When it comes to investing, investors look to traditional avenues such as stocks, bonds, real estate and commodities. These avenues are safe, government regulated and potentially lucrative. But for those investors who are searching for something more- especially investments that offer high returns on small capital-alternative investment are worth looking into. Investors should pay attention to three forms of alternative investments in particular: Contract for Difference (CFDs), Spread Betting and (believe it or not) whisky. These forms of investments have been gaining in popularity lately, and they might be a good alternative for those who have extra money to invest.
Contract for Difference
The Contract for Difference (CFD) is a financial instrument that allows investors to speculate on the movement of stock prices without actually owning them (similar to commodities). The investor buys a contract directly from the broker at a fixed price. The investor can profit depending on the difference between the opening and closing price of the contract. They can either go long (buy) if you believe prices will rise or go short (sell) if you believe they will fall. CFDs are useful instruments for hedging your losses in your portfolio. If you have shares that are falling in value, you can use a CFD to profit from the fall in price. CFDs are not just limited to stacks. You can take out CFDs on currencies, bonds, commodities and other financial products.