Trading Assets

Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia and Colombia account for the overwhelming majority of the world’s coffee supply. Prices can be volatile and are affected by political turmoil in the countries that produce it, weather, yield speculation, and also the price of oil, as this impacts transportation costs.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 12:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 18:00 GMT Daily

With roughly 525 million tons of corn produced every year, corn is considered one of the most important cash crops on the planet. Aside from its consumption as produce, corn is used to make livestock feed, corn syrup used in processed foods, plastics, alcohol and ethanol fuel. Prices can be highly volatile, affected by uncontrollable factors such as the weather.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 17:30 GMT Daily

Gold is the world’s oldest traded commodity and is regarded a safe-haven store of wealth. Historically it has a negative correlation with the US dollar, although over the past few years this relationship has weakened. Gold exhibits a positive correlation with the Australian dollar and the Swiss Franc.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:30 GMT Daily

Brent Crude is a type of crude oil which is extracted from the North Sea and is used as a price benchmark for roughly two thirds of all the internationally traded crude oil. Brent Crude is now traded on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) under the symbol ‘B’, with each contract being for 1,000 barrels.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:30 GMT Daily

Platinum is primarily mined in Russia and South-Africa, and tends to hold its value better than gold at times of relative political stability due to it being far rarer. The metal’s main use is in the manufacture of catalytic converters in the automotive industry, and its second most popular use is in the jewellery industry.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 12:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 18:00 GMT Daily

Silver is normally extracted from copper, gold and zinc ore, rather than mined in its own right. As a result the price of silver is largely determined by the demand for these other metals. Silver also has a traditionally positive correlation with gold, making the precious metal another affordable store of wealth in times of economic uncertainty.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:30 GMT Daily

Sugar is an important commodity, although it has some marked differences to other commodities. It is difficult to ascertain the actual supply and demand dynamics of sugar due to it being a highly subsidised produce wherever it is cultivated. It is estimated that only about 20% of all sugar produced finds its way onto the open market.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 12:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 18:00 GMT Daily

Wheat is a highly valued commodity, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and more frequent natural disasters have led to wheat prices soaring in recent years. When wheat prices are volatile, it is worth also watching the following stocks: Sara Lee, Campbell Soup, Kellogg, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Quaker Foods, Nestle and Frito-Lay.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 12:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 18:00 GMT Daily

The ASX (Australian Securities Exchange) is Australia’s main securities exchange. It was created in 2006 by merging the Sydney Futures Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange and has a turnover in excess of four and a half billion dollars per day, making it one of the top 10 exchanges in the world. Some of the largest stocks traded on the ASX include: BHP Billiton, Westpac, and Rio Tinto.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 05:00 GMT Daily

Also known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Sensitive Index, the BSE 30 or the SENSEX, the Bombay SE is a free flat market capitalisation weighted stock index derived from 30 of India’s biggest and most popular stocks. The index features companies that represent various aspects of the Indian economy including: oil and gas, automotive, pharmaceuticals and information technology.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 10:30 GMT Daily

Created through the merger of the São Paulo Stock Exchange and the Brazilian Mercantile and Futures Exchange, BM&F BOVESPA is officially the eighth largest stock exchange in the world with a market capitalisation in excess of $1 trillion. Its benchmark index is the Indice Bovespa or IBOVESPA, which is the oldest of the BOVESPA indices and features the most representative cross-section of companies traded on the BM&F BOVESPA exchange.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 10:30 GMT Daily

The CAC 40 index is France’s benchmark stock index and represents 40 of the top 100 stocks traded on the Paris Bourse stock exchange. The CAC 40 is capitalisation weighted, meaning that the stocks that compose it are weighted so that larger companies carry a larger percentage weight. The index’s name is derived from an early system of automation employed on the Paris Bourse called Cotation Assistée en Continu (Continuous Quotation System).

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

The Dax is a German stock index consisting of 30 of the biggest blue chip stocks that are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. The index is the equivalent of the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the FT 30, tracking the performance of a relatively small selection of the largest German companies according to their market capitalisation. Due to its relatively slim sample size it is not completely representative of the health of the German economy as a whole.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

Also known as the Dow Jones Industrial or the Dow Jones, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index that measures the performance of 30 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It was originally created to provide stock price information for firms involved in heavy industry although most of the companies listed on the Dow today have very little to do with heavy industry. Some of the companies listed on the Dow include: Hewlett Packard, AT&T, Intel, IBM and MacDonald’s.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:10 GMT Daily

The Dubai Financial Market General Index is a free-float market capitalisation weighted price index which tracks the performance of stocks belonging to companies that are listed on the Dubai Financial Market Stock Exchange.

