Trading Assets Pocket Option — 100+ instruments for trading

Currency Pairs (Forex) — 30+ instruments

Currency pairs form the foundation of Pocket Option's trading asset catalog and represent the most liquid category of instruments. The Forex market is the world's largest financial market, with a daily turnover exceeding $7.5 trillion. The platform offers more than 30 currency pairs across three subcategories: major pairs, cross rates, and exotic pairs.

Major pairs include the US dollar as one of the currencies and are characterized by the highest liquidity and tightest spreads. EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and USD/CHF are the four primary major pairs, accounting for more than 70% of total trading volume on the Forex market. For binary options, high liquidity means predictable price movement and stable payout percentages.

Cross rates are currency pairs that do not include the US dollar. These include EUR/GBP, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, AUD/NZD and other combinations. Cross rates exhibit higher volatility compared to majors, which creates both additional profit opportunities and increased risks. Cross rates are especially active at the intersection of trading sessions — for example, EUR/JPY shows peak volatility during the overlap of the European and Asian sessions.

Exotic pairs combine one of the major world currencies with a currency from an emerging market: USD/TRY (dollar/Turkish lira), USD/ZAR (dollar/South African rand), EUR/PLN (euro/Polish zloty). Exotic pairs are characterized by high volatility and wider spreads, but offer higher payouts on the Pocket Option platform — up to 92% on select instruments.

TOP-10 Currency Pairs by Popularity and Payouts

Below is a table of the ten most traded currency pairs on Pocket Option. Payout data is current as of March 2026 and may vary slightly depending on the time of day, expiration, and market conditions.

Forex Trading Sessions

The currency market operates around the clock from Monday to Friday, thanks to the sequential opening of trading sessions across different time zones. Each session has its own characteristics that affect the volatility and liquidity of specific currency pairs. Understanding the session schedule allows traders to choose the optimal time to trade a particular instrument.

The Asian session (Tokyo) opens at 02:00 MSK and is characterized by moderate volatility. The main price movements are observed in yen pairs: USD/JPY, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY. The European session (London) starts at 10:00 MSK and is the most active — it accounts for approximately 35% of total daily trading volume. Euro and British pound pairs show maximum volatility during this period. The American session (New York) begins at 16:00 MSK and overlaps with the European session until 19:00 — this is the period of peak market liquidity.

The highest volatility occurs at session overlaps: the European-Asian overlap (10:00-11:00 MSK) and the European-American overlap (16:00-19:00 MSK). During these periods, the maximum number of market participants are active, generating strong price impulses. For traders using short-term expirations (30 seconds — 5 minutes), session overlaps offer the greatest number of trading opportunities.

What Drives Currency Pair Rates

Forex pricing is determined by a combination of macroeconomic, geopolitical, and market factors. The key drivers of currency rate movements include central bank interest rate decisions, economic data releases (GDP, inflation, unemployment, trade balance), geopolitical events, and shifts in monetary policy.

• Interest rates: a central bank rate hike strengthens the national currency, while a cut weakens it. Decisions by the US Federal Reserve, ECB, Bank of England, and Bank of Japan have the greatest impact on major pairs.
• Economic data: GDP, inflation (CPI), employment (NFP), and industrial production figures are released on a set schedule and trigger sharp price movements at the time of publication.
• Geopolitics: armed conflicts, trade wars, sanctions, and political crises increase volatility and create long-term trends in the currency market.
• Market sentiment: expectations of major players, hedge fund positioning, and capital flows between regions shape medium-term trends in currency pairs.

Currency Pair Trading Strategies on Pocket Option

Classic technical analysis methods apply to trading currency pairs on the platform. Moving averages (SMA, EMA) help identify trend direction: if the price is above the 50-period moving average, the trend is bullish; if below, it is bearish. The RSI (Relative Strength Index) signals overbought conditions (value above 70) and oversold conditions (below 30), indicating a likely reversal.

Support and resistance levels are another powerful tool when trading Forex on Pocket Option. A currency pair's price often bounces off historical levels, forming predictable patterns. As price approaches a support level, a trader opens a «Higher» trade; as it approaches resistance — a «Lower» trade. Combining levels with indicators (RSI, Bollinger Bands) improves forecast accuracy and reduces the number of false signals.

