The OTM Buy Binary And When To Trade It

Binaries can be tricky instruments to trade. Depending on where an individual binary’s strike is in relation to its underlying’s market, determines its value and the speed in which its value changes i.e. at a fast, a medium or a snail’s pace. However, armed with this knowledge, different strategies can be used and nice profits made with limited well-managed risk. This will be the first in a series of articles that go into explanations of the below different binary values, their characteristics and the most opportune market conditions for trading them.

1.  Bull Debit Binary aka OTM Buy
2.  Bear Debit Binary aka OTM Sell
3.  Bull Credit Binary aka ITM Buy
4.  Bear Credit Binary aka ITM Sell

Then the series continues and explains the benefits of trading them in combinations!

The first in the series is the Bull Debit Binary also known as the OTM Buy, or Out of the Money Buy. Being out of the money is one of three ways to define the moneyness of a derivative. For a Nadex Binary being out of the money means if the binary were to expire now it would not make money. There is no intrinsic value. In comparison, a binary that is in the money has intrinsic value. It would make money if it expired now. The other moneyness definition is at the money, meaning the strike price is at the same price the underlying market is trading.

Moneyness can also be quantified by the price of the binary. In fact the reason why out of the money binaries are lowest in price is because they are “out of the money” having no intrinsic value. The closer the underlying market gets to the strike of the binary, the greater in value and price the OTM binary will become. It thereby reaching at the money value and eventually in the money value and having intrinsic value.

More specifically an OTM buy binary will have a strike that is higher than the underlying market’s price, thereby having a low price. Besides having no intrinsic value, the expectation that it will expire in the money is also low while it is out of the money, another reason the price is low. For example, looking at the chart EURUSD below you can see the market is trading at 1.2444. Now if you look at the binary price ladder on the APEX Nadex Binary Scanner, you can see that to buy an OTM binary with a the strike price of 1.2460, well above the market, with an expiration approximately 37 minutes out, will cost only $5. In comparison, notice the binary with the strike of 1.2440, it’s price to buy it is $90. It is considerably more expensive because it is in the money, the market is already trading above the strike of this binary, it has intrinsic value, the expectation is high that it will expire in the money and profitable.

Seeing this example you could think, why would anyone want to buy a strike that far away from the underlying market? You could answer that yourself, thinking, well because the price is so low. Think now of reading your charts, and imagine that from what you were reading on your charts you anticipated the market was moving up, in fact it was going up with some high volume and momentum. Can you see how an OTM Nadex Binary could be of great advantage in this case? In this example, if you thought the market was going up, towards 1.2460, significantly with volume and momentum, before expiration time, this $5 OTM Nadex Binary would be an excellent trade and opportunity for high profit and low risk.

The last component of the binary is the speed of value change. The price of an OTM buy binary typically will be slow changing and takes some time before it becomes in the money. Therefore the best market conditions for the Bull Debit Binary, aka OTM Binary, is an up-trending market with volume and momentum. If a short burst of up momentum is anticipated, then its recommended to take profit once your OTM binary becomes at the money, which happens once the underlying reaches your strike price. If you anticipate nice long momentum creating a nice long uptrend for sometime, then it is recommended to hold on and take profit once it reaches in the money value. When reading your chart and before purchasing an OTM Buy Binary you need to make sure you have a trending moving market and be sure to give yourself enough time before expiration for it to profit. Remember also since the cost of it is low there is no need for a stop and you can hang on to it till expiration if necessary for the market to make an upswing toward your strike.

If you would like to learn more on Nadex binaries, go to www.apexinvesting.com, a service provided by Darrell Martin. Apex Investing Institute offers free education, and free access to the Nadex Binary and Spread Scanner Analyzers. Member traders are invited to trade in the chat rooms, take advantage of trade signal services, have key indicators and access the Apex Forum. The forum content is updated daily and includes over 9000 members. In a supportive learning community of seasoned as well as up and coming traders, traders of all levels learn how to trade Nadex binaries and spreads in depth, as well as futures, forex, stock and options, and gain an edge for successful trading overall.