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Long position for CFD at XM explained

Your expert
Eszter Z.
Fact checked by
Adam N.
Updated
3d ago
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Can you take a long position for CFDs at XM as of December 2024?

Yes, you can take a long position for CFDs at XM.

  • You should take a long position if you think the price of the underlying instrument of the CFD will go up.
  • Keep in mind that you will have to pay a financing rate on your leveraged trade on top of other charges.
  • Be aware that leverage not only amplifies your potential profits, but can also multiply your losses.
  • You will be eligible for dividends if you take a long position.

We, at BrokerChooser, want to help you make sense of the brokerage world. Be sure that we only recommend brokers that are regulated by at least one trusted authority, which is the case with XM.

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71.61% of retail CFD accounts lose money

Overall score
4.2/5
Minimum deposit
$5
FX fee
Low
Index CFD fee
Low
Withdrawal fee
$0
Account opening
1 day
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71.61% of retail CFD accounts lose money

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What is a long position?

Trading with CFD (Contract for Difference) allows traders to speculate on an instrument's price changes. If you think an asset's price will go up over time, you'll buy, meaning you will go long. And if you think the price will fall, you'll sell, in other words, you go short.

Taking a long position is more straight-forward and better if you are a beginner than shorting, which is more for pros. If you want to take a long position, you should deep dive into indicators like macroeconomic trends and historical price patterns.

Let's see what type of educational material and other tools are available at XM:

Educational resources availability
XM
📚 Quality educational texts
No Yes Yes
🎥 General educational videos
Yes Yes Yes
🎮 Demo account
Yes Yes Yes

Data updated on December 10, 2024

Be careful because CFDs allow traders to access markets with leverage, meaning they can trade larger positions than their initial capital. While leverage amplifies potential profits, it also magnifies potential losses. At some brokers, you can set your leverage manually, which gives you a better control over your risk.

Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71.61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. .

What fees will I have to pay?

CFD fees are generally made up of the spread, commissions and financing rates charged by the broker. If you plan on holding a position for longer, you might consider trading the underlying asset itself rather than the CFD, as you will definitely have to pay the financing rate which will bite into your potential profits.

The financing rate (also called an overnight rate) is particularly important in CFD trading, it is a time-sensitive cost that adds up as you hold your positions longer. Brokers usually apply different financing rates depending on the underlying asset of the specific CFD.

Also keep in mind that if you have a long position, you are eligible to receive dividend payments. In contrast, if you hold a short position, dividends will be deducted from your brokerage account.

Here is a breakdown of some benchmark fees at XM for different CFD products, compared to the broker's closest competitors. The benchmark fees include all fees (spread, commission, financing rate), calculated for a $2,000 position, with 20:1 leverage: open, hold for 1 week, and close.

Key CFD fees at XM in 2024
XM
S&P 500 index CFD fee
$3.0 $2.6 $3.3
Euro Stoxx 50 index CFD fee
$3.0 $3.1 $2.4
Apple CFD fee
$6.9 $4.3 $3.4
Vodafone CFD fee
$17.5 $6.5 $7.0
EURUSD spread
0.1 1.4 0.1
GBPUSD spread
0.8 1.6 0.5
S&P 500 CFD commission
No commission is charged No commission is charged No commission is charged
Euro Stoxx 50 CFD commission
No commission is charged No commission is charged No commission is charged
CFD score
4.3 stars 4.6 stars 4.7 stars

Data updated on December 10, 2024

What is long position with an example?

Let's assume you have $1000, and you set the leverage at 1:20, and you want to take a long position on CFDs Apple shares. Let’s say the price goes up by 2%.

  1. Calculate the position size: With 1:20 leverage, you can control a position size that is 20 times the value of your investment. So, $1000 multiplied by 20 equals a total position size of $20,000.
  2. Let's assume a price increase by 2%.
  3. With the increase the new size if your position will be $20,400 ($20,000 x 0,02), so the profit will be $20,400 - $20,000 = $400.
  4. You will have to pay the spreads and fees so the final profit will be lower.
  5. The spread is the difference between the buy and sell price of the CFD. If, for example, the spread on Apple CFDs is 0.05% of the trade value, so in this case, the spread would be 0.05% x $20,000 = $10.
  6. If you take a long position, you will have to pay an overnight financing charge on the leverage amount, which typically ranges from 0.1% to 0.5% per day. Let's say the overnight financing charge on Apple CFDs is 0.1% per day. If you hold the position for one week, the financing charge would be 0.1% x 7 days x $19,000 = $133.

Check the table above how much those charges will be with XM.

Be careful as leverage can enhance both potential profits and losses, so it's essential to carefully manage your risk and be aware of the potential for amplified gains or losses when using leverage in CFD trading.

Looking for a CFD broker?

If you are looking for the brokers that offer the best CFD trading conditions, check our top recommendations of the best CFD brokers in the world.

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Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

author
Eszter Zalán
Author of this article
Eszter is a former Editor and Financial Journalist for BrokerChooser. She wrote and edited BrokerChooser's content from 2021 onwards, bringing her more than a decade-long experience in journalism to the team. She has covered world affairs and several financial crises, and dove deep into SEO and coding to make BrokerChooser's content more accessible to users.
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