Spread Betting With Trading View

Everything You Need to Know About Spread Betting with TradingView

Spread betting’s a go-to for a lot of people in financial trading, especially here in the UK.

And let’s be honest, if the platform’s not user-friendly, most traders won’t stick around.

A clean, easy-to-navigate setup just makes life simpler. With spread betting, you’re basically having an opinion on where a financial instrument is heading, without ever owning the underlying asset.

That’s what makes it so appealing — you get flexibility, options, and you’re not tied down.

For UK traders, it’s even better when the platform’s built with them in mind… proper regulation, access to the right markets, all that good stuff.

Let’s explore further…

Home » Spread Betting with Trading View in the UK

Introduction to Spread Betting

Spread betting’s a pretty common way to get into financial trading.

And one of the big draws is that you can trade at all sorts of financial instruments like stocks, forex, indices, and commodities, without ever owning the underlying asset.

What traders love most about spread betting is the flexibility…

You can take an opinion on whether the market’s going up or down, which makes it a handy tool no matter what the market’s doing. (think Trump!)

Plus, because of leverage, you only need to put up a small chunk of money to control a much bigger position.
Just remember, that cuts both ways — the rewards can be big, but so can the losses.

So before you jump in, make sure you get how spread betting works, understand the markets you’re trading, and have a proper risk plan. That way, you give yourself the best shot at making spread betting work for you without blowing up your trading capital…

Spread Betting for Beginners

If you’re new to spread betting, it’s important to start with the basics and build a strong foundation.

Spread betting involves placing a spread bet on whether the price of a financial instrument, such as a stock, index, or currency pair, will go up or down.

Your profit or loss is determined by how much the market moves in your chosen direction, multiplied by your stake per point. Beginners should take the time to learn key terms like spreads, leverage, and margin requirements, as these are essential to managing their trades effectively.

One of the best ways to get comfortable with spread betting is to open a free spread bet demo account. This allows you to practice trading with virtual funds in real-time market conditions. Such hands-on experience helps develop trading skills and fosters confidence before traders risk their own money in the real markets.

Can you spread bet with Trading View?

Short answer – YES! You can now place trades directly on the Trading View platform, which acts as a trading platform that integrates with various brokers, and these trades will now be treated as a spread bet.

See below for your broker spread betting account options. Some brokers also offer their own proprietary trading platform in addition to Trading View.

Spread betting through Trading View

You’ve long been able to trade CFDs through Trading View, but now you can also benefit from the tax treatment of spread betting and trade directly from your chart without having to switch between platforms.

The UK broker I recommend for spread betting through Trading View is Pepperstone

Open your account using this link, then once open simply connect your Trading View account to Pepperstone using the video above as a guide.

I also did a video covering how to place trades, stops and targets on Trading View below

Type of Spread Bets

Spread betting comes in several forms, each catering to different interests and trading styles.

The most common is financial spread betting, where you speculate on the price movement of financial instruments such as shares, indices, forex pairs, and commodities.

This type of spread bet is popular among traders looking to access a wide range of financial markets without owning the underlying asset.

Each type of spread bet has its own unique features and risk profile, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your trading goals and risk tolerance.

Spread Betting Accounts

To get started with spread betting, you’ll need to open a spread betting account with a trusted broker.

There are many spread betting brokers and providers in the market, each offering a range of features designed to enhance your trading experience.

When choosing a spread betting provider, look for competitive spreads, access to advanced trading tools, and the availability of trading signals to help inform your decisions.

It’s also important to consider the broker’s regulation, customer support, and the range of markets you can access through their platform. Before you open a live account, make sure you fully understand how the product works and whether it fits your trading goals.

Many spread betting platforms offer demo accounts, allowing you to practice trading and get familiar with the platform’s features before committing real funds.

Remember, CFDs are complex instruments and spread betting carries significant risks, including the possibility of losing more than your initial deposit. So, always ensure you understand the risks involved and use robust risk management strategies.

By selecting the right betting broker and making use of demo accounts, you can build your skills and confidence before trading live in the financial spread betting industry.

CFD Trading vs Spread Betting UK

CFDs and spread bets are basically the same thing with a few minor differences.

Both are leveraged products – meaning you can trade on margin, go long or short, and you don’t own the underlying asset. There’s also no stamp duty to pay on share purchases in the UK.

In the ongoing debate of spread betting vs CFD trading, the choice often comes down to tax treatment, product availability, and personal trading goals. UK tax laws make spread betting particularly attractive, as it is generally tax free for UK residents.

When comparing CFDs and spread betting, it’s important to also consider the trading cost. Spreads and other fees can significantly impact your overall profitability, so choosing a broker with competitive rates is crucial.

If you trade in GBP, spread betting can be more cost-effective for UK traders because there are no currency conversion fees when trading UK markets.

Both products offer leverage and tax advantages. Still, betting profits from spread betting are not subject to capital gains tax, making it a popular choice for UK traders who value tax free profits on successful trades.

