Boom time: The long and the short of spread bets - 08.08.2009
Daily Mail
Spread betting has boomed in the past two years, despite the recession. The number of financial bets placed in the first quarter of this year was 60 per cent higher than the same period in 2008, according to trading analyst ComPeer.
IG Index, the biggest spread betting company, last month announced a 30 per cent increase in profits and new firms are joining the crowded market.
Most of the growth comes from the astonishing volatility in the stock market and the fact that spread betting offers opportunities for profit, even when shares go down.
Heavy falls in banking and other sectors during 2008 accounted for the growing number of spread bets placed in that year, more than doubling those made in 2007 when the markets were calmer.