How do I trade US share CFDs from Australia?
Verdict
- Open an account with an ASIC-licensed CFD provider (our pick is Pepperstone, with 600+ US share CFDs), choose an AUD or USD base currency, fund it, and trade the US symbols; commission is $0.02 per share per side.
- More than 100 US share CFDs at Pepperstone trade 24 hours a day on weekdays under a '-24' symbol such as AAPL.US-24, so you aren't tied to the overnight Wall Street session.
- Retail leverage is 1:5: 100 shares at an illustrative US$200 is a US$20,000 position needing US$4,000 of margin.
- A USD base-currency account keeps US share results in dollars rather than converting each one to AUD.
The process takes minutes once your identity is verified. The decisions that matter come before the first trade: which currency to hold the account in, whether to trade the regular session or the 24-hour version, and how much margin a US stock position really ties up.
Five steps with Pepperstone
Pepperstone Group Limited (ASIC, AFSL 414530) quotes 600+ NYSE and NASDAQ shares as CFDs on both its Standard and Razor accounts.
- Open an account and complete identity verification.
- Pick a base currency: USD if you mainly trade US shares, AUD if you trade a mix.
- Fund it from $10 by PayID, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal, all free and instant.
- Find the share by ticker; the regular CFD and the 24-hour version (suffix '-24') are listed separately.
- Size the position with 1:5 margin in mind and set a stop before you leave it overnight.
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What a US share CFD costs
Because commission is per share rather than a percentage, a lower-priced stock costs more relative to the position's value than an expensive one. Add the spread and overnight financing for each night you hold.
| Shares traded | Per side | Round trip |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $0.20 | $0.40 |
| 100 | $2 | $4 |
| 1,000 | $20 | $40 |
Wall Street on Australian time
The regular US session runs overnight on the east coast, opening between about 11:30 pm and 1:30 am and closing in the early morning, as each country changes its clocks at different times. Pepperstone's 24-hour versions of 100+ popular US shares let you trade during the Australian day instead, reacting to news while you are awake. Expect thinner trading outside the regular session, which can mean wider spreads, so compare the '-24' quote with the regular one before you trade it.
Earnings, gaps and margin
- US shares often gap on quarterly results, and Pepperstone's stops aren't guaranteed, so a stop can fill well past its level.
- At 1:5, a 20% fall in a stock equals your whole margin on that position.
- Retail clients have negative balance protection, so your account can't go below zero.
- Capital.com (AFSL 513393), our second choice, allows the same 5:1 on shares and offers guaranteed stops if earnings gaps worry you.
Sources
Commission, ranges, hours and funding as published.
Can I trade US share CFDs in an AUD account?
Yes. Results are converted from US dollars into AUD. A USD account avoids the conversion on each trade.
Does Pepperstone offer perpetual CFDs on US stocks?
Its Australian fee page lists perpetuals on names such as NVDA, TSLA, AMD and GOOGL at 0.015% per side, but doesn't say whether retail clients can trade them. Ask support first.
Do I receive US dividends on a share CFD?
Long positions receive a cash adjustment around the ex-dividend date and short positions pay one; you don't receive the dividend itself.
US share CFDs are complex, leveraged products and US stocks can gap sharply, so you can lose money quickly. Currency moves also affect AUD accounts. Read the PDS and TMD before trading; this is general information, not investment advice.