Options Flashcards
Options Overview: The Owner
The Owner
- Buyer
^ Long the option
^ Pays the premium
^ Acquires a right/control
Options Overview: The Writer
The Writer
- Seller
^ Short the option
^ Receives the premium
^ Assumes an obligation
Buy 1 ABC June 50 Call at 5
Pay $500 for the right to buy 100 shares of ABC at $50/Share up until the third Friday of June.
When are Calls in the money and out of the money?
Calls:
^ In the money if the market price is above strike
price
^ Out of the money if the stock is below the strike
price
When are Puts in the money and out of the money?
Puts:
^ In the money if the market price is below the strike
price
^ Out of the money if the market price is above the
strike price
Phone Analogy for when an option is in the money
You call someone and they can put down the receiver.
Call up
Put down
If the call is above the strike price, in the money
If the put is below the strike price, in the money
Intrinsic Value
The concept of INtrinsic value is tied to options that are IN-the-money
Intrinsic value is the amount by which an option is in-the-money
An option’s premium
Premium = Intrinsic Value + Time Value
Time Value is based on
Time left until expiration
Market volatility
The OCC and Options Trading
The options clearing corporation:
- Eliminates counter party risk by acting as the third
party in all option transactions
^ Acts as the buyer for all sellers and the seller for
all buyers - Deals directly with B/Ds, not customers
Four Key Concepts for Basic Options
- Strategy
a. For option BUYERS, remember the phrase
“CALL UP and PUT DOWN”
i. Buyers of Calls are BULLISH
ii. Buyers of Puts are BEARISH
b. Sellers are the opposite (Sellers of Calls are
BEARISH and Sellers of Puts are BULLISH) - Breakeven
a. To find the stock price (value) at which an
investor will breakeven, remember the
phrase “CALL UP and PUT DOWN”
i. For Calls, strike price + premium (CALL
UP)
ii. For Puts, strike price - premium (PUT
DOWN) - Maximum Gain
a. For SELLERS of options, the PREMIUM
received represents the MAXIMUM GAIN
b. For BUYERS of Calls, the maximum gain is
UNLIMITED (since a stock’s rise is
unlimited)
c. For BUYERS of PUTS, the maximum gain is
realized if the stock falls to zero (i.e., strike
price - premium * 100 shares) - Maximum Loss
a. For BUYERs of options, the PREMIUM paid
represents the MAXIMUM LOSS
b. For SELLERS of Calls, the maximum loss is
UNLIMITED (since a stock’s rise is
unlimited)
c. For SELLERS of Puts, the maximum loss is
realized if the stock falls to zero (i.e., strike
price - premium * 100 shares)
Random Questions:
- Market price above strike price - Premium - intrinsic value - Increase in the number of contracts, but the shares in the contract stay the same - Required document when opening an options account - Strike price + premium - Strike price - premium
- Market price above strike price ○ CALLS in-the-money and PUTS out-of- money - Premium - intrinsic value ○ Time value - Increase in the number of contracts, but the shares in the contract stay the same ○ Even split adjustment - Required document when opening an options account ○ Options disclosure document - Strike price + premium ○ Breakeven for long and short calls - Strike price - premium ○ Breakeven for long and short puts
Straddles and Combinations
Created by either:
^ Buying both a call and a put on the same underlying
security. Or,
^ Selling both a call and a put on the same underlying
security
Strategy:
^ Long straddle or combination: VOLATILITY
^ Short straddle or combination: STABILITY
Straddle:
^ Same expiration months and strike prices
Combination:
^ Different expiration months and/or strike prices
If an investor has one option component and adds another to create a multiple option position, he is considered to have legged into the position.
