What is the Notional Value of a Futures Contract? -
Notional value of a futures contract is how much total value the contract theoretically controls.
Contract Size * Underlying Price = Notional Value Mini US Dollar Index® Futures (SDX) for example has a contract size of $200 x Index value and assuming the SDX price is 98.000, the notional value of the futures contract is $19,600.00.
What is the difference between Margin and Leverage? -
Margin is the amount of money deposited with the broker to control a futures contract. It is determined by the futures exchange and maybe adjusted by the broker to manage risk to their clients.
Leverage is the ability to use less money to theoretically control 1 futures contract compared with buying the product underlying the contract outright which amounts to the notional value of the futures contract.
To calculate how much leverage a futures contract gives, divide the notional value of the contract by the margin. The SDX example above had a notional value of $19,600.00 and with a margin requirement of $380, is equal to approximately 51 times leverage on our money ($19,600.00 / $380 = 51).
What is a Point and a Tick? -
Point is the smallest price increment that can occur on the left side of the decimal point. (Example. 90.000)
Tick is the price movement that occurs on the right side of the decimal when looking at the price of a futures contract and is the smallest possible price change measured by markets. A Point is composed of Ticks. (Example. 90.000) Mini US Dollar Index® Futures (SDX) has a minimum price fluctuation of $0.005 representing one tick and would move from 90.000 to 90.005. It takes 200 ticks to make one point or a move from 90.000 to 91.000.
RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CORPORATES AND INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS - Common application of financial market instruments for managing risk and opportunities.
Hedging Portfolio Risk
Hedging spot Australian Dollar (AUD) exposure with the Mini US Dollar Index® Futures (SDX) contract is a way to manage portfolio risk by taking a directional position opposite to the underlying asset as protection. For example, a hedger may have plans to hedge downward price movement in AUD using futures contracts based on in-house market and portfolio analytical processes. The market analysis may use common technical analytical techniques such as support and resistance to formulate the trade decision. In the chart (Figure 1), if AUD is expected to weaken as it nears the resistance areas, the hedger may plan to enter into a long futures position using the Mini US Dollar Index® Futures (SDX) contract at or under the price levels of $0.7560 or $0.7460 to lock in the value of their underlying AUD position.
Figure 1. Daily Chart Australian Dollar / U.S. Dollar (AUDUSD), ICE Connect
Please feel free to join our ˲tradewithufos community, we provide comprehensive trading courses and trading apps. Complete course offerings: www.tradewithufos.com/courses
Disclaimer: All Content contained on the Platforms are provided for informational purposes only. You further acknowledge that nothing contained on the Platforms or made available through the Platforms constitutes investment, legal, tax or other advice, nor is it to be relied upon in making any investment or other decisions. You should seek professional advice prior to making any investment decisions.
Risk Disclosure: Futures and forex trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing ones’ financial security or life style. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Hypothetical Performance Disclosure: Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown; in fact, there are frequently sharp differences between hypothetical performance results and the actual results subsequently achieved by any particular trading program. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are generally prepared with the benefit of hindsight. In addition, hypothetical trading does not involve financial risk, and no hypothetical trading record can completely account for the impact of financial risk of actual trading. for example, the ability to withstand losses or to adhere to a particular trading program in spite of trading losses are material points which can also adversely affect actual trading results. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading program which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all which can adversely affect trading results.
Virtual Currency Disclosure: View CFTC advisories as they contain more information on the risks associated with trading virtual currencies.
Testimonial Disclosure: Testimonials appearing on this website may not be representative of other clients or customers and is not a guarantee of future performance or success.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website. Enabling the cookies imply you agree with our privacy policy and terms of use.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
