive for hedging purposes.

For share trading it is usual for clients to place funds on margin, but positions have to be closed within the trading settlement period, or the full cost of the purchase has to be made. The client usually pays a premium for not having to settle for up to 25 working days. Again this option is not allowed universally by brokers, and CFDs solve this problem, as they have no time limit, which makes them far more flexible. Spreadbets can be taken out with a wide range of expiry dates, so again it increases the choice for clients.

With these benefits, and the undoubted cost advantages, the natural question is why clients would wish to use a traditional stockbroker. The answer of course lies in the added value services offered by a broker, which include portfolio analysis and management, advice on collective investments, taxation and other financial products. For clients seeking perhaps a longer term perspective on investments, and for buying and selling shares on a longer term view, stockbrokers have an important role to play.

Buying shares outright also gives clients the benefit of shareholder voting rights, which is not the case for CFDs and spreadbet positions, although holders of long CFD positions do receive corporate dividends, and short CFD positions are debited with dividend payments on the ex-dividend date.

It is for shorter term trading and longer term hedging that CFDs and spreadbets have a clear edge, and they are both beneficial for those who wish to ?go it alone? in terms of costs. This benefit can be quantified in terms of the length of time each trade is open.

With CFDs, the additional cost of holding a long CFD position over a traditional purchase is only the interest cost. The interest charged on a long CFD is usually at a premium to LIBOR (London InterBank Offered Rate), typically LIBOR plus 2%, but it should be noted that if a client takes a short position, then interest is actually credited to the CFD position at a comparative discount to LIBOR. The amount the client lodges by way of margin is held to secure the performance of the contract and is not available to be set off against the Contract Value.

Conversely, a traditional share purchase incurs stamp duty at 0.5%. The crossover will occur at the time that the interest charged on the long CFD matches the saving made against stamp duty, and this point is usually reached on or around 28 days after the position is opened. Consequently, for trades outstanding for less than this period it is economically more viable to trade the CFD rather than the underlying stock, working on current interest rates. For those going short of a stock or index, there are clear benefits as interest is received each day while the position is open, so time is not a factor.

CFDs against spreadbetting

The terminology is slightly different for CFDs and spreadbets, but both offer the same degree of leverage and potential risk/reward for online trading. If a client wishes to open a CFD position, this is quoted in the same way as if a normal share purchase/sale was being made i.e. ?buy 1000 Lloyds TSB CFDs?. With spreadbetting one is technically betting on the price movement of a share, index, commodity or whatever measured in pounds per point of movement. So the equivalent trade here would be ?buy Lloyds TSB at ?10 a point?, but the exposure is essentially the same. In both cases, you simply 'buy' if you think that the price is set to rise, or vice versa.

In spreadbets, all profits are free from UK capital gains and income tax, which is not currently the case for CFDs. (Tax law can change or may differ if you pay tax in a jurisdiction other than the UK). The other main difference is that for spreadbet long positions there is no daily funding but as each bet has a defined expiry date the interest cost to the broker is built into the spread in the same way as a futures price might be constructed.

In terms of use, CFDs have the edge for stockmarket trading, accounting for 40% of LSE volumes, and many investment banks tend to use CFDs simply because they tend to track the underlying price more than spreadbets.

There is no question that CFDs and spreadbets have revolutionised short term and online trading if one does not aim to hold any long position for more than a month, and they are valuable for longer term hedging.