What Is Digital Options Trading And How To Get Started
A digital or binary option is a financial contract that comes with one of two payoff options: a fixed amount or nothing at all. It's called this because there's no other settlement available.
Since binary options are very simple to trade, they have become one of the easiest financial assets to trade. As a result, many newcomers to the financial markets have gravitated toward this type of asset. To properly trade with binary options, traders should fully understand this type of contract's various features and advantages.
Internationally traded binary options are different from those available in the US. This is because their contracts are structured differently. Here's everything you need to know about binary options trading and how to get started.
Digital Options Explained
A binary option is a type of financial contract that provides a way to trade markets with a capped risk and profit potential. Take a simple example: Do you believe the price of gold is going to reach $1,830 at 1:30 p.m. today? If so, you buy the binary option. If it's going to fall below that level, you should sell it.
The contract mentioned above is currently trading at $42.50 and $44.50. If you decide to buy it right away, it will cost you $44.50, while if you decide to sell it, it will cost you $42.50.
You would then realize that if the gold price reaches $1,830, your option becomes worth $100. However, if it falls below that level, the option becomes worthless, and you lose the entire $44.50 invested. The contract's bid and offer fluctuate until the expiration date. You can then close the position at any time before the expiration.
A Zero-Sum Game
The total value of each binary contract will eventually settle at $100 if the option is correct and $0 if it's not. This is a zero-sum game, where each participant loses and the other makes.
The amount of capital that each participant puts up for their side of the trade is known as leverage. For instance, if you bought an option at $44.50 and sold it at $0, the trade costs you $44.50. The person who sold it to you has a maximum risk of $55.50, excluding fees.
Determination of the Bid and Ask
The bid and ask are determined by the traders themselves as they try to assess the probability of the contract's outcome being true or not. If the two numbers are within 50, the traders are not sure if the option will be worth $100 or $0.
If the two numbers are within 15, the sell-side traders are more likely to believe that the option will not be worth $100. On the other hand, the buyers are more likely to believe that the contract will be worth a lot more.
Pick Your Digital Options Market
Numerous asset classes are available through the binary option. Some of the major indices that are commonly traded include the Dow 30 and the S&P 500. Other global indices such as the FTSE 100 and China's Shanghai Composite are also available.
You can also use binary options to trade news events. For instance, if the US Federal Reserve decides to raise or decrease its interest rates, then you can buy or sell the options based on this decision.
Pick Your Option Time Frame
A trader can use intraday options to take advantage of the market's movement. These options allow day traders to make an established return if they are right in their decisions.
Daily options are also useful for day traders who are looking to hedge their positions against the movements of the market. The expiration date of the options is usually the last day of the trading week. The event-based contracts that are traded expire after the official release of the news about the event.
Trading Volatility
The way the underlying market is priced heavily influences the prices of binary options. For instance, if the European currency pair rises to 1.1815 during the next 112 hours, the cost to buy or sell the contract may be in the $90 range.
Since the underlying asset's price is expected to remain flat, the chances of the buyer receiving a $100 payout are high. If the underlying asset's price moves significantly during a volatile trading session, then the cost of the contract will increase to around $50.
Pros and Cons of Digital Options
Unlike the traditional stock and foreign exchange markets, where price gaps and slippage can occur, binary options are protected from these risks. Even in very quiet markets, binary options can still deliver better returns than the average stock or foreign exchange pair. For instance, if the price of a stock index is relatively unchanged, then the contract will settle at $100 or $0.
Even if the price of the underlying asset moves in your favor, the value of the contract is still capped. This means that even if the price of the underlying asset goes up, the value of the contract is still capped. Due to the nature of their contracts, binary options are very accessible to day traders even if they have limited trading capital. They can be opened for free with no deposit required.
Unlike stocks, binary options are not backed by any actual stock. Instead, they're based on an underlying asset.
Trade Digital Options With Safety And Security With Crystal Ball Markets
Your profit and loss potential are based on the price at which the option is bought or sold. Both the risk and the reward are managed according to the terms of the contract.
Due to the nature of their contracts, binary options are very accessible to many traders. Unfortunately, many companies that offer their services are typically unregulated. This means that even though digital options have a low barrier to entry, it's still not as simple as it sounds due to safety considerations.
Before you start trading with real capital, it's paramount that traders find a reliable platform on which to conduct transactions, and that's where Crystal Ball Markets comes in. Our platform provides a multitude of analysis tools as well as historical data that helps traders make smart trades. Apart from binary options, the platform allows traders to diversify their investments by placing trades on a wide range of instruments.
If you're looking to diversify your investment and get all the tools you need to start trading binary and digital options, register today and get the best online share trading platform, designed especially to help beginners understand market trends and make safe trades. Start trading currencies, stocks, energy, indices, and more today.