According to the latest set of data published by the Financial Futures Association of Japan (FFAJ), binary options trading remains sluggish on a monthly basis and in decline annually.
Indeed, the month of August 2015 saw binary options trading volumes total 48.73 trillion JPY, which is a fractional decline from July’s 48.76 trillion. On an annual basis, the figure represents a 31.2% drop in trading volume compared to August 2014.
The sluggish volume may be attributed to a decrease in the number of active accounts, which fell by 228 to 14,414 in August 2015. This number is 8.5% lower than the same time last year.
Indeed, the industry appears to be stagnating, with interest in the product significantly down on an annual basis. This is perhaps due to increased risk as Volatility has blossomed throughout the year. On the other hand, the current status quo in Japan may be that the average size of a deposit is lower, or that traders are less willing to place binary bets.
When compared to the first month of 2015, the number of active traders has actually declined. In January, the figure peaked, reaching above 15,200. Two months later, the figure was almost 1,000 accounts fewer. There appears to be a trending correlation between increased volatility and decreased trading activity in binary options in Japan, which we will continue to monitor.
