Level Up your Options Trading
Today we added Greeks and Implied Volatility (IV) to the option chain on the Firstrade app — this important update will help you quantify the different factors that might affect the price of your option trades before you place an order.
Today we added Greeks and Implied Volatility (IV) to the option chain on the Firstrade app — this important update will help you quantify the different factors that might affect the price of your option trades before you place an order.
Here are the highlights:
Option Greeks
Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega and Rho calculations embedded in the app measure various factors that impact the price sensitivity of an options contract. This will help you make informed decisions about which options to trade, and when to trade them.
Implied Volatility (IV)
View the IV on the options chain to see the market’s forecast of a likely movement in the underlying security.
These new features are now available on both the Firstrade desktop platform and the latest version of the app. Join our weekly webcasts and access our free educational videos to improve your options trading knowledge.
Delivering the best experience for investors is our top priority as we provide industry-best pricing with $0 commission trades and $0 contract fees for options trades.
Options trading involves risk and is not suitable for all investors. Options trading privileges are subject to Firstrade review and approval. Please review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options brochure and the Supplement before you begin trading options.
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Two Factor Authentication (2FA) Now Available On Mobile
Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is now available across all devices, after the successful rollout of fully-integrated mobile protection. Once enabled, customers will now be required to enter 2FA codes each and every time they login, except after choosing to “trust this device for 30 days”. The integration comes at a relevant time, in the midst of Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Two Factor Authentication (2FA) is now available across all devices, after the successful rollout of fully-integrated mobile protection. Once enabled, customers will now be required to enter 2FA codes each and every time they login, except after choosing to “trust this device for 30 days”. The integration comes at a relevant time, in the midst of Cyber Security Awareness Month.
During a time in which phishing attacks and cyber scams are on the rise, additional security for Firstrade customers is a priority. The Mobile 2FA deployment now complements existing desktop protection, ensuring that customers have the highest level of protection across all devices that utilize Firstrade apps and services.
What is Two Factor Authentication?
2FA is one of the best methods of defense against threat actors. Enabling 2FA provides an extra layer of protection outside of standard password and pin entry, with the need to enter a 6-digit code in real-time becoming a mandatory requirement to each and every login.
After password entry, customers will be required to enter one of the randomly generated 2FA codes, that change every 20 seconds. This ensures that codes are entered in real time, and are entered by a genuine customer and holder of the account.
A few 2FA apps that are compatible with Firstrade are:
Google Authenticator for iPhone and Android.
Microsoft Authenticator for iPhone and Android.
How To Set Up Two Factor Authentication on Firstrade?
On Mobile:
Login to your Firstrade account on your chosen mobile device.
Go to Account.
Go to App Settings.
Toggle Two Factor Authentication to on and off.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete 2FA setup.
On Desktop:
Login to your Firstrade account on a Desktop device.
Go to Accounts > Profile and click on the Login/PIN tab.
Under Two Factor Authentication, click Turn on 2FA.
Enter your Firstrade password for confirmation.
Open your chosen authentication app on your device and scan the QR Code.
Enter the 6-digit authenticator code generated by your app.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete 2FA setup.
It is strongly encouraged that you save your backup code in a secure place, in the event you lose your device or are unable to access your authentication app.
You can write down the backup code and store it securely, or store it in a protected folder.
Secure Your Device Today!
Setup Two Factor Authentication today, and increase your account security.
Useful Links:
Two Factor Authentication - Help Center
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Scan to download Android app
Firstrade Launches Cash Bonus Awards For New Customer Deposits
Firstrade is pleased to announce the launch of a Cash Bonus award, payable to all new accounts that open and fund an account during the award phase. New account deposits will accrue a bonus depending on amount deposited, up to and including November 10th.
But what is the eligibility criteria, and what does it mean for you?
Let’s dive in.
Firstrade is pleased to announce the launch of a Cash Bonus award, payable to all new accounts that open and fund an account during the award phase. New account deposits will accrue a bonus depending on amount deposited, up to and including November 10th.
But what is the eligibility criteria, and what does it mean for you?
Let’s dive in.
Cash Bonus: How Does It Work?
Despite somewhat bearish market conditions, Firstrade continues to double down on new accounts and growth, by rewarding new customers with additional bonuses just for depositing to a new account.
The offer is also available to new accounts that transfer to Firstrade from other brokerages, plus up to $200 being made available to transferring customers to cover transfer fees upon joining Firstrade - in addition to any awarded cash bonus amount.
The Cash Bonus offer provides customers with rewards tiers depending on the amount deposited to individual, joint or custodial brokerage accounts - with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) also being eligible. Cashback amounts vary from $50 cashback for $5,000 deposits, up to $4,000 cashback for deposits of $1,500,000+, with a range of tiers in between depending on the amount. Deposits to accounts can then be used for interoperable trading across a suite of investment products including; Stocks, ETFs, and Options.
Bonuses can also be used to trade crypto through new individual brokerage accounts that have been credited with a qualifying deposit.
The bonus tiers and required deposit amounts are as follows:
How to get a new account bonus with Firstrade:
Open an account using the Open Account tile on the Firstrade homepage.
Complete ID&V by submitting requested documents in order to verify your account.
Upon acceptance of your ID documents, login to your new Individual Brokerage Account or Retirement Account.
Deposit funds into your newly-created account, with a minimum $5,000 deposit amount being required to earn a bonus.
Use your Firstrade account within the terms and conditions to keep your bonus.
Why Open An Account With Firstrade?
New and existing customers are able to access powerful Firstrade desktop and mobile apps and access $0 commission trading in just a few clicks. Options trades are available at a market-leading price of $0 per contract, usurping some of the industry’s leading brokerages in terms of trading competitiveness.
Trading is also offered without exchange, exercise, or assignment fees, with traders also being equipped with a plethora of resources from the likes of Morningstar, OptionsPlay and Zacks to help through investment journey’s regardless of skill set or experience.
About Firstrade
Firstrade is a top-rated online brokerage, offering customers a suite of investment products, no-fee IRA retirement services and advanced tools to help self-directed investors take control of their financial future, while having the lowest average cost among other brokerages. Since 1985, Firstrade has been a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). For more information, https://firstrade.com.
Cryptocurrency trading is offered by Apex Crypto LLC. Cryptocurrencies are not securities and are not FDIC or SIPC insured. Cryptocurrency execution and custody services are provided by Apex Crypto LLC (NMLS ID 1828849) through a software licensing agreement between Apex Crypto LLC and Firstrade Crypto LLC. Please understand the risks before trading: apexcrypto.com/legal.
Firstrade is available on Desktop, or to download on iOS and Android.
Scan to download iOS app
Scan to download Android app
Top 25 Most Traded Stocks & ETFs by Investors at Firstrade in September
Get the full list of top favored stocks and ETFs among Firstrade investors in the last month.
Here’s the full list of top favored stocks and ETFs among Firstrade investors in the last month:
ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ ETF (SQQQ)
ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ)
Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)
Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ)
Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF (VOO)
Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares (SOXS)
Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (TSM)
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (VTI)
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)
ProShares Ultra VIX Short Term Futures ETF (UVXY)
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
Alphabet Inc Class A (GOOGL)
Alphabet Inc Class C (GOOG)
Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund ETF (VT)
Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY)
Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares ETF (LABU)
Meta Platforms Inc. (META)
ProShares UltraPro Short S&P500 (SPXU)
Bank of America Corp (BAC)
Carnival Corp (CCL)
The Ethereum Merge: What Is It?
The Ethereum Merge is touted as one of the most significant moments in blockchain history. What does it mean for Firstrade customers?
The Ethereum merge has been a major blockchain topic for several years now. At the launch of the Ethereum network in July 2015 the most visible and still actively involved co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, revealed that there was a chance the network would choose a different consensus mechanism, such as Proof-of-Stake (PoS), in the future.
“The Merge”, as it became known as, was technically a concept as far back as then, but the idea began to materialize in December 2020 when Ethereum released the Beacon Chain as the initial step towards making the merge live.
“We may choose later on to adopt alternative consensus strategies, such as hybrid proof of stake, so future patches may reduce the issuance rate lower." - Vitalik Buterin, Co-founder, Ethereum (published on Twitter on launch day, July 30, 2015)
What Exactly Is The Merge?
