Key Takeaways FairX launches two new stock index futures—Bloomberg US Large Cap Index and the SuperTech Index Micro and Nano contracts will be available to retail traders Tick value is always $1 and exchange fees are lower than other exchanges For years, stock index futures contracts were mostly out of reach for the average retail […]

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Key Takeaways Forex trading is similar to pairs trading in that you’re buying one currency and selling another As with the stock market, traders can look for potential opportunities using fundamental and technical analysis  Forex trading involves leverage, which can magnify gains as well as losses If you’re a veteran stock trader, you might know […]

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Key Takeaways Trading futures in an individual retirement account (IRA) is possible if you qualify Including futures in an IRA can help diversify a portfolio and provide an inflation hedge, but know the limitations and risks Understand the tax benefits of trading futures in a retirement account Diversification can be a good thing, especially in […]

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Key Takeaways Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are increasingly becoming part of the global financial system but remain risky CME Group recently launched “Micro” Bitcoin futures, a smaller version of larger contracts linked to the cryptocurrency Before buying anything crypto related, investors should understand the unique risks of these markets Note: As of this writing, CME […]

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Key Takeaways Gold and other precious metals can help gauge inflationary pressures Copper and other industrial metals can be a proxy for consumer and business sentiment With both monetary and industrial uses, silver can offer a little of both The link between precious metals, precious metal prices, and the economy can be traced back more […]

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Key Takeaways If you’re approved to trade futures, metals futures can be used to diversify your portfolio or hedge your metals exposure Each metal has at least two different contract sizes  Those who are approved to trade futures should learn about the different ways to trade metals When it comes to physical commodities, crude oil […]

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Key Takeaways Margin on futures can help establish a relatively large position, but it also adds certain risks A certain amount of money, the maintenance margin, must always be maintained on deposit with a futures broker When losses exceed maintenance margin, it may trigger a “margin call” at any time during the trading day Levers […]

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Key Takeaways The financing rate (also known as a “rollover rate” or “roll rate”) is the interest you pay or earn for holding a spot currency overnight The rate for a currency pair is based on the interbank interest rate differential between the two currencies The current rate for each currency pair listed on the […]

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Key Takeaways Crude oil is the most actively traded commodity, and most energy companies are correlated to oil prices CME Group’s new Micro WTI Crude Oil futures are one-tenth the size of the exchange’s standard Crude Oil contracts Micro Crude futures can help investors gain portfolio flexibility and exposure to the oil markets at lower […]

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Key Takeaways Understand the difference between implied and historical volatility and how to use them to analyze overall options volatility Know how to analyze relationships between options prices and other metrics such as options greeks and volatility values Learn how to apply implied volatility, historical volatility, and price relationships to help make options trading decisions […]

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