The gold/silver ratio spread can be a costly futures trade. If you are new to futures trading or have a small account, it’s best to start by using mini precious metals contracts - like the mini silver futures (/YI) and the mini gold futures (/YG).
What does the gold/silver ratio represent?
SImply put, the gold/silver ratio represents how many ounces of silver it takes to buy an ounce of gold.
If you look over the past 100 years or so, the gold/silver ratio most commonly quoted is 30:1 (it would take 30 ounces of silver to purchase 1 ounce of gold).
Over the past 3 years, the gold/silver ratio has been fluctuating between 35:1 and 85:1 - this is driven by the volatility in the prices of the metals themselves.
Over the past year, the ratio has held pretty closely to a 70:1 ratio. If we wanted to place a gold/silver ratio trade, we would start by looking to the mini contracts - /YG and /YI.
If you’re not familiar with these futures contracts, here are the specs:
Mini Gold Future (/YG) Specs:
Index Multiplier (leverage) - 33.2 Troy Ounces
Current Price - $1102
Notional Value - $36,586* = ($1102 x 33.2)
Tick Size - $0.10 ($3.32 /tick)
Mini Silver Future (/YI) Specs:
Index Multiplier (leverage) - 1,000 Troy Ounces
Current Price - $14.665
Notional Value - $14,665* = ($14.665 x 1000)
Tick Size - $0.001 $1.00
Because the notional values of /YG and /YI are quite a bit different, we will want to notionally weight them to create a spread trade.
The notional value ratio is $36,586/$14,665, which equates to a ratio of about 2.57(YI):1(YG). In this instance, you could round up or round down the ratio to 2:1 or 3:1, but for this example, Pete rounds down to a 2:1 ratio of silver to gold (which is a better ratio if you’re trying to keep buying power low).
If we expect the ratio to decrease, then we will buy 2 mini silver contracts and sell 1 mini gold contract.
If you want to place the same trade using options on futures, check out the video to learn how.
Strategies: Futures Spread (Notionally Weighted)
Products Discussed In This Episode: /YG, /YI
*Values subject to change based on where the market is at
This video and its content are provided solely by tastylive, Inc. (“tastylive”) and are for informational and educational purposes only. tastylive was previously known as tastytrade, Inc. (“tastytrade”). This video and its content were created prior to the legal name change of tastylive. As a result, this video may reference tastytrade, its prior legal name.
tastylive content is created, produced, and provided solely by tastylive, Inc. (“tastylive”) and is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not, nor is it intended to be, trading or investment advice or a recommendation that any security, futures contract, digital asset, other product, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any person. Trading securities, futures products, and digital assets involve risk and may result in a loss greater than the original amount invested. tastylive, through its content, financial programming or otherwise, does not provide investment or financial advice or make investment recommendations. Investment information provided may not be appropriate for all investors and is provided without respect to individual investor financial sophistication, financial situation, investing time horizon or risk tolerance. tastylive is not in the business of transacting securities trades, nor does it direct client commodity accounts or give commodity trading advice tailored to any particular client’s situation or investment objectives. Supporting documentation for any claims (including claims made on behalf of options programs), comparisons, statistics, or other technical data, if applicable, will be supplied upon request. tastylive is not a licensed financial adviser, registered investment adviser, or a registered broker-dealer. Options, futures, and futures options are not suitable for all investors. Prior to trading securities, options, futures, or futures options, please read the applicable risk disclosures, including, but not limited to, the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options Disclosure and the Futures and Exchange-Traded Options Risk Disclosure found on tastytrade.com/disclosures.
tastytrade, Inc. ("tastytrade”) is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA, NFA, and SIPC. tastytrade was previously known as tastyworks, Inc. (“tastyworks”). tastytrade offers self-directed brokerage accounts to its customers. tastytrade does not give financial or trading advice, nor does it make investment recommendations. You alone are responsible for making your investment and trading decisions and for evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of tastytrade’s systems, services or products. tastytrade is a wholly-owned subsidiary of tastylive, Inc.
tastytrade has entered into a Marketing Agreement with tastylive (“Marketing Agent”) whereby tastytrade pays compensation to Marketing Agent to recommend tastytrade’s brokerage services. The existence of this Marketing Agreement should not be deemed as an endorsement or recommendation of Marketing Agent by tastytrade. tastytrade and Marketing Agent are separate entities with their own products and services. tastylive is the parent company of tastytrade.
tastycrypto is provided solely by tasty Software Solutions, LLC. tasty Software Solutions, LLC is a separate but affiliate company of tastylive, Inc. Neither tastylive nor any of its affiliates are responsible for the products or services provided by tasty Software Solutions, LLC. Cryptocurrency trading is not suitable for all investors due to the number of risks involved. The value of any cryptocurrency, including digital assets pegged to fiat currency, commodities, or any other asset, may go to zero.
© copyright 2013 - 2024 tastylive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Applicable portions of the Terms of Use on tastylive.com apply. Reproduction, adaptation, distribution, public display, exhibition for profit, or storage in any electronic storage media in whole or in part is prohibited under penalty of law, provided that you may download tastylive’s podcasts as necessary to view for personal use. tastylive was previously known as tastytrade, Inc. tastylive is a trademark/servicemark owned by tastylive, Inc.