Stocks Trading FAQs
- What stocks can I trade at FOREX.com?
- Which platforms can I trade stocks/equities on?
- What are stocks CFDs?
- Can I go short on stocks CFDs?
- I cannot find the share that I want to trade in. How can I request to add it?
- What is the margin for stocks trading?
- What are borrowing costs?
- When will I receive or pay a dividend adjustment?
- What is a corporate action?
- Do corporate actions affect my account?
- How do corporate actions work on hedged trades?
- Where can I find the contract details for CFD markets?
- Why do my CFD charts look different from the pricing on the exchange?
- How are CFD prices determined?
- Is the CFD market the same as the exchange market?
- Why don’t I see historical data on my FOREX.com charts?
- Why isn’t my chart’s candles’ Opening and Closing prices lining up with one another?
What stocks can I trade at FOREX.com?
You can access thousands of global stocks as CFDs at FOREX.com. Learn more from our stock trading with CFDs page.
Which platforms can I trade stocks on?
Stocks trading via CFDs is available on FOREX.com platforms and MetaTrader 5.
What are stocks CFDs?
A CFD, or contract for difference, is an agreement to exchange the difference between the opening and closing price of the position under contract, rather than buying and selling the underlying security outright.
Can I go short on stocks CFDs?
Yes, you can go either long or short on top companies from around the world.
I cannot find the company that I want to trade in. How can I request to add it?
If you would like to add a stock, you will need to email [email protected] stating the name or ticker code. Your request will be reviewed by our Trade Desk.
What is the margin for stocks trading?
Margins for stocks vary depending on account type and stocks.
For more information on retail accounts, you may refer to Stocks on our Markets page.
What are borrowing costs?
Borrowing costs are incurred when you short a stocks CFD position, and reflect a charge incurred in the underlying market when the underlying asset is borrowed in order to sell and return at a later date. Very few markets will incur a borrowing charge, and to determine whether the market you wish to trade has borrowing costs or not, please check the relevant Key Market Information or Market 360 in the FOREX.com desktop platform.
When will I receive or pay a dividend adjustment?
Dividend adjustments are normally made on the ex-dividend date.
What is a corporate action?
A corporate action is an event initiated by a company that will affect all positions in that market. Some of these will have a direct action on the price such as dividends, some are indirect such as stocks splits and some have little to no impact such as a name change.
Do corporate actions affect my account?
Yes, your account is subject to any corporate actions occurring in the underlying market. All corporate actions (excluding dividends) will be emailed to you prior to the event. This is known as the instruction date. Depending on the corporate action, you may have to make a decision about positions on your account. You will have until the instruction deadline date noted in the email to decide. Corporate actions are free of commission.
Please note that in the event of any positions being closed and reopened, working orders will be cancelled.
How do corporate actions work on hedged trades?
Corporate actions will be applied on a per-trade basis, not as an overall value.
Where can I find the contract details for CFD markets?
On the FOREX.com downloadable platform, CFD specifications will located in the Key Market Information (the "i" box) available for each market.
On Web Trader contract details would be in the Market 360.
On MetaTrader, CFD contract details will be found in the Product Details page under Trader Toolkit.
Why do my CFD charts look different from the pricing on the exchange?
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) are traded Over-the-Counter (OTC), meaning they are not directly traded on an exchange. While CFDs are based on the underlying asset (which is often exchange-listed), the pricing can differ slightly due to broker markups or markdowns.
How are CFD prices determined?
The price of a CFD is based on the underlying asset’s price, but the broker may apply adjustments to account for factors like spreads and liquidity. This means that while the underlying asset’s price on the exchange serves as a benchmark, the CFD price might not reflect it exactly.
Is the CFD market the same as the exchange market?
No, CFD trading creates a new market that is based on the underlying asset but can have slight pricing differences due to broker adjustments. It’s a separate market from the exchange-listed asset itself.
Why don’t I see historical data on my FOREX.com charts?
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) are not offered on a centralized exchange. CFDs are financial derivatives that allow traders to speculate on the price movements of an asset, such as stocks, indices, forex, or commodities, without owning the underlying asset. Since FOREX.com is the broker, we may not have access to historical data on the asset prior to the creation of the CFD contract. As more historical data becomes available, the chart will be updated to reflect that.
If you're trading a CFD without historical data, you can connect your FOREX.com account with TradingView to view the exchange-listed version for reference only.
Why isn’t my chart’s candles’ Opening and Closing prices lining up with one another?
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) are not offered on a centralized exchange. The prices you see on the chart may not represent the actual prices of the exchange-listed market, but you should expect the price movement to be very similar.
If you're trading a CFD with irregular chart candles, you can connect your FOREX.com account with TradingView to view the exchange-listed version for reference only.