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Separately from all this, there are SPX options, they're cash-settled European index options (for those on the sidelines American options can be exercised any t

Separately from all this, there are SPX options, they're cash-settled European index options (for those on the sidelines American options can be exercised any time up to expiry, European only on the day of expiry) with a $100/tick notional contract value. They're super useful if you want to trade indices (as compared to say SPY options) because you don't have to deal with dividend-triggered exercise risk and they offer 60% long term capital gains tax treatment no matter how long you hold them for (like futures and futures options). [1] [edit] They do trade under various tickers depending on the exchange though, so maybe that's some of the confusion? Btw, not trying to explain it to you in particular, just to passers-by. [1] https://www.optionistics.com/quotes/stock-option-chains/SPX https://www.optionistics.com/quotes/stock-option-chains/SPX

qeternity 5y ago
Yes, you've got the CBOE crap, you've got a gazillion other smaller venues, and you've got desks at every bank which will write you options on whatever you like. OP is talking about trading ES and SPX, and it was more likely they had confused it with SPY given the other confusion around tick sizes and given the size of the big daddy SP contract (and the language suggested this person had just gone to the CME site and did a bit of copy paste...especially the language about on tick being $12.50, which any spoos trader will know by heart). Anyway - going to leave this one, I think I've added all the value I can add.
- arcticbull 5y ago
  Thanks for your perspective! I always love hearing what finance folks think about all this.
- perl4ever 5y ago
  I don't have any experience trading index options on the S&P 500, but they seem to be (at least sometimes) displayed as "$SPX.X". I would've thought that SPX would be a natural shorthand, even though it is also the index itself. Also, I thought Joe/Jane Schmoe could just trade (some) index options with a regular broker, providing they have enough money.

qeternity 5y ago

Yes, you've got the CBOE crap, you've got a gazillion other smaller venues, and you've got desks at every bank which will write you options on whatever you like. OP is talking about trading ES and SPX, and it was more likely they had confused it with SPY given the other confusion around tick sizes and given the size of the big daddy SP contract (and the language suggested this person had just gone to the CME site and did a bit of copy paste...especially the language about on tick being $12.50, which any spoos trader will know by heart). Anyway - going to leave this one, I think I've added all the value I can add.

arcticbull 5y ago
Thanks for your perspective! I always love hearing what finance folks think about all this.
perl4ever 5y ago
I don't have any experience trading index options on the S&P 500, but they seem to be (at least sometimes) displayed as "$SPX.X". I would've thought that SPX would be a natural shorthand, even though it is also the index itself. Also, I thought Joe/Jane Schmoe could just trade (some) index options with a regular broker, providing they have enough money.