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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Currency Options Trading To Make It Big!

By John Varlalin

The currency options trading market has experienced that same rapid growth the has been experienced by the FOREX itself. Options are just another way to take advantage of currency price movements. Currency options are similar in many ways to equity options. Calls are purchased on the currency when the underlying price is expected to rise. This gives the trader the right to buy the currency before the option expires, at a set price. Puts are purchased when the underlying currency price is expected to drop. The put gives the trader the right to sell the currency for a specific amount of time at a set price.

One difference between currency options and equity options is that currencies trade in pairs. The first currency listed in the pair is the base currency. The call or put is purchased on this currency. Traders may purchase a traditional option contract. They chose the strike price(exercise price) and the expiration date. This is another difference between currency options and equity options. After selecting these factors the broker calculates the premium they will charge for this right. If the trader accepts the premium, options are purchased. If for example the trader believes the euro will rise against the dollar, they will purchase calls on the EUR/USD. If they are right and before expiration the euro has moved up, the trader must exercise the option(purchase the currency) and then sell it in the market to realize the profit on the transaction. If the euro does not rise the option will expire worthless. The premium paid for the option is the amount lost on the transaction.

The second type of option on a currency is the SPOT contract. This contract does not have to be exercised to realize a profit from changes in currency prices. Just as in the traditional option the trader selects the strike price and expiration date. The premium is set based on these two factors. It should be noted that premiums on SPOT contracts are usually higher than on traditional contracts. If you feel a currency will move higher against it's pair you obviously will buy calls. If you are correct the profit from the trade is simply deposited into your trading account. Of course if you are wrong the options expire and you lose the premium.

Premiums on currency options, as mentioned before are set by the broker. The closer the strike price is to the current market price the higher the premium will be. The premium will be higher also the longer the time until expiration. If the currency is experiencing wide swings in price this is likely to raise premium levels as well.

There are a number of reasons people get involved in the currency options trading market. Speculation is the top reason. Pure profit is the motivation. In this high volume market, with it's limitation of risk exposure traders find it easier to take advantage of price changes in the currency market.

Another reason people become involved with currency options trading is they want to hedge currencies they currently own from wide price swings. They may have business partners in other countries so they need to pay for goods and services in another currency. They use options to help protect them from losses rather than to make a profit on them.

Selling options is another slightly more complex strategy for trading options. The traders exposure to risk is much higher so this is not a strategy employed by most. Large deposits are required by the broker to secure these trades.

Currency options trading is an exciting field of endeavor. You can participate in the highly popular FOREX market while limiting your risk to losses. If you trade correctly your profits will be multiplied. - 23226

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