What Are Options In Finance?

Options in finance are a type financial instruments or contracts that has two parties, a buyer and a seller. The buyer has the right and the seller has an obligation to meet the right of the buyer in the contract.

The contracts or real options in finance are based on an underlying asset, which can be an index, a stock, commodity or any other type of asset that can be bought and sold. However, in this process, there is no need to actually buy or sell the asset in physical form. The selection of the type of contact will depend on the viewpoint of the buyer and seller as per market conditions.

These financial products allow the investors to hedge their risk exposure of portfolio or to speculate and earn profits during trending markets. It helps or provides a platform for investment to those who cannot otherwise afford to invest in certain assets, especially commodities that are very highly priced, like oil.

The popularity of Options has surged over the last few years.

You will agree with this statement once you read the statistics provided by the Options Industry Council.

• The year 1973: Volume of options traded = 1 Million
• The year 2015: Volume of options traded = 5 Billion

That’s a huge leap. Is anybody interested in Trading Options? This is an awesome route to diversify your portfolio.

However, your first step should be to understand what Options in Finance are? So in this article, we will focus on the nuts and bolts of Options.

Reading time: 90 seconds 

We will try to break down “What are Options in Finance” in two ways: 1) What the Books say! 2) How I like to Decode them!

#1 What the Books say about what are Options in Finance!

• Options are a type of financial derivative. They represent a contract sold by one party to another party.
• Options contracts offer the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security or other financial asset.
• It includes an agreed-upon price during a certain period or on a specific date.
• In simple terms, in real options in finance, the buyer can exercise the contract only if he feels he will benefit.
•  If he thinks he will make a loss in the transaction, he can let go of the contract by not exercising it.
• This explains the term "Right but not the Obligation."
• On the other hand, the Seller of the option must carry out the transaction if the holder chooses to exercise it.

#2 How I like to Decode What are Options in Finance?

Understanding Options in Finance can be intimidating at first. Even I had a tough time when I first started. But don’t worry. You can find the underlying idea behind an option in many simple things. Let’s discuss one analogy for the same.

The Party Planners Analogy:

• Say, for example, you discover Party Planners for your Parents 25^th
• Unfortunately, you don't have the entire down payment to pay them until the next two months.
• You talk to them and negotiate terms. The agreement is settled on paying an initial $500 for booking and the remaining $3000 later.

Now consider two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Having The Right! 

• Later you learn that Party Planners have arranged birthdays of Celebrities and have now raised their prices to $5000.
•  In this case, you still pay them the earlier promised amount of $3000 as you have the right to the same.

Scenario 2: No Obligation! 

• You learn that the Party Planners are poor in planning and Organizing through word of mouth.
• In this case, you don’t have to go forward with them, as you don’t have an obligation.
•  But you lose your earlier paid amount of $500. You don't mind the same as you can save your Parent's party.

This is similar to how Options work. You have the right but not the obligation to exercise them. Let’s now discover some important terms and concepts of Options trading.

An Option Contract consists of the following two parties:

1. Holder: Buyer of the Contract
2. Writer: Seller of the Contract

When the option contract holder chooses to initiate the transaction, he is said to be exercising the option.

When the holder does not initiate or exercise the contract, then the contract eventually expires.

Being a form of derivative, Options derive their value from an underlying asset. So what are these underlying assets?

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Indices
• Foreign currencies
• Commodities
• Basket options (collection of different assets)

The key to understanding what options in Finance are is to know what are Calls and Puts!!!

• The call option gives the holder the right but not the obligation to buy an underlying asset at a specified price and a predetermined date.
• The put option gives the holder the right to sell an underlying asset at a specified price and a predetermined date.

Here we will understand what in-money options and out of the money options are. The image above will help you to remember what option types are.

1. In the Money Call Option:

The call option is in the money when the current market price exceeds the strike price.

2. Out of the Money Call Option:

The call option is out of the money when the market price is below the exercise strike price.

3. In the Money Put Option:

The Put option is in the money when the current market price is above the strike price.

4. In the Money Call Option:

The Put option is out of the money when the current market price is below the strike price.

#1 Contract Size

• Contract size means the amount or the number of underlying assets covered by the option contract.
• Let’s say that the underlying asset is Stock/Shares, and one contract includes 100 shares.
• So when the holder exercises one option contract, 100 shares change hands.

#2 Strike Price

• Strike Price is the predetermined Buying or Selling price for the underlying asset if the option is exercised.
• For the Call Option, the strike price is the one at which the security can be bought.
• For the Put Option, the strike price is the one at which the security can be sold.

So what is the relation between the strike price and the market price of the security?

The answer is profit.

If the option is exercised, then the difference between the current market price and the strike price is the amount of profit made.

#3 Premium

• To acquire the option, you need to pay a certain price.
• This price, also known as the option price, is called the premium.
• The image below shows you the example of the Option premium amount to be payable on a Call option with a Strike Price of 7800.
• This data for the premium amount is gathered from nse.com. However, you can also use NYSE, LSE, etc.
• Once you go to the nse website, select equity derivatives, and put CNX Nifty in the search option.
• Select your Instrument type, Symbol, Expiry date, Option type, and Strike price.

Once everything is selected, clicking on the "Get Data" button will give you the Premium amount.

Options Premium has two main components:

Intrinsic Value:

Don’t get daunted by intrinsic value; it's easy to understand.

Intrinsic value is the difference between the underlying price and the strike price.

Let’s present it with the help of a formula to understand it better.

