Trading guides

Discover some of the most popular and effective trading strategies for the financial markets.

Learn to day trade with our beginner's guide. We cover key aspects such as day trading strategies and the psychology of day trading.

Swing trading is a short to medium-term trading strategy that aims to make a profit out of changes in price.

Find out what scalping is in trading and how to use scalping strategies within a range of financial markets.

Find out what momentum based trading is, along with various momentum trading strategies and indicators to use.

Short-term trading is a strategy that only aims to keep positions open for a matter of hours, days or weeks.

Read about trend trading, discover popular trend-following strategies, and view examples from our trading platform.

News trading strategies can be based on economic indicators such as company earnings reports, interest rates and inflation.

Position trading is a popular long-term trading strategy where a trader holds a position and ignores price fluctuations.

Value investing is an investment strategy that focuses on buying and holding undervalued stocks in the long-term.

Learn the key differences between trading and investing, whether that be active or passive.

Thematic investing involves gaining access to multiple shares through a stock basket. Explore our thematic share baskets.

Gain a deep understanding about derivative trading and learn how to trade derivatives, such as spread bets and CFDs.

Margin trading can be a good way of diversifying a portfolio and leveraging exposure to the financial markets.

Leverage is the use of a smaller amount of capital to gain exposure to larger trading positions.

Learn about the basics of financial hedging and some effective hedging strategies that you can use when trading.

Algorithmic trading is the process of using a computer that follows instructions based upon mathematical formulae.

High-frequency trading is a type of algorithmic strategy that aims to execute multiple orders in one transaction.

Arbitrage is the act of exploiting price differences within the financial markets to make a profit.

Discover what quantitative trading is and how to get started in our quant trading guide, complete with strategies and examples.

Social trading involves the free sharing and using of information among a group of traders, known as a social trading community.

Copy trading allows traders to copy trades executed by other investors in the financial markets.

Backtesting is a time and cost-effective way of measuring profitability in trades. Discover how to backtest a trading strategy manually.

Paper trading allows you to practise your strategies in the financial markets using virtual funds on a demo trading account.

Learn about price action trading with our advanced guide to the best chart patterns, indicators and strategies.

Volatility trading in the financial markets can create potential for profit, but it can also end in loss.

Find out what gap trading is and how it applies to the financial markets, particularly shares.

Sometimes, the market's reaction to news will not be as you expected because that “news” has already priced in.

Futures trading is a contractual obligation to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price and date in the future.

Learn about how to trade forward contracts, which are an agreement between a buyer and seller to exchange an asset at some point in the future.

The terms “contango” and “backwardation” apply to the futures market and indicate whether the delivery price of an asset is higher or lower than its current spot price.

A block trade is an agreement to buy and sell a large number of securities between two parties.

Pairs trading works by balancing long-term and short-term positions with a high correlation. Learn how you could master your pairs trading strategy here.

Learn what buying the dip is, indicators that can be used for the strategy, if it works and what the alternatives are.

We explain what buying on margin means and how it can be carried out on our platform to magnify your profit or loss when speculating on the market.

You can trade many CFD & spread betting instruments with us, including FX, indices, commodities, shares & treasuries.

DMA trading enables you to place buy and sell trades directly on the order books of an exchange or a liquidity provider.

OTC stands for over-the-counter. In trading terms, over-the-counter means trading through decentralised dealer networks.

EDSP stands for exchange delivery settlement price and refers to the settlement price of derivative contracts on an exchange.

Learn about the meaning of a broker, how to gain exposure to assets and how you can get started with the UK’s favourite broker.

Learn the basics of maintenance margins, including how they work, why they exist and how they are calculated.

A margin account allows traders to speculate on the price movements of underlying assets with borrowed funds.

When the value of your account drops below margin requirement, this results in a margin call, putting your positions at risk of being closed.

Discover what the richest countries in the world are, based on GDP and PPP value.

Read about the definition of an emerging market and how you can trade in emerging economies.

Discover what is spread in trading and see an overview of our instrument spreads.

Find out the difference between the bid and ask price, also called the bid-ask spread, and how it affects liquidity, spreads and markets.

