How to Trade Popular Indices Like S&P 500 and NASDAQ (Ultimate Guide on Indices)

The value of a country's exports minus its imports.

A type of chart which consists of four significant points: the high and the low prices, which form the vertical bar; the opening price, which is marked with a horizontal line to the left of the bar; and the closing price, which is marked with a horizontal line to the right of the bar.

A certain price of great importance included in the structure of a Barrier Option. If a Barrier Level price is reached, the terms of a specific Barrier Option call for a series of events to occur.

Any number of different option structures (such as knock-in, knock-out, no touch, double-no-touch-DNT) that attaches great importance to a specific price trading. In a no-touch barrier, a large defined payout is awarded to the buyer of the option by the seller if the strike price is not 'touched' before expiry. This creates an incentive for the option seller to drive prices through the strike level and creates an incentive for the option buyer to defend the strike level.

The first currency in a currency pair. It shows how much the base currency is worth as measured against the second currency. For example, if the USD/CHF (U.S. Dollar/Swiss Franc) rate equals 1.6215, then one USD is worth CHF 1.6215. In the forex market, the US dollar is normally considered the base currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British pound, the euro and the Australian dollar.

The GBP/USD (Great British Pound/U.S. Dollar) pair. Cable earned its nickname because the rate was originally transmitted to the US via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800s when the GBP was the currency of international trade.

The Canadian dollar, also known as Loonie or Funds.

A currency trade which exploits the interest rate difference between two countries. By selling a currency with a low rate of interest and buying a currency with a high rate of interest, the trader will receive the interest difference between the two countries while this trade is open.

A monthly gauge of Canadian business sentiment issued by the Richard Ivey Business School.

A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.

Speculators who take positions in commodities and then liquidate those positions prior to the close of the same trading day.

Making an open and close trade in the same product in one day.

A term that denotes a trade done at the current market price. It is a live trade as opposed to an order.

An individual or firm that acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.

The difference between the buying and selling price of a contract.

European Central Bank, the central bank for the countries using the euro.

A government-issued statistic that indicates current economic growth and stability. Common indicators include employment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, retail sales, etc.

An order to buy or sell at a specified price that remains open until the end of the trading day.

The time zone of New York City, which stands for United States Eastern Standard Time/Eastern Daylight time.

A name for the Euronext 50 index.

The dollar level of new orders for both durable and nondurable goods. This report is more in depth than the durable goods report which is released earlier in the month.

The Federal Reserve Bank, the central bank of the United States, or the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee), the policy-setting committee of the Federal Reserve.

Refers to members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve or regional Federal Reserve Bank Presidents.

Refers to the price quotation of '00' in a price such as 00-03 (1.2600-03) and would be read as 'figure-three.' If someone sells at 1.2600, traders would say 'the figure was given' or 'the figure was hit.

When an order has been fully executed.

Group of 7 Nations - United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada.

Group of 8 - G7 nations plus Russia.

A quick market move in which prices skip several levels without any trades occurring. Gaps usually follow economic data or news announcements.

Gearing refers to trading a notional value that is greater than the amount of capital a trader is required to hold in his or her trading account. It is expressed as a percentage or a fraction.

An index of the top 30 companies (by market capitalization) listed on the German stock exchange – another name for the DAX.

Every 100 pips in the FX market starting with 000.

A country's monetary policymakers are referred to as hawkish when they believe that higher interest rates are needed, usually to combat inflation or restrain rapid economic growth or both.

A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position.

To sell at the current market bid.

Names for the Hong Kong Hang Seng index.

Little volume being traded in the market; a lack of liquidity often creates choppy market conditions. 

The IMM, or International Monetary Market, is a part of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) that deals with trading currency and interest rate futures and options.

A traditional futures contract based on major currencies against the US dollar. IMM futures are traded on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

8:00am - 3:00pm New York.

Abbreviation for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Measures the mood of businesses that directly service consumers such as waiters, drivers and beauticians. Readings above 50 generally signal improvements in sentiment.

Measures the total value of new orders placed with machine tool manufacturers. Machine tool orders are a measure of the demand for companies that make machines, a leading indicator of future industrial production. Strong data generally signals that manufacturing is improving and that the economy is in an expansion phase.

A name for the NEKKEI index.

To limit your trades due to inclement trading conditions. In either choppy or extremely narrow markets, it may be better to stay on the sidelines until a clear opportunity arises.

Nickname for NZD/USD (New Zealand Dollar/U.S. Dollar).

Option strategy that requires the underlying product to trade at a certain price before a previously bought option becomes active. Knock-ins are used to reduce premium costs of the underlying option and can trigger hedging activities once an option is activated.

Option that nullifies a previously bought option if the underlying product trades a certain level. When a knock-out level is traded, the underlying option ceases to exist and any hedging may have to be unwound.

The last day you may trade a particular product.

The last time you may trade a particular product.

Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity.

A price zone or particular price that is significant from a technical standpoint or based on reported orders/option interest.

