One position. Entire markets. Professional execution at tight spreads.
Trade Forex, Stocks, Crypto, and more with a regulated broker trusted by over 1 million traders worldwide.
Trade diversified exposure, macro opportunities, and tight spreads in one position.
One US500 position covers 500 companies across 11 sectors, eliminating single-name earnings risk. You trade the market itself without idiosyncratic stock risk.
Indices react strongly to macroeconomic events. Major central-bank announcements often increase short-term index volatility. NFP announcements create volatility spikes.
Each index trades tightest during its home-market session. US500: 0.4 pts at 14:30 UTC (US open) vs. 1.0+ pts at 02:00 UTC.
Liquidity and spreads vary by session. Trade each index during its home-market hours for tightest execution.
Indices: US500, US30, US100 Peak Hours: 14:30–21:00 UTC Typical Spread: 0.4–1.0 pts
Indices: DE40, UK100, EU50, FR40 Peak Hours: 08:00–16:30 UTC Typical Spread: 0.6–1.5 pts
Indices: JP225, AU200, HK50 Peak Hours: 00:00–09:00 UTC Typical Spread: 1.0–2.5 pts
Index exposure comes in three forms. Each serves different trading styles.
| Factor | Index CFD (GLEX) | Index ETF | Index Futures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typically used for | Active trading, swing positions | Buy-and-hold, passive investing | Institutional traders, hedging |
| Leverage | Up to 1:500 (varies by instrument and jurisdiction) | 1:1 only | Typically 1:10+ |
| Expiry | None; perpetual | None; perpetual | Quarterly; rollover required |
| Short Selling | Yes (direct) | Yes (inverse ETFs, complex) | Yes (direct) |
| Minimum Capital | $5 (Micro account) | $50–500 per share | $5,000+ per contract |
| Overnight Cost | Swap (financing cost) | None (you own shares) | Built into futures price |
Your primary transaction cost is the spread. Spread ranges for major indices:
| Index | GLEX Spread (from) | Reference Range (public sources, indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| US500 | 0.4 pts | 1.0–2.0 pts |
| US30 | 1.0 pt | 2.0–4.0 pts |
| DE40 | 0.6 pts | 1.5–3.0 pts |
US500: 1 standard lot = $10/point (verify in MT5 Symbol Properties). Peak-hour spread (0.4 pts) costs $4 per lot; off-hours spread (1.0+ pts) costs $10+ per lot. For active index traders, session timing is often the simplest controllable way to reduce per-trade cost.
10+ global indices across US, Europe, and Asia. Spreads tighten during home-market peak hours.
| Index | Market | Spread from | Leverage | Peak Hours (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US500 | USA | 0.4 pts | 1:500 | 14:30–21:00 |
| US30 | USA | 1.0 pt | 1:500 | 14:30–21:00 |
| US100 | USA | 1.5 pts | 1:500 | 14:30–21:00 |
| US500 Micro (0.1 lot = $1/pt) | USA | 0.4 pts | 1:500 | 14:30–21:00 |
| DE40 | Germany | 0.6 pts | 1:500 | 08:00–16:30 |
| UK100 | UK | 0.8 pts | 1:500 | 08:00–16:30 |
| EU50 | Europe | 1.0 pt | 1:500 | 08:00–16:30 |
| FR40 | France | 0.8 pts | 1:500 | 08:00–16:30 |
| JP225 | Japan | 1.5 pts | 1:500 | 00:00–06:00 |
| AU200 | Australia | 2.0 pts | 1:500 | 22:00–06:00 |
| HK50 | Hong Kong | 2.5 pts | 1:500 | 01:00–09:00 |
Your index order routes via STP/NDD to multiple institutional liquidity providers (details: /en/execution/). P50 under 50ms (standard sessions. Actual speed varies with market conditions.) During off-hours or high-volatility events, execution may slow and spreads may widen.
What You Gain and Give Up
Macro traders express economic views via index exposure. Swing traders avoid single-stock earnings risk with multi-day positions. Multi-asset traders consolidate indices, forex, and commodities on one platform.
Index CFDs = Derivatives: You do not own underlying stocks. An index CFD is a leverage contract. All gains and losses are realized in cash.
Leverage Amplifies Both Directions: Illustrative example: $1,000 at 1:100 leverage = $100,000 notional. A 1% adverse move = total margin loss. Position sizing and stop-losses are essential risk management tools.
Gap Risk at Session Open: Markets can gap on session open, particularly after weekends. Stop-losses may trigger at worse prices during gaps. Some traders reduce exposure before weekend closes to manage this risk.
Overnight Swap Costs: Hold positions overnight and pay a financing charge (swap). Swap rates vary by position direction, leverage, and currency.
Stop-Losses Are Essential: Stop-losses and position sizing relative to account balance are essential risk management tools for leveraged trading.
GLEX offers four account types on MetaTrader 5. Account choice depends on trading frequency, capital available, and spread sensitivity.