Synthetic Indices 2026: The Complete Guide to Every Deriv Synthetic

Deriv synthetic indices are the most innovative instrument category on the platform. Prices are generated algorithmically via a cryptographically secure random number generator, with stable statistical profiles. They don’t depend on real markets — they run 24/7, with no news risk and no holidays. In 2026 the catalog doubled in size. This guide covers all of them.

Deriv synthetic indices: the core concept

A Synthetic Index is a virtual financial instrument generated by an algorithm. Deriv uses an externally audited random number generator (RNG) to produce price series with defined, stable statistical characteristics.

General characteristics:

• 📅 24/7, no pauses — including holidays and weekends
• 🎲 No dependence on news — no real-world event moves the price
• 📈 Engineered volatility — you know exactly what to expect
• 💧 Infinite liquidity — Deriv is the counterparty, so there’s no slippage from a thin order book
• 🔍 Public audit — the algorithm is publicly verifiable

Excellent for EAs because they eliminate the exogenous variables that wreck backtests (news bombs, opening gaps, low-liquidity sessions).

1. Volatility Indices — the classic

Volatility Indices are the base of the catalog. The number represents the index’s annualized volatility in percentage points.

1s variants (V10 1s, V25 1s, etc.): same profile but ticks every 1 second (not 2s).

2. High Frequency Volatility (HFV) — pure scalping

Launched in April 2026. Same volatility profiles as the Volatility Indices, but with 2 ticks per second (4x faster than traditional Volatility). Ideal for:

• Scalping with EAs (lightweight ONNX models)
• HFT/algorithmic systems with Build 5572 + CUDA
• Strategies that need fine-grained timing

Available: HFV 10, HFV 25, HFV 50, HFV 75, HFV 100.

Heads up: more ticks means more opportunities, but also more accumulated spread if you overtrade. Watch out for revenge trading.

3. Crash/Boom Indices — for spike traders

Continuous directional movement (up on Boom, down on Crash) with an occasional spike in the opposite direction. The number represents the expected average spike frequency (in ticks).

Classic strategies: ride-the-trend (trading with the direction), anti-spike (trading against the spike), spike-hunter (trying to catch the spike). Aggressive risk management is mandatory — a wide stop loss (3-5%).

4. Step Index and Multi Step

An index that moves in uniform “steps.” Each tick moves exactly the same number of points (up or down), with a 50/50 probability in either direction.

• Step Index: 1 step = 0.1 point, 50/50 probability
• Multi Step Indices (launched 2025): multiple steps per tick, variable volatility

Ideal for: backtesting probability theory, validating Martingale strategies (with caution!), learning risk management. For traders who want to understand pure RNG with no other biases.

5. Jump Indices

Volatility Indices with sudden, unpredictable jumps added to the normal random movement. The numbers represent the average jump frequency per hour.

Good for: strategies that benefit from controlled gaps. AI models that learn to anticipate a jump regime.

6. Directional — Trek, Drift Switch, Range Break

Trek Up / Trek Down (launched 2025)

A synthetic with a clear directional bias (uptrend or downtrend) and stable volatility of ~30%. For trend traders.

Drift Switch Index (DSI)

Alternates between predictable trend regimes. Useful for learning regime detection.

Range Break 100 / 200

Range-bound movement with periodic breakouts. For breakout trading strategies.

7. DEX — Double Exponential Jump Diffusion

A sophisticated mathematical model: Brownian motion (traditional volatility) plus jumps with a double-exponential distribution. More complex, more realistic, harder to predict.

Use when: you want to test advanced quant models (LSTM, Transformer) in an environment with characteristics closer to real markets, without the noise of news.

8. Hybrid Indices (new in 2026) — the future

Launched in 2026. Combines Crash/Boom behavior (directional movement plus spikes) with Volatility Indices (continuous random fluctuation). The result:

• A trending period (like Boom/Crash)
• A choppy, unstable period (like Vol)
• A final spike event (like Crash/Boom)

Annualized volatility: ~20% (lower than traditional Crash/Boom). Ideal for AI-powered EAs that combine trend detection + unstable-regime recognition + anti-spike filtering. The most “realistic” instruments in the catalog.

Summary table — which one to pick

Availability by platform

For AI-powered EAs (ONNX), Deriv MT5 is the only complete option.

How to get started — step by step

1. Open a Deriv MT5 demo account ($10,000 virtual, free)
2. Pick one synthetic based on the table above (recommended: start with V75)
3. Study its statistical profile — run it for 1 week without trading, just observing
4. Test one simple strategy manually before automating
5. Learn the synthetic on demo for 30+ days
6. Only then automate it with an EA
7. Validate the EA with 6+ months of backtesting
8. Demo trade the EA for 30+ days
9. Go live with a minimum stake, scaling gradually