START DATE: Sunday
END DATE: Thursday
OPENING HOUR: 06:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 10:00 GMT Daily

The FTSE 100, also known as the FTSE or Footsie, is an index that measures the values of 100 of the largest companies traded on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalisation. The FTSE is one of the most popular indices in the world and is regarded as an extremely accurate barometer of the general state of British business. Companies listed on the FTSE 100 account for 81% of the total market capitalisation of the London Stock Exchange.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

The Hang Seng is an index that measures the value of 48 of the largest companies that trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Since opening in November 1969 the index has been used to track the performance of the most influential firms in the region. With roughly 60% of the market capitalisation accounted for by the Hang Seng, and with many other Chinese companies also represented, it is an important gauge of the economic strength of the region.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 02:00, 06:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 06:30, 08:00 GMT Daily

The IBEX 35 is the benchmark index of Spain’s main stock exchange, the Bolsa de Madrid. It is a free-float capitalisation weighted index that features 35 of Spain’s most liquid publicly traded companies. The companies that compose it belong to a variety of Spanish sectors, from services, finance and information technology, to construction, engineering and power.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

The Micex 10 Index tracks the performance of the ten most liquid stocks traded on the Russian MICEX-RTS exchange. Unlike many of the other big global indices the Micex 10 is unweighted, meaning that all ten companies listed on it are assigned an equal weight.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

Founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers, the Nasdaq is the second largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalisation. The Nasdaq started its life as the first ever electronic stock market, and was just an electronic medium for posting and updating asset prices. This system was partially responsible for lowering the differences between the bid and ask prices of securities. It eventually evolved to become the first ever online stock market.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:10 GMT Daily

NASDAQ futures enable traders to speculate on the future values of companies that trade on the NASDAQ exchange. Futures buyers are expecting the asset they are purchasing to rise in value, thus earning them a profit for having secured it at a lower price today. Futures sellers expect the reverse to take place and so wish to secure a higher price before this change in value takes place.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:30 GMT Daily

Also referred to as the Nikkei Stock Average, the Nikkei Index or just the Nikkei, along with the Topix it is one of the leading stock market indices of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Nikkei 225 is a price weighted index which uses the Yen as its base unit and gives an accurate reading of a wide section of the Japanese market. The Nikkei is the most frequently quoted average of Japanese stocks.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00, 03:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 02:00, 06:00 GMT Daily

The Standard & Poor’s 500 is a free-float market capitalisation-weighted index that measures the performance of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. The S&P 500 is one of the most commonly quoted indices, due to its weighting methodology as well as the large cross-section of the US companies that are represented on it and is considered the most accurate barometer of the US economy.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:10 GMT Daily

The SSE 180 is one of several indices (including the SSE Composite and SSE 50) that are used to track the performance of stocks traded on the Shanghai Stock exchange. The Shanghai Stock exchange is currently the sixth largest stock market in the world according to its market capitalisation. Its composite index features the complete list of all stocks traded on the SSE, whereas the SSE 180 and SSE 50 are more selective indices, tracking only Chinese industry leaders by market capitalisation. All SSE indices employ a Paasche weighted composite price index formula.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 01:30, 05:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 03:30, 07:00 GMT Daily

The Straits Times Index (also known as the FTSE Straits Times Index) is the benchmark index for the Singapore Stock Exchange. It uses a capitalisation-weighted methodology to follow the performance of 30 of the largest companies trading on the Singapore Stock Exchange. In 2008 the Index was updated and re-launched, removing 20 of the stocks previously listed and adopting the FTSE methodology for calculating market capitalisation.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 01:00, 06:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 04:00, 09:00 GMT Daily

The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) is the benchmark index that keeps track of all the stocks listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange. The index was uses a base value of 1000 and volume is calculated by excluding all trades under SAR 15000.

START DATE: Sunday
END DATE: Thursday
OPENING HOUR: 08:10 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 12:20 GMT Daily

The Tel Aviv 25 Index (more commonly referred to as the TA-25) is the benchmark index for the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. From February 2002 until February 2012 the TA-25 outperformed the benchmark indices belonging to 23 other developed nations and topped Bloomberg’s Riskless Return Ranking list.

