|
| |
 | |
|
|
Currency Trading Information Channel |
 |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
Currency Trading Information Channel |
|
|
|
|
|
Forex Options Market OverviewThe forex options market started as an over-the-counter (OTC) financial vehicle for large banks, financial institutions and large international corporations to hedge against foreign currency exposure. Like the forex spot market, the forex options market is considered an "interbank" market. However, with the plethora of real-time financial data and forex option trading software available to most investors through the internet, today's forex option market now includes an increasingly large number of individuals and corporations who are speculating and/or hedging foreign currency exposure via telephone or online forex trading platforms. Forex option trading has emerged as an alternative investment vehicle for many traders and investors. As an investment tool, forex option trading provides both large and small investors with greater flexibility when determining the appropriate forex trading and hedging strategies to implement. Most forex options trading is conducted via telephone as there are only a few forex brokers offering online forex option trading platforms. Forex Option Defined - A forex option is a financial currency contract giving the forex option buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell a specific forex spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the forex option buyer pays to the forex option seller for the forex option contract rights is called the forex option "premium." The Forex Option Buyer - The buyer, or holder, of a foreign currency option has the choice to either sell the foreign currency option contract prior to expiration, or he or she can choose to hold the foreign currency options contract until expiration and exercise his or her right to take a position in the underlying spot foreign currency. The act of exercising the foreign currency option and taking the subsequent underlying position in the foreign currency spot market is known as "assignment" or being "assigned" a spot position. The only initial financial obligation of the foreign currency option buyer is to pay the premium to the seller up front when the foreign currency option is initially purchased. Once the premium is paid, the foreign currency option holder has no other financial obligation (no margin is required) until the foreign currency option is either offset or expires. On the expiration date, the call buyer can exercise his or her right to buy the underlying foreign currency spot position at the foreign currency option's strike price, and a put holder can exercise his or her right to sell the underlying foreign currency spot position at the foreign currency option's strike price. Most foreign currency options are not exercised by the buyer, but instead are offset in the market before expiration. Foreign currency options expires worthless if, at the time the foreign currency option expires, the strike price is "out-of-the-money." In simplest terms, a foreign currency option is "out-of-the-money" if the underlying foreign currency spot price is lower than a foreign currency call option's strike price, or the underlying foreign currency spot price is higher than a put option's strike price. Once a foreign currency option has expired worthless, the foreign currency option contract itself expires and neither the buyer nor the seller have any further obligation to the other party. The Forex Option Seller - The foreign currency option seller may also be called the "writer" or "grantor" of a foreign currency option contract. The seller of a foreign currency option is contractually obligated to take the opposite underlying foreign currency spot position if the buyer exercises his right. In return for the premium paid by the buyer, the seller assumes the risk of taking a possible adverse position at a later point in time in the foreign currency spot market. Initially, the foreign currency option seller collects the premium paid by the foreign currency option buyer (the buyer's funds will immediately be transferred into the seller's foreign currency trading account). The foreign currency option seller must have the funds in his or her account to cover the initial margin requirement. If the markets move in a favorable direction for the seller, the seller will not have to post any more funds for his foreign currency options other than the initial margin requirement. However, if the markets move in an unfavorable direction for the foreign currency options seller, the seller may have to post additional funds to his or her foreign currency trading account to keep the balance in the foreign currency trading account above the maintenance margin requirement. Just like the buyer, the foreign currency option seller has the choice to either offset (buy back) the foreign currency option contract in the options market prior to expiration, or the seller can choose to hold the foreign currency option contract until expiration. If the foreign currency options seller holds the contract until expiration, one of two scenarios will occur: (1) the seller will take the opposite underlying foreign currency spot position if the buyer exercises the option or (2) the seller will simply let the foreign currency option expire worthless (keeping the entire premium) if the strike price is out-of-the-money. Please note that "puts" and "calls" are separate foreign currency options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every put buyer there is a put seller, and for every call buyer there is a call seller. The foreign currency options buyer pays a premium to the foreign currency options seller in every option transaction. Forex Call Option - A foreign exchange call option gives the foreign exchange options buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a specific foreign exchange spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the foreign exchange option buyer pays to the foreign exchange option seller for the foreign exchange option contract rights is called the option "premium." Please note that "puts" and "calls" are separate foreign exchange options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every foreign exchange put buyer there is a foreign exchange put seller, and for every foreign exchange call buyer there is a foreign exchange call seller. The foreign exchange options buyer pays a premium to the foreign exchange options seller in every option transaction. The Forex Put Option - A foreign exchange put option gives the foreign exchange options buyer the right, but not the obligation, to sell a specific foreign exchange spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the foreign exchange option buyer pays to the foreign exchange option seller for the foreign exchange option contract rights is called the option "premium." Please note that "puts" and "calls" are separate foreign exchange options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every foreign exchange put buyer there is a foreign exchange put seller, and for every foreign exchange call buyer there is a foreign exchange call seller. The foreign exchange options buyer pays a premium to the foreign exchange options seller in every option transaction. Plain Vanilla Forex Options - Plain vanilla options generally refer