US presidential election 2020
Joe Biden is the president-elect, having beaten Donald Trump in a hard-fought contest. Learn how you can trade
in the aftermath of the US presidential election with our huge range of markets.
Tips for trading the US election
Markets are often volatile following a US election – and this year could be more unpredictable than most. Here are our tips for trading the increased volatility:
- Keep up-to-date with the latest news
It’s important to keep up to date with the latest news to reduce your chances of being caught out by quickly developing stories. Our trading platform has a range of in-built tools to help you, including news feeds from our in-house experts and Reuters. - React in real time
With us, you can trade with margin on US indices round the clock 1 and you’ll get extended hours on key US shares – exclusive to our clients. Plus, with our free trading app, you’ll be able to take a position even when you’re out and about. - Ensure you don't miss key moves
You can set alerts and signals from within our platform to notify you of key price points to buy or sell, so you never need to be caught out by fast-moving markets. You can change your preferences to receive these alerts by email, SMS or push notification – and you can take a new position or alter an existing one in seconds. - Trade on positive or negative price movements
When you take a position with us, you’ll be able to go long or short whenever opportunity presents itself by leveraged over-the-counter (OTC) derivative trading. You’d go long if you expect markets to rise, and you’d go short if you expect them to fall. - Protect yourself against risk
Even if you’re confident in your own research and analysis, there can still be surprises. Cap your maximum risk by placing guaranteed stops on your positions.2
Why trade the US election with us?
At IG, we offer leveraged over-the-counter (OTC) derivative trading on a variety of financial markets that are likely to be impacted by the US presidential election.
Could Trump’s refusal to concede affect the markets?
Trump’s failure to concede quickly could cause increased volatility in the markets in the coming days or even
weeks. Markets hate uncertainty, and the outgoing president’s failure to recognise that he has lost is
certainly unprecedented.
In response to the result, Trump has filed several lawsuits in numerous states, hoping to overturn the result
on claims of a fraudulent election. But, with speculation mounting over the salience of Trump’s legal battles –
and with the so-called Biden bounce already in effect – it remains to be seen just sincere a chance he has of
clinging onto power.
Steps to trading the US election
- Trading CFDs
CFDsenable you to speculate on the price of an asset without taking direct ownership of it. This gives you the flexibility to go long if you think an asset’s price will rise, or short if you think it will fall. - Select a market
You can trade the election by speculating on CFD markets such as indices, shares and forex pairs. The US 500, EUR/USD and US stocks all tend to continue to move following the result. - Open an IG trading account
You can open an account with us in just a few minutes, and there’s no pressure to add funds until you want to place a trade. - Be ready to react to US election news
With our in-platform news feeds from our expert team and Reuters, plus our range of trading alerts and signals, you never need to be caught out by breaking news stories. - Log in and place your trade
Once you’ve followed the previous steps, you’re ready to log in to your account and take a position.