LONDON, December 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

2012 is expected to be the year of the Smartphone, but it also looks set to be the year for mobile trading with thousands of traders and investors managing their trading accounts in real-time from their mobiles wherever they are, whenever they want.

Trading will also become more accessible to the masses through the exposure of mobile trading apps which could see thousands of people becoming traders for the first time with mobile spread betting and other forms of low margin trading, such as CFDs taking precedence in the UK.

In June 2011, Google Insights revealed that 30% of the UK population owned a Smartphone, compared to 20% ownership in 2010. Google forecast that by the end of 2012, over 50% of the UK population would own a Smartphone and use it regularly for internet access.

The research also looked at the popularity of applications, or 'apps', among Smartphone users and found that worldwide, the UK was the most prevalent in downloading apps, with many people taking advantage of the availability of free apps.

These trends are expected to increase awareness of online trading and make mobile spread betting available to a wider audience.

In 2009, City Index led the mobile trading market with their award winning iPhone spread betting app, which was praised for its intuitive usability and risk management tools.

Recently, City Index also won the 2011 Shares Award for Best Mobile Trading Application for their City Trading app, which allows traders to spread bet and trade CFDs instantly and securely in real-time, 24-hours a day.

In 2009 just 2% of total trading activity at City Index was placed using mobile devices, but in 2011 this has grown to over 20%. And now 1 in 3 of City Index clients uses the mobile platform, a figure that continues to grow as the weeks progress.

Mobile trading is quickly becoming recognised as an essential tool for risk management -especially in volatile markets where fast and convenient accessibility to the trading platform could be the crucial difference between making a profit and taking a loss.

The rapid growth in the use of Smartphones, which offer internet access, email and a variety of internet based applications has continued to change the way in which we interact with work, friends, family and our environment and now it looks set to make the awareness of online trading greater than ever.

Please be aware that spread betting and CFD trading are leveraged products which can result in losses greater than your initial deposit.

For more information on how to spread bet, visit City Index who offer a variety of online tutorials and free trading apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other mobile devices.

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About City Index:

Today more and more individual traders are discovering the benefits of derivatives, and many of them are discovering them through a City Index trading platform.

As a group, we transact in excess of 1.5 million trades every month for individuals in over 50 countries worldwide. We provide access to a wide range of instruments including margined foreign exchange, CFD trading and, in the UK, spread betting.

Visit http://www.cityindex.co.uk/ to learn more about online trading.

SOURCE City Index