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A corporate action is an event that brings about a material change to a stock, or an event that is initiated by a firm that has an impact on its shareholders. Dividends, stock splits, acquisitions, mergers and stock buy backs are all examples of corporate actions.
When a stock goes ex-dividend, the value of that stock effectively falls by the dividend amount. This means if you hold a spread betting position in a company and that company announces a dividend, your account will be credited or debited on the day the stock goes ex-dividend.
If you were long, you would have been disadvantaged by the drop in the market caused by the pay out of the dividend, so we would credit your account with the dividend amount, less any applicable dividend withholding taxes. If you were short, you would benefit from the drop in the price, so the equivalent amount would be deducted. So, overall, you don't lose or gain anything from the adjustment. There are no withholding taxes on short positions.
Let's say you hold a long spread betting position of £30/pt on Vodafone and Vodafone announces a 15p dividend. In this case, £450 would be credited to your spread betting account.
15 points x £30/pt = £450
(15p is equivalent to 15 points in spread betting)
Note: If you held a short position going into the ex-dividend date then your spread betting account would be debited £450.
The dividend will appear as a 'Price Adjustment' in your account history within the platform.
When a stock goes ex-dividend, ignoring other market forces, the value of that stock effectively falls by the dividend amount. In most cases this will cause the index value to drop too, as the value of the index is based on the value of the stocks within it. The amount that the index drops is dependent on the weighting of the stock within the index.
Following on from the above example, a similar cash adjustment would also be applied to your spread betting account if you held a position in the UK 100 index, where Vodafone is a constituent. We would convert the 15p dividend into points to calculate the amount to be deducted or added in relation to the relevant index spread bet.
Note: There are no price adjustments on forward indices or on our Germany 30 and Norway 25 cash indices.
Dividend adjustments on long positions are credited to your account, less any applicable withholding taxes. Withholding tax is a levy deducted from dividends in most underlying markets. The deduction varies depending on the underlying market, but it's often reduced to 15% where a treaty between the UK and the relevant market exists.
The withholding tax deduction doesn't apply to short positions.
Stock splits usually take place when the value of a company's stock is getting too high. The share price will fall by a pre-determined percentage and holders will gain the same percentage of shares.
Let's say you hold £3/pt (300 units) in company Q at a price of 1,607p per share and company Q announces on X date, that it will be issuing a stock split of 5 for 1.
This means that, for every 1 share you hold, you will be issued 5. So now you will hold £15/pt (1,500 units) at the reduced price of 321.4p (1,607p / 5).
Note that the overall trade value remains the same:
£3/pt x 1,607p = 4,821p; £15/pt x 321.4p = 4,821p
On your daily statement, a stock split shows in ‘brought forward’ transactions (pre-split values) and ‘carried forward’ transactions (post-split values).
With a rights issue, a company will offer its shareholders a chance to buy newly issued shares, usually at a discounted price, before they are offered to the public.
In these circumstances, CMC Markets clients might get to choose between three courses of action relating to share spread bets. They may be able to:
What is the meaning of a corporate action?
A corporate action refers to an event that could bring a change to the security, whether equity or debt, which will have an impact on its shareholders. This is a major decision that needs approval from the directors of the company, as it can affect its share price.
What are the types of corporate actions?
Examples of corporate actions are dividend yields, stock splits, mergers and acquisitions, stock buybacks and rights issues. These are then divided into two main types: mandatory and voluntary, which are either initiated by the directors of the company or the shareholders themselves. Learn more about share trading.
Why are corporate actions important?
Corporate actions are important as they help to give an indication of a company’s financial health through cash flow and balance sheets, as well as predictions for its short-term future. It’s essential that the shareholders have an understanding of how corporate actions will have an effect on the company’s share price and upcoming performance. Discover how corporate actions affect company fundamentals.
Are corporate actions taxable?
Certain types of corporate actions are taxable for both gains and losses, and this tax will be based on the full value of the trade. Others are non-taxable, such as dividend adjustments on long positions, where withholding tax is present within the majority of underlying markets. Spread betting is tax-free in the UK, meaning that when you open a spread betting account, you will not be taxed on corporate actions. However, tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and can change or may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
How do corporate actions affect spread bets?
When opening a spread bet position, although you do not take ownership of the asset, you’re still entitled to experience the same privileges that are given to shareholders, including dividends and stock splits. Read about other advantages of spread betting, as well as the risks of spread betting.
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