START DATE: Sunday
END DATE: Thursday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily

Also known as the Tokyo Stock Price Index, the Topix along with the Nikkei 255 is one of Japan’s two most important stock market indices. The Topix tracks the performance of the 1,669 Japanese companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and has a market capitalisation of almost 200 trillion Yen. Recently the Topix has changed the way the companies listed on it are weighted, moving from an outstanding share methodology to free-float system where weighting is based on how many available shares are in existence.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00, 03:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 02:00, 06:00 GMT Daily

Australian Dollar versus U.S. Dollar - The AUD/USD is positively correlated with gold because Australia is one of world’s largest gold producers. This means the Australian dollar is also affected by fluctuations in the prices of the precious metals and other commodities it produces.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 23:59 GMT Daily

Euro versus Great British Pound - The value of this pair is affected most by how the combined Eurozone economies perform compared to the United Kingdom. Better GDP growth, manufacturing output, retail sales, and lower unemployment causes one currency to be stronger than the other. The GBP, often referred to as Sterling, is also influenced by the price of North Sea oil.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 19:00 GMT Daily

Euro versus Japanese Yen - The most important factor affecting this pair is the interest rate differential between Europe and Japan. Relative economic performance also influences how one currency performs against the other. Also, Japan imports most of its oil and so it is affected by changing prices.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 23:59 GMT Daily

Euro versus U.S Dollar - By far the most traded currency pair worldwide, the EUR/USD is affected by how the collective economies of Europe perform against the States. In addition to this when U.S. interest rates are higher than those of the main European economies, the U.S. dollar becomes stronger in relation to the Euro, and when Eurozone interest rates are higher, the opposite is true.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 23:59 GMT Daily

Great British Pound versus U.S Dollar - The main price factor here is the relative strength of the British and U.S. economies. When the British economy outperforms that of the U.S., the GBP/USD goes up, and when the U.S. economy is stronger, the value of the currency pair goes down. It is also important to follow the interest rates of Britain and the U.S as they affect the value of this pair.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 19:00 GMT Daily

New Zealand Dollar versus U.S. Dollar - New Zealand has developed a strong export-driven economy focused primarily on raw materials, fish, dairy and other food items. Consequently the value of its currency is as dependent on commodity and produce prices, as it is on interest rate differentials.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 23:59 GMT Daily

U.S. Dollar versus Canadian Dollar - Canada is one of the biggest oil exporting nations in the World, supplying the U.S. with most of its oil. For this reason the USD/CAD is negatively correlated with the price of oil. Falling oil prices strengthen the U.S. dollar against the Canadian Dollar and vice versa.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:30 GMT Daily

U.S. dollar versus Swiss Franc - The Swiss franc, like the gold reserves which back 25% of the currency, is regarded as a safe-haven currency. For this reason the USD/CHF is negatively correlated with gold, falling when gold prices rise and rising when the value of gold drops. The Swiss franc is also positively correlated with the Euro, so when the Euro rises this pair tends to fall.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 18:00 GMT Daily

U.S. Dollar versus Japanese Yen - With Japan being such a large exporter, the yen is highly dependent on how well its companies are doing internationally. Any business wishing to import Japanese products must first purchase yen and the demand for yen causes its value to rise. Traders also tend to invest in yen as a proxy for the entire Asian region, so when Asia as a whole is booming the yen also tends to do very well.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 00:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 23:59 GMT Daily

U.S. Dollar versus Singapore Dollar - Singapore is one of the original four Asian tiger nations. The most important factor determining the strength of the Singapore Dollar against the U.S. dollar is the trade balance between the two nations. Both economies import a great deal from one another and this balance of trade between the two countries greatly affect the value of one currency over the other.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 01:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 09:00 GMT Daily

U.S. Dollar versus Turkish Lira - As well as having a large agricultural industry, Turkey is one of the world’s largest producers of Automobiles, textiles, ships, construction materials, electronics and home appliances. Its currency is affected by the changing demands of these items, as well as the fluctuating prices of the commodities needed to manufacture and distribute them.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 14:30 GMT Daily

U.S. Dollar versus South African Rand - Despite South Africa being a resource-rich country which exports gold, diamonds and coal to the rest of the world, its wealth is not reflected in the population’s standard of living, or the strength of its currency. Aside from its natural resources it has an underdeveloped economy and an undervalued currency. The Dollar/Rand pair has a reputation for volatility, with great swings in price movement within short periods of time to be expected.

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: N/A
END DATE: N/A
OPENING HOUR: N/A
CLOSING HOUR: N/A

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 08:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 14:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Sunday
END DATE: Thursday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 14:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 08:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 10:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 01:30, 05:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 03:30, 07:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 04:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 10:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Sunday
END DATE: Thursday
OPENING HOUR: 07:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 13:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 20:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 08:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:00 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE: Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 07:30 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR: 15:30 GMT Daily

START DATE:Monday
END DATE: Friday
OPENING HOUR: 08:00 GMT Daily
CLOSING HOUR:15:00 GMT Daily