Cantor Index Review

Cantorindex.com is the online spread-betting arm of, a division of the Cantor Fitzgerald Group, a well known intermediary (i.e. stockbroker, or in this case, licensed bookmaker). You can spread bet online on a wide range of financial instruments, including the early revenue generated by new films. Offline, Cantors will take bets on political events and economic data.

When Cantor Index arrived on the spread-betting scene in 2000, its powerful trading platform - developed from the professional eSpeed system - had its rivals looking nervous.

Just three years later, and Cantor would be the first to admit that the rest have played catch-up. The firm is due to unveil a new, updated offering any time now.

Talking to the company gives a few hints at what can be expected: "The system has to look good but there's also more pressure to have a robust platform," says a spokesman.

Cantorindex believes that beyond some news provision from Dow Jones, clients are not that keen on extras. "We are entirely black and white on research," says the spokesman. So Cantor does not provide any advice, whether outsourced fundamentals or its own in-house produced material. The company also argues that internet trading is not the only way.

"We value the telephone business. If customers want to talk to someone, they can at any time. That way we can build a relationship, which is very important, as this is definitely a customer-driven business," says the spokesman.

Cantor offers both spread-bets and contracts-for-difference (CFDs) on numerous markets, which is what you might expect from one of the world's largest professional inter-dealer brokers. But it says that it is more of an institutional than retail CFD provider.

What Can You Bet On at Cantor Index?

Daily Indices (same-day expiry): FTSE, Dow; FTSE Futures, Dow Futures; S&P Futures, Nasdaq 100 Futures; DAX 30 Futures, CAC 40 Futures
Indices settled on a fixed date in the month: FTSE Futures, Dow Futures; FTSE/Dow Differential; DAX 30 Futures, DAX/FTSE Differential; CAC 40 Futures, IBEX 35 Futures, MIB 30 Futures, SOFFEX Futures, S&P 500 Futures, Nasdaq 100 Futures, Nikkei 225 Futures, Hang Seng Futures, Eurostoxx Futures.
Single Quarterly and Weekly Shares: FTSE350 and others, Eurostoxx 50; US stocks, Dax 30 Futures.
Economic Groups Indices: Resources, Utilities, Information Technology, Financials.
Sectoral Indices: Mining, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Aerospace & Defence, Beverages, Food Processors & Producers, Pharmaceuticals, Tobacco, General Retailers, Leisure, Entertainment & Hotels, Media & Photography, Restaurants Pubs and Breweries, Transport, Food & Drug Retailers, Telecommunication Services, Electricity, Gas Distribution, Water, Banks, Insurance, Life Assurance, IT Hardware, Software & Computer Services.
Currencies: GBP/USD, EUR/$, EUR/GBP, USD/Yen, USD/CHF, GBP/Yen, GBP/CHF, EUR/Yen, EUR/CHF, Yen/USD, AUD,USD, CAD/USD.
Interest Rates: Eurodollar, Short Sterling 3-month, Euroswiss, Euribot
Bonds: Bund Futures, Bobl Futures (German), T-Bond Futures (US), Gilt Futures (UK), JGB Futures (Japan), 10-Year Note (CBOT).
Options: Indices (FTSE 100, Wall Street Futures, DAX 30 Futures, S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 Futures); Bonds (Bund, T-Bond, Gilt Futures); Interest Rates (Eurodollar, Short Sterling 3-month); Currencies (Yen/USD, CHF.USD, EUR/USD, GBP/USD all IMM); Metals (Gold, Silver); Oils (Light Crude).
Commodities: Brent Cruse Oil, NYMEX Crude, Orange Juice, Corn, Cotton No.2, Live Cattle, Unleaded Gasoline, Wheat.
Metals: Gold, Silver, Platinum.
Movies: Wagers on the final movie revenue on the first weekend or four weeks, first weekend supremacy or four week supremacy (i.e. gross takings from first day of release, rounded up or down to the nearest half-million).

Trading at CantorIndex

Load the products that you wish to view or trade on your Product Page. Simply click on Add Product. Enter the first few letters of the product name, the ticker or the Cantor index code, and click on the Search button within this window.
Click the Trade button adjacent to the required product in the Action column of the spreadsheet. This opens the Trade Box and enters the product name (e.g. FTSE Daily, Tuesday).
Select whether you wish to buy or sell at the prices displayed. Choose your stake per point and confirm choice of currency (e.g. GBP). Indicate whether you wish to add a guaranteed stop, a normal stop or a limit. For a guaranteed stop, a new pair of buy/sell prices will be displayed adjusted for the cost of the guarantee and the closing spread.
Stops and limits are automatically set at the nearest permissible price. If you wish to amend stops, limits and your stake per point, you go to the Client Exposure Monitor, click on the Edit/View in the Action column and use the toggles to amend the limits/stops.

Contingent Bets

Punters can control their risks by laying contingent bets:

Limit: A controlled-risk bet, triggered once a specified buy or sell price has been reached.
Normal Stop Loss: A controlled risk bet to close a position at a given price, but where the bookmaker does not guarantee to execute precisely at that price.
Guaranteed Stop Loss: A controlled risk bet where you are guaranteed closure at a specified price, irrespective of market volatility. There is an extra charge expressed in terms of a wider spread.

Your first port of call should Be Market Information, which contains the terms and conditions of your account, as well as the details of each individual product; market/Cantor hours, minimum stake, spread, guaranteed stop cost, NTR factor (margin), contract term and last dealing day.

Cantor Index is offering its latest gadget, the Xda II pocket pc, for £99 (rrp £349) when you open a spread betting account. (available from CantorMobile.com) You will then have the advantage of spread betting in real time, with continuous streaming of live prices on global markets and live scrolling news service. Sport enthusiasts get sports scores and results, plus Cantor Sport prices and betting. If the mobile offer interests you visit the website or call 08000 93 8500. The spread betting service online offers credit and deposit accounts with guaranteed stop loss and limits facility, and price improvement during online execution. Cantor has also upgraded the news package to bring the Dow Jones newswire service with 1,600 stories a day and breaking news.

The danger is to take spread-betting at face value and treat it as a gambling rather than investing activity, with the real possibility that punters will be tempted to bet on complex and unfamiliar instruments like options. Just as you should never invest in any commodity or scheme that you do not understand, you should not gamble on any instrument with which you are unfamiliar.

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