
Trading on Plus500 can seem intimidating at first, but with the right guidance, you'll be executing trades in no time. The platform offers over 2,000 tradable assets, including CFDs on forex, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.
To get started, you'll need to open an account with Plus500, which requires a minimum deposit of $100. This deposit will be used as your trading capital, so make sure you're comfortable with the risk involved.
The good news is that Plus500 offers a user-friendly trading platform that's accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. You can even practice trading with a demo account before risking real money, which is a great way to get a feel for the platform.
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A Step-by-Step Guide
To start trading on Plus500, it's essential to decide on the right market to trade. This first step in building an effective trading plan is crucial for success.
Starting with a market you have some prior understanding of is a great place to begin. This will help you devise a strategy that identifies relevant and potentially profitable trading opportunities.
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Knowing how and why markets move is extremely valuable in trading. This knowledge will help you anticipate market fluctuations and make informed decisions.
Familiarity with past market events and economic factors that influence them is also key. This will give you a better understanding of what to expect and how to adapt your strategy accordingly.
Identifying relevant trading opportunities is a crucial part of the process. By understanding the market and its potential events and economic factors, you'll be able to spot opportunities that others may miss.
Trading Basics
Plus500 is a CFD trading platform, not a stock broker, where you trade the price of an asset without directly buying it.
CFDs typically have lower fees compared to buying investments directly.
They also offer more advanced trading options, making them super popular among traders worldwide.
You can trade on Plus500's user-friendly platform across web, desktop, and mobile devices.
The platform is an excellent choice for beginners in futures trading, and it's a good idea to start with the unlimited demo account for a risk-free simulated trading experience.
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How It Works
Trading platforms like Plus500 offer a way to trade assets without buying them directly. Plus500 is a CFD trading platform, not a stock broker.
CFDs, or Contracts For Differences, allow you to trade the price of an asset without owning it. This means you're trading on the price movement, not the asset itself.
CFDs typically have fewer fees compared to buying and owning assets directly. This is because you're not paying for ownership, just the price movement.
With CFDs, you can access more advanced trading options. This is because you're not limited by the traditional buying and selling process.
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Buying or Selling
You can choose which markets are right for your trading strategy from the wide range of available shares, forex pairs, soft and hard commodities, options, and stock market indices on Plus500. This variety allows you to diversify your trades and increase your chances of making a profit.
Research and analysis are critical when it comes to choosing the right market to trade and the best time to open a position. You must ensure that you have a deep understanding of market trends, traders' sentiments, and volatility before you decide to trade in a live environment.
Market trends can be influenced by various factors, including economic indicators, global events, and seasonal fluctuations. It's essential to stay informed and adapt your trading strategy accordingly.
To make informed decisions, you need to identify the issues and events that could drive price movement in the market. This will help you determine how these factors may impact your trading decisions.
Plus500 offers a wide range of markets to trade, including shares, forex pairs, and commodities. You can choose the ones that best fit your trading strategy and risk tolerance.
By understanding the market and its trends, you can make more informed decisions and increase your chances of success in trading.
Popular Indicators
Bollinger Bands is a popular indicator tool that plots two standard deviations (positive and negative) away from the average price of an underlying instrument, allowing you to adjust it to suit your preferences.
Bollinger Bands can be used to gauge market volatility and identify potential breakouts.
The Moving Average indicator smooths out price data to show the overall trend of an instrument, providing a clear picture of market direction.
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) is a momentum indicator that measures the difference between two moving averages, helping traders identify potential trend reversals.
RSI (Relative Strength Index) measures the magnitude of recent price changes to determine overbought or oversold conditions.
Volume Underlay helps traders visualize the relationship between price and volume, providing valuable insights into market sentiment.
Moving Average Deviation is another indicator that measures the difference between the moving average and the current price, helping traders gauge market volatility.
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Deposit Bonus
The deposit bonus offered by Plus500 US is a great way to boost your trading funds. You can receive up to $200 in bonus money with your first deposit.
This bonus allows you to trade without paying commissions until the deposit amount is used up. It's a fantastic opportunity to get started with trading without incurring extra costs.
The bonus only applies to your first deposit, so make sure to take advantage of it on your initial deposit. You can then see the bonus amount reflected in your trading account and on your Funds Management screen.
Pros and Cons
As you start trading, you'll want to consider the pros and cons of a particular platform. Plus500, for instance, is known for its great trading experience.
