Here’s How Arbitrage Trading Works

Every day, thousands of traders and investors participate in the capital markets. All of the participants' primary goal is to make a profit. To trade in the stock market, you can use a variety of techniques and strategies. A trading strategy, on the other hand, becomes applicable only if the asset's price moves in a favourable direction. Arbitrage is a unique but simple method of profiting from the capital markets. Before we get into arbitrage trading… To do any form of trading, you need a reliable brokerage trading firm that gives you thebest stock trading platform that helps you analyse the right trading opportunities. Zebu gives you one of the best online trading platforms in the country with a fast-growing customer base. Please get in touch with us to know more. What exactly is arbitrage? To understand how arbitrage works, it is essential to first define arbitrage. Arbitrage is defined as the simultaneous purchase and sale of the same asset in different markets in order to profit from the price difference in both markets. While arbitrage opportunities can arise in any asset class that is traded in different markets in a standardised form, currency and stock markets are the most common. Arbitrage opportunities are frequently fleeting, lasting only seconds or minutes. Contrary to popular belief, markets are not completely efficient, creating arbitrage opportunities. As you may know, the price of an asset is determined by the supply and demand for it. A price difference arises as a result of a difference in supply and demand for an asset in different markets, which can be used for arbitrage trading. What is the process of arbitrage trading? As mentioned earlier, arbitrage trading is based on the trader's ability to capitalise on the price gap of the same asset in different markets. Because arbitrage opportunities are limited, most traders use algorithms to execute arbitrage trades. Let us look at a stock market example to see how arbitrage works. Assume XYZ is a stock that is traded on the National Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. On the NYSE, the price of XYZ is quoted in US dollars, while on the NSE, it is quoted in Indian rupees. On the NYSE, the share price of XYZ is $4. The share price on the NSE is Rs 238. If the USD/INR exchange rate is Rs 60, the NYSE share price of XYZ in INR will be Rs 240. If the USD is converted to INR, the same stock is quoted at Rs 238 on the NSE and Rs 240 on the NYSE. To take advantage of the arbitrage opportunity, a trader will purchase XYZ shares on the NSE at Rs 238 per share and sell the same number of shares on the NYSE for Rs 240, earning a profit of Rs 2 per share. While participating in arbitrage trades, traders must consider certain risks. The price difference is the result of a favourable exchange rate, which is constantly changing. Any significant change in the exchange rate while the trade is being carried out can result in losses. The transaction fees are another important factor to consider. If the transaction cost exceeds Rs 2 per share, the price gain will be lost. In India, how does arbitrage work? There is a scarcity of companies that are listed on both the Indian and foreign stock exchanges. However, India has two major exchanges—the BSE and the NSE—and the majority of companies are listed on both, creating an opportunity for arbitrage. Even if the price of a particular share differs between the NSE and the BSE, an arbitrage trade cannot be conducted. On the same day, traders are not permitted to buy and sell the same stock on different exchanges. For example, if you buy XYZ shares on the NSE today, you cannot sell them on the BSE the same day. So, how exactly does arbitrage work? One can sell shares that he or she already owns on one exchange and buy the same amount on another. For example, if you already own XYZ shares, you can sell them on the BSE and purchase them on the NSE. If you already own the stock, you are not engaging in an intraday trade on different exchanges, which is not permitted. Conclusion Because the price differential does not last long, automated systems are commonly used for arbitrage trading. Though spotting arbitrage opportunities is simple, profiting from them manually is extremely difficult. As we mentioned earlier, arbitrage trading needs the best online trading platform for you to instantly capitalise on any price difference between NSE and BSE. Zebull from Zebu is the fastest growing and best stock trading platform that comes with a mind-boggling number of features to help traders. Zebu is also becoming the fastest-growing brokerage firm in the country - please get in touch with us to know more about our products and services.