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An introduction to Cryptocurrencies

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What are Cryptocurrencies and how do they work?

The field of cryptocurrency is a new and exciting one, with potential still uncharted despite the vast majority of cryptocurrency projects and blockchain applications currently available in the market.

Some of the popular cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Litecoin (LTC), among countless others.

It is near impossible to create an accurate description of ALL cryptocurrencies using a few sentences, as they are all so vastly different. For the ease of simplicity, the focus of this page will be Bitcoin, with brief reference to other cryptocurrencies.

As with any other cryptocurrency, bitcoin is not recognised as an official legal tender in the same way that fiat (government-issued) currencies are. With no intrinsic value of its own, its worth is only what others are prepared to pay for it in an open market. This largely influences its volatility, as a sudden event such as a public figure speaking against bitcoin can create negative market sentiment and a flood of sell-orders, which in turn drive its price and value down.

The initial purpose of Bitcoin was to serve as a global, incorruptible transfer of value that was significantly cheaper, safer and faster than any other means available at the time. It still remains one of the most popular choices for this purpose, and has even been used to purchase houses, cars and other items of substantial value.

With that said, bitcoin was typically used only for the transaction itself, for the purpose of making headlines and significantly reducing transfer costs. In most cases, the bitcoins were immediately converted back into fiat currency once the transaction had taken place.

The technology behind Bitcoin

Bitcoin’s blockchain is its “brain,” an open-source ledger that keeps public record of every transaction ever made in its ecosystem. Just as Facebook is built on top of the internet, Bitcoin is built on top of its blockchain – despite common misconception that they are the same thing.

The system is secured through high-level cryptography. Each transaction is confirmed numerous times by the network and contains a unique ID through which it can be traced. This makes it virtually impossible to support duplicate or fraudulent transactions in bitcoin, even though the currency is digital and accessible worldwide.

Not managed or directly regulated by any government or central authority, Bitcoin is termed a decentralised platform and is run by its peers. This works on the principle that a thousand individuals combined will always be more scrupulous than any one individual, regardless of individual stature or political position.

Another misconception is that bitcoin transactions are anonymous. While no personal information is provided, each account used to send and receive bitcoin can be traced back to its source and the owner identified, which is important in criminal cases. It is also noteworthy that unlike with debit and credit cards, any transaction made in any cryptocurrency cannot be reversed after it has been completed. Consequently, bitcoins sent to an incorrect address are irretrievable and very difficult to trace.

Largely due to its size and longstanding history, the Forex market is the most common starting point for new traders looking to profit from fluctuating exchange rates.

The attraction is easy to understand – a highly-liquid market offers the potential for substantial returns, fast withdrawals, and an easy trading process.