Their mobile app is also top-notch, making it easy to trade on the go. Plus500's unique features, such as +Insights, can give you an edge in the market.
One of the biggest advantages of Plus500 is its low cost overall. You'll also find a good range of investment options available.
Their customer service is excellent, and you can even get a free and unlimited demo account to practice trading without risk.
Here are some of the key pros of trading with Plus500:
- Great trading experience
- Great mobile app
- Unique features (+Insights)
- Low cost overall
- Good range of investment options
- Excellent customer service
- Free and unlimited demo account
- Trustworthy and reliable
I've personally found that having a trustworthy and reliable platform makes all the difference in my trading experience.
Overnight Margins
Overnight Margins can be a bit confusing, but essentially, Plus500 US doesn't charge any fees for holding a position overnight.
However, 15 minutes prior to the end of the trading day, the full margin requirement applies to positions. You can view these margin requirements under 'instrument details' in the WebTrader platform.
This means you'll need to have enough funds in your account to cover the full margin requirement by the end of the trading day.
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Spread
Spread fees are a small markup added to the price of an asset when you buy or sell, making the price slightly higher or lower than the typical market price.
This is a common practice among trading platforms, and how they make most of their money.
The actual spread fee varies across assets, depending on the volume of trades for that particular asset.
If it's high volume, the spread is often lower to offer competitive fees, and if there's not much trading volume, the spread can be fairly high.
Spread fees are low compared to the industry, with some forex fees as low as 0.6 pips (0.00006), and stocks and indices are much lower.
You'll see the spread fee within the Plus500 platform when researching an asset or making a trade.
The minimum spread fee is lower than some other low-cost brokers, such as XTB, which has a minimum of 0.9 pips.
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Volumes
Volumes are a key indicator of a trading platform's success, and Plus500 is no exception. The company generated a total revenue of $832.6 million in FY2022, a 16% increase from the previous year.
This growth is largely due to the platform's ability to attract new customers. Over 294,000 new customers joined Plus500 during FY2022.
High trading volumes can be a double-edged sword, however. While they can bring in significant revenue, they can also lead to significant losses if not managed correctly.
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Platform Features
Plus500's trading platform is equipped with a wide range of advanced features to support your trading strategies. It's available on desktop, mobile, and tablet, making it accessible from anywhere.
The platform has a great charting system that updates in near real-time, providing you with the information you need to make informed trading decisions. You can also customize your charts with various tools, such as time ranges and chart types.
Plus500 offers a range of customisable features, including drawing tools and indicators, to help you with your analysis. You can also set price alerts via email and text message to stay on top of market movements.
Here are some of the key features of Plus500's trading platform:
Overall, Plus500's trading platform is designed to provide you with everything you need to succeed in the markets. With its advanced features and user-friendly interface, you can trade with confidence and achieve your financial goals.
Walkthrough
The Plus500 US Platform is designed to make trading a breeze. Plus500 has invested heavily in its proprietary WebTrader platform, which has taken ease of use to a new level.
You can easily organize your trades with watchlists, which are a feature of WebTrader. This allows you to keep track of your favorite assets in one place.
Trading from the chart is also a popular feature of WebTrader. This means you can place trades directly from the chart, without having to switch between different screens.
Live chat support is available from within the platform, so you can get help whenever you need it. This is a convenient feature that sets Plus500 apart from other trading platforms.
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Advanced Charting Capabilities
Plus500's advanced charting tools give you the ability to see historical price activity and apply a full range of technical analysis techniques. This is a game-changer for traders who want to make informed decisions.
You can choose from various chart styles to suit your preferences, including Line, Baseline, Mountain, Candle, Hollow Candle, Bar, Coloured Bar, Heikin-Ashi, Renko, Kagi, and Line Break chart.
The platform also allows you to view up to 9 charts at the same time in Full Screen, which is perfect for comparing different instruments and performing high-quality technical analysis.
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You can customize each chart individually, controlling the resolution, chart type, and more. This means you can tailor your analysis to your specific needs.
Plus500's Multiple Charts tool enables you to compare different instruments by viewing their charts side by side. This feature is a must-have for traders who want to stay on top of market movements.
You can save your chart layouts and reload them anytime, making it easy to switch between different analysis scenarios.
The Future Chart Space feature allows you to use your analysis tools to predict future price movements. This is a powerful tool for traders who want to stay ahead of the curve.
You can add indicators with future projections, drawing tools, and even your own predictions to the empty chart space. This helps you visualize your next steps and make informed decisions.
