Options Trading

Options trading refers to a contract between the buyer and the seller, where the option holder bets on the future price of an underlying security or index. On the expiration date, the holder has the right to purchase or sell at the strike price but isn't obligated to do so.

Traders maximize their returns while taking a limited risk by holding a short or long position. To predict future trends, traders apply different technical indicators and determine the direction of stock movement, its range, and the time frame.

• Options trading is a process of speculating the strike price of an underlying security or index on the expiration date. To finalize the options contract, a trader pays a small percentage as premium.
• Beginners prefer trading strategies like long call, long put, short put, covered call, and protective put options.
• The advanced options trading strategies include short call, short straddle, short strangle, short combination, long straddle, long strangle, and long combination trading.

An option is nothing but a bet. Now, let us understand related terminologies:

• Strike Price or Exercise Price: A buyer speculates that the underlying security or index will touch a specific price on a future date; this is known as the strike price. A call option holder assumes the price to rise, while a put option buyer claims that the price will drop.
• Expiration Date: The future date on which the option is to be executed is its expiration date.
• Premium: The buyer has to pay a small percentage of the deal as token money or compensation for entering into an option contract. If the buyer doesn't exercise the deal on the expiration date, they lose the premium amount.

Options are financial contracts that allow the buyer a right, but not an obligation. Futures or stocks can be bought or sold on a specific date at a particular price (strike price) on a predetermined date (expiration date).

Primarily, there are two forms of options—call and put. The call option holder gets into the contract with the writer to purchase or sell a security if the price goes up to the strike price—on the expiration date. Thus, a call buyer has a bullish view of the underlying stock or index, while a call seller thinks the prices will either stay the same or drop.

In a put option, the buyer bets on a lower future price on the expiration date. Here, the put buyer is bearish and feels that the underlying stock or index price will fall on the expiration date. In contrast, the put seller assumes that the price will remain unchanged or rise in the future.

#1 - Short Put

In a short put, the options trader expects the underlying stock's price to go below the strike price on the expiration date. And if it does, the option holder purchases that stock. It is a strategy that facilitates the trader to get a stock at a lower price.

#2 - Long Call

The long call options trading is adopted by bullish investors who assume that a stock or index price will rise in the future—usually within nine months. Buying calls can be an excellent way to capture the upside potential with limited downside risk, i.e., to the extent of the option holder's premium. But if there is a rise in Nasdaq, then the potential return is unlimited. 

#3 - Long Put

Here, the option holder expects the stock price or index to go down in the coming nine months (expiration date). Thus, the bet is on the bearish movement of the security or index.

#4 - Covered Call

In the covered call, the seller already owns the underlying security, writes the call option to the bullish investor, and assumes a slight rise in the stock price. If the buyer exercises the contract when the stock touches or exceeds the strike price, the seller can hand over the stock to the former. Here, the seller makes a profit from the premium paid by the buyer.

#5 - Protective Put

As the name suggests, the protective put is an option that is purchased for mitigating the risk on the stock that the buyer already owns. Here, the trader is optimistic about the stock but, to avoid any loss, prefers to hedge their stock holding with a put option—very similar to having an insurance policy. If the price falls beyond the strike price, the option holder can sell off the stock at the predetermined price at the expiration date.

#1 - Short Call

Here, the call seller expects the price of a particular underlying stock to fall. Thus, if the prices go down, the writer can sell the stock to the buyer, making a profit (the buyer is the second party in this options contract). But if the prices go up, the loss is unlimited.

#2 - Short Straddle

Such an option is a combination of call and put strategies. Here the trader writes a call and put options with the same strike price and one expiration date. If the trader bets on the stock price to fall under the put option but the price goes up, they need not exercise the put option but have to buy the stock at a higher price under the call option. However, the trader can benefit from the put option trade if the price falls.

#3 - Short Strangle

It is a mix of a short call and a short put, both with different strike prices. Here the trader expects the stock price to remain between the range of short call's strike price and the short put's strike price. This is because it aims at gaining from the expected decrease in the implied volatility between the two.

#4 - Short Combination

It is a two-way strategy, where a call and a put option are sold together for a single underlying security. But the strike prices and the expiration periods vary for both. It aims at attaining a stable position where both the options neutralize each other.

#5 - Long Straddle

In this strategy, the buyer takes up a long call with a long put for a common underlying asset. Also, the expiration date and the strike price are the same for both. Moreover, it is traded when news about an asset flares speculating potential volatility. 

#6 - Long Strangle

The buyer, on the one hand, takes a long call with a strike price more than the asset's market value and then buys a long put with the strike price below the market value.

#7 - Long Combination

Here, the trader sells an in-the-money put and buys an in-the-money call simultaneously. It is done with a bullish perspective and doesn't need much capital since the premium acquired on the OTM put is paid for the OTM call.

Traders make profits every week from weekly options. They are listed on Thursdays and expire on Fridays. Usually, weekly traders opt for the following strategies:

#1 - Credit Spread

A credit spread refers to the yield difference, identified as basic points of the US treasury bond—1% difference means 100 basic points. In such a strategy, the trader writes an option for a high premium and buys another option with a lesser premium for the same underlying stock. The trader ends up deriving a credit margin from both options.

#2 - Iron Condors

Here, the trader adopts the delta-neutral strategy, where they go for a long put, short put, long call, and short call altogether. All four options have varying strike prices but one expiration date. The trader gains when the underlying security or asset shows less movement.

This has been a guide to what is Options Trading & its meaning. Here we explain the basics of options trading strategies for beginners and advanced traders. You can learn more about derivatives and trading from the following articles -

• Careers in Trading
• Proprietary Trading Meaning
• What is Trading Floor?
• Best Options Trading Books