Indices Trading
Trade a variety of index products using options, futures, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Take your position with an index product that works for your account size and risk tolerance.
What’s an Index and How Do They Work?
An index is a basket of publicly listed companies’ stock, that captures an entire market or are specific to an industry sector, segment, a particular market or region. Indices work by giving you the opportunity to trade a basket of stocks in a specific index with each stock possibly having a different weight.
What Index Products Can I Trade?
With tastytrade, you can trade an index (e.g., the S&P 500, NASDAQ100, VIX) on our innovative platform. Utilize different products for your portfolio—from cash-settled indices, ETFs, ETNs, index options, and futures—to suit your account size and risk tolerance.
Index Options
You can trade options on an index instead of speculating on individual components of the index such as SPX, VIX, RUT, DJX.
Index Futures
Index ETFs
Diversify your portfolio with index ETFs (exchange-traded funds ETFs), a more capital efficient way of gaining exposure to a specific index.
Trade Indices and Understand the Fee Structure
When trading indices with tastytrade, the fee structure is different from other option products. Familiarize yourself with the fees and costs of trading indices:
| Symbol | Description | Fee per contract |
|---|---|---|
SPX | S&P 500 | $0.65 |
RUT | Russell 2000 | $0.18 |
VIX | CBOE Market Volatility Index | $0.65 |
OEX | S&P 100 (American-style exercise) | $0.40 |
XEO | S&P 100 (European- style exercise) | $0.40 |
DJX | Dow Jones Industrial Average 1/100 | $0.18 |
XSP | Mini-SPX2 | $0.00/$0.07 |
| Symbol | Description |
|---|---|
SPX | S&P 500 |
RUT | Russell 2000 |
VIX | CBOE Market Volatility Index |
OEX | S&P 100 (American-style exercise) |
XEO | S&P 100 (European- style exercise) |
DJX | Dow Jones Industrial Average 1/100 |
XSP | Mini-SPX2 |
| Symbol | Fee per contract |
|---|---|
SPX | $0.65 |
RUT | $0.18 |
VIX | $0.65 |
OEX | $0.40 |
XEO | $0.40 |
DJX | $0.18 |
XSP | $0.00/$0.07 |
How to Trade Indices
- Understand what an index is and how indices work
- Create a tastytrade account or log in
- Create a trading plan and a risk management strategy
- Open your index position, then monitor and close it
Ready to Trade?
1 Leverage – Notional value/margin of 1 short option or 1 futures contract. Increased leverage can substantially increase risk and loss to your portfolio in the event of adverse market movements.
2 XSP contract fees are as follows: $0.00 for less than 10 contracts per leg and $0.07 for 10 contracts per leg or more.
All investments involve risk of loss. Please carefully consider the risks associated with your investments and if such trading is suitable for you before deciding to trade certain products or strategies. You are solely responsible for making your investment and trading decisions and for evaluating the risks associated with your investments.