Synthetic indices are markets that trade like real ones but aren't tied to any company, currency or exchange. Their prices come from a cryptographically secure algorithm, built so that each index moves with a set level of volatility. News, economic data and market hours don't affect them, so you can trade them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays, apart from a short weekly maintenance window.
The volatility is in the name
Each index is built to a target volatility, and over time its price movement matches that target.
| Index | How it moves |
|---|---|
| VOLX 10, 25, 50, 100 | Continuous movement at a steady volatility of 10%, 25%, 50% or 100% a year. The higher the number, the bigger and faster the moves. |
| JUMP 10, 25, 50, 100 | The same steady movement as VOLX, plus sudden jumps: about 3 an hour on average, each around 30 times a normal move. A jump is equally likely to go up or down. |
| STEP 100, 200, 500 | Moves by a fixed step every second (0.1, 0.2 or 0.5), up or down with equal chance. |
Prices update once a second.
How we keep it fair
- Generated, not set. Prices are produced by Order Flow Limited using a cryptographically secure algorithm. Nobody at Zentrader can choose, change or see future prices.
- No built-in direction. Each move is independent of the last, and the indices have no trend built in. Up and down are equally likely.
- Independently verified. The price feed is statistically tested and independently verified to match its target volatility.
Trading synthetic indices
You can trade synthetic indices with HIGH/LOW, TOUCH and SPREAD. Expiries and payouts depend on the index and the trade type, and are shown on the trading screen.
Related: When and how can I trade synthetic indices? · Trade types compared: HIGH/LOW, TOUCH and SPREAD · When is scheduled maintenance?