The definition of a bear market is one that has fallen in value by more than 20% for over a two-month period.

Learn how to identify a bull market and the types of trading strategies that can be used to profit.

Market manipulation is the attempt to control the price of a financial instrument through supply and demand.

Exposure refers to the amount of money that a trader has invested in a particular asset and what they could potentially lose.

Discover what happens at the Federal Open Market Committee and how traders can take advantage of fluctuating market conditions.

Discover the difference between tight and loose monetary policy and how this can affect the financial markets.

Learn how quantitative easing affects the markets and how you as a trader can potentially take advantage of the opportunities it presents.

The regulatory news service (RNS) is part of the London Stock Exchange and the leading provider of regulatory and non-regulatory information in the UK.

Find out what a gamma squeeze is and how it affects stock prices such as AMC, GME and HOOD.

Find out what slippage is in trading, what it means for your open positions and how to avoid it.

Trading plans are essential for a trader. Discover how to create a trading plan, learn about goal setting, and view example templates.

Discover our top trading tips and rules, and learn how to avoid common trading mistakes with advice from professional traders.

Read our guide to find out what a trading edge is, examples and steps for developing and honing your own trading edge.

Trading for a living is a simple process with the right technology and trading platform. Learn how to trade the markets from home.

Learn how asset allocation can improve your trading strategy and diversify your risk, along with asset allocation strategies.

Rebalancing your portfolio can be crucial to reflecting your changing risk appetite in your portfolio or reacting to new opportunities.

Diversification is a strategy in trading that aims to reduce risk through a variety of financial assets.

Mean reversion theorizes that asset prices return to average levels after a large price move.

Discover how trading with risk-management is essential, both the risk on an individual trade and the financial risk to your account.

It is important to analyse risk/reward ratios when trading in volatile markets. Learn how to calculate risk and reward.

We explain some key steps to becoming a trader with the potential opportunities and pitfalls you might encounter along the way.

Fundamental analysis aims to determine a security's real or intrinsic value. Find out how to conduct fundamental analysis.

Find out how to interpret economic indicators such as GDP and PPP in order to improve your event-driven trading strategy.

Non-farm payrolls report monthly US employment figures and are a significant indicator of the health of the US economy.

Find out what a global macro trading strategy is and how you can potentially profit from global market movements.

Company fundamentals such as earnings reports, P/E ratios and dividend ratios indicate whether its share price may rise or fall.

P/E ratios help to indicate whether a company's stock is a good investment. Learn how to calculate P/E ratios.

Stock beta is how much a stock moves relative to an index, which lets investors know how volatile it is.

Learn what the intrinsic value of a stock is and the different methods for calculating value.

Gearing ratios provide an insight into how a company funds its operations, relative to debt and equity.

The Treynor ratio measures how an investment portfolio performed relative to the risk taken, so learn how to calculate it.

The Sharpe ratio is a fundamental measure of the risk-adjusted return of a financial portfolio.

In this detailed guide, we explain 13 different strategies and approaches for picking stocks that you can employ.

Technical trading strategies can be used as part of your trading decisions. We explore 5 key techniques through diagrams and examples.

Learn about top technical indicators that are available on our platform, including SMA & EMA, Bollinger Bands, RSI and stochastics.

Leading and lagging indicators are types of technical analysis that can indicate where price action is headed, or where it has been.

Identifying stock chart patterns in financial markets is a key element as part of your technical analysis. Find 11 patterns here.

Trading patterns such as triangles, wedges and more complex patterns can help you identify potential trading opportunities.

See how you use candlestick charts to track prices in all financial markets. Find out why candlestick trading is a prevalent method of price representation.

Double tops and bottoms are chart patterns in technical analysis that can help a trader identify potential trades.

Harmonic patterns are formations on price charts that help traders to predict price action within the financial markets.

Cup and handle patterns are formed when there is a sharp price rise, followed by a fall. Learn more about cup and handle patterns.

Wedges are a common type of chart pattern that help traders to identify potential trends and reversals on a trading chart.