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Guaranteed Stop
The guaranteed stop feature is a game-changer for traders who want to minimize losses.
With Plus500, you can use guaranteed stops to ensure your stop loss orders are executed, eliminating the risk of the price moving past the price you set. This feature is especially useful during fast market movements.
The guaranteed stop feature isn't free, and it will cost a bit extra, which is covered in a higher spread fee. The exact cost will vary depending on the trade and asset.
You'll see the higher spread fee when you set the stop, so you can plan accordingly. This fee is an extra charge for the added security of the guaranteed stop feature.
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Statistics
The statistics on Plus500 are truly impressive. Plus500 boasts an impressive user base of over 24+ million registered customers worldwide.
The platform's revenue growth is also noteworthy, with a 16% increase in revenue from 2021 to 2022, reaching $832.6 million. This significant growth is a testament to the platform's popularity and effectiveness.
Plus500's advanced risk management system ensures a secure and regulated trading environment for traders. This system includes strict Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, anti-money laundering (AML) measures, and robust risk management tools.
The platform's financial highlights for 2018-2022 show a steady increase in revenue and net profit. Here are the key financial highlights for your reference:
In addition to its impressive user base and revenue growth, Plus500 also offers live statistics on each asset, providing traders with near real-time information. This feature allows traders to see the change in price within the last 5 minutes, as well as the last 60 minutes and last day, instantly as percentages.
Account Management
Managing your account on Plus500 is a straightforward process. You can easily access your account information, view your trades, and make adjustments as needed.
Plus500 requires a minimum deposit of $100 to open a live account, which is also the minimum amount required to start trading. This deposit is used as margin for your trades.
To ensure secure trading, Plus500 offers two-factor authentication (2FA) as an added layer of protection for your account. This feature can be enabled in the account settings.
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Account Types and Terms
Plus500 US offers a straightforward account opening process that can be completed within 15 minutes. This is a great option for those who want to get started quickly.
The registration process is simple and easy to follow. Clients can expect to be up and running in no time.
The minimum deposit required to open an account is just $100. This is a relatively low barrier to entry.
Clients are eligible for a bonus of up to $200 worth of free commissions on their first deposit. This is a nice incentive to get started with Plus500 US.
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Deposits & Withdrawals
Deposits & Withdrawals are a breeze with Plus500 US. They process deposits and withdrawals swiftly and securely without any unnecessary delays or hidden fees.
The broker supports popular payment providers like Visa, Mastercard, bank wire, or ACH bank transfer, making it easy for clients to transfer money. Plus500 US does not charge a fee for making deposits and withdrawals.
You can deposit funds via Bank transfer, ACH Bank Transfer, Debit card, or Apple Pay. The minimum deposit sum varies depending on the method, ranging from $100 to $200.
Here's a breakdown of the deposit methods and their processing times:
Withdrawals are also hassle-free, with no fees charged by Plus500 US. You can withdraw funds via Bank transfer, Debit card, or Apple Pay, with processing times ranging from 1 to 3 business days.
It's worth noting that your bank or financial institution may apply extra charges when making a bank transfer.
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Safety and Security
Plus500 is a trusted CFD platform used by over 24 million people worldwide.
It's a FTSE 250 company, listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), which gives you an idea of its size and reputation.
Plus500 is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, with a firm reference number of 509909.
The FCA ensures that financial services companies in the UK are looking after their customers, giving you peace of mind.
Plus500 is regulated across the world by each country it operates in, with over 50 countries on its list.
Your money is held entirely separate from Plus500's own money, and is stored with a large bank that Plus500 cannot access.
This means that if Plus500 were to go out of business, you'd still get all of your money back.
You're also entitled to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which gives you further protection up to £85,000 in case of any issues.
Investment Options
Plus500 offers over 2,800 different CFD investments to trade, covering a range of asset classes including stocks and shares, ETFs, commodities, and foreign exchange.
You can trade a variety of investment types with Plus500, including stocks and shares, ETFs, commodities, and foreign exchange.
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are a group of lots of different investments pooled together into a single investment, making it easier and cheaper to buy and trade.
Range of Investments
With Plus500, you have access to a staggering 2,800 different CFD investments to trade. This is a huge range of options to choose from.
You can trade a variety of asset classes, including stocks and shares, ETFs, commodities, and foreign exchange (forex).
Stocks and shares are just one option, but there are many others to explore.
