CFD rates & conditions

Russell 2000 to be available for trading from 1st March

Saxo Bank is expanding its strong lineup of Index Tracking CFDs with the addition of the US 2000 CFD following the price of 2000 small-cap US stocks. The new Index Tracker CFDs will be available for online trading from 1st March. More information is available under CFD Index Trading Conditions on Saxo trading platforms.

The US 2000 Index Tracker CFD follow the price of the underlying futures contract and trades with the future’s market spread with a small markup. There are no other fees or commissions when trading this CFDs, however, a small minimum trade size apply. Compared to the underlying futures contract the CFD carry a significantly lower margin requirement - giving you full flexibility when managing your portfolio.

CLOSING AUCTION SUPPORT FOR SINGLE STOCK CFDS

For Single Stock CFDs in Europe and APAC (all non US) where Saxo Bank acts as a Market Maker, from 1st February client orders in these instruments will be onwards routed to the exchange closing auction by the order management system and participate in the closing auction on the exchange. Also, orders placed after continuous trading ends, and before the auction uncrosses, will no longer be queued for next day but onwards routed to participate in the uncrossing. Orders places after the uncrossing will be queued for next trading day opening.

CFDs ON PRAGUE STOCK EXCHANGE

Saxo Bank is pleased to announce the launch of Czech CFDs on the Prague Stock Exchange on 12th December. Saxo Bank also offers free Live prices to non-professional subscribers making at least 4 Single Stock CFD trades/month on the Prague Stock Exchange.

CFDs ON THE JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE

Saxo Bank is pleased to announce the launch of Single Stock CFDs from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange enabled for trading on the 17th of October. This is the first African exchange offered by Saxo Bank. Due to regulatory issues, South African Single Stock CFDs and Stocks are offered to offshore clients only.

Reduced CFD margin requirement on the first EUR 300,000 of collateral

When trading Category 1 and 2 CFDs with Saxo Bank, margin requirements are halved on the first EUR 300,000 (or equivalent) collateral. This includes index-tracking CFDs. Tier 1 CFDs will therefore require a margin of 2% and Tier 2 CFDs will require a margin of 5% on the first EUR 300,000 of collateral. Normal margin rates will apply to all investment collateral over EUR 300,000 (or equivalent) and to CFDs rated as category 3 or higher. For a full list of applicable CFDs, refer to Category 1 and 2 CFDs on the CFD Trading Conditions page in the trading platform or on the website.

NOTE THAT WITH REDUCED CFD MARGIN REQUIREMENTS, CLIENTS HAVE AN INCREASED EXPOSURE TO RISK.

Saxo Bank CFD Markets

Saxo Bank currently offers CFDs on the following exchanges:

Region Exchange Name Commission Minimum commission CFD Financing (long/short)
North America American Stock Exchange (AMEX)* 2 cents per share USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
North America NASDAQ Global Markets (NASDAQ NM) 2 cents per share USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
North America NASDAQ Capital Markets (NASDAQ SC) 2 cents per share USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
North America New York Stock Exchange 2 cents per share USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
North America NYSE ARCA (NYSE_ARCA) 2 cents per share USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
North America Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) 3 cents per share CAD 25.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX) 0.30% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Budapest Stock Exchange (BUD) 0.50% HUF 6,000 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Euronext Amsterdam (AMS) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Euronext Brussels (BRU) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Euronext Lisbon (LISB) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Euronext Paris (PAR) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Frankfurt Stock Exchange - Xetra (FSE) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe London Stock Exchange (LSE) 0.10% GBP 8.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe London International Exchange (LSE_INTL) 0.10% USD 20.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Milano Stock Exchange (MIL) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe OMX Copenhagen (CSE) 0.10% DKK 65.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe OMX Helsinki (HSE) 0.10% EUR 10.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe OMX Stockholm (SSE) 0.10% SEK 65.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Olso Stock Exchange (OSE) 0.10% NOK 65.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Prague Stock Exchange 0.25% CZK 500 3pp/-4.5pp
Europe Sistema De Interconexion Bursatil Espanol (SIBE) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Swiss Exchange (SWX + VX) 0.10% CHF 18.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Vienna Stock Exchange (VIE) 0.10% EUR 12.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Europe Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) 0.25% PLN 65.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Asia Pacific Australian Stock Exchange LTD. (ASX) 0.10% AUD 10.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Asia Pacific Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEY)** 0.25% HKD 90.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Asia Pacific Singapore Exchange Secirities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) 0.20% SGD 17.00 3pp/-2.5pp
Asia Pacific Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO) 0.15% JPY 1,000.00 3pp/-2.5pp
South Africa*** Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) 0.25% ZAR 100 4.5pp/-3pp

*Due to limited liquidity in the exchange order book, market orders are not supported on this exchange as the fill price can vary considerably from the indicated market price. Use Limit Orders instead to guarantee the minimum price for your order.

