Forecast as the year of mobile trading, 2012 has already seen an increase in the
number of traders spread betting [http://www.cityindex.co.uk/spread-betting ] via their
Smartphones and now with the number of tablet devices on the rise, providers are in an
apps race to sign as many new clients as possible.
In 2009, City Index led the mobile trading market with their award winning iPhone
spread betting app. The provider also won the 2011 Shares Award for Best Mobile Trading
Application for their City Trading app, which allows traders to spread bet and trade CFDs
instantly and securely in real-time, 24-hours a day.
Joshua Raymond of City Index revealed that the percentage of trades placed on mobile
devices compared to total trades has increased dramatically from 2% to almost 25% whilst
today, one in three City Index clients are actively using their mobiles to trade.
The technological race for usability has only just begun, however there are already
concerns over changes in behaviour as traders switch to the immediacy of mobile devices.
"While mobile trading can offer substantial advantages, it can also tempt traders to
deviate away from their original strategies with trades of impulse." Said Raymond.
Meanwhile, Google usability studies have revealed that tablets are changing the way
that users engage with content. A study conducted on April 7, 2011 found that tablet users
were 41% more likely to watch video and access educational resources than with their
Smartphones.
Hardly surprising, then, that spread betting providers are busy developing their own
tablet-specific trading platforms. It is a battle between providers to develop the best
trading platforms and not only win as many traders as possible, but keep them as well.
With many spread betting providers also supplying traders with a wide range of free,
interactive, educational resources online, tablet devices could decide who truly triumphs
in this new technological cyberspace race.
Will apps be the smartest way to trade? Only time will tell.
Today more and more individual traders are discovering the benefits of derivatives,
and many of them are discovering them through a City Index trading platform.
As a group, we transact in excess of 1.5 million trades every month for individuals in
over 50 countries worldwide. We provide access to a wide range of instruments including
margined foreign exchange, CFD trading and, in the UK, spread betting.