If you have a buy position, for example, on a company which announces a dividend, your account will be credited/debited prior to market open on the day the stock goes 'ex-dividend'. Here's a typical example:
Please note that the amount you are credited or debited will be subject to the relevant tax holding rates according to the region in which the share is listed.
When a stock goes ex-dividend, ignoring other market forces, the value of that stock effectively falls by the dividend amount. In most cases this will in turn cause the index value to drop since the value of the index is calculated from the value of the stocks within it. The amount that the index drops is dependent on the weighting of the stock within the index. If more than one constituent stock of an index goes ex-dividend on the same day, we will add the amount of points each stock will cause the index to drop by together to calculate the total dividend amount in relation to the relevant index CFD offered by us.
In the event that a listed issuer of a security (on which you hold an open CFD position with us) announces a share sub-division or share consolidation, or makes changes to its capital structure by way of rights issues, bonus issues or cash dividend payments, we will make an appropriate adjustment on the relevant listed share CFD on the ex-date or the corporate action effective day.
With a rights issue, a company will offer its shareholders a chance to buy newly issued shares, usually at a discounted price, before they are offered to the public.
Price adjustments may be applied to your account where you are holding positions on relevant CFD shares or cash indices.
How do company stock splits affect my account?
Stock splits are usually undertaken when the value of a company's stock is becoming too high. The company will essentially offer more stocks in the company but at a lower price. Here's a typical example:
As you would have benefitted from the artificial price movement at the time where in fact you shouldn’t have, the equivalent amount is debited from your account in order to offset this. Overall, you do not lose or gain anything due to this price adjustment.