**Automated trading from 09:30-16:30 with a break between 12:00 - 13:30.

*** South African Stocks and Single Stock CFDs are not available to residents of South Africa due to regulatory issues.

Stock CFD Margins

Stock CFDs are offered under a number of margin groups with margin requirements that depend on the Market Capitalisation, liquidity and volatility of the stock.

Refer to CFD Margin Groups for which margin group a particular stock is currently traded under.

You must maintain funds in your account to cover your CFD exposure at all times.

INDEX CFDS

Index CFDs are over-the-counter products with a price established by Saxo Bank. Index CFDs aim to reflect the fair value of the underlying index, but the actual bid and ask price may differ slightly from the actual index level.

Index CFD spreads

Index CFDs are traded on the index level with the following bid/ask spreads.

Stock Index Symbol code Spread* Trading Hours** CFD Financing (long/short)
Netherlands 25 AEX.I 0.25 08:01-21:55 3pp/-2.5pp
Australia 200 ASXSP200.I 1.5 10:10-16:25 3pp/-2.5pp
France 40 CAC40.I 2 08:01-21:55 3pp/-2.5pp
Germany 30 DAX.I 2 08:01-21:55 3pp/-2.5pp
Denmark 20 DEN20.I 2.5 09:10-16:55 3pp/-2.5pp
US 30 Wall Street DJI.I 4 18:00-16:00 3pp/-2.5pp
UK 100 FTSE100.I 1 07:01-20:55 3pp/-2.5pp
Spain 35 IBEX35.I 8 09:01-17:30 3pp/-2.5pp
Germany Mid-Cap 50 MDAX.I. 15 09:10-17:30 3pp/-2.5pp
US Tech 100 NAS NAS100.I 1 18:00-16:00 3pp/-2.5pp
Japan 225 NI225.I 12 09:01-15:25 &
16:15-00:30
3pp/-2.5pp
Switzerland 20 SMI.I 3 08:01-21:55 3pp/-2.5pp
US SPX500 SP500.I 1 18:00-16:00 3pp/-2.5pp
Italy 40 SPMIB.I 12 09:01-17:25 3pp/-2.5pp
EU Stocks 50 STOXX50E.I 2 08:01-21:55 3pp/-2.5pp
Sweden 30 SWE30.I 0.65 09:01-17:25 3pp/-2.5pp
Belgium 20 BELG20.I 13 09:10-17:30 3pp/-2.5pp
UK Mid 250 FTSE250.I 44 08:10-16:30 3pp/-2.5pp
Norway 25 NOR25.I 1 09:01-17:20 3pp/-2.5pp
Germany Tech 30 TECDAX.I 4.5 09:10-17:30 3pp/-2.5pp
Hong Kong HSI.I 12*** 09:16-16:10**** 3pp/-2.5pp

* Normal market conditions. If the underlying future trades at a spread that is larger than the minimum spread, the Index spread will be increased with the additional spread from the future. Example: Dax.I normal spread is 2 index points if the future spread is 0.5 indicating normal conditions. If the liquidity is low in the future and the spread is 1, the Index spread will be 2 + (1 - 0.5) = 2.5.

** Please note that times noted are local exchange times.

***Available for trading from 1st March 2011.

****Mid-break 12:00-13:00.

CFD Financing credit/debit rates

As CFDs are a margined product, you finance the traded value through an overnight credit/debit charge. When you hold a CFD overnight (i.e. have an open CFD position at close of market on the Stock Exchange or 17:00 New York Time for Index CFDs) your CFD position will consequently be subject to the following credit or debit:

  • When you hold a long CFD position, you are subject to a debit calculated on the basis of the relevant Inter-Bank Offer Rate for the currency in which the underlying share is traded (e.g. LIBOR) plus a mark-up (times Actual Days/360 or Actual Days/365).
  • When you hold a short CFD position, you receive a credit* calculated on the basis of the relevant Inter-Bank Bid Rate for the currency in which the underlying share is traded (e.g. LIBID) minus a mark-down (times Actual Days/360 or Actual Days/365).

The credit/debit is calculated on the total nominal value of the underlying stock(s) at the time the CFD contract is established (whether long or short).

If you open and close a CFD position within one trading day, you are not subject to these credits/debits.

* Should the relevant Inter-Bank Bid Rate minus the mark-down result in a debit as opposed to a credit, then you will pay the finance charge.

Borrowing Costs on Short CFD Overnight Positions

A borrowing cost will be applied to short CFD positions held overnight. This borrowing cost is dependent on the liquidity of the stocks and may be 0 for high liquidity stocks.

The specific borrowing rate for a stock can be seen as the "Borrowing Rate" under "Account > Trading Conditions > CFD Stock/Index Instrument List" in the trading platforms. When selling a CFD, the borrowing cost for holding the position overnight is shown in the CFD Trade module in the "Est. borrowing cost per day" field.

