The Australian ASX index CFD: how the index works

• AUS200

What the ASX benchmark index is

The “S&P/ASX 200” is the main benchmark index of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). It tracks the largest listed Australian companies, weighted by free-float market value. Bigger companies move the index more than smaller ones.

On Exness the index CFD is listed as “AUS200”. A CFD (contract for difference) is a contract that pays the difference in price between opening and closing. You do not own any Australian shares. For the basics, see Index CFDs explained and Stock indices.

What moves the Australian index

The index is concentrated in a few sectors. This shapes how it reacts to news.

Banks

Financials carry a large share of the index, led by the major Australian banks. Their profits depend on lending margins, housing credit and bad-debt levels. Because of this, decisions and statements from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) can move the index CFD through the bank stocks.

Miners and commodities

Materials are the other large block: iron ore, copper, lithium and gold producers. When commodity prices move, these stocks often move with them. Energy companies add exposure to coal and LNG prices.

China

China is the main buyer of Australian iron ore and many other raw materials. Chinese data such as factory surveys (PMI), steel output, property news and policy statements often affect miners. Through them, they can affect the whole index. This link is not fixed. It can be weak on some days and strong on others.

Currency and global risk

The Australian dollar (AUD) is also sensitive to commodities and China. Index and currency can move together or apart. Wall Street moves overnight often show up in the Australian open. For more on reading data and news, see Fundamental analysis.

Trading hours from Pakistan

The Australian cash session falls in the Pakistani early morning to late morning. Exness says index trading hours differ by underlying instrument; servers run on UTC+0. CFD hours can extend beyond the exchange session. Check the current schedule of the symbol in the platform or the Exness Help Center.

The Australian index CFD on Exness: what is sourced and what to check

Exness states that index leverage is fixed for most indices except JP225, USTEC, USTEC_x100, US500, US500_x100, US30, US30_x10. The Australian index is not on that exception list, so its leverage is fixed rather than tied to your account equity. Check the current leverage value in the platform.

Other details are not covered here. Check them in the platform before trading:

• contract size and pip size
• minimum and maximum volume
• spread and any commission per account type
• swap and triple-swap day
• which account types and account currencies offer indices

In MetaTrader, right-click the symbol in Market Watch and open Specification. See MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.

Account conditions differ. For example, the Standard account has no commission and spreads from 0.2 pips, while Raw Spread charges a commission of up to 3.50 USD each side per lot. Index-specific costs can differ from these headline figures. Compare accounts on Account types.

Exness lists Pakistan among the countries where clients are given swap-free status automatically. The status depends on trading activity and can be lost. Details are on Swap fees and Islamic finance.

Sizing a position: pip value and margin

Once you have the contract size from the specification, use the calculators to see what one pip is worth and how much margin a position needs.

Orders opened from 15 minutes before to 90 seconds after high-impact news are subject to higher margin requirements (HMR). Australian and Chinese data releases can fall in this window.

Risk and the legal position in Pakistan

Leveraged index CFDs can lose money fast. A gap at the open or a sharp move on China news can take a position past your stop. Exness states that if a stop out would leave a negative balance, the balance is reset to zero (balance reset to 0 after stop out). That limits the loss to your deposit. It does not protect the deposit itself. Read Risk management before trading.

Two official positions apply: per the SBP, the purchase of offshore forex/margin/CFD products by Pakistani residents violates section 4(1) of FERA 1947; and per the SECP, offshore platforms have no Pakistani licence or oversight and offer no legal protection or recourse. Read Law and regulators and decide with this in mind.

You can practise on a demo account first. The default demo comes with 10,000 USD (virtual).

Frequent questions

Is “AUS200” the same as the “ASX 200”?

The symbol is the Exness CFD based on the S&P/ASX benchmark index. Its price follows the index, but you trade a contract, not the shares.

Why does Chinese data affect an Australian index?

China buys a large share of Australia's iron ore and other raw materials. Its data moves the miners, and the miners carry a large weight in the index.

What leverage applies to the Australian index CFD on Exness?

Exness says leverage is fixed for most indices, and the Australian index is not among the exceptions. Check the current value in the platform specification.

When can I trade the Australian index CFD from Pakistan?

The cash session falls in the Pakistani morning. CFD hours may be longer. Check the current schedule in the platform, because Exness servers run on UTC+0 time.

Where do I find the contract size and pip size?

In MetaTrader, open the symbol Specification. Then use the pip and margin calculators on this page.