most liquid electronic options

[Directional]

Can anyone offer some advice on the most liquid & deep electronic futures options contracts.

I'm familiar with the emini S&P futures options, but I'd be keen to know of other markets worth checking out.

Also, are there any electronic oil options listed for ICE/Nymex?

 

[A Dashing Blade]

Bund & EuroStoxx on Eurex?

 

[Directional]

thanks, i was just looking up those options when you posted. IPE do some oil options but dont know much about them, or depth

 

[jj90]

Currently I only trade the emini options so my experience is limited to that, but I can tell you r2k isn't too bad, and while Nas 100 isn't as liquid as NDX, offers a lot of strikes and the spread can be shaved. YM though is just........

 

[grantx]

Arbitrageur,

Re index options, three threads down from this will give an indication re US exchange options. European, which I suspect you will be familiar, are DAX and DJ Euro Stoxx. CAC, SMI sees generally light volume; FTSE volume is erratic.

I assume they're all electronic.

Grant.

 

[Directional]

cheers. I was thinking of options that would not be too closely correllated with the ES options. I will be checking all of these out - thanks again!

 

[A Dashing Blade]

thanks, i was just looking up those options when you posted. IPE do some oil options but dont know much about them, or depth

Have a chat with PitScum on that front!

 

[just21]

The most liquid options contract in the world is the Kospi, the Korean equity index, symbol k200 on interactive brokers, individual strikes do 1 million contracts a day with a 1 tick spread. Unfortunately it is the wrong timezone for people based in europe as it doesn't open until midnight.

 

[2bittrader]

Anyone know how to get the info on trading the Kospi? Where do you get a data feed? Where can you find a firm that trades this? I am in LA, Calif. Can't find any firms.

 

[TWI]

Check out the within day options on nymex crude, pretty liquid, not sure if they are the most liquid. Need to be exchange member to access platform currenlty which is stupid really as have to otherwise trade via broker.

 

[2bittrader]

Check out the within day options on nymex crude, pretty liquid, not sure if they are the most liquid. Need to be exchange member to access platform currenlty which is stupid really as have to otherwise trade via broker.

Thanks. I am looking to trade futures on the Kospi, not options. I will look at the crude to see what that looks like. The ES is just not very big at most times and you can't trade more than about $150K and still get fills. I heard KOSPI is 9 times bigger. Can't seem to find data though.

Thanks!

 

[nine]

Data and trading are available from Interactive Brokers ... but are USA nians allowed to trade KOSPI?

 

[bkbigfish]

Well, the way the KOSPI derivatives are set up, the futures are full-sized - there is no mini - so the margin is like US$10,000 per.

Roughly speaking, the options are like minis, as the equity is closer to US$2,000. They are technically the most liquid options in the world, because the spread and commissions are similar to mini futures elsewhere, so they essentially replace futures on the KOSPI.

Why the KOSPI doesn't just develop a mini future, I don't know, but I suppose the success of the options means it's not that important for them.

I think IB pointed out (find the thread on this site) that U.S. residents can now trade the Kospi futures, but not the options.

In any case, the Koreans keep their market tightly sewn up, so you wouldn't find non-Korean brokers offering Kospi options (and based on the time zone, how many Americans would trade them? The only ones I know actually live in Korea).

I think, depending on the broker, Americans can contact Korean brokers (some speak English) and open accounts based in Korea. I'd suggest, if interested, you contact a couple of brokers through e-mail and ask.