Quick Guide to trading instruments

Last Updated: 20/03/2021

The financial market is a great way for you to make some cash and at the moment it has gained a lot of attention due to the internet. For anyone keen on trading in this sector, the word trading instrument or trading option should ring a bell in some way. These are words that you have probably heard in the trading circles and they basically point to the various assets that are traded on in the financial markets. Among these assets are stocks, currency pairs, indices, commodities and CFDs among many others.

A trader is required to purchase an asset that he or she can sell in the future at a profit. Before a trader picks the financial instrument to conduct his or her trades on, there are some few factors that they need to check so that they can get the best trading option. Among the factors that a trader should consider are as to be seen below.

Factors To Consider When Selecting The Best Financial Trading Instrument

  • Liquidity

    Liquidity refers to the ease of buying and selling a financial trading instrument without causing a significant change in its standing in the market. An instrument is considered to be highly liquid if a trader can buy it easily and also sell it without any hassles. Highly liquid instruments are preferred because dealing in them is very easy.

  • Availability Of Information On The Trading Instrument

    For one to be a good trader, he or she needs to have exemplary research and analytic skills so as to get the right information in relation to trading. When it comes to trading instruments, as a trader you l need to do ample research so as to know what you are getting into. For this reason, it is effective for you to get a trading instrument with a lot of information about it available. This gives you a clear picture of its performance same as its viability.

  • Transaction Costs

    Another factor that a trader should consider before opting for a particular trading instrument is the transaction costs associated with the instrument in question. When looking for a great trading option, a trader should go for the one with minimal transaction costs that do not prove to be prohibitive once the trader wants to execute a trade.

  • Margins And Leverage

    Margins and leverage also determine the extent of the profits or losses that you can incur if you were to trade using a certain financial instrument. A trader should check the leverages that are offered on a selected trading option so that he or she can have a perfect idea of its profitability.

  • Volatility Of The Trading Option

    Volatility refers to the fluctuation in prices of the trading instruments. There are some trading instruments whose prices are not stable and do not reflect the same price in two different time-frames. This instability can be a turn off to many but there are some experienced traders who take advantage of this tide and make profits in these fluctuating conditions.

The Various Trading Instruments Available

There are many trading instruments available that a trader can pick from according to its compatibility with the trader’s trading approach. Considering the above factors, here are some of the various trading instruments that you can pick to execute trades on.

  • Currency Pairs

    Currency pairs are among the most popular trading instruments that are available at the financial markets. The currency units are put in pairs so as to see their performance in relation to another. An example of a currency pair can be the euro to the United States dollar. Here you can either buy a currency unit if it ranks high than its pair mate and wait for when the relative price increases for you to sell it. Currency pairs are great trading instruments owing to their liquidity and stability and are good options for short term trading.

  • Indices

    Another trading instrument that a trader can opt for is the stock indices. A trader does not have to pick individual stocks for him or her to trade. They basically trade their opinion on how a certain product is going to perform in the economy. The stock indices represent a company and the trader is supposed to analyze the performance of the company in terms of a dip or rise in executing their trades.

  • Equities

    Equities are simply stocks or shares of a company. When you buy the equities from a company, you have bought some ownership from it at an agreed percentage. To trade in equities, a trader buys the equities when the stock prices are low and may even buy in bulk. When the performance of the company improves and its net worth increases, the price per equity subsequently increases. Here a trader may sell his or her equities at a higher price and get some profit per equity sold.

  • Commodities

    Commodities are other trading instruments that a trader can execute trades on in the financial market. In trading in commodities supply and demand forces play a major role in the price of individual commodities in the financial market. Commodities are categorized into various groups according to their nature. Here we have agricultural commodities, energy, precious metals, livestock products, and industrial metals. Most traders invest in commodities by means of future contracts. Future contracts is an agreement to buy or sell commodities at a certain price at an agreed date. For further information on the basics of commodities trading check on the news article.

Emerging Trends

Among the most notable emerging trend in trading, instruments are the introduction of cryptocurrencies as a financial trading instrument. This is a move meant to take advantage of the growing popularity and use of various cryptocurrency units such as the Bitcoin, the Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. These units are normally paired with currency units such as the United States dollar or the Great Britain pound just like trading in currency pairs.

Conclusion

Financial trading instruments are like the sail that moves the financial trading markets. There are a lot of trading instruments that a trader can pick from to execute trades and each has its own unique characteristics that set them apart from the rest. A trader needs to conduct proper research before incorporating a trading instrument into his or her trading approach for a successful stint in the financial markets.

 

As a retail investor it will be critical to select the right online broker for your trading. If you are focused on currency trading, you should also look specifically what trading platforms e.g. MT4, MT5 or in-house proprietary systems are available. If you are entirely new to trading it’s worth reviewing the best brokers for beginners review.