DirectFX, which is primarily a forex broker, looks set to become the first indigenous binary options broker. It plans to offer a licensed binary options plug-in to its existing MT4 platform.In the UK, binary options is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, formerly FSA). As such, all binary options firms have been regulated from the outset, as the FCA is very stringent in its application of the rules. The UK is where we have firms like StockPair and IG Index (UK branch).Dukascopy announces plans to launch a Daily News Portal and is seeking applications for the newly created full-time position of Chief Editor. Responsibilities will include overseeing content creation and content management on a daily basis. Candidates must be able to prove a high professional level and must have experience in English language financial mass media as well as provide a portfolio of published articles.Today the Dukascopy group includes financial television in many languages, streaming news service FXSpider as well as online financial data and fundamental/technical analysis. With a media services staff exceeding 70 in locations around the globe, the new Daily News Portal will place Dukascopys media presence in the forefront of the financial industry.Dukascopy Group is proud to announce its victory in the nomination of The Best FOREX Brand 2015on Financial Investment Exposition in China and is grateful to the organizers for their high professionalism in arranging the event.China Financial Investment Exposition is the largest and most influential financial exhibition in Northern China, creating a unique communication platform for traders. Therefore, the victory in this nomination is exceptionally important and valuable for Dukascopy.These excellent results confirm the rightness of our strategy and previous statements according to which Dukascopy Bank passed the 15th January 2015 shock safely. We thank clients, employees and counterparties of Dukascopy Group for their continued trust in Dukascopy.Dukascopy Bank SA is proud to present a new group member Dukascopy Payments SIA, EU licensed subsidiary specialized in mobile instant payments. Dukascopy Payments SIA is 100 owned by Dukascopy Bank SA. The companys services are based on Dukascopy Connect mobile communicator a highly secure messenger, which encrypts all the messages and pictures, allows video and voice calls. The technology is powered by Dukascopy Bank SA and ensures security standards of the Swiss bank.Dukascopy Bank and Dukascopy Europe are glad to extend the range of instruments available for LIVE trading with a new type of binary option - Daily Stock Option. DSO allow to trade binaries of a particular stock based on the price move during the next trading session. Find out more information on the website.What is quite apparent from Fig.1 is that the volume of binary options traded, as measured by the US dollar equivalent of premium changing hands, has not shown any material growth over the last twelve months. Just four pairs, i.e. USD/JPY, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY and EUR/USD would appear to attract any interest at all.The below table shows the decline in volumes over the three six-monthly periods. The first column shows the average monthly volume over the last eighteen months, with the second and third columns showing the average monthly volumes over the last year and six months respectively. The last six months shows a small decline across each of the FX pairs but that decline is minimal suggesting that it may have bottomed out.The USD/JPY volumes in March and April 2014 are nowobviously exceptional trading periods quite probably down to trading exuberance due to a new game in town, possibly this new game got a boost from boosted launch advertising campaigns by the brokers. Whatever the reason those volumes are now in the distant past but are there any reasons to believe they may be resurrected Well, not in the near future and this is why.Last night, 25th August 2015, the CME USD/YEN at-the-money September call option settled at 0.77 having traded 422 contracts, the put settled at 0.73 having traded 172 contracts. Each 0.01 of premium is worth 12.5 so the premiumthat changed hands was 77 x 422 x 12.5 406,175 while the equivalent put premium traded was 73 x 172 x 12.5 156,950 total front month at-the-money premium equated to 563,125. The total premium that changed hands yesterday on the CME for all strikes and expiries was 16,285,312. Multiply this by 20 (trading days in the month) and 325.7m pops out.So based on yesterdays premium volumes on the CME a monthly total of325.7m is significantly lower than the 487.8m traded in Japan. On reflection those Japanese numbers are quite extraordinary with presumably every FX-trading housewife getting stuck in. Unfortunately the sudden fall off in volume most likely reflected the quick recognition that money isnt being grown on trees, that getting the market right more often than not is required in order to avoid chasing good money after bad.Active Accounts peaked at 16,315 during September 2014 having risen from 12,062 which was the number of active accounts during the highest volume month of April 2014. During those heady days of April 14 the average client was trading 0ver 66,000 of premium per month.Over the last twelve months and 6 months the average premium traded per month per active account fell slightly from 12,102 to 11,873, an insignificant drop which yet again, perhaps, provides a basis from which one might positively extrapolate a rise in volumes.This section looks at the percentage of winning traders over the last eighteen months in the three categories provided by the FFAJ, binary options (which has been interpreted as what is sometimes referred to in Europe as Ladder Options), Touch Options and Range Options (aka Tunnels or Corridors).Table 2 provides more exact average data of the percentage of winners with the blue column being the mean of the whole eighteen months. Apart from JFX who are giving their customers a run for their money, the percentage of winners is too low, quite unnecessarily too low.The average number of winning clients during each six month period is in the 27 bracket. What it does not do is provide information as to how much the clients are losing on average each month.
