Tickmill offers CFD trading across 600+ markets, including 62 FX pairs, through platforms such as MT4, MT5, TradingView, and Tickmill Trader. CFDs let traders speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset. Because CFDs are leveraged products, both gains and losses can be increased, and most retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
The key question is not just which markets Tickmill offers, but how CFD trading works in practice. This includes how positions open and close, how spreads and commissions affect costs, how margin and leverage work together, and what can happen when markets move quickly. This guide explains these mechanics in simple terms.
What is Tickmill CFD trading?
A Contract for Difference (CFD) is an agreement based on the price movement of an underlying market. You do not own the underlying asset itself. Instead, the position reflects the difference between the opening and closing prices, subject to applicable trading costs.
For example, when trading a stock CFD, you do not acquire shares in the company. You simply trade on whether the price will rise or fall. CFDs can be traded in either direction:
- Long: The position benefits if the CFD price rises, before costs.
- Short: The position benefits if the CFD price falls, before costs.
- Leverage: Allows a position to be controlled using less margin than its full market exposure.
Leverage can increase both profits and losses. The exact treatment of adjustments, financing, and other charges depends on the instrument and account conditions.
Tickmill CFD markets and available instruments
Tickmill offers 600+ CFDs across several markets. These include:
- Indices: Such as major stock market indexes
- Commodities: Such as gold and oil
- Stocks: CFDs based on individual company shares
- ETFs: Funds that track a group of assets
- Bonds: CFDs based on bond prices
- Cryptocurrencies: CFDs based on crypto prices
Tickmill also offers 62 FX pairs for forex trading. The markets you can trade may depend on your Tickmill entity, account type, and trading platform. So, not every instrument may be available to every client.
How CFD trading works with Tickmill
CFD trading with Tickmill involves choosing a market, deciding whether to go long or short, selecting a trade size, and placing an order through your trading platform. You then close the trade when you want to exit.
To understand how CFD trading works with Tickmill, it is important to know how margin and leverage, overnight costs, and order execution affect your trades.
- Margin and leverage: Margin is the money needed to open a leveraged trade. Leverage lets you control a larger position with less money, but it can increase both profits and losses.
- Overnight costs: If you keep a CFD open overnight, swap or financing charges may apply. These costs depend on the market and trade direction.
- Order execution: CFD prices can change quickly. In fast-moving markets, the price you receive may differ from the price shown when you place the order. Tickmill may act as the principal for some CFD trades.
Editor-in-chief’s note – Sasitharan Kumar
From years working with FCA- and CFTC-regulated brokers, I have seen that many CFD traders overlook one important point: How their trades are executed. With Tickmill, as with many retail CFD brokers, the broker acts as the counterparty to your trade. The price shown on the platform can also change before your order is filled. This is a normal part of CFD trading, especially when markets move quickly. Your final execution price may therefore differ from the price you first saw. Understanding this and knowing that leverage can increase both gains and losses is more important than focusing only on the advertised spread.
Tickmill trading conditions explained
Tickmill uses market execution for CFD trades. This means the final price can be different from the price shown when you place an order.
- Displayed price: The price you see before placing an order.
- Execution price: The actual price at which your order is filled.
- Slippage: The difference between these two prices. It can be positive or negative.
- Variable spreads: Spreads can change depending on market conditions.
Tickmill states that classic account spreads start from 1.6 pips, and raw account spreads start from 0.0 pips. Spreads can become wider during high volatility, market openings or closings, and major news events.
The displayed price is not always the price you get
The displayed price, the spread, and the final execution price are not always the same. A quoted spread should not be treated as a guaranteed final trading cost, because in fast-moving markets your order can be filled at a different price than the one you saw when you placed it.
Spreads, commissions, and other costs
Tickmill charges different spreads and commissions depending on the account.
| Account | Spread from | Commission |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | 1.6 pips | $0 |
| Raw | 0.0 pips | $3 per lot per side |
| TradingView Raw | 0.0 pips | $3.50 per lot per side |
These are starting rates, not fixed prices. Spreads can change with market conditions.
Other possible costs include:
- Spread: The difference between the buy and sell price.
- Commission: A fee charged on some accounts.
- Overnight swap: A charge for keeping a trade open overnight.
- Slippage: When your trade is filled at a different price than the one shown.
- Minimum deposit: Tickmill accounts start from $100, but this can vary depending on the account’s base currency.
Leverage and margin requirements
Leverage lets you open a larger trade with a smaller amount of margin. However, it does not reduce the risk of the trade. Tickmill’s maximum leverage depends on the regulatory entity, client type, and financial instrument.
- FCA and CySEC retail clients: Generally, up to 1:30.
- Some offshore entities: Higher leverage may be available, with Tickmill up to 1:1000 for certain products and entities.
The basic relationship is:
- Margin = Trade exposure ÷ Leverage
This means that higher leverage requires less margin for the same trade size. However, your actual market exposure remains the same.
Margin call and stop-out
Tickmill has different margin levels for different types of entities:
- Tickmill’s standard global conditions include a 100% margin call and a 30% stop-out level.
- However, these requirements may vary depending on the Tickmill entity and the type of client.
- For instance, retail clients in the UK and EU are subject to a 50% stop-out level.
A margin call means your account equity has fallen to the required margin level. It does not automatically close your trades. If your account equity falls further and reaches the stop-out level, Tickmill may automatically close some or all open positions.
