Derivatives Trading is a lucrative market, it is estimated to be worth more than $1 quadrillion all over the world according to Investopedia. This insane valuation is possible because derivatives are available for every type of asset in the world, you have derivatives for stocks, commodities, physical assets, and even cryptocurrency.
According to Investopedia, the size is almost 10 times that of the gross domestic product of the entire world. It is important to understand that the notional value and the actual value of the derivatives market are two different things, which can explain such a high valuation.
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FTX Exchange Guide.
How to trade Derivatives on FTX Exchange
As have previously published guides on how to add cryptocurrency in your wallet on FTX exchange, you can check it out over here. You would need cryptocurrency in your wallet to post collateral for futures so make sure you add some cryptocurrency to your wallet.
To trade futures on FTX you would first need to go to the markets tab at the top of the platform’s home page.
Once you have reached there you would be able to see the futures section, where several contracts would already be listed.
In the section, you would be able to see almost all kinds of details about the futures, their expiration, price, trading volume, and the change in their value over the day as well. Along with crypto, you can also deal in futures contracts of US-based stocks and also some commodities as well.
Once you choose the type of future you want to trade, you are taken to the console which has almost all the information one needs to trade the future.
In the middle of the console, you can look at the trading window which has the graphs displayed.
The top right corner shows you the index details as well as the price of the futures contract, along with its expiration. The bottom right shows you details of the collateral you have available, and the leverage can also be set from there as well.
Coming down from the console you can come to the order book as well as the order execution tab and the market trades tab:
Futures are a type of trade that is very complex thus requiring a lot of information on the console screen for traders to make a decision. Thus while the console may look clustered it is functional.
At the bottom of the console is the history book, where you can take a look at different positions you have had and the ones currently you are in. The data gives you a summary of the performance over time.
The futures trades can be made through the console easily by keeping the collateral in your wallets. Once you have the collateral you can start trading futures through the exchange easily.
Trading options
Options are traded just like futures on the exchange, a topic that has already been covered on the website. You can either go long or short on a particular contract and the settlement is made at the end equal to the expiration price.
Expiration of Contract
FTX’s options are usually settled in USD, it is important to note that on FTX the price of a particular cryptocurrency is based on the FTX crypto index’s average at any time one hour before expiration. This is a common practice to beat volatility in the market.
Let’s just assume you short sell two options of BTC each priced at around $300, now the BTC expiration price according to the contract is $35,200. That means that your option is worth $200.
Your option gives you the right to buy BTC at $35,000. Now, if the contract expires as such, after expiration you will have essentially a profit of $400 based on your holdings, which means that the $200 above the price of the BTC translates to the $400 profit that you will get at the end.
Buying and selling options on FTX
To trade options on FTX exchange you first need to go to the Options section of the platform. The options can be curated based on the requirements you set.
You can create an option based on your requirements and request a quote on the platform which is the most common way of buying options.
There are many people on the platform checking the requests and within 10 seconds you might find a responder to your bid. Then it is up to you to accept, as soon as you accept the quote the contract starts.
You can look at the requests you have opened in the ‘My Requests’ section.
Quoting Options on FTX
Quoting is also really simple, you can look at the requests for quotes posted by people on the platform, you can take a look at the requirements set by them and give them a quote. Whichever quote is a better deal would be shown to the person who makes the request.
It is important to note that you have no idea if the person posting the request is buying or selling, you have to provide a quotation for both scenarios.
You can see the requests for quotes in the ‘All Requests’ section.
Conclusion
As discussed, FTX was founded as a tool for crypto traders who didn’t have a lot of options to start trading with. Over time the exchange has developed a curated set of options for its customers.
The platform is very stable with a focus on simplicity and minimalism, nothing on the platform is without a purpose. The simplicity makes it very easier for people to start trading on FTX.
However, it should be pointed out that futures and options trading are advanced levels of investing and require lots of research, reading, and learning before starting to invest.
It is a good way of hedging your risks in the market, however, you should only trade at the start with the money you can afford to lose, reckless investing is not the way to go about it. Hopefully, this guide will help you get started on your crypto trading journey.
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