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CFDs enable you to have control over a wide variety of financial products for just a fraction of their underlying value. But with their potential for higher return also comes higher risk. CFDs For Dummies gives you clear advice on how to make the most of these exciting products — while managing your risk at all times.

• Diversify your portfolio and increase your trading opportunities — trade across various financial instruments, including shares, foreign exchange, indices and commodities, within Australia and internationally

• Use stop loss orders and position sizing — manage your risk by knowing how much you stand to lose if you get a trade wrong, before you even open it

• Develop your trading strategy — analyse your trading behaviour, develop a trading plan and track your progress

• Work out short- and longer-term trading strategies — hold your positions open for only a few hours, or over several months

• Take advantage of short selling strategies — make profits in a falling market, or hedge your overall portfolio against short-term losses

Open the book and find:

• How much to leverage your trading account

• How to manage trading across different time zones — and get some sleep!

• Strategies to invest in commodity CFDs such as oil CFDs and gold CFDs

• Ways announcements and news releases can affect prices — and how you can manage this through your trading strategy

• How technical analysis can help you identify trading opportunities

• Whether you really need to spend a lot of money on your charting software