Trading Flat: Definition, How It Works, and Types of Situations

Cierra Murry is an experienced writer specializing in editorial refinement and language efficiency. She has over 15 years of experience in financial analysis, underwriting, loan documentation, loan review, banking compliance, and credit risk management. As a banking consultant, loan signing agent, and arbitrator, she has extensive knowledge in banking, credit cards, investing, loans, mortgages, and real estate.

Understanding Flat

In the securities market, "flat" refers to a price that is neither rising nor declining. In fixed income terminology, a bond that is trading without accrued interest is considered flat. In forex, "flat" means being neither long nor short in a specific currency, also known as "being square."

Key Takeaways

• A trading flat refers to a situation where a market or security is neither rising nor declining in price or valuation.
• In securities, it refers to markets that do not provide much opportunity for profits. Traders can make profits by trading individual stocks instead of indices in these markets.
• In the bond market, trading flat means bond buyers are not responsible for accrued interest payments.
• In forex trading, trading flat occurs when opposing positions taken by a forex trader cancel each other out, resulting in a flat book.

Understanding Flat Stocks

When the stock market shows little to no movement over a period of time, it is considered a flat market. This does not imply that all publicly traded securities in the market are stagnant. Instead, the rising movement of some sector or industry stocks may be balanced by declining movement in prices of securities from other sectors. To profit in a flat market, investors and traders are better off trading individual stocks that show upward momentum, rather than trading market indices.

Individual stocks can also trade flat. For example, if a stock has been consistently trading around $30 in the past month, it can be considered flat. Writing covered calls is a profitable strategy for stocks that remain flat or experience modest declines.

Understanding Flat Bonds

A bond is said to be trading flat if the buyer is not responsible for paying the accrued interest since the last payment. In simpler terms, a flat bond is a bond that is trading without the accrued interest. The price of a flat bond is referred to as the flat price or clean price. Flat prices are quoted to avoid misrepresenting the daily increase in the dirty price (bond price plus accrued interest), as accrued interest does not affect the bond’s yield to maturity (YTM).

Bonds also trade flat if the interest payment is due but the issuer is in default. In such cases, the bonds are traded flat without calculating accrued interest and with delivery of unpaid coupons. Additionally, if a bond settles on the same date as the interest payment, without accruing additional interest, it is said to trade flat.

Flat Position in Forex Trading

A trader takes a flat position in forex trading when they are uncertain about the direction of currency trading in the market. If a trader has no positions in the U.S. dollar or their long and short positions offset each other, they are considered flat or have a flat book. Although being flat means not making any profits by staying on the sidelines, it also means avoiding losses.

Flat can also refer to a trade in which the currency pair has not significantly moved up or down, resulting in no considerable gain or loss attributed to the forex trading position. Since a flat price remains within the same range and shows minimal movement, a horizontal or sideways trend can negatively impact the trade position.