Learn how to trade two of the most popular technical analysis moving average combinations, golden and death crosses.

The head and shoulders pattern is a technical formation that indicates a trend reversal is underway.

Consult our guide on how to trade doji candlesticks, including the most common types: dragonfly, gravestone, hammer, long-legged and star.

Renko charts are a type of price chart used by traders to focus on a larger trend. Learn how to use Renko charts.

The Dow theory is a financial markets theory that rests on six basic tenets that were a precursor to modern-day technical analysis.

Elliott wave theory breaks down price fluctuations of financial markets into cycles, each comprising of eight waves.

Find out what a bull trap is in trading, how to identify one, how to trade it and the role that psychology plays.

Forex and stocks make up two of the most popular markets to trade worldwide. Learn the difference between forex and stocks.

Learn about the relationship between stocks and bonds here, including differences and similarities.

Learn the key differences between ETFs and CFDs here and how to trade both products within the financial markets.

Find out what the main differences are between futures and options, and what are the benefits and risks of each derivative product.

Learn the meaning of a ‘safe haven’ investment, which can include gold, currencies, bonds and defensive stocks.

Find out what are the major stock indices around the world and how you can trade them. Learn about index trading strategies.

Discover what the VIX volatility index is, how it works and how you can trade it in our guide to the popular measure of volatility.

The FTSE 100 represents a benchmark for the top 100 companies in the UK, based on market capitalisation.

A commodity is a physical good that can be bought or sold on the commodity market either through futures contracts, or as a physical asset, via an exchange.

Discover how to trade commodities on our online platform, which offers 100+ instruments such as oil, gas, gold and sugar.

Discover some of the best tips and techniques for gold trading, including physical gold bullion and coins.

Why invest in gold? Discover several viewpoints as to whether gold is a good investment right now.

The gold/silver ratio is the amount of silver you need to buy one ounce of gold, which traders use to determine the best time to buy or sell.

Read our complete guide to oil trading, including how to become an oil trader and the best tips for spread betting crude oil.

Discover how to trade oil CFDs on popular raw materials, including Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude oil CFDs.

There a number of ways you can trade energy in the UK, through energy stocks, energy ETFs and energy commodities.

Coffee is a popularly traded soft commodity. Discover how to trade coffee Arabica and Robusta online via derivatives and futures.

Find out how to get involved with palladium investments and trade on palladium’s price through the physical commodity.

Discover how to invest in bonds in the UK with our list of the most popular bonds to watch.

Junk bonds pay higher interest rates to investors than other bonds due to their lower credit ratings.

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are investment funds that hold a collection of underlying assets.

Learn which exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have the highest dividend yields, including those from Vanguard, iShares and Global X.

This guide will show you how to trade ARK Innovation ETFs in the UK and we give you some tips on getting an edge.

Equity trading is the buying and selling of company shares or stocks on the financial market. Find out how to trade equities.

Share trading is the buying and selling of company stock with the aim of making a profit. Find out more about stock trading.

A special-purpose acquisition company is a shell corporation that aims to raise capital through an IPO to acquire a private company.

Gain a deep understanding about stock market corrections. Read about what can cause a stock market correction and how traders may try to benefit.

Learn about the main characteristics and stages of a stock market bubble, which can lead to a market crash.

Join us as we discuss some of the biggest stock market crashes in history. Discover tips on how to take advantage.

Penny stocks often have a low share price, which gives a higher scope for breakouts and growth.

Learn the basics of swing trading in the share market and gain valuable insights into five of the most popular techniques.

5G technology is coming soon... Discover the best 5G stocks and companies to watch in preparation for the 5G revolution.

Read our recommendations for the best pharmaceutical stocks, including blue-chip and pharma penny stocks.

Discover top tips for investing in the future with our article on renewable energy stocks, including five interesting companies.

Discover exactly what is a blue-chip company and how to invest in blue-chip stocks.

Discover the stock price and market outlook for Zoom Video Communications (ZM). Click here to see how it could play a role in your portfolio.

The popularity of streaming services is constantly on the rise, and in turn, so is their share price.

