Index CFDs are contracts for difference over equity indexes. A contract for difference, or CFD, is a type of derivative that allows a trader to gain a long or short exposure to a trading instrument’s price. While the trader does not own the underlying asset, they ‘own’ any movement in the price of that asset while they hold a position.
An Index is a basket of assets – in most cases stocks, but any assets can be included in an index. An index is usually weighted by the market capitalization of each company, with the largest companies having the most influence on the index value.