The borrowing rate will be fixed when the position is opened and will be charged on a monthly basis. Please be aware, that for certain corporate action events, the borrowing rate on the short position may be reset to the current rate in the market, upon the execution of the corporate action. Please contact your account manager if you have any questions to a specific corporate action.

Currency conversions

Currency conversions of trading costs as well as profits and losses from trading activities are done using the prevailing close rate as of 17:00 New York time, plus/minus 0.5%.

Short Selling CFDs

When short selling a CFD directly on an exchange (that we do not market-make), you will be affected by the rules for the stock market in that country. For example:

When short selling CFDs, you can experience forced closure of a position if your CFDs get recalled. The risk is particularly high if the stock becomes hard to borrow due to take overs, dividends, rights offerings (and other merger and acquisition activities) or increased hedge fund selling of the stock.

CFDS SHORT-SELLING RESTRICTIONS

Due to market conditions, a number of financial authorities are announcing rule changes that affect short-selling of physical Stocks. These rule changes are put in place to protect the integrity and quality of the securities market and strengthen investor confidence. As a consequence, the changes will affect the short-selling of related CFDs.

It is the client’s responsibility to keep informed about what markets imply restrictions in short-selling. This can be done by contacting local authorities. List of CFDs available for short-selling is available under CFD Trading Conditions on Saxo trading platforms.

Dividends on CFD Positions

Holders of long CFD positions will, when dividends are paid on the underlying share, qualify for a proportional payout. Holders of short CFD positions will have to pay an amount equal to the full (gross) dividend paid on the underlying share.

All cash dividends for CFD positions are settled on pay date. Cash dividends are booked on ex-date to reflect the market price movement on the ex-date, but the actual value of the payment is settled on pay date.

Dividends on CFD positions are cash adjustments paid or debited by Saxo Bank and not by the underlying company. Dividends paid on CFDs are not eligible for any preferential withholding tax rates sometimes associated with dividends paid on physical stocks and may therefore differ from the dividends payable on the underlying share.

Each booking will be issued a reference number for the related positions. You can find each booking in the Activity Log in the Account Menu in SaxoTrader.

Partial Fills

Partial fills may occur on limit orders and the remaining amount stays in the market as a limit order and may be filled within the order duration.

Market orders can be filled at numerous levels, the price paid will be the volume weighted average price of all the fills.

Market Orders

Certain exchanges do not support market orders. If a client places a market order in these markets, Saxo Bank will automatically convert the order to an aggressive limit order within a certain percentage limit “in the money”. The Percentage limit varies between 1% and 4% depending on the exchange and the type of instrument. Please note that it is a client’s responsibility to check if the order is filled in the market after order entry. If clients experience or suspect any errors with their order, they should contact Saxo Bank immediately.
Exchange
American Stock Exchange (AMEX)
Australian Stock Exchange (ASX)
Athens Stock Exchange (AT)
London Stock Exchange (LSE_SETS)
Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE)
OMX Copenhagen (CSE)
OMX Helsinki (HSE)
OMX Stockholm (SSE)
Singapore Exchange (SGX-ST)

In addition, some of our execution brokers may choose to convert market orders on certain exchanges into aggressive limit orders 3% “in the money”. This is due to their internal compliance and is intended to protect clients from unintentionally moving the market.  Saxo Bank will not be responsible for missing fills due to this.

US Stop & Market Orders

For US markets, Saxo Bank uses sweep algorithms to add liquidity from more venues than the primary exchange. This implies that orders can be filled before trading commences on the primary exchange.

CFD market orders placed after 09:30 ET will not be filled before the stock is crossed on the primary exchange.

CFD stop orders are triggered on the primary market price feed and follow the routing rules listed above for market orders. As some stops are handled manually delays can sometimes occur.

Nordic Markets

Orders traded in the Nordic markets (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) are split into an "Even lot" which will be traded, and a remainder which will be routed to the odd-lot book.

When part of an order is routed to the odd-lot book, limit orders will be filled if possible or left on the book until a fill is possible. A market order will be filled immediately if possible, and will otherwise be cancelled (fill or kill principle).

Warsaw Stock Exchange

Broker’s market orders may be submitted to the exchange only during the continuous trading phase, except when balancing occurs. For any such order to be accepted, at least one opposite limit order must be awaiting execution.

A broker’s market order shall be executed at the price of the best opposite buy or, as the case may be, sell order awaiting execution.

Where any market order is partly executed, the unexecuted portion shall become a limit order at the last price.

The commission and margin rates referred to above may vary from time to time especially for very active or inactive customers. Saxo Bank reserves the right to amend the commission rates, brokerage fees, margin rates and interest rates referred to according to the General Business Terms or Trading Agreement covering the client relationship between Saxo Bank and the Client.

Corporate actions

For more information on Corporate actions, please read Corporate Action Calculations.

  • For Australian CFDs, you may experience limitations on the amount of CFDs you can short trade in a single day due to limited borrowing availability in the underlying market.

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