Saxo Bank has launched a new derivatives trading product called Contract Options, enabling investors to trade stock indices, commodities, interest rates, currencies and bonds.

Trading is possible on the bank's SaxoTrader, SaxoWebTrader and MobileTrader platforms.

Features available through the platforms when trading include:

    • A new Options Chain which offers an overview of option prices across strikes and maturities, giving easy access to trading
    • Online exercise of Options through the position list
    • Margin-netting across option legs which improve the margin required when trading option strategies on an instrument
    • Cross-product margin utilisation which allows the use of cash stocks as margin collateral for Contract Option trading
    • Support for Limit, Stop and Market orders

Patrice Henault, product manager at Saxo Bank, which is headquartered in Copenhagen, said: "More and more of our risk-aware clients use Contract Options to diversify their portfolios, which is why we have added this new tool. Although an Option is considered an investment product that is highly complex and bears high risk, we believe investors should be offered all instruments available to get the most out of the markets. With Contract Options we have added another powerful tool to our vast existing offering of investment products."

"Saxo Bank's analysts believe that precious metals like gold will continue to benefit from continued risk aversion in 2012. They also see good potential for higher prices, especially among commodities with constrained supply. Allowing investors to access the global options markets including gold, oil and other commodities, currencies, interest rates, bonds and major stock indices is of high importance to investors in the current climate, and this new addition to our platforms will deliver significant value to investors."