Trading EUR/GBP Options

Where to start

EUR/GBP options are available in the OTC market through participating dealers. CME also publishes rules for options on EUR/GBP cross-rate futures in Chapter 301A. An option on futures and a dealer option on the currencies are different contracts. Check current listed expiries, executable quotes and broker permissions rather than treating a rulebook entry as proof of liquidity.

Match the currency quotation

The examples quote GBP per EUR. A higher number means EUR is stronger against GBP. In the EUR/GBP quotation, the first currency is the one being bought by a call on the pair.

CME futures quotation conventions can differ from the commonly displayed spot pair. Identify the currency being bought or sold before transferring a trading view into a call or put.

Read the contract terms

Record the notional, strike quotation, premium currency, expiry time and settlement method. OTC amounts may be negotiated; exchange products have specified sizes and underlying months. An option expiry and a futures delivery date are separate.

Use the provider’s current product specification and an executable option chain. Public charts do not establish the available bid, ask or ability to trade a particular expiry.

Funding and exercise

Check whether exercise exchanges currencies, creates futures or leads to a financial payment. Full delivery amounts can be much larger than the premium. Confirm the broker’s cutoff and closeout policy before the deadline.

Before expiry, selling the option to close may preserve time value that exercise gives up, provided a market is available. Counterparty terms and liquidity also matter.

Product resources

CME FX product directory lists exchange products. For an OTC contract, obtain the provider’s written confirmation and settlement terms.

Start with the payoff

EUR/GBP Currency Options — Review the calls and puts before choosing a contract.