What are Stock CFDs
CFD stands for Contract For Difference. It is a non-exchange traded financial product that tracks the performance of the underlying asset. This means that a share CFD can be traded for you in the same way as a share, with the difference that you do not own the share itself. This offers you the advantage that you only have to deposit a fraction of the capital that would be required for the purchase (or sale) of a share as collateral for the purchase or sale of a share CFD.
At CapTrader you can trade CFDs on more than 7,000 stocks from all major exchanges worldwide. The table below gives you an overview of the available stock CFDs in each country. In addition to the components of the most significant stock indices in each case, CapTrader offers you the opportunity to trade liquid small cap stocks.
Transparent & Fair Price Setting
At CapTrader we guarantee you a transparent quote for all CFDs, which is identical to the price of the respective share. When buying or selling a stock CFD, IB secures itself as a broker in the underlying, which guarantees that no conflict of interest arises.
In the case of a long position, a rising share price results in a profit for you, as the buyer of the share CFD, on the one hand; on the other hand, it results in a profit for the broker in the underlying share, which is passed on to you as the holder of the CFD. The same applies to a short position.
Popular Overview of equity CFDs
At CapTrader, an enormous variety of stocks from all over the world are available for you to trade via CFD. Below you will find an overview of some of the most popular stock CFDs.
Germany
USA
Asia
CFDs vs. the underlying shares
Depending on your trading goals and trading style, CFDs offer you a number of advantages compared to trading stocks, but also certain disadvantages:
Advantages of CFDs
Disadvantages of CFDs
Equity CFDs for Trade best price
As of: 08/14/2026
Contract interest is calculated daily for all open CFD positions held at the close of trading.
Starting August 1, 2018 an additional spread of 1% will be added to the rates below for clients classified as retail clients under MIFID.
| CFD Stocks Country | Currency | Commission | Minimum | Debit Interest for Long Positions | Credit Interest for Short Positions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurozone | EUR | 0.10% | 4.00 EUR | 4.703% | 0% |
| USA | USD | 1 cent per CFD | 2.00 USD | 6.13% | 1.13% |
| Australia | AUD | 0.05% | 6.00 AUD | 6.73% | 1.73% |
| Switzerland | CHF | 0.10% | 4.00 CHF | 2.5% | -1.765% |
| Czech republic | CZK | 0.25% | 100.00 CZK | 7.538% | 0% |
| Denmark | DKK | 0.10% | 60.00 DKK | 4.233% | 0% |
| UK | GBP | 0.10% | 4.00 GBP | 6.21% | 1.21% |
| Japan | JPY | 0.10% | 500.00 JPY | 3.049% | -0.951% |
| Norway | NOK | 0.10% | 60.00 NOK | 6.554% | 1.554% |
| Sweden | SEK | 0.10% | 40.00 SEK | 4.096% | 0% |
Favorable margin requirements for CFDs
CFDs are global products and are not associated with any particular country or region. The section below explains the margin requirements, but these may be subject to change depending on the regulations of regional regulators.
Powerful CFD trading tools
Our trading platforms offer a wide range of functions for CFD trading that meet the needs of different CFD traders. Whether you want to trade directly via the most powerful platform, the Trader Workstation (short: TWS), the FXTrader or flexibly via the CapTrader App, with our trading platforms you trade CFDs at any place and at any time as you want.
Trading platform stable even in turbulent stock market times
Free professional trading tools
Excellent trading app available for iOS & Android
CapTrader - Your CFD broker for traders who want more
Trade CFDs through CapTrader with Direct Market Access (DMA). As an established online broker, we guarantee very low fees, narrow spreads and favorable financing costs for contracts for difference, regardless of whether you want to speculate on rising or falling prices of the underlying.
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) are derivatives and are only suitable for very well-informed investors who are aware that the increased opportunities are also associated with increased risks. A derivative or derivative security is a security whose value or performance depends on the performance of one or more underlying assets. The performance of a CFD on the Apple share, for example, will always depend on the development of the price of the Apple share.
Open a securities account now and use Trade CFDs professionally
At CapTrader you can trade CFDs on more than 7,000 stocks from all major exchanges worldwide.
Trade stock CFDs just as if you were trading stocks and benefit from more favorable margin requirements compared to stock trading.
Frequently asked questions about the Shares CFD trading
For more information, please visit our Help Center
How do stock CFDs work?
Trading a stock CFD works exactly the same for you as trading a stock. CapTrader hedges your trade by a corresponding purchase or sale of the underlying stock on the stock exchange. Instead of the full amount, you only have to deposit a fraction of it as collateral (margin). For this, you will be charged daily financing costs (interest). As a stock CFD broker, CapTrader only earns money through the interest charged and does not profit if you incur losses.
What is the difference between a stock and a stock CFD?
