Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Web Trader MT5
F
Fractal
In technical analysis, a fractal is a certain candlestick pattern defined by trader Bill Williams that identifies possible reversal points in price. A bearish fractal is a series of five consecutive candles in which the middle candle has the highest high. The middle candle has the lowest low on the bullish fractal.
The pattern reveals local highs and lows – places where the market reversed momentarily – and traders use these to plot support and resistance levels or to trigger entries and exits within broader trading systems. Fractal also has a broader meaning in markets, referring to the self-similar quality of price patterns that repeat across different timeframes.
Example: A trader using the Bill Williams trading system sees a negative fractal emerging on the daily chart just below a key resistance level. The peak on the middle candle is exactly where the market has previously rejected higher prices. The fractal, coupled with a signal from the Alligator indicator (another Williams tool), provides traders with a clear purpose for seeking a short entry, rather than merely reacting to price fluctuations.
Free float
The number of shares of a company that are available for trading on the open market, excluding shares held by insiders and other restricted shares.
Front Office
The front office is the revenue-generating element of a financial institution; the traders, salespeople, investment bankers, and relationship managers who deal directly with clients and markets. This is where positions are taken, deals are cut, and money is made or lost. The front office is separate from the middle office, which is responsible for risk management and compliance, and the back office, which deals with settlements and operations.
While many institutions have blurred the lines between these activities, the front office still retains its identity as the sharp edge of the organization; closest to the market and most directly accountable for performance.
Example: The FX front office of a bank would comprise the spot traders who quote prices to customers, the sales team that manages corporate contacts, and the structuring desk that invents hedging solutions for large institutional accounts. When a corporate treasurer calls up to execute a major forward trade, the front office takes the call, offers the rate, and books the deal – everything else that happens thereafter goes behind the scenes.
Front-running
The unethical practice of buying or selling a security based on knowledge of a pending transaction by a third party.
FTSE 100
The FTSE 100 is the UK’s most popular index, tracking the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. It’s at the beginning of the conversation when someone asks you how the British market is doing.
Although the FTSE 100 is a UK index, it’s global, as the bulk of their earnings come in dollars, euros, and other currencies outside the UK. This can result in movements in the index that are unrelated to the UK domestic economy, as when the pound weakens, overseas income is worth more in sterling.
The top companies are Shell, HSBC, AstraZeneca, Unilever, and Rio Tinto, all of which represent power in different sectors of the economy.
Example:The UK economy posts weak growth figures and sterling sells off. Unsurprisingly, the FTSE 100 index increases. Simply put, the top earners of the index are making most of their profits overseas, and with a weaker pound, those earnings are worth more when converted back. This is one thing that surprises new investors.
FTSE China A50 Index
The FTSE China A50 Index tracks the 50 largest companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, giving international investors a benchmark for the performance of mainland Chinese equities. A-shares are Chinese yuan-denominated stocks that were historically accessible only to domestic investors, but reforms over the years have gradually opened the market to foreign participation. The index is heavily weighted toward financials and consumer sectors, reflecting where the largest Chinese listed companies operate. It’s widely used as the basis for futures contracts and ETFs that allow global investors to gain exposure to mainland China without directly navigating the complexities of the onshore market. Example: An emerging-market fund manager seeking to increase China exposure without the operational complexity of trading directly on mainland exchanges buys futures on the FTSE China A50. When sentiment toward Chinese equities improves following a government stimulus announcement, the index moves sharply higher, and the fund benefits from the position without having held a single onshore A-share directly.
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