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
AUD/CAD AUDCAD N/A 5% 1.2     Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/CHF AUDCHF N/A 5% 1 1.6 1.4 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/JPY AUDJPY N/A 5% 1.4 1.45 1.4 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/NOK AUDNOK N/A 5% 2.1 3.97 3.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/NZD AUDNZD N/A 5% 1.3 3.3 3.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/SGD AUDSGD N/A 5% 1.4 2.1 2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
AUD/USD AUDUSD N/A 5% 1.2 1.2 1.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CAD/CHF CADCHF N/A 3.33% 1.3 2.2 1.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CAD/JPY CADJPY N/A 3.33% 1.4 1.783 1.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CAD/SGD CADSGD N/A 3.33% 1.4 2.6 2.6 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CHF/JPY CHFJPY N/A 3.33% 1.4 2.039 1.8 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CHF/SEK CHFSEK N/A 5% 2.2     Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
CHF/SGD CHFSGD N/A 3.33% 1.6 3.7 2.8 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/AUD EURAUD N/A 5% 1.5 2 1.9 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/CAD EURCAD N/A 3.33% 1.3 2.6 2.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/CHF EURCHF N/A 3.33% 1.3     Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/CZK EURCZK N/A 5% 3.3 12.47 9 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/GBP EURGBP N/A 3.33% 1 1.2 1 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/HUF EURHUF N/A 5% 3 12.157 12 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/JPY EURJPY N/A 3.33% 1.3 1.486 1.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/NOK EURNOK N/A 5% 1.3 2.52 2.1 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/NZD EURNZD N/A 5% 1.8 3.1 2.8 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/PLN EURPLN N/A 5% 1.3 2.19 1.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/RUB EURRUB N/A 5% 8.6 27.42 16.1 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/SEK EURSEK N/A 5% 1.2 2.47 2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/SGD EURSGD N/A 5% 1.8 2.7 2.4 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/TRY EURTRY N/A 5% 2.4 22.5 17.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/USD EURUSD N/A 3.33% 1 1.1 1 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
EUR/ZAR EURZAR N/A 5% 3.3 48.9 31.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/AUD GBPAUD N/A 5% 2.4 2.7 2.4 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/CAD GBPCAD N/A 3.33% 1.8 3.8 3.6 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/CHF GBPCHF N/A 3.33% 1.8 3.3 2.6 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/HUF GBPHUF N/A 5% 11.4 28.74 25.4 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/JPY GBPJPY N/A 3.33% 1.4 2.671 2.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/MXN GBPMXN N/A 5% 8.1 12.65 11.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/NOK GBPNOK N/A 5% 10 40.5 21.5 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/NZD GBPNZD N/A 5% 2 4.1 3.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/SEK GBPSEK N/A 5% 5 29 38.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/SGD GBPSGD N/A 5% 2.2 4.8 4.5 Monday 08:00 - Saturday 07:00 Platform Time
GBP/TRY GBPTRY N/A 5% 10 48.1 54.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
GBP/USD GBPUSD N/A 3.33% 1 1.4 1.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
MXN/JPY MXNJPY N/A 5% 10.8 21.1 19.8 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NOK/JPY NOKJPY N/A 5% 5 35.6 24.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NOK/SEK NOKSEK N/A 5% 1.1 2.7 2.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NZD/CAD NZDCAD N/A 5% 1.3 2.2 2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NZD/CHF NZDCHF N/A 5% 1.2 2 1.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NZD/JPY NZDJPY N/A 5% 1.1 1.536 1.5 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
NZD/USD NZDUSD N/A 5% 1.4 1.5 1.5 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
SGD/JPY SGDJPY N/A 5% 1.1 1.52 1.5 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/CAD USDCAD N/A 3.33% 1 1.3 1.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/CHF USDCHF N/A 3.33% 1 1.8 1.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/CNH USDCNH N/A 5% 1.6 5.6 3.2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/CZK USDCZK N/A 5% 2.2 11.08 13.9 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/HUF USDHUF N/A 5% 3.6 11.594 11.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/INR USDINR   5% 5 Not Available Not Available Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Mumbai
USD/JPY USDJPY N/A 3.33% 1     Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/MXN USDMXN N/A 5% 11.7 32.5 27.8 Monday 00:001 – Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/NOK USDNOK N/A 5% 1.8 2.52 1.8 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/PLN USDPLN N/A 5% 2.3 3.07 2.3 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/RUB USDRUB N/A 5% 8.6 14.11 14 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/SEK USDSEK N/A 5% 1.3 2.49 2 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/SGD USDSGD N/A 5% 1.2 1.8 1.7 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/THB USDTHB N/A 5% 1.5 5.2 5.5 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
USD/ZAR USDZAR N/A 10% 21.5 49.5 48.9 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
ZAR/JPY ZARJPY N/A 5% 6.5 9.15 8.6 Monday 00:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time

What influences the price of gold? Several factors which include the time of year, investor and trader confidence, inflation, fluctuations in U.S. stocks, international political and military tensions, and increases or decreases in the prices of other commodities, but above all else, the price of gold is influenced by fluctuations in the U.S. dollar.

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
Gold Future GOLD.fs N/A 5% 3     Sunday 18:01 - Friday 16:59 New York
Gold vs Australian Dollar XAUAUD N/A 20% 2.4     Monday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
Gold vs Euro XAUEUR N/A 20% 2.5     Monday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
Gold vs Swiss Franc XAUCHF N/A 20% 2.4     Monday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
Gold vs US Dollar XAUUSD N/A 5% 2     Monday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
Gold vs British Pound  XAUGBP N/A 20% 1.8     Monday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time
Silver vs US Dollar XAGUSD N/A 10% 1.5     Wednesday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 Platform Time

The stock market is world-renowned for making smart investors rich, and ill-informed investors poor. Although newcomers may be intimidated by its sheer size and reputation as a trading market, actually getting involved is far easier than you might expect.

The market operates much like a living entity. When all parts are combined, it makes a formidable creature.

