On January 25, Cboe Global Markets, Inc, a popular operator of stock and options markets in the U.S. and Europe, announced that Webull Financial LLC, a New York-based commission-free trading platform, will offer Cboe's new Nanos S&P 500 Index options on its trading platform in the first-quarter 2022. Such products will be available to Webull’s customers who are approved to trade options on the trading platform . The initiative cements Cboe's and Webull's continuous commitment to serve the retail trading community by providing them with access to new options products, as well as data and educational resources to help them learn about options trading.
Webull has recently started offering Cboe's popular S&P 500 Index (SPX) options, Mini-S&P 500 Index (XSP) options and Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) options, on its platform. The move currently provides its retail customers access to cash-settled index options trading. With the addition of the new Nanos S&P 500 Index options, Webull will provide retail traders with an additional choice on what they can trade, tailored to their investment objectives, experience levels and account size.
SPX and VIX options help investors gain exposure to the broad US market, hedge against equity market volatility, and assist them in executing asset allocation, risk management and potential income generation strategies. Unlike standard-sized options, the new Nanos products will make options trading simpler and more cost-effective, and, therefore, it will allow retail traders to begin small, learn as they go and grow their trading confidence.
As part of this program, Webull will provide all its registered members with a free subscription to Cboe Streaming Market Indices (CSMI) powered by Cboe, and, thus, it provides its customers with real-time SPX, XSP and VIX index values that allow them to track option market changes.
Anthony Denier, the Chief Executive Officer of Webull Financial LLC, elaborated on how such product offerings would benefit their clients: "We are excited to collaborate with Cboe to educate our customers on the usability and benefits of index options. Through this partnership, our customers can now trade Cboe's proprietary index options products for the first time. Additionally, Webull customers will be among the first traders to be able to access Cboe's new Nanos product as we are focused on empowering the individual trader with new opportunities and lower costs."
Social Trading Platforms Have Become Gateways to Equities Investing
The announcement by Webull comes at a time when the commission-free trading app has been witnessing an increase of new users since Covid-19 started. However, it is not Webull alone. Other social trading apps such as Robinhood and eToro have witnessed a rise of their users since 2020, especially a group of new young adults on their platforms. Young people have a more open mind when it comes to financial technology. Robinhood, Webull, eToro and other related trading apps have become a passage into investing in financial markets, such as crypto investments, for first-time investors. By offering fractional commission-free stocks, platforms such as Webull have encouraged young people to invest in products and services being offered by companies they know. For instance, young users are increasingly seen investing in technology-related stocks, like Amazon and Netflix. In this way, such social trading platforms play a huge role by making stocks and equities more accessible for younger users to participate in the traditional stock market.