Spread Betting

CFD Trading

CFD Trading or Spread Betting

If you’re in the UK and your trading to speculate on major market direction. (IE not trying to hedge a portfolio or anything) then you need a good reason to trade CFDs and not UK Spread Bet in my opinion.

So if you’re a day trader or swing trade trying to make some money trading markets like FTSE, DAX, DOW, Nasdaq, GBP, USD, Oil, Gold etc then the tax advantages of spread betting are hard to beat.

If you make £100k you keep £100k (I’m not an accountant and all that, but here’s some info from HMRC about spread betting and tax)

Tax on Spread Betting
Betting and gambling
Financial Spread Betting and Futures

in particular “Though the terminology used in spread betting frequently echoes that of the derivatives market, no assets are acquired or disposed of and no chargeable gains or allowable losses arise from spread betting, see CG12602.”

Is CFD better than spread betting?

If you can’t open a spread betting account. They are usually for UK residents only then a CFD is a great way to speculate on short term price moves.

Holding trades overnight can incur a small charge, so if you were going to hold a trade for months you might be better buying the underlying outright. Do the sums.

But with regard to is CFD better than spread betting… my opinion is no. If you are a UK resident trading the major markets then the tax treatment of a spread bet is tough to beat.

If you have some unusual requirements like trading smaller niche markets not offered as a spread bet, or you want it to be treated as a taxable trade for hedging purposes then yeah maybe CFD is better.

What spread is the best for trading?

The spread is the difference between the bid and the ask. Ie the price you can buy at (ask) and the price you can sell at (bid)
Imagine you had a quote for 7564 – 7565

The bid is 7564 and the ask is 7565

The spread is the difference between the two. In this example 1pt.

So, if you bought £10pp and sold right away, it would cost you £10.
That’s basically how a spread betting broker makes money.
(read here how they used to screw us!)

Ok so the tighter the spread the better right?

Yep – if that spread was 0.5pts then it would cost you a fiver to trade rather than £10

Comparing apples to apples a tighter spread is better.

However…

Make sure the broker you use doesn’t slip your trades.

What is slippage?

And what I mean by slipping your trades or slippage, is moving the price from the moment you click the buy button to the time you get a fill.

In a fast market you’ll often get slippage on market orders.

That’s because a market order is an instruction to buy at the best price, and that best price may well have moved by the time your little electrical signal goes from your PC, down the street, to the green cabinet, down the line (you get the idea…)

So getting slipped is part of the game when trading quickly or scalping.

But if you’re always getting slipped for a worse price, then a tight spread is meaningless!

eg: You hit buy when the price is 7565 and get filled at 7566. You paid an extra point!

Like I said, it’s normal but a good broker will also give you a price improvement if that happens.

eg: You hit buy when the price is 7565 and get filled at 7564. You got a 1pt discount.

The market moved down in the time it took for your order to hit the market.

A good broker will give you the best possible price. (in fact I think they are legally bound to do so, I dunno I’m not a broker)

Anyway. Tight spread is good, as long as you get good execution too!

Is Spread Betting Risky?

Yes it is.

I won’t sugar coat it. You have a good chance of losing your money. So it pays to trade small and take your time when you start out. No need to rush into things.

Most brokers let you trade 10p a point, so you only need to risk very small amounts whilst you are learning.

Use a demo at first to get used to how everything works, how the market moves and how spread betting itself works.

But with great risk comes great potential reward right?

Margin and leverage give the trader a chance of making some big returns. But at the price of very high risk.

Most traders lose money, so go into this game with your eyes wide open and only risk money you can afford to lose.

Learn the ropes and scale up over time. (I’ve got loads of free resources to help you out, daily email, blog and webinars on specific topics.)

Is CFD trading risky?

Yep, my answer to this one is exactly the same as is spread betting risky?

It is. Anytime you are trading on margin or with leverage, things can move fast. That means losses and wins.

Of course you want it to be the wins, but just know how quickly losses can stack up.

Trade small.

Is Spread Betting Legal?

Yes!

I don’t know where this weird question comes from!

Perfectly legal, operated by regulated brokers (some of which are listed on the stock exchange)

Don’t let the name spread betting put you off. It’s simply a tax efficient way of speculating on market movements.

Just like a CFD, or futures contract.

Best Spread Betting Platform UK

This is a good question.

Now you can spread bet via Trading View that is a game changer. I really think Trading View is a great charting platform. The free version is more than adequate and even the top tier package is low priced.

I remember paying silly amounts each month for simple charting 20 years ago…

But what else is there?

A lot of brokers build their own platforms.
IG and CMC both have a custom solution.

That comes with pros and cons.

The pros are that it’s geared up for trading from.

The cons are that you generally don’t have the suit of add ons and scripts you get with platforms that accommodate other brokers.

Try them out on a demo for yourself and test drive the different platforms.

Trading platforms include: (some of these you can’t spread bet through)

MT4
MT5
CTrader
Pro Real Time
Ninja Trader
Tradovate
MultiCharts
Tradestation