Candlestick analysis is especially effective on higher timeframes (M5, M15) when trading major pairs. Engulfing, pin bar, and doji patterns at support and resistance levels generate reliable entry signals. On Pocket Option, all the necessary charting tools are available in the terminal: over 50 indicators, line drawing tools, Fibonacci, and trend channels.

Stocks — 25+ Companies from Global Industry Leaders

Pocket Option offers binary options trading on stocks of the world's largest companies. The catalog features over 25 issuers, primarily from the technology, financial, and consumer sectors. Stocks are quoted in US dollars and are available during the trading hours of the respective stock exchanges — NYSE and NASDAQ for American companies, LSE for British, XETRA for German.

Trading stocks through binary options differs from traditional investing. The trader does not acquire a stake in the company, but rather predicts the direction of price movement over a given period. This makes it possible to profit from both rising and falling prices — all you need to do is correctly identify the direction. The minimum trade is $1, making stock trading accessible at any deposit size.

Stock pricing is driven by a company's financial results (quarterly earnings reports), sector trends, the overall state of the stock market, and macroeconomic factors. Earnings season — the period of maximum volatility for individual stocks — is when the release of financial results can trigger price moves of 5–15% within just a few hours.

Available Stocks Catalog

Trading Hours for Stocks

Stocks are available for trading only during the operating hours of their respective stock exchanges. This is a key difference from currency pairs and cryptocurrencies, which trade around the clock. Outside of exchange hours, stocks on the platform display a "Market Closed" status and are unavailable for opening trades.

• NASDAQ / NYSE (USA): 16:30-23:00 Moscow time (Monday-Friday). Pre-market from 15:00 MSK, post-market until 01:00 MSK — these periods may not be displayed on the platform.
• LSE (United Kingdom): 11:00-19:30 Moscow time (Monday-Friday).
• XETRA (Germany): 11:00-19:30 Moscow time (Monday-Friday).

On national holidays, the respective exchanges are closed and their associated stocks are unavailable for trading. Key non-trading days include: Christmas (December 25), Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November, USA), Labor Day (first Monday of September, USA), and New Year's Day (January 1). Exchanges often close early on the days preceding holidays.

How to Analyze Stocks for Binary Options

Analyzing stocks for trading on Pocket Option combines elements of both fundamental and technical approaches. Fundamental analysis involves reviewing quarterly financial reports (revenue, EPS, guidance), industry trends, and a company's competitive position. Ahead of earnings season (January, April, July, October), analyst consensus forecasts are published — if actual results beat expectations, the stock rises; if they fall short, it drops. This pattern creates predictable price movements on earnings release days.

Technical analysis of stocks on the platform follows the same principles as for currency pairs, but accounts for stock market specifics. Stocks tend to form gaps (price gaps) at the open — the difference between the previous day's closing price and the current day's opening price. Gaps often "fill" during the trading session, creating a trading opportunity: if a stock opens significantly above its close (gap up), a downward correction is likely, and vice versa.

Sector analysis helps identify leaders and laggards within an industry. If the technology sector is broadly rising (NASDAQ 100 hitting new highs), sector leaders (Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA) are likely to continue their upward trend. During a sector correction, stocks of overvalued companies tend to fall first, while defensive names (Coca-Cola, McDonald's) show resilience. Understanding these relationships improves the quality of trading decisions.

Stock Indices — S&P 500, NASDAQ, DAX and others

Stock indices reflect the collective performance of a group of stocks representing a specific economic sector or national stock market. Trading indices on Pocket Option allows you to work with broad market dynamics without picking individual companies. This simplifies the analytical process: instead of studying a specific issuer's financial reports, the trader assesses the overall state of the economy and market sentiment.

The platform offers more than 10 stock indices covering the world's largest economies: the US (S&P 500, NASDAQ 100, Dow Jones), Europe (DAX 40, FTSE 100, CAC 40), and Asia (Nikkei 225, Hang Seng). Each index is calculated using its own methodology — market-cap weighting (S&P 500), price weighting (Dow Jones), or equal weighting.

Key indices on the platform

What drives index movements

Stock indices react to macroeconomic factors more strongly than individual stocks. Central bank interest rate decisions, GDP, inflation and unemployment data releases, trade agreements, and geopolitical events all shape the direction of indices. Rising interest rates typically put pressure on equity markets (as money flows into bonds), while rate cuts stimulate stock growth and, consequently, index gains.

Correlations between indices across different countries create additional trading opportunities. A decline in Asian markets (Nikkei, Hang Seng) in the morning often foreshadows a negative open for European indices (DAX, FTSE) and then US indices (S&P 500, NASDAQ). A trader monitoring the Asian session gains an informational edge when trading European and American indices.

Corporate earnings season (January–February and July–August) has a significant impact on indices, especially the NASDAQ 100, which is dominated by technology companies. When major companies (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA) report results above expectations, the index receives a powerful upward impulse. Disappointing reports from leading issuers can send the index down 2–3% in a single trading session.

• S&P 500 — a broad indicator of the overall U.S. economy. Tracks the performance of the 500 largest companies by market capitalization. Used as a benchmark by institutional investors.
• NASDAQ 100 — concentrated in the technology sector. Higher volatility than the S&P 500. More sensitive to news in AI, semiconductors, and cloud technologies.
• DAX 40 — Europe's key index. Sensitive to ECB decisions, energy prices, and trade relations between the EU and China.
• Nikkei 225 — driven by Japanese economic performance, the yen exchange rate, and Bank of Japan policy. A weak yen has historically supported Nikkei gains, as export-oriented companies generate higher revenue in yen terms.

OTC Assets — Trading on Weekends and Holidays

OTC (Over-The-Counter) is a category of off-exchange assets available on Pocket Option during periods when the major financial markets are closed. OTC instruments allow trading on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), holidays, and overnight hours when standard assets are unavailable. For traders who balance trading with a day job, OTC assets provide an opportunity to practice and earn during their free time.

Technically, OTC quotes are generated by the platform's algorithms, anchored to the latest market data and the historical volatility of the corresponding instruments. This means OTC prices are not a direct feed from an exchange, but are modeled to ensure continuity of trading. The OTC asset catalog includes currency pairs, cryptocurrencies, and some commodity instruments — their names carry the «OTC» suffix (e.g., EUR/USD OTC, BTC/USD OTC).

Payouts on OTC assets typically range from 75–92%, which is comparable to the base payouts on standard instruments. However, the nature of price movements on OTC assets differs from exchange-traded ones: quotes are smoother, trends are less pronounced, and technical analysis operates with reduced effectiveness. Many traders use OTC assets primarily to refine strategies and maintain their trading skills on weekends.

OTC Asset Availability

OTC instruments appear automatically in the Pocket Option terminal when the corresponding exchange markets close. On business days, OTC versions of currency pairs are available from 23:00 Friday to 02:00 Monday Moscow time. On public holidays, OTC assets may be available in an extended mode. Cryptocurrencies, which trade 24/7, have no OTC equivalents — they are already available around the clock without restrictions.

To switch to OTC assets in the terminal, open the instrument catalog and select the «OTC» category, or use the search by suffix. The platform also displays a notification about OTC instrument availability when you attempt to open a trade on a closed exchange asset — switching is done in a single click.

Advantages and Limitations of OTC Trading

The main advantage of OTC assets is the ability to trade without being tied to exchange schedules. Traders who work a standard 9-to-6 weekday job get full access to trading on weekends. Payouts on OTC instruments are comparable to standard ones: 75–92% on OTC currency pairs and 78–95% on crypto OTC (though OTC mode does not apply to crypto, since exchange trading is available around the clock).

The limitations of OTC trading stem from the algorithmic nature of its quotes. Classic technical analysis patterns — support and resistance levels, continuation and reversal formations — are less reliable on OTC assets than on exchange-traded ones. Fundamental analysis is largely inapplicable, since no economic events are published on weekends. It is recommended to use OTC primarily for building discipline, testing new strategies, and maintaining trading skills between trading weeks.