Should you bet on the spread betters?

Plans to clean up the sector could cast spread betters in a whole new light. Matthew Partridge reports.

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The FCA bombshell saw spread-betting firms' share prices plummet
(Image credit: DragonImages)

In December, Britain's financial watchdog unexpectedly proposed a raft of new regulations that would hit spread-betting firms. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) wants to tighten up the rules on promoting spread-betting products; to crack down on short-term binary bets; and to impose tighter limits on the amount of leverage (borrowed money) that betters can use.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri