Spread Betting Glossary: O

1. Offer price: The going price point for a commodity, stock or derivative. Also the point at which spread betters offer a position in anticipation of a rising market.

2. Open positions: The price at which an asset or a position will be sold by the trader, either for a profit or a loss. Synonymous with 'sell'.

3. Option: The contractual right to purchase a commodity or security at a given point and price, exercised when the market moves in favour of a trader's position.

4. Order: An order to trade an asset, either positively or negatively at a given price point. The command issued by the trader to the broker to open or close a position, either immediately or at a conditional future point, as with a stop loss.

5. Ordinary stop loss: A device to mitigate against losses, stipulating a point at which the underlying instrument should be closed on the downside to minimise the impact of errant trades.

6. Over trading: Expanding a portfolio beyond a sustainable limit, such that the trading account is unable to finance negative trades, often resulting in a total wipe-out of capital deposited.