Index products have made headlines in recent years because they are easy to trade and they are electronically available virtually from anywhere, and can be traded anytime. Aside from these, profits gained from index options trading are taxed lower compared to stocks, making it a profitable venture. The best part about trading indices is that there are several strategies available for both bearish and bullish markets. But before we talk about trading strategy, let us first define what index products are.
Index options trading were introduced into the financial market in 1981. Similar to equity options which are based on an underlying stock, index options are based on an underlying financial index.The main advantage of trading in index options is that it allows an investor to be diversified to the overall market or a sector of the financial market with just a single investment decision and one transaction.
Without index options trading, an investor will have to make several transactions to have the same level of diversification to the financial market.
Index Options enable investors looking to expose themselves to the whole financial market or to segments of the market with a single investment. The investor can agree a contract with a seller such as a brokerage firm, to buy an underlying asset at a set date in the future at a set time. The buyer, however can exercise their option not to go through with the contract and they can let it expire. They pay a premium to the seller to get this right. If they decide to follow through and buy the asset the seller is obliged to sell.
Indexes include:
Stock indexes such as the NASDAQ, the FTSE 100 the top 100 companies listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange, the FTSE 500 which is the top 500 companoes listed or the French exchange; the CAC.

.DE30 7 days
| Friday, 11 June 2010 11:51 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
.ES35 21 hours
Summary
Analysis Resistance Levels
Support Levels
The Spanish Bolse de Madrid index has been trading in a well-defined downward sloping range, confirmed by two Falling Wedge patterns. A later, shorter term Falling Wedge assumes a slightly shallower gradient, and if it completes it may mark the start of an upward change in direction. There is the significant psychological level of 9000 to contend with, so today and the first few days of next week may be telling of whether this range will remain intact for another cycle. |
| Monday, 07 June 2010 11:24 |
The US500 had moved lower through 1,040 until buying support initiated a slight upward correction. The Channel Down is likely to trigger a continuation short sell if prices trade through 1,030. Alternatively, watch for prices to rally higher towards 1,090 where selling pressure has previously pushed prices lower. This level is expected to be an exhaustion level.
For further information on this and other Autochartist products visit www.autochartist.com |
| Daily Commodities Update: .WTI | ![]() |
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| Monday, 07 June 2010 11:18 |
For further information on this and other Autochartist products visit www.autochartist.com |
| Thursday, 03 June 2010 11:55 |
| The FTSE 100 has been trading in a sideways range on the 30-minute time frame as traders try to determine exactly what the next leg of the intraday move will be. The daily chart has been trading steadily lower since peaking just above 580, though the FTSE did bounce when buying support was reached at 490.6. The current rally, which pushed the index higher through 520, did not hold; there is, however, enough near-term buying support to keep the FTSE above 500.
A Triangle pattern emerged on the 30-minute chart as prices moved into a wide, sideways, and volatile range with a slight bias to the downside (seen by the move lower from 516.5). At just 24 candles, this pattern has a short Length reading; it also has an Autochartist Initial Trend reading of six bars, which means that, over the course of the Triangle pattern’s development, a slight trend has been present. It’s likely that the move lower from 516.5 to the low at 507.2 influenced the six-bar reading, despite the wide, range-bound market that has been in effect since the low was set.
For further information on this and other Autochartist products visit www.autochartist.com
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The FTSE 100 has been able to maintain some positive momentum today, before experiencing a sharp sell-off in the afternoon.
The UK’s leading index is currently trading at 5117 points (3.40pm London time) with financial services continuing to lead the way. ICAP remains at the top (+8.73%) following Goldman Sachs’ recommendation of its shares, with Aviva (+5.49%), Prudential (+4.29%) and Legal and General (+4.06%) close behind.