Contracts for difference are a flexible form of leveraged instrument that can be used to trade based on your view of how the price of an asset is likely to move. They are useful for hedging as well as for exploiting market volatility. But they do come with risks of significant loss so it’s important to protect yourself by putting appropriate risk parameters in place.

By learning to use tools and analysis to judge market sentiment based on numerical measures you can make better, more informed, trading decisions.

Leveraged trading lets you gain exposure to assets for a small amount of their actual cost. This offers the potential for large returns, but it can also lead to large losses. Starting small, having a clear strategy and managing your risks.

Trading has its own terminology. Our jargon-busting glossary makes it clear and easy. Helping you to become familiar with the common terms and trading phrases.

Gold is well known as a ‘safe haven’ asset. But what influences its price over time? Interest rates and inflation, supply and demand and diversification driven central bank buying programmes can be relevant factors?

While renewable energy is on the rise, for now oil remains the lifeblood of the global economy. Driven by the push and pull of global demand oil prices can be volatile and influenced by geopolitical and technical factors.

While currency markets can at times feel irrational, there are some useful indicators out there that can help you get a feel for the likely future direction of travel a currency might take. For example, inflation, retail sales, housing market.

Over confidence, not setting parameters around your positions, falling foul of confirmation bias, being tempted to take short cuts and jumping in to an already crowded trade are all mistakes that all traders can do.

As the central bank for the world’s largest economy, the US Federal Reserve is an influential force, not just on US stock markets but around the world. It may now be focusing on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

With interest rates at record lows, cash savings will struggle to keep up with inflation and many studies show that staying invested on the stock market over the longer term is more likely to lead to good outcomes.

There is a lot to think about financially when buying a house abroad and or work there. The potential impact of currency movements is one of them. The good news is that there are some practical ways to take control.

If you’re on the globe-trotting path this can present practical challenges in managing your finances. Using a service that offers multi-currency banking, investing and trading all through a single account is your way.

The fees you pay when investing can make a big difference to what you might get back over the longer term. If you want to maximise your return potential, it’s important to factor all costswhen making decisions.

Currency can affect investment returns in a number of ways, from corporate profitability to the value of dividend payments But currency fluctuations can also be a source of opportunity.

At times of crisis, thoughts may turn to ‘safe havens’ for your money. The US Dollar, the Japanese Yen and the Swiss Franc have each developed a reputation for typically holding their value during uncertainty times.

We can sometimes be our own worst enemies when it comes to investing for the longer-term. Fortunately, there are several practical steps we can take to protect ourselves.

If you transfer money frequently between countries or often pay for goods and services in different currencies, you may benefit from a multi-currency bank account.

From gaining exposure to the potential trillion dollar corporate stars of the future to executing effective hedging strategies, being internationally minded can help you to maximise your opportunities and manage your risk.

When living and working abroad and managing your finances across borders and currencies it’s easy to end up paying more than you need to in exchange rates and other currency transaction costs.