Trading the US election

Our clients are eligible to spread bet tax-free* in the UK on all financial assets, which makes it our most popular product. You do not have to pay stamp duty or capital gains tax, nor commission charges on any orders that have been executed. When trading CFDs, these costs all apply. Political spread betting is an effective way to trade the financial markets without extra costs, although some spread betting holding costs​ and overnight fees still apply. You should make sure you acknowledge these before registering for an account.

To start spread betting on some of the most popular US assets, you can register for a spread betting demo account​ to practise risk-free. Or, if you are ready to deposit funds, you will benefit from our live spread betting account​. With this, you will have access to exclusive platform features, such as our trading forum, Reuters and Morningstar reports, and the ability to trade over 8000 shares and ETFs, which are not available with a demo account.

Investors based in the UK can trade on US stocks through our derivative products. A large number of the world’s largest companies by market capitalisation are based in the US, including four companies that have surpassed the trillion-dollar mark. The US is renowned for its development in technology, energy and healthcare; however, whereas some stocks may thrive in the aftermath of the election, others may crash.

Therefore, traders will be wondering: what is the election’s effect on the stock market? Let’s take examples from a few of the most prominent sectors.

Technology: Biden has often expressed his discontent with the increasing power that large-cap technology companies have over market share and insight into the public’s general life. In particular, he wants to propose higher taxes on tech giants, which could result in a plunge in both their profits and share price. Share prices to look out for during the election include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft.

Healthcare: The healthcare industry has been particularly volatile recently, due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and the US election could have an impact on different sub-sectors. For example, Biden’s plan for more affordable healthcare could lead to a decrease in share price for drug manufacturers and insurers. Look out for top pharmaceutical stocks such as Pfizer, Merck and Novartis, whose share prices could take a rise or tumble.

Energy: Whereas Trump is very outspoken about his disbelief of risks of climate change and the need for energy alternatives, Biden is dedicated to focusing on renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure, and his triumph could lead to a drop in share price for large oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and BP. This would work in a reverse way for renewable energy stocks, such as Tesla and First Solar, whose share prices could reach an all-time high.

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Depending on how the stock market performs, this will have an effect on major stock indices in the US, such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ 100. These indices are made up of shares from many sectors, including the above-mentioned industries. In fact, 20% of US market value derives from the largest technology companies, meaning that Biden’s tax proposals may have a considerable impact on a stock index where they are heavily weighted. Fluctuating share prices could offset the overall risk of investing in major indices. For example, the S&P 500 index has historically seen more positive performance than negative by a change in presidency, indicating that the US stock market can be adaptable and ultimately profit from volatility.

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The US dollar has traditionally been seen as a safe haven, where investors pile their money to counteract the volatility of other financial markets, such as stocks. In this case, if there is a decline in share prices and index prices within significant sectors, investors may once again turn to the USD, along with commodities such as gold. The value of a currency usually reflects the strength of the economy, meaning that the dollar could either rally or weaken in upcoming months.

So, what is the effect of US elections on the dollar? Let’s look at a couple of examples of currency pairs that may strengthen due to the political situation.

GBP/USD: There is a long-standing positive relationship between the UK and US in terms of trade, where the latter acts at the largest trading partner and consumer of its goods and services. In turn, this has led to GBP/USD to be one of the most traded currency pairs in the world. In the run up to the election, the pound strengthened against the dollar, indicating that this may be an effective asset to trade. Depending on which US political party is in office, this sometimes has an effect on the appreciation of the GBP, which tends to weaken against the dollar under Democratic leadership.

USD/CNH: Tensions between the US and China consistently mounted with a Trump presidency and this was reflected in the value of the USD/CNH currency pair. The Chinese yuan has shown a rise in value at times, such as the start of the trade war in 2019 and then again after the nation’s peak of Covid-19 had passed. If Biden is able to improve relations between both countries, this may lead to a price increase for the CNH.

The US is one of the largest suppliers and exporters of commodities in the world, which include raw materials such as oil, gas and precious metals. Gold is the commodity most commonly used as a safe haven and hedging tool for investors, especially leading up to political or economic events. In recent months, the price of gold has hit an all-time high, which suggests that many investors prefer to hedge less risky assets leading up to the US election, instead of trading stocks or forex. However, history has also shown that the value of gold follows the stock market in times of financial crisis; therefore, a stock market crash could have a major impact on gold trading following the election date. Traders should stay vigilant and monitor market updates in order to avoid losses. This also applies to crude oil trading, which is one of the most traded commodities in the US, along with gold. In particular, Brent Crude Oil and West Texas Crude Oil are two assets that may either rise or decline sharply in price in upcoming months.

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Our trading platform offers a client sentiment tool, which allows traders to view what other clients are trading right now and if they are going long or short on their positions. This helps you to scope out the general market sentiment for an asset before entering a trade. Investor sentiment is important in periods of volatility, as it gives an indication of which direction the markets are headed, whether it be for forex, stocks, indices or commodities.

Learn how to use the client sentiment indicator to trade the US election results with our video tutorial below.

The presidential election officially took place in November, but the impact on the financial markets can last for weeks, months or even years after the event. Our online trading platform, Next Generation, comes with a dedicated section to financial news and analysis, where our professional market analysts provide daily updates on assets including forex, indices, treasuries and commodities. We also offer a customisable economic calendar for clients that want to monitor upcoming events, in order to adapt to an event-driven trading strategy.

It is useful to stay aware of election updates that may have an impact on the US economy and subsequent trading markets. For more information on how to trade the US election, our special US Election hubpage comes with tips, market data and expert analysis that is available on our platform.

Why should you trade the US election with us?