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Short Term "Turbo" Binary Options - Is It Still Trading?
Short Term "Turbo" Binary Options - Is It Still Trading?
Friday,17/10/2014|16:53GMTby
Vasil Velev
Binary options brokers offer options that expire as quickly as 15 seconds, but some call it a roulette, rather than trading. So which is it - trading or gambling?
Binary options dubbed "turbo options" last between 15 seconds and five minutes. As with any short term bet, they hide a lot of risks, but are very attractive to clients for the entertainment value they provide. What happens when short intervals are used on charts is that, intervals between one and five minutes are very unpredictable.
Those who feel that these options feel more like a game of luck compare it to a roulette. There you just perform a simple task, by selecting something with two outcomes (like red or black) and wait for the ball to fall. It’s quick and easy, no need for a prolonged decision-making process. There is probability involved, as well as sequences and luck, but no moving force outside of them, like the drive of buyers and sellers.
The argument that it’s still trading falls on the premise that the outcome is derived from market action. A miniaturized version of the markets that has its own specific quirks that need to be learned. But just like in trading, one can take advantage of mini-trends, reversals or support or resistance level price action.
this isn’t something new of course. Described as “tick trading” or with the slang “trading on the static”, extremely short term trades are an area that some traders venture into, but in relatively small numbers. This is mainly because it requires larger sums to keep your margin and is perceived to have larger risk levels that don’t comply with any sort of fundamental analysis. Add to that the sharp moves in different directions (which definitely don’t look so sharp when you’re looking at an hourly chart) that test your mettle quickly and vigorously, and you have something for the more risk tolerant.
Theoretically it can be even more profitable than riding a single winning trade for the same amount of time. For example someone manages to win 4 successful trades that lasted 1 minute each, banking a 78% profit four times. Someone else might have also guessed correctly the direction and the moment to enter the trade at the exact same time, but his/her profit is nowhere near 312%.
It seems the question doesn’t get a clear answer. With elements of both trading and gaming-like setups, turbo options are the extreme version of binary options. In the end traders themselves will decide what they really are. More importantly, it will be their call if they're useful for whatever entertainment or profit they’re looking for.
Binary options dubbed "turbo options" last between 15 seconds and five minutes. As with any short term bet, they hide a lot of risks, but are very attractive to clients for the entertainment value they provide. What happens when short intervals are used on charts is that, intervals between one and five minutes are very unpredictable.
Those who feel that these options feel more like a game of luck compare it to a roulette. There you just perform a simple task, by selecting something with two outcomes (like red or black) and wait for the ball to fall. It’s quick and easy, no need for a prolonged decision-making process. There is probability involved, as well as sequences and luck, but no moving force outside of them, like the drive of buyers and sellers.
The argument that it’s still trading falls on the premise that the outcome is derived from market action. A miniaturized version of the markets that has its own specific quirks that need to be learned. But just like in trading, one can take advantage of mini-trends, reversals or support or resistance level price action.
this isn’t something new of course. Described as “tick trading” or with the slang “trading on the static”, extremely short term trades are an area that some traders venture into, but in relatively small numbers. This is mainly because it requires larger sums to keep your margin and is perceived to have larger risk levels that don’t comply with any sort of fundamental analysis. Add to that the sharp moves in different directions (which definitely don’t look so sharp when you’re looking at an hourly chart) that test your mettle quickly and vigorously, and you have something for the more risk tolerant.
Theoretically it can be even more profitable than riding a single winning trade for the same amount of time. For example someone manages to win 4 successful trades that lasted 1 minute each, banking a 78% profit four times. Someone else might have also guessed correctly the direction and the moment to enter the trade at the exact same time, but his/her profit is nowhere near 312%.
It seems the question doesn’t get a clear answer. With elements of both trading and gaming-like setups, turbo options are the extreme version of binary options. In the end traders themselves will decide what they really are. More importantly, it will be their call if they're useful for whatever entertainment or profit they’re looking for.
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