Frequently Asked Questions

What is the spread?

The spread is the difference between the bid (sell) and the ask (buy) prices.

What is leverage?

Leverage is the effect of gaining a large exposure to a market with a fraction of the money on deposit. The leverage factor is the multiple used to calculate the trade value as a proportion of the margin required to execute a trading position. On the marketindex trading account you can use a leverage of 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, 40:1 or 50:1. For example, if you are using a rate of 20:1, this means that you can trade a position twenty times larger than your margin. And your potential gains or losses will be amplified by this ratio. A small change in the marketindex price can cause the loss of some or all of your investment.

What does marketindex cost?

Aside from the spread or financing costs, there are no further charges or fees involved with trading through marketindex. Our clients do not pay transaction fees or processing and settlement charges.

How does marketindex earn money?

Marketindex is a market maker and we take a margin around the spread between bid (sell) and ask (buy).

Why was my application declined?

Marketindex offers leveraged products that carry a high degree of risk and it is possible to lose your entire investment (i.e. your total marketindex trading account balance). Therefore these products may not be suitable for all investors, you should therefore ensure you fully understand the risks involved before applying for an account.

Why haven't my funds been deposited to my marketindex account?

After opening a marketindex account, you need to advise us of your intention to deposit funds to your marketindex account by completing and submitting a “deposit slip”. This is available by selecting "Deposits" from the “Account” menu. Please note, that once you have advised us of the amount you wish to deposit, you will still need to transfer it from your reference bank account to the relevant marketindex account. Refer to the Funds Management pages for account details.

Is my marketindex account protected?

Your eligible deposits with the Royal Bank of Scotland plc are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, the UK’s deposit protection scheme. This limit is applied to the total of any deposits you have with the following: Royal Bank of Scotland, Direct Line, the One Account, Child & Co, Drummonds and Holt's. Any total deposits you hold above the £85,000 limit between these brands are not covered.

Please click here for further information or visit www.fscs.org.uk

Will Stop Loss or Limit Orders be triggered at the specified price?

The platform will execute your order at or as close to the specified price as possible.
In a rapidly changing market, the marketindex price quoted to you at the time the order (or in the case of a Limit Order, Market-if-Touched Order, Stop Loss Price or Take Profit Price, the trigger price) may not be the same as the marketindex price at which the order is actually executed or triggered.
This risk can be mitigated for orders (but not for Stop Loss Prices or Take Profits) by the use of price bounds.
To find out more about our Orders, stops and take profits on Trading with marketindex.

How can I calculate my financing costs?

A detailed explanation, including example calculations, can be found on our Financing page. Long and Short financing rates can be found on our Financing Calculator page.

What should I do if I can't access my account?

Please make sure you have entered all your security login details correctly. If your trading account has been locked, due to multiple incorrect login attempts, or if you continue to experience problems gaining access to your trading account, then please contact the marketindex team who will be able to assist you.