Foreign exchange
Currencies are quoted in pairs, and each quote sets one currency against another. It is the deepest of the five markets, and it trades from Sunday evening to Friday evening without a break.
What moves it: interest rate differentials, inflation, central bank policy, and labour and growth data.
Commodities
Precious and industrial metals, and energy. You can take a directional position, or hold one as a hedge against inflation or a weaker currency. A hedge does not always work.
What moves it: supply and demand, inventories, the dollar, and geopolitical risk.
Crypto
Major digital assets, quoted through the weekend and on public holidays. Crypto never closes, so a position stays exposed while the other four markets are shut.
What moves it: exchange flows, regulation, positioning and liquidity.
Indices
One position gives you a view on a whole market instead of a single issuer. You keep the sector and economic exposure and lose the single-name risk.
What moves it: constituent earnings, interest rates, macroeconomic data.
Shares
A contract for difference on a single company. You never buy or hold the share, so a short opens on the same terms as a long. No voting right or dividend entitlement arises, beyond what the contract terms reflect.
What moves it: results and guidance, sector news, and revisions to analyst estimates.
Risk
Every instrument on this page is leveraged. A move against you can take the margin behind the position and, in a fast or gapping market, more than that. Your exposure depends on position size, the leverage you select, and whether you attach a stop.
Risk management