Discover stocks related to the electric car market. The electric car market is anticipated to be the future of the motoring industry.

Discover a list of popular healthcare stocks to watch right now, involving pharma, medical equipment and biotech.

Learn how to identify breakout stocks in the share market, using chart analysis and examples of prominent stocks.

Discover the 10 best-yielding dividend stocks in the UK, according to the FTSE 100.

Our complete guide to real estate investment highlights the best real estate stocks, ETFs and public REITs to trade right now.

Consult our list of some of the best ethical stocks and sustainable shares to add to a balanced investment portfolio.

Read our guide to the largest market cap stocks in the world, with guidance for investing in large-cap stocks.

Read about how Germany has influenced the global markets over the years and learn how to trade on German stocks.

Is there hope of revival for the airline industry? Discover some of the top airline stocks to watch right now.

Learn about trading on lithium and discover how to trade CFDs and spread bet on popular lithium stocks and ETFs.

Discover some of the most promising Chinese tech companies right now, along with how to invest in Chinese stocks through share basket trading.

The FAANG acronym stands for the five biggest tech companies: Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google. Find out how to invest in FAANG stocks here.

Discover how it is possible to invest in esports by trading CFDs and spread betting on some of the top esports stocks on our Next Generation platform.

Stock splits are corporate actions that cause the number of a company's shares to rise and its price to fall, resulting in fractional shares. Learn how to trade a stock split.

Considering investing in Tencent? Read our analysis of Tencent stock to see its current performance and outlook for the future.

Beauty and cosmetic stocks can be an effective way to diversify your portfolio. Find some top stocks within the industry.

Learn about investing in cybersecurity. Discover some major cybersecurity stocks and ETFs to gain exposure.

Join our countdown of the most volatile UK stocks over the past 260 days and learn how to speculate on volatile stocks.

Veganism and plant-based diets are steadily growing trends. Learn how to trade the vegan boom through vegan company stocks.

The music and entertainment industries are arguably some of the most profitable sectors in the world.

Discover the 20 largest UK companies by market capitalisation. Learn how to trade on the UK's biggest companies.

Uranium is a radioactive element that is used in nuclear power generation. Learn about trading on uranium stocks.

Learn how you can trade on some of the top stocks in the football industry, including clubs, sponsors, and broadcasters.

Learn how to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies through the stock market. Discover some of the top crypto stocks.

Discover some of the top stocks to watch within the oil and gas industry, including BP, Chevron, Petrofac and ExxonMobil.

Discover how to find the best-performing biotech stocks when investing. In this article, we cover a list of biotech stocks to watch.

Discover some of the top gold stocks right now, including Newmont, Barrick Gold and Franco-Nevada.

Meme stocks represent companies that have gained viral attention from social media platforms such as Reddit.

The stock market saw a sudden rise in SPAC listings over 2020. Discover future SPACs and SPAC mergers.

Growth stocks are shares of companies that are expected to grow sales and earnings at a faster rate than the market or industry average.

Discover which UK tech companies are booming in the industry right now. Learn how to trade on UK tech stocks.

Read our list of the top financial stocks, from investment and retail banks to payment processors and cryptocurrency exchanges.

Learn how to identify cyclical stocks on our award-winning platform and choose from a wide range of sectors to explore.

Find out what makes a stock a potential candidate for intraday speculation. See a list of day trading stocks that investors may be interested in right now.

Discover some of the top space stocks and ETFs right now that are involved in space exploration, mining and technology.

Discover our list of silver exploration and mining stocks to watch, including Newmont, First Majestic and Polymetal.

Learn about defensive stocks, which often outperform the stock market in times of economic turmoil.

See a list of growing hydrogen stocks to watch as the world moves to cleaner energy production.

Learn how to get involved with a new and growing technology trend, artificial intelligence (AI).

See some of the top defence stocks you could be watching in order to take advantage of large government spending in the industry.

Discover which companies have hit a $1tn market capitalisation, known as the “trillion-dollar club”.

Initial public offerings are a way for traders to invest in the shares of previously private companies.

Browse our list of upcoming IPOs and popular new stocks that will be available to trade.