Buying a stock CFD is a kind of contract between you and the broker. As a broker, CapTrader assures you to pay out the difference between the buying and selling price (in case of a price gain). However, you do not physically own the stock and therefore do not have the rights associated with owning a stock. Your advantage is that you receive more favorable margin rates when trading CFDs and thus less capital is tied up than when buying a share.
Do I have to pay interest daily when trading CFDs?
For open long positions, daily interest will be charged to your securities account. For open short positions, interest is usually credited to your securities account on a daily basis, except in cases where there is a negative contract interest rate. If the contract interest rate is negative, your securities account will be debited with this interest.
What are the margin requirements for a stock CFD?
The margin for CFDs consists of the specifications of the broker and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), whereby the higher requirements are applied in each case. As with other investment products, the margin changes according to the current risk assessment of the broker. Therefore, you will always be shown the current margin requirement before placing your order.
Will I receive a dividend if the share of the CFD pays it out?
If you hold CFDs on this share on the ex-dividend day, you will automatically receive the dividend as a credit to your CapTrader account. This credit of the cash amount is of course free of charge for you.
What is a DMA Broker?
Pure CFD brokers usually act as so-called market makers (MM brokers) and thereby determine the trading volume and the prices at which securities are bought (ask price) and sold (bid price) themselves. The disadvantage for the customer is that in practice it is not always transparent how the broker's pricing is carried out. Also, this type of pricing then occasionally results in strong price swings (the so-called spikes), which do not occur on the exchange where the underlying security of the CFD is traded. CapTrader, as a DMA broker (DMA=Direct Market Access), on the other hand, allows its clients to trade directly in the order book of the lead exchange. DMA trading with CFDs therefore means that you trade with the same tight spreads that the underlying (the stock, the index, etc.) has on the reference exchange. As a transparent and fair DMA broker, we do not charge markups or artificially widen spreads. This is therefore very advantageous for you as a customer when trading leveraged contracts for difference, as even the smallest changes in the spread can have a strong impact on possible profits or losses due to the leverage.
What are the requirements for CFD Margins?
The margin for CFDs consists of the specifications of the broker and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), whereby the higher requirements are applied in each case. As with other investment products, the margin changes according to the current risk assessment of the broker. Therefore, you will always be shown the current margin requirement before placing your order.
What market data is needed for stock CFD trading?
The price of the stock CFD is equal to the quoted price of the underlying stock on the stock exchange. The CFD price quotes are in fact identical to the Smart routed Price quotes for shares that you can observe in the Trader Workstation (TWS). The following market data packages are therefore required for live quotes:
| Country | Package name | Costs per month (non-professional) | Costs per month (Professional) | Notes for professionals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | NYSE (Network A/CTA) Top-of-Book (L1) - Invoicing by Interactive Brokers | 1.50 USD | 45.00 USD | 7 |
| USA | AMEX (Network B/CTA) Top-of-Book (L1) | 1.50 USD | 23.00 USD | 7 |
| USA | NASDAQ (Network C/UTP) Top-of-Book (L1) | 1.50 USD | 23.00 USD | 7 |
| Germany | Cash market Germany (Frankfurt/Xetra) Top-of-Book (L1) | 16.25 EUR | 60.00 EUR | 8,9 |
| Germany | Stuttgart Stock Exchange incl. Euwax (SWB) | 5.50 EUR | 8.00 EUR | 8,9 |
| Germany | Turquoise ECNs Level 1 | 6.00 GBP | 7.25 GBP | 8,9 |
| Germany | European equities (BATS/Chi-X) Book depth (L2) | Fee waived | 10.00 USD | 2,6 |
| Germany | SIX Swiss Exchange Book Depth (L2) | 10.00 CHF | 96.50 CHF | - |
| Austria | Vienna Stock Exchange - Top-of-Book (L1) + Indices | 3.50 EUR | Available as Vienna Stock Exchange Level 1 plus Vienna Stock Exchange indices | - |
| Great Britain | LSE UK Top-of-Book (L1) | 5.00 GBP | 50.00 GBP | - |
| Great Britain | Turquoise ECNs Level 1 | 6.00 GBP | 7.25 GBP | - |
2 Contains the best bid/ask quotes (top-of-book quotes) for CBOT, CME, COMEX, and NYMEX
6 accounts must generate at least 30 USD in commissions per user with a subscription.
7 Subscribing to AMEX (Network B/CTA) enables clients to use smart routing for AMEX and ARCA listed shares.
8 A subscription to "NYSE ArcaBook Depth of Book (L2)" provides clients with insight into ARCA Depth of Book quotes and only allows clients to view the best bid/ask quotes (top-of-book bid/ask) when routing their quote directly to ARCA. To receive the latest quotes, customers need a subscription to AMEX (Network B/CTA).
9 Floor-based data usually only include the last sale price, as bid/ask quotes are rarely available.