what is the difference between stock cfd and stock?

This is a very common question amongst beginners so guys, I would like to hear your explanation: what is the difference between buying a stock and buying a stock cfd?

M
@mercury01 - 7 months ago

Stock CFDs do not give you ownership of the stock; they are only a over-the-counter contract between you and the CFD broker that allow you bet on whether the price of the stock will rise or fall. if your bet is correct the CFD broker pays you money and vice versa.

Holding a stock CFD overnight will attract a fee because it is not yours.

However, when you buy ordinary stocks, they are delivered to your demat account and you take ownership of them. You also get voting rights on the company whose stocks you bought. Holding a stock overnight will not attract any fee because it is yours.

Stock CFDs are mostly used by traders while stocks are bought by investors who hope to hold it for a long time.

When you buy a real stock you get paid dividend whenever the company is doing so but for Stock CFDs you only get paid a dividend if you opened a buy trade for a Stock CFD.

When it comes to cost, it is cheaper to trade Stock CFDs than to buy real stock because buying real stocks entails pying fees to the stock exchange, custodians etc.