Should I Invest in a Binary Option?

This is because the option has an expiry date/time and also what is called a strike price. If a trader wagers correctly on the market's direction and the price at the time of expiry is on the correct side of the strike price, the trader is paid a fixed return regardless of how much the instrument moved. A trader who wagers incorrectly on the market's direction loses her/his investment. The example above is for a typical high-low binary option - the most common type of binary option - outside the U.S. International brokers will typically offer several other types of binaries as well. These include "one touch" binary options, where the price only needs to touch a specified target level once before expiry for the trader to make money. There is a target above and below the current price, so traders can pick which target they believe will be hit before expiry.

Binary options are significantly different from vanilla options. They are occasionally traded on platforms regulated by the SEC and other regulatory agencies, but are most likely traded over the Internet on platforms existing outside of regulations. Because these platforms operate outside of regulations, investors are at greater risk of fraud. For example, a binary options trading platform may require the investor to deposit a sum of money to purchase the option. If the option expires out-of-the-money, meaning the investor chose the wrong proposition, the trading platform may take the entire sum of deposited money with no refund provided.Continuing with the example, you invest $100 in the call that expires in 30 minutes. The S&P 500 price at expiry determines whether you make or lose money. The price at expiry may be the last quoted price, or the (bid+ask)/2. Each broker specifies their own expiry price rules.