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
Aussie 200 AUS200 SFE 5% 3.9     09:50 Monday - 06:59 Saturday Sydney
China 50 CN50 N/A 10% 11 11 11 09:00 Monday - 04:44 Saturday Shanghai
DAX40 DAX40 EUREX 5% 2     08:15 SGT Monday - 21:59 Friday CET Frankfurt & Singapore
Euro 50 EU50 EUREX 5% 3     00:00 Monday - 22:59 Friday Frankfurt
French 40 FRA40 EUREX 5% 3     08:00 Monday - 21:59 Friday Paris
German 40 GER40 EUREX 5% 2     00:00 Monday - 22:59 Friday Frankfurt
Hong Kong 50 HK50 HFE 10% 10 10 10 09:15 Monday - 02:59 Saturday Hong Kong
Italy 40 IT40   5% 0     Monday 09:00 - Friday 17:39 Milan
Japan 225 JPN225 OSE/CME 5% 30     08:30 Monday - 06:00 Saturday Tokyo
Nasdaq 100 NAS100.fs CME 5% 2     Monday 09:00 - Friday 17:39 New York
Netherlands 25 NETH25 EUREX 10% 3     08:00 Monday - 22:00 Friday Amsterdam
Spain 35 SPA35 MRV 10% 5     08:00 Monday - 19:59 Friday Madrid
UK100 UK100 LIFFE 5% 0.8     23:00 Sunday - 21:59 Friday London
US 2000 US2000 N/A 10% 10     18:00 Sunday - 16:59 Friday New York
US 30 US30 N/A 5% 3     18:00 Sunday - 16:59 Friday New York
US 500 US 500 CME 0.5% 5     18:00 Sunday - 16:59 Friday New York

There has never been a better time to invest in the commodities markets. Since the start of the global recession we have seen a renewed interest in commodity trading with clear trends developing for the different sectors.

At One Financial Markets you can trade on the price movements of a whole range of exchange traded commodities.

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
Cocoa COCOA.fs NYBOT 10% 8     Monday 04:45 - Friday 13:29 New York
Coffee COFFEE.fs CBOT 10% 25 27 25 Monday 04:45 - Friday 13:29 New York
Copper COPPER.fs COMMEX 10% 6     Sunday 17:00 - Friday 15:59 Chicago
Platinum v US Dollar XPTUSD NYMEX 10% 11.1 99 108 Wednesday 01:01 - Friday 23:58 PlatformTime
Soy Bean SOYBEAN.fs CBOT 10% 12.5 13.2 12.5 Sunday 19:00 - Friday 13:19 Chicago

Often billed as the arena for the trader’s trader, energy futures display certain fundamentals that set them apart from other commodities trading. Indeed, very literally what  fuels the world, energy futures trading is a game with high stakes, as it deals in non-renewable resources.

Sugar and wheat can be seasonally cultivated, but oil and gas reserves need to be discovered and extracted as a single project before moving on. Once lifted, oil, gas and coal will never be replenished in a meaningful time frame. As a result, these commodities remain highly desirable and are readily impacted by global events.

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
Natural Gas NATGAS.fs N/A 10% 8     Sunday 17:00 - Friday 15:59 New York
UK Crude UKOIL N/A 10% 3     18:00 Sunday - 16:59 Friday New York
US Crude USOIL N/A 10% 3     18:00 Sunday - 16:59 Friday New York
WTI Crude Oil Futures WTI.fs N/A 10% 3 3 3 18:00 Sunday 16:59 Friday New York

Cryptocurrencies are the world’s youngest asset class, with Bitcoin (BTC) created as recently as 2009.

They gained the world’s spotlight between 2015 and 2018, most recently when bitcoin shocked financial analysts in a leap from $1,000 to a little under $20,000 in just a few short months – creating a number of millionaires in the process.

Please note, cryptocurrencies are currently set to "close only" for Retail clients and only available to Professional clients

Product Symbol Exchange Product margin Indicative spread (pips) Average spread (pips) Typical spread (pips) Trading hours Timezone
Bitcoin BTCUSD N/A 20% 40     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Bitcoin Cash BCHUSD N/A 20% 15     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Cardano ADAUSD N/A 20% 0.0075     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Chainlink LNKUSD N/A 20% 0.054     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Dash DSHUSD N/A 20% 2     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
DogeCoin DOGUSD N/A 20% 0.0011     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
EOS EOSUSD N/A 20% 0.013     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Ethereum ETHUSD N/A 20% 2     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Litecoin LTCUSD N/A 20% 5     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Polkadot DOTUSD N/A 20% 0.1     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Ripple XRPUSD N/A 20% 1.5     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Stellar Lumen XLMUSD N/A 20% 0.0045     00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time

Companies listed for public trade offer shares, also known as equities, can be purchased and sold on exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and other financial stock markets.

Stock prices are ever changing, and their values can be influenced by a variety of factors. Major influences include company profits, industry news and analyst ratings. Supply and demand play a critical role in price fluctuations, with all of the above affecting demand, and in some cases, supply.


