A lot of people don’t know the difference between OTC or over-the-counter CFDs and DMA or direct market access CFDs (DMA CFDs), before I commence it is imperative to make sure that the differences between both types of Contracts for Difference are clearly explained as there are actually important advantages and disadvantages of each type that all traders should be familiar with.

Understanding the differences between both kinds of CFDs is quite simply explained. In essence DMA CFD companies allow all of their clients CFD trades to flow onto the underlying order book of the share over which the CFD is based, this allows DMA CFD traders to take part in the market depth a have their orders partially filled in addition to enabling the trader to be a price maker as opposed to a price taker, OTC CFD brokers on the other hand frequently match trades against another clients trade or their internal liquidity instead of placing the trade in the underlying market. OTC CFD brokers have the benefit of having the ability to offer CFDs over indices and forex and are more appropriate for traders looking to access numerous asset classes, whist DMA CFD providers are only able to offer CFDs over shares and are better suited to those looking to trade shares on leverage or CFDs over speculative mining shares.

Now that you recognize the difference between the two different types of CFDs on offer it is imperative to understand the trading platforms available. As CFDs are traded via the web it is important to make sure that you choose the right platform that suits your trading style, the most popular DMA CFD platform is webiress plus.

Webiress plus is the fastest and most dependable DMA CFD trading platform in the marketplace at present. Webiress plus started off it's life being a equity trading platform and shortly after was tailored for CFDs. The trading platform is web based and uses java, like all java applications it’s essential to make sure that you have the most recent java version installed on your workstation in order to experience the great functionality of the software .

Webiress plus is often rather daunting for novices first starting out however once you appreciate the ability of the software it’s doubtful that you will utilize anything else. Configuring your initial layout can often be by far the most difficult part however this is rather simple if you stick to the essentials. Some of the basic features of webiress that you ought to setup to display permanently in your trading platform workspace are a watch list, your portfolio, an order pad, a market depth window and of course the market map. Having these features open on your workspace are key when you first commence and can prevent you from making some common and easily preventable errors like not knowing whether or not an order has been canceled or not.

Let us now take a look at the importance of each of these key webiress plus features.

Watch listHaving a watch list window open is essential when you are trading as it means that you can watch the CFD positions that you have open inside your portfolio and any others that you may be interested in opening positions in. The watch list will allow you to observe prices without the need to have multiple price windows open.

PortfolioThe portfolio window is arguably an important feature in webiress plus as this allows you to observe the essentials of your portfolio including your free equity, margin requirements, portfolio worth in addition to both your realized plus unrealized profit and loss. From the portfolio window you will also have the capacity to check your open positions, see your average price, market to market value and unrealized profit or loss on each individual position.

Order PadUsing the order pad window is essential for those managing numerous orders, the order pad window enables you to follow the status of your trades in the market. After placing an order using webiress plus it’s necessary to check whether the trade has successfully reached the market, this can be done using the order pad, it’s from here that you will also have the capacity to check for partial fills and confirm the status of order cancellations.

Market DepthHaving access to market depth is vital when trading DMA CFDs as this will allow you to see your orders in the underlying order book of the equity over which the CFD is based, not only will you have the ability to see your trades in the depth but you will also have the ability to determine where support and resistance levels are by just looking to see the number of buyers or sellers in the market at every price point.

Market MapThe market map is without doubt one of the unique features of webiress plus, it provides traders with a visible portrait of the whole market at a glance. It’s common for traders to make use of the market map feature to help them to recognize equity CFDs who’s prices have either risen or fallen dramatically across the entire market. The market map is also able to display the market capitalization of equities meaning traders can rapidly filter out stocks in a specific sector which may not meet their trading criteria.

Now that you are familiar with the distinctions between DMA and OTC CFDs and understand a few of the important features of the webiress plus platform you are well on your way to trading. Before you begin trading DMA CFDs on webiress plus it is imperative that you practice using the trading platform, place some orders and set up a trading workspace that suits your trading style. You can access a free webiress plus demonstration from leading CFD broker IC Markets website which you are able to practice on for as long as you want.

Author's Bio: 

Kent has been using the webiress plus platform for several years. Kent uses many of the features of the trading platform including the market map in his trading approaches, he has also written a number of books and guides on DMA CFDs and their advantages for active traders. If you'd like to find out more about DMA CFD trading on the webiress plus trading platform you'll find allot of helpful tips and tricks on IC Markets web site.