- Can I run your Internet platform on any computer?
- How do I access the platform, and what hours are you open?
- I have received my account login and password, how do I log in?
- The platform has not launched. What should I do?
- The platform has launched and I would like to place a trade but there are no markets on display, how do I access the real time prices?
- I have selected the FTSE 100 markets and the real time prices have appeared. How do I place a bet on the Daily FTSE100?
- I am happy to trade at the price on the screen and have clicked on the 'Buy' button. What happens now?
- Why would my bet be declined?
- How do I know what my trading resources are?
- My trade was declined what are my options now?
- My trade was accepted. What happens now?
- I would like to place an order linked to my open bet on the Daily FTSE 100 market. How do I do this?
- Do I always have to tie an order to an open bet?
- My order on Daily FTSE 100 has just been triggered. What happens now?
- Can I extend the life of my bet?
- I see that I can choose how my trades are matched off. How does this work in practice?
- I have a number of long and short positions in the same market. How do I match these off to realise the P&L?
- If I have placed a trade on the Internet, am I able to close this off on the phone?
- What other functions are available in the online system?
Can I run your Internet platform on any computer?
Our Internet platform is a browser based system and should be available to everyone using Internet Explorer 5.5 or above on Windows 98 and above.
If you encounter any problems when attempting to launch the browser, please contact our client support team on 020 7144 4090.
How do I access the platform, and what hours are you open?
You can access the trading area once you have successfully opened an account with MF Global Spreads. When your account has been opened you will be issued with a User ID, password and personal identification code (PIC) that will give you access to all areas of our platform. The Internet platform is available 24 hours a day but please note that our trading hours are limited to our desk opening hours, which are currently 7:00 until 21:45 (21:15 on each Friday).
I have received my account login and password, how do I log in?
On every page of our site you can use the quick login feature in the orange box. After entering your Account Number and Password a new window will appear which will request two random letters from your four-letter PIC. Use the drop down buttons and select the letters that have been requested. Once done press the Login button and the platform will launch.
The platform has not launched. What should I do?
Sometimes pop-up blockers will prevent our system from launching into a new window. If this is the case, try holding down the 'Ctrl' key when you click the button. Alternatively, permission our site in your software to always open a new window.
If you find the system gets stuck as it is configuring and connecting please try deleting your temporary internet files and refreshing the screen.
The platform has launched and I would like to place a trade but there are no markets on display, how do I access the real time prices?
Click onto the Markets tab at the top of the top left hand pane. This will provide you with a drop down of the available market groups we offer. Clicking on one of these will highlight the next tab, which will provide you with a list of more specific products. Click on the group of markets you wish to access. (If you click on an individual share market, a further tab will appear requesting you to select the first letter of your chosen share.)
I have selected the FTSE 100 markets and the real time prices have appeared. How do I place a bet on the Daily FTSE100?
On the right hand side of the streaming prices pane, you will see the 'Trade' button. Click on this button and the top right hand pane will become active. Move to this pane and enter you stake in the box. You have not traded at this point, nor are you under any obligation to do so. Once you have entered a stake in the box, click on the 'Request a Price' button, a timer will appear followed shortly by our streaming price for your chosen market. Clicking on the 'Buy' or 'Sell' button will initiate the bet.
I am happy to trade at the price on the screen and have clicked on the 'Buy' button. What happens now?
Your bet is processed immediately. You will either receive a confirmation that the bet has been accepted or a message informing you that your bet has been declined. If the bet is declined, the reason why will also be displayed.
If you experience a technical fault please call the trading desk to confirm the status of your account.
Why would my bet be declined?
The most common reason for declining a bet is a lack of trading resources on an account. The degree of risk in any bet is reflected in a Notional Trading Requirement (NTR) for each product. The stake you have requested is multiplied by the relevant rate and the result then compared to your available trading resources. If the total NTR requirement is greater than your available balance your bet will be declined.
How do I know what my trading resources are?