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Region
US | UK | EU
Region Name Symbol Margins Trading hours Time Zone
Bitcoin BTCUSD N/A 10% 14 49.6 40 Monday -Sunday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Bitcoin Cash BCHUSD N/A 10% 1 1.02 1 Monday - Sunday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Cardano ADAUSD N/A 20% 0 0.01 0.01 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Chainlink LNKUSD N/A 20% 0 0.06 0.06 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Dash DSHUSD N/A 20% 2     Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
DogeCoin DOGUSD N/A 20% 0 0 0 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
EOS EOSUSD N/A 20% 0 0.01 0.01 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Ethereum ETHUSD N/A 10% 2 3.19 2.5 Monday - Sunday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Litecoin LTCUSD N/A 10% 0.35 0.36 0.3 Monday - Sunday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Polkadot DOTUSD N/A 20% 0 0.1 0.1 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Ripple XRPUSD N/A 20% 1.5 0.01 0.01 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Stellar Lumen XLMUSD N/A 20% 0 0 0 Monday - Friday 00:01 - 23:58 MT4 time
Region Number of shares
US 271           See more
Name Symbol Minimum Commission Commission (Basis Points) Margins from Trading hours Time Zone Platform
UK 141           See more
Name Symbol Minimum Commission Commission (Basis Points) Margins from Trading hours Time Zone Platform
EU 46           See more
Name Symbol Minimum Commission Commission (Basis Points) Margins from Trading hours Time Zone Platform

Please note, products may be added or removed from time to time subject to underlying market liquidity.

In order to trade US stocks all clients are required to complete a W8 BEN , or equivalent, form. 

Do you have any questions on Cryptocurrencies?

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What is Cryptocurrencies trading?

Cryptocurrencies are not well known to everyone, largely because they are still so new. This includes seasoned investors who have traded Forex and Indices for the last 30 years and are not interested in adapting their trading strategies to make room for the new kid on the block.

Cryptocurrency trading shares the same fundamental goal as any other form of trading – generating a profit through fluctuating values over the short, medium or long term. Cryptocurrencies can be exchanged either for fiat (or vice versa), or for other cryptocurrencies. For instance, bitcoin can be sold in exchange for ether or for US dollars.

Those looking to begin cryptocurrency trading need to be aware of one very important distinction: trading bitcoin is not necessarily buying bitcoin.

This means that you can only speculate on the price – you cannot use it as a payment method or send it to friends and family. This works in the same sense that in commodities trading, you are not physically purchasing corn. You are simply opening a trade relative to its value and making a profit or a loss depending on whether or not the market takes a favourable turn.

Finding a website to buy bitcoins online would thus deliver a completely different result. If your aim is to buy bitcoins for the purpose of using them, be clear in this intention beforehand. Keep in mind that purchasing actual bitcoins only delivers a return on investment should the value of bitcoin rise. Trading allows investors to speculate whether the price will go up or down, and collect a profit in the instance where the predictions are correct.

Using leverage or margin in cryptocurrency trading

Margin trading is the ability to open trades of higher values by giving the trader access to an additional amount of funds in proportion to the selected margin. For instance, a margin of 50:1 would support a trade worth $500 with only $10 invested. Leveraged trades have the potential for significantly higher profits, yet carry the risk of equally greater losses.

Already risky in the traditional Forex market, margin trading is far more so in the cryptocurrency market as the latter holds the highest volatility levels. Inexperienced traders are best served refraining from margin trading until they have an intuitive understanding of the market and its movements.

When you believe you are ready to begin bitcoin trading, keep the following golden rules in mind:

Finding the right trading platform for cryptocurrency

Finding a BTC online trading platform is the easy part, as the hype surrounding the cryptocurrency sparked a boom of competition in the market. The challenge is finding one that is legitimate, legal in your country, and accepts your preferred methods of deposits and withdrawals.

Before making a decision, research the trading platforms that are available and read the reviews and user experiences for each one. Also be sure that the platform of your choice offers the cryptocurrency trading pairs that you require, and check their policy on deposits and withdrawals. It is always better to enter into a new initiative with an informed mind than to find out deal-breaking information first hand at an inopportune time.

One Financial Markets as an online Bitcoin trading platform

One Financial Markets includes BTC as part of its service offering. Maximum margin offered is 50%, allowing traders the benefit of leverage while limiting the amount of risk they are exposed to.

If you are new to cryptocurrency trading, we recommend that your starting point is experimenting risk-free with our demo trading account. This allows you to get a feel for the market and its movements, to place trades and to experience virtual wins and loses without losing actual capital. No deposits are necessary until you wish to start trading with real funds on a live account.

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