Plus500 offers over 65 currency pairs to trade, including major currencies like the US Dollar and the British Pound, as well as minor currencies like the Australian Dollar.
Commodities like gold and oil are also available to trade, with a range of options to choose from.
Trading ETFs can be a great way to build a diversified investment portfolio, as they allow you to own a part of many different investments at once.
Options
Options are contracts that give the holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a certain price in the future.
You can trade options via CFDs, which means trading the option price rather than buying the options directly, as Plus500 allows.
The option price changes over time and in relation to the actual asset price, making it a dynamic investment.
With CFDs, you can trade the option price without actually owning the option itself.
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Base Growth
Plus500 has over 24 million registered customers on its platforms since inception, a testament to its success in attracting and retaining traders.
Its intuitive and user-friendly trading experience caters to both novice and experienced traders, making it a go-to platform for many.
Plus500 offers advanced trading tools that allow users to trade CFDs on various financial instruments such as stocks, commodities, forex pairs, and cryptocurrencies.
The company ensures transparency in all aspects of its operations, adhering strictly to regulations set forth by top-tier authorities like the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC.
Plus500 provides excellent customer support services through multiple channels, including email support, live chat, and phone calls, helping to resolve issues quickly.
Its customer base growth can be attributed to its reliable online trading platform offering high-quality services at affordable prices, coupled with great customer service.
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Fees and Charges
You'll need to be aware of the fees and charges associated with trading on Plus500, as they can eat into your profits if you're not careful. The liquidation fee, for example, is $10 if your positions are auto-liquidated due to insufficient margin.
The currency conversion fee is 0.7%, which is relatively reasonable compared to other platforms. However, you'll only pay this fee on the net profit or loss of your trade, not the total value of your position.
The guaranteed stop feature comes with an extra fee, which is reflected in the higher spread fee. This can vary depending on the trade and asset, so be sure to check the cost before setting up your trade.
Commissions
Commissions are a crucial aspect of trading, and Plus500 US offers two types of contracts with different commission rates. The standard contract commission is $0.89 per trade.
The micro contract commission is a more affordable option, with a rate of $0.49 per trade. This can be a significant cost savings for traders who prefer to trade smaller contracts.
Here's a summary of the commission rates at Plus500 US:
I found the commission rates at Plus500 US to be competitive in relation to the futures industry as a whole.
Liquidation Fee

If your net equity falls below the intraday margin requirement or the full-day margin requirement, Plus500 may auto-liquidate some or all of your open positions and/or live orders. This can happen unexpectedly, so it's essential to keep a close eye on your account balance.
Plus500 US charges a liquidation fee of $10. This fee is applied when positions and orders are liquidated due to insufficient net equity or expiring contracts.
Positions and orders on expiring contracts will be liquidated prior to the expiry date as Plus500 does not support delivery. This means you won't be able to hold onto your contracts until they expire.
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Currency Conversion Fee
Currency conversion fees are a common charge on investment platforms, and Plus500 is no exception. You'll pay a fee of 0.7% to trade assets in another currency.
This fee is automatically deducted, and it's essential to understand it's not a one-time charge, but rather a percentage of the transaction. For instance, buying US stocks in Dollars but having a Pound account will incur this fee.
The fee range is typically between 0.45% and 1.5% on other platforms, so Plus500's 0.7% is relatively reasonable. However, there's a key difference with Plus500 - you only pay the currency conversion fee on the net profit or loss of your trade, not the total value of your position.
Guaranteed Stop Fee
Using guaranteed stops can be a good idea, especially in fast-moving markets where your stop loss orders might not get executed.
The guaranteed stop feature guarantees that your order will be executed, eliminating the risk of the price moving past the price you set.
However, this isn't free - you'll pay an extra fee within the spread.
The spread fee will be higher when you use guaranteed stops, and you'll see the higher fee when you set the stop.
This extra fee is what covers the cost of guaranteeing your stop order will be executed.
The amount of the extra fee varies depending on the trade and asset, so you'll need to check the specifics for each trade you make.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Plus500 legal in the US?
Plus500 is not available for CFD trading in the US, but it does offer a platform for futures trading, TradeSniper, for US customers
Does Plus500 pay out?
Yes, Plus500 allows you to withdraw your funds, with most payouts processed within 2 days. Withdrawal fees may apply depending on the method chosen.
How much money do you need to start trading on Plus500?
To start trading on Plus500, you'll need a minimum deposit of $100. This gets you a commission-free CFD trading account to begin trading with.
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