Shares trading FAQs
- What shares 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?
- 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?
- When can I trade Magnificent 7 markets?
- What are the Magnificent 7 stocks?
- What is the IPO Market Cap ($1b)?
- How does the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market settle?
- Is the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market the same as trading company shares?
- Where can I find the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market on the platform?
What shares can I trade at FOREX.com?
You can access over 4,500 of the most popular company shares as CFDs with a FOREX.com account and over 400 on MT5. Learn more from our shares trading page.
Which platforms can I trade shares/equities on?
Shares trading is available on the proprietary FOREX.com platforms and MetaTrader 5.
You can request an MT5 account via the Account tab in MyAccount by selecting 'Add an
additional account’. Once the request is approved you will receive an email confirming the account
information.
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.
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.
When can I trade Magnificent 7 markets?
We offer trading on Magnificent 7 stocks as a CFD during normal US exchange hours, typically from 2:30pm to 9pm GMT, Monday to Friday.
In addition, we offer extended hours markets for the Magnificent 7, which are available to trade as a CFD 24hrs a day, between Monday 9am and Friday 10pm GMT.
What are the Magnificent 7 stocks?
The Magnificent 7, or commonly known as Mag7, is comprised of seven of the largest tech companies globally. Alphabet, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla make up the Magnificent 7.
What is the IPO Market Cap ($1b)?
The IPO Market Cap ($1b) is a CFD market that lets you speculate on what an upcoming IPO market capitalization for a given company could be when or if it lists.
The price is quoted in USD billions. For example, if the market is priced at 350, this represents a potential market capitalization of USD 350 billion.
How does the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market settle?
If a given company completes their IPO, open positions will be settled against the company’s official market capitalization at the close of its first day of trading.
If the IPO is delayed, canceled, or the listing terms change, the CFD market may be adjusted, suspended or closed in line with our pricing and market procedures.
Is the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market the same as trading company shares?
No. You are not buying the actual stock and you will not receive shareholder rights, voting rights or dividends.
This CFD market lets you take a position on the company’s potential valuation before it lists. If it goes public, the company’s share CFDs may become available separately on the platform.
Where can I find the IPO Market Cap ($1b) market on the platform?
Log into your account and search for a given company’s IPO Market Cap ($1b) instrument or find it in Popular Markets.
You can view the latest trading hours, margin, dealing details, and charges in the market information panel before placing your trade.