Tickmill platforms for CFD traders
Tickmill provides several platforms for CFD trading. These are listed below:
- MT4: A widely used platform supporting CFD trading, technical analysis, and Expert Advisors. Tickmill provides MT4 across desktop, mobile, and WebTrader environments.
- MT5: The newer MetaTrader platform, with advanced order functionality, charting, and access to a broader selection of asset classes on applicable Tickmill accounts.
- TradingView: Provides advanced charting, indicators, drawing tools, and direct trading connectivity through Tickmill’s supported setup.
- Tickmill Trader: Tickmill’s proprietary platform, available through web and mobile, providing access to a range of CFD markets.
The available instruments and account combinations can differ between platforms. It is also important not to confuse Tickmill’s CFD platforms with its exchange-traded futures offering. Futures are exchange-traded derivatives and operate under a different execution structure.
How to start trading CFDs with Tickmill?
The account-opening process is relatively straightforward:
Tickmill also provides demo accounts, allowing users to explore its trading environment using virtual funds before trading with real money.
CFD risk management strategies
Risk management can help traders control their exposure, but it cannot remove the risk of losing money. Some common risk management tools are:
A stop-loss does not always guarantee the exact exit price. In a fast-moving market, the trade may be closed at a different price because the market can move before the order is filled. The main goal of risk management is simple. Understand your exposure and manage it carefully. It cannot guarantee that you will avoid losses.
Understanding Tickmill’s retail loss rate
CFDs are leveraged products, and Tickmill’s regulatory risk warnings state that the majority of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. Several reasons can cause retail CFD trading to produce losses.
- First, leverage magnifies exposure. A relatively small movement in the underlying market can therefore produce a much larger percentage change in the margin supporting a position.
- Second, trading costs affect the outcome. Spreads and commissions can reduce the result of a position, while overnight financing can add costs when trades remain open.
- Third, markets do not move in a straight line. Unexpected economic announcements, changes in liquidity, and rapid price movements can cause execution prices to differ from the prices a trader initially sees.
The key point is that a low spread or high available leverage does not change the underlying risk of the CFD itself.
Profit and loss examples with CFDs
A simple way to understand CFD profit and loss is to look at what happens when the market moves in your favour or against you.
Profit example
Imagine you open a CFD position with 10,000 units of exposure. The market moves 1% in your favour. 1% of 10,000 units = 100 units. Your gross profit would be 100 units before spread, commission, financing, and other costs.
Loss example
Now imagine the same position moves 1% against you. 1% of 10,000 units = 100 units. Your gross loss would be 100 units before trading costs.
These are simple examples, not predictions of what you will earn or lose with Tickmill. Your actual result depends on the instrument, trade size, opening and closing prices, spread, commission, financing, and execution.
Leverage lets you open a larger trade with less margin, but it does not reduce the risk. Higher leverage can make losses happen faster and reduce your account balance more quickly when the market moves against you.
Tickmill CFD trading: Pros and cons
Here are the main benefits and drawbacks to consider before trading CFDs with Tickmill.
PROS
CONS
Conclusion
Tickmill CFD trading lets you trade on price movements without owning the underlying asset. It offers 600+ CFDs, different account types, and several trading platforms. Based on our overall assessment, Tickmill scores 8.25/10 and is TC Validated for CFD trading. Your available leverage, markets, and protections depend on the Tickmill entity and your client type.
Before trading, understand the main costs and risks, including spreads, commissions, overnight fees, margin, leverage, execution, and slippage. Tickmill acts as the counterparty for its CFD contracts, and the final price can differ from the displayed price in fast markets. CFDs can also lead to quick losses, so understanding these risks is more important than choosing an account based only on its spread or leverage.
Pro tip
Don’t choose a CFD account based only on the lowest spread. Check the spread, commission, leverage, margin, and overnight fees together to understand the real cost of trading. Also, make sure you know which Tickmill entity you are signing up with, as leverage and client protections can differ between entities.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is CFD trading at Tickmill?
CFD trading at Tickmill involves speculating on the price movement of an underlying market without owning the underlying asset. CFDs can be traded long or short and use margin and leverage.
2. How many CFDs does Tickmill offer?
Tickmill advertises access to 600+ CFDs across multiple asset classes. The exact instruments available depend on the applicable entity and platform.
3. What markets can I trade as CFDs with Tickmill?
Tickmill offers 600+ CFDs across markets such as forex, indices, commodities, shares, bonds, and cryptocurrencies.
4. Does Tickmill offer stock CFDs?
Yes, Tickmill offers CFDs on selected individual stocks, depending on the entity and region.
5. Can I trade cryptocurrency CFDs with Tickmill?
Yes, Tickmill offers selected cryptocurrency CFDs, but availability can vary by region and entity.
6. What leverage does Tickmill offer on CFDs?
Leverage depends on the Tickmill entity, client type, and instrument. FCA and CySEC retail clients are generally limited to 1:30, while some offshore entities offer higher leverage.
7. How much does it cost to trade CFDs with Tickmill?
Costs can include spreads, commissions, and overnight financing. The exact cost depends on your account and the CFD you trade.
8. Does Tickmill charge overnight fees on CFDs?
Yes, swap or financing charges may apply when you keep a CFD position open overnight.
9. Which platforms can I use for Tickmill CFD trading?
You can trade CFDs through MT4, MT5, TradingView, and Tickmill Trader, depending on availability for your account and region.
10. Is Tickmill CFD trading suitable for beginners?
Yes, but CFDs are leveraged and risky. Beginners should understand leverage, margin, costs, and risk management before trading.