Your available balance and trading power is displayed at the top right of the trading platform. Full account details can be viewed by clicking the 'My Account' button at the top. The NTR's for each market can be viewed in the 'Market Information' section found under Markets and Services. If you are uncertain of any of our NTR's or how they are calculated, please call our trading desk on 020 7144 4080. In some circumstances the orders active on your account will act to reduce the NTR requirement for your exposure to a market. This is a unique feature only offered by MF Global Spreads.
My trade was declined what are my options now?
A yellow ticket will appear in the top right hand pane. This will give you a summary of your account at the time of the bet request. It will also give you two options: reduce your stake to the level indicated on the screen or continue with the original stake amount but place a stop on the position. If you decide to proceed with either option you will go back to the streaming price stage where a new price will be displayed. You must repeat the trade instruction (buy or sell) at this time. The processing of the bet will then begin again. In fast moving markets this process may have to be repeated a few times before you are able to place your bet.
My trade was accepted. What happens now?
Once you have successfully placed a trade, a confirmation will appear immediately in the top right pane. Simultaneously, your new position will appear in the bottom left hand pane in the Position Summary area.
The profit and loss for this trade will update in real time. This is the actual P&L that will be realised if you were to close the position at the current buy or sell price.
I would like to place an order linked to my open bet on the Daily FTSE 100 market. How do I do this?
If you wish to place an order and tie it to any one of your open positions you will need to go back to the top left hand pane and find the relevant market in the drop down section. (See question 8). Once you have found the market, click on the "Order" button. This will bring up the order ticket in the top right hand pane. Enter the details of your order (Buy/Sell, Stake, Order/Market and Price) and then click the relate button. This will display your open positions in this market and by clicking the 'link' area you will tie this order to your open position. If you have multiple open positions in this market you will need to repeat this process to tie all of your open bets to separate orders.
Do I always have to tie an order to an open bet?
No. You can place orders that are not related to an open bet and similarly place orders in markets where you have no open positions. The advanced section of the order ticket will enable you to place more complex orders such as Contingent Orders and One Cancels Other (OCO) orders, which again, can, but don't have to be, tied to an open position.
My order on Daily FTSE 100 has just been triggered. What happens now?
Once your order level has been reached, your instruction will be executed by one of our dealers. If the order is tied to an open bet this will automatically close off if the stake size is the same, or net against your nominated position.
If you have chosen not to tie this order to your open bet, your fill will be processed as a normal trade. Settings on your account (default: first in first out) will decide the match off process.
Can I extend the life of my bet?
Yes. There is the facility to roll over any bets placed with us. If you wish to roll a bet, simply call our trading desk on 020 7144 4080. One of our dealers will be happy to help you.
I see that I can choose how my trades are matched off. How does this work in practice?
All accounts are set to a default FIFO (First In First Out) setting. This means if you were to place a bet in the opposite direction to one of your existing positions it will match off against the first bet. To change this setting you should tick the 'Forced Open' button found on the deal ticket when you are placing your bet (see question 9). If this is done' the bet placed will show as a new open position irrespective of the direction of your other open positions.
I have a number of long and short positions in the same market. How do I match these off to realise the P&L?
Call the trading desk on 020 7144 4080 and one of our dealers will be happy to match these trades for you. There is no additional cost to you for doing this; the opposing deals are matched off against each other NOT closed at the current market price. You will be able to do this yourself on the next version of our website.
If I have placed a trade on the Internet, am I able to close this off on the phone?
Yes. Our unique Phoenix system is fully integrated with our trading desk and back office system. You can call the trading desk to open or close any positions and use either medium to place further trades or orders.
What other functions are available in the online system?
The bottom two panes contain all the information you will require to manage your account. The 'Orders' tab found in the left hand pane will detail all orders you have on your account.
The 'Balance History' tab will provide you with the last 30 days activity on your account, including all matched bets and any movement of funds.
The 'News' tab will provide you with up to the second headlines from Dow Jones Newswires which can be filtered and clicked to see the full article.
The 'Messages' tab in the bottom right hand pane will keep you up to date with any system related issues that arise from time to time.
If you wish to withdraw/pay funds on your account you should contact our Customer Services team on 020 7144 4090. You will be able to do this yourself on the next version of our website.
