Indices Trading FAQs

With FOREX.com, you can trade US SP 500, UK 100, Germany 30 and more as CFDs. Click here to view our range of indices.

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.

FOREX.com is compensated by the spread, which is the difference between the bid and ask prices. View our live spreads.

In addition, you may be charged a nightly finance charge if you hold a position overnight, after 5pm ET.

With most CFDs, financing is debited for long positions or credited for short positions daily if you are in a position at 5pm ET.

These charges are typically calculated as follows:

F=(S x P x R)/D

• F - Daily Financing Charge
• S - Number of CFDs (2500)
• P - Closing Price
• R - Relevant 1-month LIBOR rate, +250 basis points for long positions or -250 basis points for short positions, e.g. (4.50% + 2.50%) = 7.00%
• D - Number of days, i.e. 365 for UK shares and 360 for all others

Read more about our trade prices

Index CFD cash markets are non-expiring markets, however all of our index CFD Futures markets do expire.

You can find more information through Key Market Information directly on the desktop download platform. There is an "i" icon for each market.

You can also find this information on the WebTrader's Market 360 section.

When a CFD Futures market expires, we close all open positions based on our most recent prices and all open orders are cancelled. To retain your open positions in a market, you must manually open a new position in the next contract month. You may also set the position to Autoroll prior to executing the position/order. When you launch the deal ticket, you will see a tick box option to Auto-Rollover. This box is located next to your "Direction" selection. If you tick this box, your futures contract will automatically roll to the next contract when it expires. Please note that autoroll is not available on the MetaTrader platform.

Margins for indices vary according to the market and type of account.

For more information on a specific market, please check the Key Market Information or Market 360 within the trading platform.

The 7-Day US SP 500 and 7-Day US Tech 100 are standalone index cash CFD products that are available during standard weekday trading hours and remain open most of Saturday and Sunday, allowing you to react to geopolitical, economic, and market-moving events outside traditional exchange market hours. Trading pauses for a short period on Sunday before weekday market pricing resumes. 

When can I trade the 7-Day index markets? 

The 7-Day US SP 500 and 7-Day US Tech 100 CFDs are tradeable 7 days a week with the following trading breaks: 

• Sunday to Thursday: from 5 PM ET to 6 PM ET 
• Friday from 5 PM ET, reopening on Saturday at 4 AM ET 

Please review the Market Information Sheet on the platform for exact trading hours. 

How does pricing work? 

During standard market hours, pricing follows our standard index pricing methodology, which references the underlying markets. When the traditional index futures market is closed during the weekend, pricing is derived from alternative index reference markets and other relevant market information available to FOREX.com. Pricing adjustments may be applied to reflect differences between weekend reference markets and the traditional index market. When the traditional index futures market reopens, pricing returns to the standard pricing methodology. 

Weekend spreads may be wider than during standard market hours. In exceptional circumstances, trading may be restricted, paused, or made close-only. 

How do positions work for the 7-Day indices? 

The 7-Day US SP 500 and 7-Day US Tech 100 are separate markets from the standard US SP 500 and US Tech 100 CFDs. Positions, margin requirements, and profit and loss are managed independently, and positions in one market will not offset, transfer to, or roll into the other. 

Why might weekend prices differ from standard weekday prices? 

The traditional index futures market is closed during portions of the weekend. As a result, weekend prices are derived from alternative index reference markets, which may not move in the same way as the traditional market. The 7-Day index price may therefore differ from the final weekday price or from the price available when the traditional index futures market reopens. Trading during the weekend may allow clients to respond to market developments before the traditional index futures market reopens, but it does not eliminate the risk that prices may gap when the traditional markets reopen. 

What events can affect the 7-Day index prices during the weekend? 

Index prices can respond rapidly to developments affecting investor sentiment and expectations for economic growth, interest rates, corporate earnings, and broader financial markets. These may include major economic data releases, central bank announcements, geopolitical events, earnings results from large-cap companies, and other significant market-moving events. These may occur while the underlying futures market is closed and can result in significant price movements. 

Will financing charges apply? 

Yes. Financing is applied to the 7-Day index positions on a daily basis, including weekends. Positions held through the applicable financing cut-off may therefore be subject to a financing adjustment. Please refer to the Market Information Sheet for current financing information. 

Can stop-loss orders be triggered during the weekend? 

Yes. If a stop level is reached based on the price quoted for the 7-Day indices, the order will be triggered as usual. Execution will occur based on available prices in the 7-Day markets at that time. Orders associated with the separate standard US SP 500 and US Tech 100 markets will not be triggered by movements in the 7-Day markets. 

Can trading be restricted or suspended? 

Yes. In exceptional circumstances, including significant market disruption, problems with available reference prices, or other conditions where reliable pricing cannot be maintained, FOREX.com may restrict trading, make the market close-only or one-sided, temporarily suspending trading or withdrawing pricing. In extreme circumstances, you may be unable to close a position until reliable price formation resumes.