Trade Stock Indices with Binary Options | Nadex

Description

How to trade stock indices with binary options.
Gaining a better understanding of the stock index markets can open up new trading opportunities – especially when you learn to trade binary option contracts. This can make stock indices more accessible to traders who don’t want to spend large amounts of capital buying shares.
Learn more about binary option contracts based on stock index futures, what they are, and how to trade them on Nadex.
Types of stock indices.
Stock market indices measure the value of a section of the stock market, via a weighted average of selected stocks from particular companies. These companies are usually selected from a certain industry or market sector.
It's very important to note that there are various stock indices that serve different purposes. There are the cash markets such as the S&P 500 listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). There are also futures markets such as the E-mini S&P 500® listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Plus, there are exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and options indices.
At Nadex, when trading a binary option on a stock market index, you will always be trading a contract based on the stock index future. It is very important that any analysis done is conducted on the correct underlying market. For a list of the markets corresponding to the Nadex offering of stock index futures, please see our contract specifications.
What is a stock index binary option?
A binary option is a financial instrument that enables traders to speculate on markets without owning the underlying asset. A binary option based on a stock index future is a contract used for speculating on a particular stock index, such as the futures derivative of the S&P 500 or the NASDAQ 100. Traders buy or sell binary options depending on whether they think the underlying market will move up or down. Learn more about binary options, what they are and how they can fit into your trading plan.
What do you need to know before speculating on the stock index markets?
Many external factors affect the performance of stock indices. You need to know about these when trading binary option contracts – anything that affects the performance of stock indices may also affect your market predictions.
Some of the main factors that can affect the performance of stock indices are:
Market sentiment. The way investors feel about a market will directly affect their actions, which in turn can have an effect on stock index prices. If investors are losing faith and selling stocks, this will cause prices to drop. If other investors see this as an opportunity and buy stocks, then prices will rise again. A general awareness of market sentiment can help you trade binary option contracts more successfully.
News events. Any major news events affecting companies that feature on a stock index should be a key consideration for traders. Keep an eye out for news concerning mergers, acquisitions, and earnings. These can all potentially have a major impact on stock prices, which in turn can affect the overall index.
Government policy. Changes to rates implemented by governments can affect companies and have a bearing on share prices. Remain aware of new policies and rates when you’re trading.
You need to take these factors into account when trading binary option contracts based on stock index futures, as they will likely affect the predictions you make and the strike prices you choose.
What stock index markets can you trade on Nadex?
These are the stock index markets you can trade on Nadex with binary options:
Wall Street 30.
Dow: based on CBOT E-mini Dow® Index Futures, tracking the performance of 30 major U.S. companies.
S&P 500: based on CME E-mini S&P 500® Index Futures: 500 large-cap common stocks on the NYSE & Nasdaq.
US Tech 100.
Nasdaq: based on CME E-mini Nasdaq 100® Index Futures: tracking 100 leading non-financial U.S. companies.
US SmallCap 2000.
Russell 2000: based on CME E-mini Russell 2000® Index Futures: tracking 2000 small-cap U.S. equities.
China A50: based on SGX FTSE Xinhua China A50® Index Futures: 50 firms on the SSE & Shenzhen exchanges.
FTSE 100: based on ICE Futures Europe® FTSE 100® Index Futures: tracking the largest 100 UK companies by market cap.
DAX: based on Eurex DAX® Index Futures: tracking 40 major German companies on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Nikkei: based on SGX Nikkei 225® Index Futures: tracking the activities and sentiment of the Japanese stock market.
How to trade stock index binary options.
This will have provided you with a good overview of stock indices and how those markets can be traded with binary option contracts. The next step is for you to learn the ins and outs of trading binary options so you can begin formulating your own trading plan and putting your stock market knowledge to good use. Trading on the Nadex platform means you have a fixed level of risk, and you can access the market without sig