Out of all the spread betting companies out there which one do you choose? I know it is a tough one isn’t it? This competiton that is around at the moment is great for traders. It can make the task of filtering through them a big one. How should you begin?

Before we move in to what to look out for I just wanted to think about what the increase in competition in spread betting companies means for me as a trader. Yes the increased competition brings more products, tighter spreads, reduced thresholds etc but why are there so many competing for me? They must be making a lot of money from each of their customers on average. This is something for you to bear in mind when think about your trading career.

So, you are ready to look for an account. Do you already have a live account and looking to diversify or is this going to be your first account? If it is the first then the task is a little bit trickier.

The first thing to look out for when looking at the spread betting companies is the products or bets that they are offering. The account will not be suitable for you if you are making certain bets that they won’t allow. This has become less likely over recent years because of the competition factor we spoke about earlier.

Have you thought about the markets which you are going to be trading in? Although most spread betting companies allow to trade different markets from the same account, not all do. You don’t have to have an account that lets you trade in all the markets, just the ones that you want.

I think the common theme that we have seen is that you need to be sure of your own requirements. Once you have a clear understanding of what these are then you should no trouble finding the best of the spread betting companies.