The FTSE is a worldwide and independent firm run by the London Stock Exchange and The Financial Times and is tasked to manage and create financial indices.

Professionals turn to the FTSE everyday for the tools and information they need to develop strategies that would help boost their investment portfolios to the greatest level possible.

Such professionals include, fund managers, investment banks, consultants, brokers, stock exchanges and the like. It maintains partnerships with companies and stock exchanges all over the world, in a bid to create a uniform way of handling international investment.

And because the FTSE hosts a plethora of global, regional, fixed income, alternative investment, non market and governance indices, it is but inevitable that options are part of its roster of instruments traded.

The FTSE implements a tight set of policies and procedures on transparency and governance to make sure that all its indices are investment worthy and easy to monitor.

Among its requirements are that all stocks should adhere to liquidity screens and must be free float adjusted and that all indices should have a set of guidelines that are easily accessible by the public.

Options trading on the FTSE does not deviate from the basic concepts of options trading itself. That is, prices at still set at predetermined price and exercised at a predetermined time frame.

What the FTSE offers differently is the venue, but options trading can generally occur in just about any other trading floor in the world.

The FTSE’s roster of global indices include the FTSE All World Index Series, the FTSE Global Style Index Series, The FTSE Emerging Markets, The FTSE Multinationals Index Series, The FTSE Global Sector Index Series and the FTSE Gold Mines Index Series, among others.

Its list of regional partners include the FTSE UK Index Series, the FTSE/ASEAN Index Series, the FTSE Hong Kong MPF Index, and the FTSE NASDAQ Index Series.

As you may well notice, the FTSE makes majority of its business in the UK. This is because it is owned by European companies. Hence, the options trading activities that occur in the FTSE are mostly European in nature.

At present the FTSE services clients and indices in more than 77 countries. What began as a small operation in 1995 now holds 11 offices all over the world, and even in key business areas in the the US, Africa, Europe and the Asia Pacific.

Because of the growing popularity of financial markets, it is only inevitable that information on the basic concepts of options trading and right way to engage in the industry is also available in various forms of media.

Aside from the Internet, options trading samples and simulations are also available in video format and on DVD.

It is believed that such products are designed for people who are always on the go and would like to view and learn options trading strategies while on the road or while travelling using their laptops.

Here are some of the most popular options trading videos available on DVD –

1. Author – Joseph Fray; Title – A Complete Course in Option Trading Fundamentals

This options trading video tackles insights by Options Industry Council professor Joseph Frey.

It offers a comprehensive look into the options trading industry, from the most elementary topics to the most sophisticated ones.

Subjects include options’ market behavior and how different they are from stocks, how market volatility influences options movements and calls and puts. Notable in his discussion are his 3 reasons why options traders fold, 4 key options trading strategies, how time affects profits from options trading and his famous 50% rule for options pricing shifts.

2. Author – James Bittman; Title – Picking The Best Stocks And Strategies For Every Option Trade, A Complete Course ON Option Trading Fundamentals

Aside from the general concepts surrounding options trading, the author also discusses straddle techniques, interpreting sophisticated bull and bear spreads, as well the directional option programs that he has been teaching his classes over the past years.

Topics include how the prices of options are determined, what causes pricing shifts, when to apply certain strategies, and even provides case studies for a better understanding of financial tactics.

3. Author – Larry McMillan; Title – The Volatility Primer – Insider Methods For Option Trading

In this DVD, McMillan tackles in large part how market volatility influences securities underlying certain options and how one can significantly boost trading results based on this knowledge.

It is basically a crash course in deciphering volatility and how you can get around it to ensure the best possible value for your investment.

This DVD has already been given the Traders’ Hall of Fame AWard.

There are many other options trading courses and tips available on DVD. A quick search through Google will bear hundreds of such videos and all you have to is sift through them to find out what instructions suit your needs best. Happy hunting!

People who are not very familiar with financial jargon are likely to immediately buckle upon the sound of the words ’stocks’, ‘options’ and ‘financial investments’ and fall silent during conversations. Others immediately dismiss these topics, thinking that if they sound complicated then maybe they are equally and overly difficult to comprehend and learn.

If you are one these people, then you’ve come to the right place. When faced with jargons like these, you must realize that these are merely words and that they actually have meanings that may be easily understood even if your economics background harbors only on the basics.

However, if you are bent on taking the financial investment industry a serious shot, then you might want to enrol in certain courses to keep you up to par with the professionals of the time.

Let us talk about options and futures trading for this purpose.

There are a lot of courses about options trading available in bookstores and online. A quick type into the search engine of ‘options and futures trading course’ will result in thousands of institutions and companies offering both free and feed information about the world of options and futures trading.

Since the Internet already provides a wealth of knowledge about options trading courses, you might find no need for a book anymore. But, hey, if you want something you can physically leaf through, then it’s your choice, really.

If you’re a resident of Los Angeles, there are a number of schools and brokerage companies that offer courses and classes about options and futures trading.

Online Trading Academy in Los Angeles

One of the more popular trading schools in Los Angeles is the Online Trading Academy, which opened just this year, which provides professional training courses on financial products and trading instruments for traders residing in the Ventury County and Los Angeles areas.

The Online Trading Academy boasts of being the only trade training facility that offers classroom simulations of real trading environments and makes use of the company’s own capital, without risk to the student.

The OTA in general, not just its Los Angeles, branch, has direct links with RushTrade, the NASDAW, FXStreet.com and CyberTrader.

Students may attend classes at the school’s offices or by enrolling in the online courses. Both novice and professional traders will greatly benefit from the line up of courses available on Options, Day Trading, Futures, Swing Trading, Investment Theories, Currencies and Position Trading.