The Ethereum merge refers to the event which transitions the Ethereum blockchain from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm to PoS. There are multiple reasons which seemed to have encouraged the Ethereum network’s decision to effectively merge to a PoS consensus mechanism. One of the main reasons is PoW has been shown for some time now, to drive a high energy demand and carbon footprint when compared to the PoS alternative, and also other alternative consensus mechanisms. Machines take part in the process of mining which necessitates a high degree of energy which is dedicated to working towards solving difficult mathematical problems in order to earn block rewards, for facilitating transactions on the blockchain. This is how the traditional PoW network operation is carried out, including with Bitcoin.
The PoW consensus mechanism varies considerably from PoS, which instead is proven to use substantially less energy than PoW in its network consensus implementation. PoS is facilitated by a set amount of tokens (32 ETH), being staked by nodes known as validators on the PoS-based blockchain. Once tokens are staked, nodes take part in the validation process by confirming to the chain when it witnesses transactions which occur. This agreement aids the network in reaching consensus, and nodes are rewarded with a portion of transaction fees and sometimes alternative or additional perks and crypto.
Ethereum merged on Thursday, September 15. The merge to PoS still has more stops ahead, but it would be helpful to see what can be expected to be altered or not after the occurrence of one of the most major cryptocurrency events for some time.
How Is Speed Affected By The Ethereum Merge?
The speed of the Ethereum network previously lied around 13 to 14 seconds to process a transaction. Now after the merge that was just conducted Ethereum is anticipating running at 12 seconds standard to process each block. The difference is only slight, so while there is an improvement to speed, the speed is expected to be boosted significantly once the network evolves into the live use of sub chains, more specifically shard chains which will assist in sharing network processing to make the platform more efficient.
There are 64 shard chains which have been mentioned for some time as the number of shard blockchains which will be developed and integrated into the Ethereum network. It is expected that the shard chains will be ready for live implementation at some time in 2023. At that point in time Ethereum is anticipated to make considerable positive changes to the rate of network transaction speed which equates to a more seamless and rapid process when an individual goes to send or buy Ethereum.
Is The Merge The Creation Of A New Blockchain?
The merge was not an event which saw Ethereum move to an entirely new blockchain. Instead, the Ethereum blockchain network was merged, or aligned together in order to complete the recent upgrade.
Specifically, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) which is the fundamental chain of the Ethereum network, will continue to process transactions and smart contracts for the stacked network. Consensus will be maintained in the new Beacon Chain which is what was launched in 2020 to open staking for the network and just recently fused together with the Ethereum main chain in the merge event.
How Will Network Fees Be Impacted By The Merge?
For now network transactions, also referred to as gas fees, on the Ethereum blockchain are not expected to change as a result of the merge. The underlying processes required to power the fundamental layer which is responsible for facilitating transactions and smart contract functions remains intact, so network fees are expected to be the same. The introduction of shard chains along with other technologies that it will bring together, is expected to decrease network fees not very far into the future.
What Does This Mean For Firstrade Users?
Firstrade users will not need to do anything regarding the merge.
As ETH is held in a secure omnibus wallet on customers behalf, the merge will seamlessly take place on the backend. The number of ETH you have traded in your account will stay the same. There may be price volatility connected to the Merge, as big events like these can cause price speculation to both up and down sides. Customers should monitor the price of ETH over this time.
Final Points Surrounding The Merge
To recap - the merge upgrade to the Ethereum mainnet was completed early in the US morning hours on September 15. The merge has been a long anticipated event which was foreshadowed at the Ethereum network launch by its co-founder Vitalik Buterin back in 2015, making it seven years plus in the making. Since that time talks of the merge have been a consistent element of Ethereum news, and the event has finally been completed.
Not everyone is a fan of PoS. There are some enthusiasts who desire to continue to operate the Ethereum PoW blockchain, and have vowed to maintain an aspect of Ethereum as it stood prior to the merge. It still remains to be seen what forks (different variations of ETH), may yet arise upon more time passage after the successfully completed network update.
The Ethereum network merge will see more phases on the road to multiple shard chains and what the network believes will be an even more greatly efficient blockchain network.