Financial Options Flashcards
What is a financial derivative?
Any financial security whose payoff is derived from another underlying asset.
What are examples of financial derivatives?
Financial options, futures and swaps.
What is a financial option?
A financial option gives its holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price at some future date.
True or false: the holder of a financial option is the long position.
True
Who is the option writer?
The first seller (short position) of an option contract in the primary market
What is call option?
A call option gives the holder (long position) the right to buy a security at a predetermined price at some future date.
What is a put option?
A put option gives the holder (long position) the right to sell a security at a predetermined price at some future date.
True or false: the buyer of a call option has the obligation to buy the asset.
False
True or false: the buyer of a call option has the right to buy the asset.
True
True or false: the seller of a call option has the obligation to sell the asset.
True
True or false: the seller of a call option has the obligation to buy the asset.
False
True or false: the seller of a put option has the obligation to sell the asset.
False
True or false: the seller of a put option has the obligation to buy the asset.
True
True or false: the buyer of a put option has the obligation to sell the asset.
False
True or false: the buyer of a put option has the right to sell the asset.
True
True or false: the buyer of a put option has the right to buy the asset.
False
What does it mean to exercise an option?
When a holder of an option chooses to buy or sell the underlying security at the agreed-upon price.
What is the strike price?
The price at which an option holder (long position) buys or sells the security when the option is exercised.
True or false: the strike price is the exercise price.
True
When can an american option be exercised?
At any time up to the expiration date (maturity).
When can an european option be exercised?
At the expiration date (maturity).
True or false: an european option can always be exercised.
False
True or false: an american option can always be exercised.
False
True or false: an american option can always be exercised up to maturity date.
True
What is the intrinsic value of an option?
Intrinsic value of an option is the payoff achieved if the option is exercised immediately.
What is the intrinsic value of a call option?
S - K
What is the intrinsic value of a put option?
K - S
What does it mean when an option is at-the-money?
Intrinsic value is 0.
What does it mean an option is in-the-money?
Positive intrinsic value
What does it mean an option is out-of-the-money?
Negative intrinsic value
When calculating a payoff, does it matter if the option can’t be exercised immediatly?
No, what matters is what would be the payoff if it was exercised immediatly.
True or false: if european options can only be exercised at the expiration date, we can’t calculate their payoffs before the expiration date.
False
What is hedging?
Hedging is reducing/eliminating portfolio’s risk.
Give an example of hedging.
Setting a minimum for what you receive from a portfolio even if the price of the stocks go below that minimum.
What is speculating?
To place a bet on the direction in which they believe the market is likely to move.
Where does the money between what the seller receives and what the buyer pays go?
To the house
When does a long position of a call option exercise?
When the stock’s price is higher than the exercise price (S > K)
When does a long position of a put option exercise?
When the exercise price is lower than the stock price (K > S)
What is the maximum loss on a purchased call option?
100%, when the option expires it’s worthless.
True or false: the maximum loss on a purchased call option is 100%.
True
Which options are more likely to expire worthless?
Out-of-the money options
When does an out-of-the-money option has a much higher return than an in-the-money call option?
When the stock’s price goes up enough.
True or false: call options have more extreme returns than the stock itself.
True
What is the maximum loss on a purchased put option?
100%, when it expires worthless.
True or false: the maximum loss on a purchased put option is 100%.
True
When do put options have higher returns?
States with low stock prices.
True or false: put options are generally not held as an investment, but rather as insurance to hedge other risks in a portfolio.
True.
What is a straddle?
A portfolio that is long a call option and a put option on the same stock with the same exercise date and strike price.
When do investors use a straddle strategy?
This strategy may be used if investors expect the stock to be very volatile and move up or down a large amount, but do not necessarily have a view on which directions the stock will move.
What is a strangle portfolio?
Long Call + Long Put on the same stock, with same T but with with K(Call) > K(Put).