What Is the Difference Between Forex and CFD Trading on eToro?

Written by Nadav Zelver

Reviewed by Mike Druttman

You can trade both forex and CFDs on eToro. But they’re not the same thing. They each play by different rules and knowing which one suits your strategy can make all the difference.

Forex Trading on eToro

Forex trading is all about currency pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/JPY, USD/ZAR, and others. You're placing your investment on how one currency will perform against another.

But here’s the twist: on eToro, you’re not actually buying the currencies. You’re trading CFDs (Contracts for Difference), which means you’re speculating on price movements without taking ownership.

Quick rundown

• Currency Pairs: You get access to majors, minors, and some pretty exotic combos.
• Leverage: eToro lets you use leverage to stretch your buying power.
• Market Hours: The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week. This is ideal if you’re in a different time zone or just like trading late.

CFD Trading on eToro

CFDs go way beyond currencies. Think stocks, indices, gold, crypto. If it moves, you can probably trade it as a CFD.

What to know

• Asset Variety: You’re not limited to forex. You can trade Apple, oil, gold, the S&P 500, and more.
• Leverage: Just like forex, CFDs can be traded with leverage. But remember, it cuts both ways.
• Short Selling: Expecting a price drop? CFDs let you open a short position and profit if the market moves down.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Basically what I'm saying here is that both use CFDs under the hood, but forex trading zeroes in on currency pairs, while CFD trading covers a wider universe of financial markets.

So what's the right choice? We'll, that all depends on what you’re trying to do. Looking to trade the dollar? Go forex. Want to spread your strategy across tech stocks and gold? CFDs are your game.