to standard put and call option contracts traded through an exchange (however, in the case of forex option trading, plain vanilla options would refer to the standard, generic forex option contracts that are traded through an over-the-counter (OTC) forex options dealer or clearinghouse). In simplest terms, vanilla forex options would be defined as the buying or selling of a standard forex call option contract or a forex put option contract. Exotic Forex Options - To understand what makes an exotic forex option "exotic," you must first understand what makes a forex option "non-vanilla." Plain vanilla forex options have a definitive expiration structure, payout structure and payout amount. Exotic forex option contracts may have a change in one or all of the above features of a vanilla forex option. It is important to note that exotic options, since they are often tailored to a specific's investor's needs by an exotic forex options broker, are generally not very liquid, if at all. Intrinsic & Extrinsic Value - The price of an FX option is calculated into two separate parts, the intrinsic value and the extrinsic (time) value. The intrinsic value of an FX option is defined as the difference between the strike price and the underlying FX spot contract rate (American Style Options) or the FX forward rate (European Style Options). The intrinsic value represents the actual value of the FX option if exercised. Please note that the intrinsic value must be zero (0) or above - if an FX option has no intrinsic value, then the FX option is simply referred to as having no (or zero) intrinsic value (the intrinsic value is never represented as a negative number). An FX option with no intrinsic value is considered "out-of-the-money," an FX option having intrinsic value is considered "in-the-money," and an FX option with a strike price at, or very close to, the underlying FX spot rate is considered "at-the-money." The extrinsic value of an FX option is commonly referred to as the "time" value and is defined as the value of an FX option beyond the intrinsic value. A number of factors contribute to the calculation of the extrinsic value including, but not limited to, the volatility of the two spot currencies involved, the time left until expiration, the riskless interest rate of both currencies, the spot price of both currencies and the strike price of the FX option. It is important to note that the extrinsic value of FX options erodes as its expiration nears. An FX option with 60 days left to expiration will be worth more than the same FX option that has only 30 days left to expiration. Because there is more time for the underlying FX spot price to possibly move in a favorable direction, FX options sellers demand (and FX options buyers are willing to pay) a larger premium for the extra amount of time. Volatility - Volatility is considered the most important factor when pricing forex options and it measures movements in the price of the underlying. High volatility increases the probability that the forex option could expire in-the-money and increases the risk to the forex option seller who, in turn, can demand a larger premium. An increase in volatility causes an increase in the price of both call and put options. Delta - The delta of a forex option is defined as the change in price of a forex option relative to a change in the underlying forex spot rate. A change in a forex option's delta can be influenced by a change in the underlying forex spot rate, a change in volatility, a change in the riskless interest rate of the underlying spot currencies or simply by the passage of time (nearing of the expiration date). The delta must always be calculated in a range of zero to one (0-1.0). Generally, the delta of a deep out-of-the-money forex option will be closer to zero, the delta of an at-the-money forex option will be near .5 (the probability of exercise is near 50%) and the delta of deep in-the-money forex options will be closer to 1.0. In simplest terms, the closer a forex option's strike price is relative to the underlying spot forex rate, the higher the delta because it is more sensitive to a change in the underlying rate. John Nobile - Senior Account Executive
 MORE RESOURCES updated Sat. April / 17 / 2021Best Forex Trading Platforms In 2021 Yahoo Finance All The Differences Between Forex Trading and Crypto-Trading hackernoon.com Trading Lots and Other Eco-Friendly Forex Trading Strategies - Blue & Green Tomorrow Blue & Green Tomorrow A comprehensive understanding of Forex trading The Portugal News State Street will partner with Pure Digital to create an institutional digital currency trading platform Markets Insider Coinbase soars in market debut, briefly topping $100 billion value Long Beach Press Telegram XRP Climbs 10.09% In Bullish Trade Investing.com India Five Reasons Why the Market is So Volatile Investing.com India 8 Crucial Factors to consider when opening your Online Forex Trading Account South Coast Herald Forex Weekly Look Back: HYCM on the rise of retail trading, ATFX launches AT Premier Leaprate Forex Trading News Forex Market Majors Trade Higher on US Dollar Weakness Securities.io What Is Forex Trading? Forbes GBP/EUR: Pair Slips Back To €1.15 Currency Live The 6 Best Online Forex Trading Classes of 2021 Investopedia Forex Trading – How Do I begin? - NuWireInvestor NuWire Investor How to Trade Commodity Currencies in Forex Trading Moneyshow.com Things You Need To Know Before Entering Forex Trading NuWire Investor A beginner's guide to Forex trading BusinessMole 3 Forex Experts Ethical Investors Can Learn From Blue & Green Tomorrow Dollar Traders Take Upbeat Data in Stride DailyForex.com Forex Market: Unlocking Opportunities for Investors Visual Capitalist Next Forex Trading Terms You Need to Know Before Trading North Forty News Best online brokers for forex trading in April 2021 Bankrate.com Forex Brokers: Are They a Scam? | Investing | US News U.S News & World Report Money The Currency-Market Snoozefest Might Not Last The Wall Street Journal Most profitable forex pairs Capital.com Making Money By Forex Trading The FINANCIAL How Does The Foreign Exchange Market Work? Investment U Everything To Know About Getting Into Forex Trading GQ Australia Understanding currency trading and its dynamics Nairametrics Legacy 4X Forex: Where Aspiring Traders Master Forex Trading and the Ins and Outs of the Forex Market Yahoo Finance Five ways to learn currency trading business Gary Skentelbery Facts You Need To Know About Forex Trading Forbes India A guide to forex trading instruments - Boca Raton's Most Reliable News Source The Boca Raton Tribune Timing Entry And Exit When Forex Trading - NuWireInvestor NuWire Investor How to Trade Forex? - A Guide to Forex Trading in 2021 DailyForex.com EUR/JPY looks firmer near 130.50 ahead of US data Forex Crunch Foreign exchange data wars heat up as rivals take on ‘Big Two’ Financial Times Dispute brews between EU and currency traders on Mifid reform Financial Times Best Forex Trading Platform Choices of 2021 Fortunly News Forex Trading: What you need to know before investing Loop News St. Lucia Forex Trading Industry Statistics and Facts 2020 DailyForex.com Volatility in North Korea's Currency Trading: Does a Rising Won Mean Trouble Ahead, or Progress? 38 North What Is Forex Trading and How Does it Work? Money and Markets The Basics of Currency Trading Investopedia
|
