Rating System: D - Design | E - Ease
of Use | V - Value
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OPTIONS & FUTURES
Antix Stock Option Report
www.aantix.com
Uses historical pricing data and statistical methods to calculate a probability that a
given stock's price will reach an options strike price. Does it work? You'll need a Ph.D.
to figure it out. Otherwise, probabili-ties data can be one piece of info for your options
investment decision-making. You can download for free a probabilities calcu-lator for
stocks not offered on the site.
D-7 | E-9 | V-7
Chicago Board Options
Exchange
www.cboe.com
The world's leading options exchange wants you to trade options and offers a number of
tools geared toward the individual, including a Java-based calculator. Get trading info,
such as active options, pricing, and volatility. Learn in the extensive education-al
center. Sign up for e-mail alerts about new options listings and other news.
D-9 | E-8 | V-8
Chicago Board of Trade
www.cbot.com
Mostly an info center for this derivatives powerhouse, hot useful features relate to its
Dow Jones futures contract. Learn about stock index futures in the easy-to-read (but
hard-to-find) Dow Jones individual investor section; click on "DJIA site," then
"product information". Dow watchers can track live futures prices exclusively.
Simulated futures trading costs $34.95 a quarter.
D-8 | E-7 | V-9
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
www.cme.com
The world leader in stock index futures trading mainly offers info on its many futures
contracts. Find out about its popu-lar e-mini S & P 500 futures contract, which is
designed for smaller investors. Jargon-heavy educational pages might scare off beginners.
Live quotes are available after online registration and some software downloading. One
month of simulated futures trading costs $29.95.
D-8 | E-9 | V-8
Commodity Futures Trading for
Beginners
www.rb-trading.com/begin.html
Bruce Babcock's Reality Based Trading Company provides an easy-to-understand primer on the
theory of futures trading. Beware, though, some chapters apparently were written in the
dark ages: section on "The Trading Process" promotes charting but doesn't even
mention the multitude of charting services available on the Web.
D-7 | E-9 | V-7
$ Covered Calls
www.coveredcalls.com
Get free covered call options rankings based on options premium or technical factors. Site
recently added a ranking of the Dow Jones 30 stocks and of tech stocks. Sells an options
calculator for $59.95 to track and analyze covered calls. Get some guidance on what makes
a good covered call. Glosses over the downside to writing covered calls: opportunity cost
of selling in a rising market.
D-7 | E-8 | V-9
Dismalscientist
www.dismalscientist.com
As boring as it can be, studying the economy can be a vital part of your investment
strategy. The closest economics gets to being fun is at The Dismal Scientist, a financial
Web site where you won't find quotes, charting, or a portfolio tracker (for those people
in the real world). You will find excellent professionally written reports on current
economic puzzles, as well as long-term analyses of economic trends. The message boards are
fairly active, particularly regarding the Fed and interest rates. Jump onto the boards
with an economic challenge, and you will find deep thinkers chiming in with support or
slicing you to threads (never anger an economist). To make it even more interesting, the
Dismal Scientists created some light-hearted calculators that let you estimate fair value
of the stock market and what the Fed Funds rate should be. Devoted market watchers can
check out the easy-to-read calendar of economic releases.
D-8 | E-7 | V-8
FAQs About Futures
www.ithawaii.net/~heinsite/FAQs/futuresfaq.html
Learn futures market fundamentals from an informed source that isn't selling any-thing
(hence the clunky design). While the info could use an update, the site works as a
reference source. Lots of deriv-atives and investment links.
D-6 | E-7 | V-8
FutureSource
www.futuresource.com
Useful roundup of resources, including delayed futures quotes, customizable portfolios and
charts, and discussion boards. Also offers news, advisories, and weather services from
free and subscrip-tion-based sources.
D-6 | E-7 | V-7
Futures.Net
www.futures.net
Well-packaged global news and extensive market commentary as well as Web tips for traders.
Updated daily. Plenty of links to other futures-related sites. Discussion forum pretty
sluggish.
D-8 | E-7 | V-7
INO Global Markets
www.ino.com
Extensive complex of futures and options tools, including news, quotes, charting, and
message boards. Go to Extreme Futures for frequently updated list of the biggest winners
and losers among futures contracts (available in alerts form). Get quotes on options and
stocks. Discussion boards get frequent postings from futures traders. Beginners content
could be boosted a bit.