Also known as margin, this is the percentage or fractional increase you can trade from the amount of capital you have available. It allows traders to trade notional values far higher than the capital they have. For example, leverage of 100:1 means you can trade a notional value 100 times greater than the capital in your trading account.*

The longest-term trader who bases their trade decisions on fundamental analysis. A macro trade’s holding period can last anywhere from around six months to multiple years.

Measures the total output of the manufacturing aspect of the Industrial Production figures. This data only measures the 13 sub-sectors that relate directly to manufacturing. Manufacturing makes up approximately 80% of total Industrial Production.

A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral on a position that has moved against the customer.

A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided market for any financial product.

An order to buy or sell at the current price.

An abbreviation for the NASDAQ 100 index.

The amount of currency bought or sold which has not yet been offset by opposite transactions.

8:00am – 5:00pm (New York time).

An option that pays a fixed amount to the holder if the market never touches the predetermined Barrier Level.

Symbol for NYSE Composite index.

The price at which the market is prepared to sell a product. Prices are quoted two-way as Bid/Offer. The Offer price is also known as the Ask. The Ask represents the price at which a trader can buy the base currency, which is shown to the right in a currency pair. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the base currency is USD, and the ask price is 1.4532, meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs. 

In CFD trading, the Ask represents the price a trader can buy the product. For example, in the quote for UK OIL 111.13/111.16, the product quoted is UK OIL and the ask price is £111.16 for one unit of the underlying market.

If a market is said to be trading offered, it means a pair is attracting heavy selling interest, or offers.

A trade that cancels or offsets some or all of the market risk of an open position.

Attempting to sell at the current market order price.

A designation for two orders whereby if one part of the two orders is executed, then the other is automatically cancelled.

Refers to the offer side of the market dealing.

The forex quoting convention of matching one currency against the other.

A very heavy round of selling.

A market that moves a great distance in a very short period of time, frequently moving in an accelerating fashion that resembles one half of a parabola. Parabolic moves can be either up or down.

When only part of an order has been executed.

When a central bank injects money into an economy with the aim of stimulating growth.

When a central bank injects money into an economy with the aim of stimulating growth.

An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only.

A recovery in price after a period of decline.

When a price is trading between a defined high and low, moving within these two boundaries without breaking out from them.

The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.

Reserve Bank of Australia, the central bank of Australia.

Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the central bank of New Zealand.

The Securities and Exchange Commission.

A group of securities that operate in a similar industry.

Taking a short position in expectation that the market is going to go down.

The process by which a trade is entered into the books, recording the counterparts to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical exchange of one currency for another.

Symbol for the Shanghai A index

Assuming control of a company by buying its stock.

The process by which charts of past price patterns are studied for clues as to the direction of future price movements.

Traders who base their trading decisions on technical or charts analysis.

US government-issued debt which is repayable in ten years. For example, a US 10-year note.

A illiquid, slippery or choppy market environment. A light-volume market that produces erratic trading conditions.

Describing unforgiving market conditions that can be violent and quick.

Measures the average wage including/excluding bonuses paid to employees. This is measured quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) from the previous year.

Measures the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. The claimant count figures tend to be lower than the unemployment data since not all of the unemployed are eligible for benefits.

Measures the relative level of UK house prices for an indication of trends in the UK real estate sector and their implication for the overall economic outlook. This index is the longest monthly data series of any UK housing index, published by the largest UK mortgage lender (Halifax Building Society/Bank of Scotland).

Measures the change in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits over the previous month.

Also known as the maturity date, it is the date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally two business days forward.

Funds traders must hold in their accounts to have the required margin necessary to cope with market fluctuations.

Shows the market's expectation of 30-day volatility. It is constructed using the implied volatilities of a wide range of S&P 500 index options. The VIX is a widely used measure of market risk and is often referred to as the "investor fear gauge."

Referring to active markets that often present trade opportunities.

Chart formation that shows a narrowing price range over time, where price highs in an ascending wedge decrease incrementally, or in a descending wedge, price declines are incrementally smaller. Ascending wedges typically conclude with a downside breakout and descending wedges typically terminate with upside breakouts.

Slang for a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.

Measures the changes in prices paid by retailers for finished goods. Inflationary pressures typically show earlier than the headline retail.

Where a limit order has been requested but not yet filled.

Acronym for The Wall Street Journal.

Symbol for Silver Index.

Symbol for Gold Index.

Symbol for AMEX Composite Index.

Yemeni Rial. The currency of Yemen. It is subdivided into 100 fils.

See YER.

See JPY.

Yield is the return on an investment and is usually expressed as a percentage.

See CNY

Rand. The currency of South Africa. It is subdivided into 100 cents.

Zambian Kwacha. The currency of Zambia. It is subdivided into 100 Ngwee.

Zimbabwe Dollar. The currency of Zimbabwe. It is subdivided into 100 cents.

See ZMW.

A technical indicator that draws tops and bottoms - filtering out noise.

See ZWL.