• Intrinsic Value: Call Option

For Call Options, this is how you will calculate the Intrinsic Value:

Intrinsic value = Current Stock Price - Strike Price

• Intrinsic Value: Put Option

For Put Options, this is how you will calculate the Intrinsic Value:

Intrinsic Value= Strike Price - Current Stock Price

Time Value

So let's now understand what time value is.

• Suppose you buy an option with a strike price of $100. But unfortunately, its price goes down to $90.
• Now, in this case, you will not exercise your option, because you will be at a loss.
• But in 1 or 2 months, the prices are expected to rise to $105. So, in this case, you will make a profit of $10 if you hold it for another month.
•  You might have to pay an extra $5 to hold your contract. This extra $5 is your Time value.

So long story short:

Time value is the amount you are ready to pay, hoping the market might move in your favor.

Source: Optionseduction

Option Premium Formula:

Now understand this formula for Option premium:

Premium= Intrinsic Value + Time Value

So in our case, the option premium comes to:

Premium = $10 + $5 = $15

Factors affecting Option Premium

Various factors may affect the options premium. Some of them are:

• Price may either increase or decrease. Changes in the price lead to an increase or decrease in the premium.
• Strike Price plays a major role in determining the option's intrinsic value. The more the option becomes in the money, the more the premium increases. Similarly, it decreases when the option becomes out of money.
• Volatility is the measure of the risk or the variability in the price. Hence you can say that the higher the volatility, the greater the expected fluctuations in the price and vice-versa.

Given a choice, most of us will prefer buying stocks to buying options. Opting for trading is considered a bit more complicated, but it can give you the benefits that stocks cannot give.

You can learn more about Options Trading Strategies here.

The following are some reasons as to why Options are beneficial:

Cost Advantage

To understand this, let’s take an example of Buying a Stock and Buying Call Options on the same stock. You will be able to see how the returns generated vary.

We have taken examples of two different investors, one investing in Stocks and the other in Options. These are simple examples just to understand the difference in returns. Actual trading may involve additional calculations as well.

Out of box Returns

From the above example, we have understood the vast difference in the return percentage. Buying a Stock gave us an overall return of 10%, whereas with buying an Option, the returns shooted to 60%.

Leveraged Gains

Options enable you to put in less money and obtain additional gain.

Now that you have understood what options in Finance are, let us look at Options Trading.

There are three major milestones of Options Trading.

• Preparation
• Getting Started
• Advanced Leap

Step 1: Preparation

Starting with the first step, you will do all the necessary preparations as follows:

• Open your brokerage account:

To enter your trading transactions, you need your brokerage account. Open the same and do some initial research to find the best account for yourself.

• Approve Yourself:

Get yourself approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission as per their options trading requirements.

• Learn the Lingo:

Get yourself acquainted with all the Options trading terminologies. This will help you understand the process easily.

• Understand Charts & Patterns:

Once you start trading, you will pay great attention to the Price Movements. So to know how this works, it is necessary to get hands-on technical analysis knowledge.

Step 2: Getting Started

• Keep Calm and Paper Trade First

To strike the iron when it’s hot, you need to know the temperature at which it gets hot. Similarly, for trading options, first, understand its nuances. Start Paper trading, know how much your returns are, and then proceed further.

• Stick to Limit Orders

Limit orders set the maximum and minimum limit at which you are willing to buy or sell. This also helps you to maximize your returns.

• Balanced Portfolio is the key to better returns.

This is like the old saying, "Don't hold all the eggs in one basket." Similarly, ensure that all the options are not Call or Put—balance both types to maximize your returns.

Step 3: Advanced Leap

• Try the untouched

Once you are confident and considering making some good returns, move forward with advanced-level strategies. Make sure you know your statistics well before taking this step.

Source: Wikihow

• Time Sensitive Investments

Since the contract is for a short period, you may lose your entire investment even with a correct market direction prediction.

• Higher Commissions

When you compare the commissions for a normal Stock and an option, you will find a large difference. Yes, commissions for Options are higher.

• Complexity of Operations

Options and Strategies are not easy. They may become complicated for novice investors.

• Time Decay Factor

Many times options expire worthless. Again this is the effect of the time-sensitive nature of the options.

Source: www.zeromillion.com

Now that you have a basic understanding of What options are in Finance and Options Trading let us look at Options Risks. Remember that there are two sides to the same coin. Just as there are many advantages to trading options, various risks are also involved.

• Wasted assets if not exercised!

Options come with a Limited life as they have an expiry date. Thus if they are not exercised, they are a wasted asset.

• Leverage may Backfire

Although the initial capital required may be low, even small market movements can greatly impact the Option Contract. Also, have a look at Financial Leverage

• Losses may Mountain for the option "Writers."

It is seen that option writers are at greater risk than option holders. They receive a limited fixed premium, but the loss can be unlimited.

• Options Liquidity at stake

There are different options, which may pose a problem of low liquidity for each type. This may cause a problem in making the required trades at the right prices.

I would say that you clearly know what you want to accomplish before you start trading options. You may want to earn more income or increase the value of your portfolio.

Once you know your goal, you can easily narrow down appropriate strategies.

So Start your Options Trading with these three words:

Learn, Apply, Master!!!

This is a guide to what are Options In Finance. We explain it with infographics, book vs analogy, parties & underlying assets. Here we also discuss why Trade Options along with steps for options trading. You can also learn more about Derivatives from the following articles.

• Commodity Derivatives
• Top 10 Best Options Trading Books
• International Option Exchanges
• Callable Bonds Definition