Indices represent the average performance of a group of shares, usually the largest shares in a market ranked by capitalisation (total value). Each index tends to track the overall performance of the bulk of the total value of that market. Here are our guides to some of the World’s most popular indices.
Trading the FTSE 100 Index
The FTSE 100 Index, or Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, is a stock market index representing the performance of…
Trading the FTSE 250 Index
Trading the S&P 500 Index
Trading the Dow Jones
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, commonly just called the ‘Dow’, was historically the benchmark for US stock performance, although it…
Trading the NASDAQ 100
Trading the Euro Stoxx 50
Whereas the DAX and the CAC indices represent the German and French markets respectively, the EuroStoxx also includes companies outside…
Trading the DAX
The German DAX Index is the main indicator for the performance of the price of major Germany listed companies on…
Trading the Nikkei 225
The Nikkei 225 index is still widely regarded as one of the key measures of stock market activity in Asia,…
Trading the ASX 200
Trading the VIX
During times of extreme market volatility, you will sometimes hear traders and analysts referring to the VIX index, but what…
Trading the CAC 40
Commodities are the raw materials from which products are made. Examples include precious and industrial metals such as gold and copper, agricultural products such as wheat, fuel products such as crude oil and soft commodities such as coffee. Here are our guides to some of the World’s most popular commodities.
Investing in Gold
Investing in Silver
Investing in Copper
Copper is one of the first minerals that was extracted from the ground and the metal that started the Bronze…
Investing in Platinum
Platinum is the most expensive commodity of all. In 2010, when a tonne of copper cost almost US$10,000, a tonne…
Investing in Crude Oil
Crude Oil is the world’s most heavily traded commodity. The volumes of trade in oil that flow daily through commodities…
Investing in Natural Gas
Investing in Wheat
As the world population grows so does consumption of wheat. Demand has leapt as emerging countries such as China and…
Investing in Sugar
About two thirds of the world's sugar production is grown from sugar cane, a plant which loves the warm weather…
Investing in Coffee
Investing in Cocoa
Investing in Salt
Salt has been traded, taxed and used as currency since ancient times. Though health-conscious consumers may be reducing their salt…
Investing in Rare Earth Metals
The most traded currencies in the world account for US$1.5 trillion changing hands every day. While nearly everybody has had occasion to change money when they travel abroad, forex traders can be dealing in international currency markets every day. Traditionally a marketplace for big banks and fund managers, now it is becoming increasingly accessible for private investors.
Here are our guides to some of the World’s most popular currencies.
Trading the British Pound
The British Pound or GBP, also widely known as Sterling, is the fourth most traded currency in FX markets, after…
Trading the US Dollar
The US dollar or ‘greenback’ remains the de facto reserve currency of the world, despite the trials and tribulations of…
Trading the Euro
After the US dollar, the euro currency (EUR) is the most widely traded foreign currency, and the EUR/USD currency pair…
Trading the Japanese Yen
The Japanese Yen is the most widely traded Asian currency, even though the Chinese economy is now technically larger than…
Trading the Canadian Dollar
The Canadian Dollar (CAD) is also known by veteran traders as the Loonie because of the aquatic bird on the…
Trading the New Zealand Dollar
The New Zealand Dollar is often referred to by currency traders as the Kiwi. Trading the New Zealand Dollar (NZD)…
Trading the Hong Kong Dollar
The Hong Kong Dollar has survived the territory’s return to China in 1997 and remains one of the top 10…
Trading the Swiss Franc
The Swiss Franc (SFR) has long been considered a currency for institutional investors to buy when they need to get…
Trading the Australian Dollar
Australia is a major producer of raw materials, particularly base metals, and as such its currency has been boosted by…
Trading Bitcoin
When governments want to borrow money from the capital markets, they issue bonds, also called government debt. These are IOUs from the government to the market: the government promises to pay investors their full principal in addition to a rate of interest on the bond that is determined when it is auctioned, e.g. 5.5%. Here are our guides to some of the most popular government bonds.
Investing in UK 10 Year Gilts
UK government bonds are often referred to as ‘gilts’, reflecting the historical levels of confidence in the UK economy. While…
US 10 Year Treasury Notes
The US 10-Year Treasury Note (ZB) is a debt security (or government bond) issued by the United States government with…
Investing in the Euro Bobl
The Euro Bobl is a medium term bond issued by the Federal Republic of Germany. Bobl is an abbreviation of…
Investing in JGBs – Japanese Government Bonds
Japanese Government Bonds or JGBs are the most popular market for government debt traders in Asia. The 10 year bond…
Megatrends are large-scale, long-term trends that significantly shape the future of society, economy, and technology. These trends include digital transformation, globalization, climate change, aging populations, urbanization, and the push for sustainability. Digital transformation drives innovation and disrupts industries, while globalization increases economic and cultural interconnectedness. Climate change and sustainability efforts reshape industries and policies, while aging populations challenge healthcare and social systems. Urbanization shifts demographics and infrastructure needs.
These megatrends interact and influence each other, creating both opportunities and challenges. Understanding them is essential for strategic planning, policy-making, and adapting to the future.
Our easy-to-use guides will take you through the options available to you in order to gain exposure in your portfolio to these important trends.
