A stock index is a basket of a fixed number of equities which indicate the present and past price as well as the performance of a country’s economy. Cash Contracts For Difference (CFDs) are cash settled, allowing market participants to speculate on global economic price movements without owning the tangible assets. Unlike Forwards contracts, the cash indices have no expiry date and no rolling costs. This allows traders to buy or sell traditional assets with leverage (margin trading is risky and can lead to losses).