D-9 | E-7 | V-10
Matrix Options
www.matrixoptions.com
Options broker Matrix Trading Group offers free trading ideas in a variety of different
markets. There are plenty of other deriva-tives resources, such as quotes, education, and
charting. Only catch: registration is required and don't be surprised if you get a call
from one of their brokers. Site design needs an overhaul.
D-6 | E-8 | V-7
National Futures Association
www.nfa.futures.org
The self-regulation group NFA loftily aims to educate the masses about futures trad-ing
and to keep individuals from getting ripped off by unscrupulous futures bro-kers. Call or
e-mail the Disciplinary Information Access Line to find out whether a commodity futures
broker or advisor has stepped over the line. Order educational materials.
D-8 | E-8 | V-8
$ Netpicks Stock Option
Advisory System
www.netpicks.com
Subscribers get an evening update plus three intraday reports that provide tips on the
trading of stocks or stock options. The site's centerpiece, an options info service, costs
$100 a month or $250 a quarter.
D-7 | E-7 | V-7
$ Oexmaster
www.oexmaster.com
For traders of Standard & Poor's 100 stock index options. "Traders Tales" -
a service for building an OEX trading strategy - costs $19.95 a month or $175 a year.
Consider turning off Java before approaching this site, or your computer might overdose on
multimedia lights and buzzers.
D-5 | E-7 | V-7
$ OptionInvestor.com
www.optioninvestor.com
A subscription of $39.95 a month buys this options advisory service, including market
commentary and analysis, strategies, and rec-ommendations. Members can also access option
quotes, charts, and research.
D-9 | E-8 | V-7
$ OptionsAnalysis.com
www.optionsanalysis.com
Converting a market opinion into an option trade is a tricky business. This site makes it
a lot easier. For $49.95/month - $69.95/ month, options traders get access to loads of
options data and useful analysis tools. Coolest feature is FIDO, a simple-to-use online
calculator that suggests options trades based on your investment parame-ters and opinion.
D-6 | E-7 | V-8
Options Industry Council
www.optionscentral.com
AMEX, CBOE, PCX, and PHLX teamed up to create this Chicago-based organization, which
promotes options trading. Free video-tape and software to anyone interested. Find about
free seminars and workshops all over the country. "Strategy of the Month" is
essentially a very good essay on some aspect of options trading. Refreshingly sub-dued
look. Overall, a neat find filled with tons of free stuff.
D-9 | E-9 | V-9
$ OptionSource
www.optionsource.com
Launching pad for Schaeffer's Investment Research numerous options-related services. In
addition to offering free quotes, calcula-tors, and market analyses, the Cincinnati
publishing firm run by talking head Bernie Schaffer sells two options newsletters, two
trade recommendation services, and a mul-timedia training course.
D-9 | E-8 | V-8
The Pitmaster
www.thepitmaster.com
An unnamed pit trader brings together futures trading resources, including strong
educational materials and links to get started. Sister site to www.pitnews.com, which
offers market commentary from a number of practitioners, and a nice charts page of major
U.S. markets.
D-8 | E-7 | V - 8
$ PowerOptions
www.poweropt.com
Call option writing strategy is sold via a call option screening tool that costs $29 to
$39 a month. Lacking free options quoting, and demo also based on old data.
D-6 | E-7 | V-7
Robert's Online Applications
www.intrepid.com/~robertl
Math pro Robert Lum created this hodge-podge Financial tools. The toys include a
commissions pricer for options and stock brokers. An options strategy visualizer lets you
graph various trading gambits. Good explanations of different options strategies.
D-5 | E-8 | V-8
$ Stricknet.com
www.stricknet.com
A stock-picking service for covered-call writ-ers. Subscribe for a daily list of stocks
with high call premiums. Use the calculator to determine yield on option sales, factoring
in purchase price and length of time held. Some free advice. $35/mo. Free seven-day trial.
D-7 | E-6 | V-6
Rating System: D - Design | E - Ease of Use | V - Value
Back to Stock Sites Index | Finance Oman | Oman Web Directory