Uncertain of the direction in which ABC stock is going to move, an investor:
Buys 1 ABC Jun 40 Call at 3
Buys 1 ABC Jun 40 Put at 2
Breakeven points:
Strategy:
Max gain:
Max loss:
The total (combined) premium is 5
Breakeven Points:
^ 40 + 5 = 45 and,
^ 40 - 5 = 35
Strategy: ^ Volatility Maximum Gain: ^ Unlimited Maximum Gain: ^ $500 Premium
Believing that ABC’s stock price will remain flat, an investor:
Sells 1 ABC Jun 40 Call at 3
Sells 1 ABC Jun 40 Put at 2
Breakeven points:
Strategy:
Max gain:
Max loss:
The total (combined) premium is 5
Breakeven Points:
^ 40 + 5 = 45 and,
^ 40 - 5 = 35
Strategy: ^ Stability Maximum Gain: ^ $500 Premium Maximum Gain: ^ Unlimited
Spreads
Positions which allow an investor to limit losses in exchange for limiting gains
- Created with the sale and purchase of two options of
the same class, but different series^ Class: options of the same type on the same
underlying security
^ Series: options of the same class, same expiration,
and same strike price - Spreads may be either bullish or bearish and either
debit or credit
Different types of Spreads
The difference in the series is what identifies them
- Price/Dollar/Vertical Spread ^ Buy 1 ABC Jun 40 Call ^ Sell 1 ABC Jun 50 Call - Time/Calendar/Horizontal Spread ^ Buy 1 XYZ Dec 40 Call ^ Sell 1 XYZ Sep 40 Call - Diagonal Spread ^ Buy 1 DEF Sep 40 Put ^ Sell 1 DEF Mar 30 Put
An investor who is moderately bullish on XYZ stock, but wants to minimize the cost of establishing the position, does the following:
Buys 1 XYZ Feb 80 Call at 3
Sells 1 XYZ Feb 90 Call at 1
Spread Rules: Net Premium: Buyer or Seller: Debit or Credit: Widen or Narrow: Breakeven: Bull or Bear: Max Gain: Max Loss:
Spread Rules: The breakeven must be between the
strikes
The max gain PLUS the max loss will equal
the difference in the strike prices
Net Premium: $200
Buyer or Seller: Buyer
Debit or Credit: Debit (we are paying out the premium)
Widen or Narrow: Widen
^ Just memorize: Debit = Widen, Credit = Narrow
(5 Letters) (6 Letters)
Breakeven: 80 + 2 = 82
Bull or Bear: Bullish
Max Gain: $800
Max Loss: $200 Net Premium
An investor who is moderately bullish on XYZ stock, but wants to minimize the risk of a short position, does the following:
Sells 1 ELG Nov 95 Put at 8
Buys 1 ELG Nov 80 Put at 1
Spread Rules: Net Premium: Buyer or Seller: Debit or Credit: Widen or Narrow: Breakeven: Bull or Bear: Max Gain: Max Loss:
Spread Rules: The breakeven must be between the strikes The max gain PLUS the max loss will equal the difference in the strike prices Net Premium: $700 Buyer or Seller: Seller Debit or Credit: Credit Widen or Narrow: Narrow Breakeven: 95 - 7 = 88 Bull or Bear: Bull Max Gain: $700 Max Loss: $800
Spreads - Bull/Bear, Debit/Credit, Widen/Narrow?
Buy an XYZ Nov 90 Call
Sell an XYZ Nov 80 Call
Write an ABC Mar 35 Put
Buy an ABC Mar 40 Put
Short a JMK Oct 75 Call
Long a JMK Dec 75 Call
Buy an XYZ Nov 90 Call Sell an XYZ Nov 80 Call (Bearish, Credit, Narrow) - For CALL spreads, the dominant leg is always determined by the LOWER strike
Write an ABC Mar 35 Put Buy an ABC Mar 40 Put (Bearish, Debit, Widen) - For PUT spreads, the dominant leg is always determined by the HIGHER strike
Short a JMK Oct 75 Call
Long a JMK Dec 75 Call
(Debit, Widen)
Butterfly Spreads
What insect has a short body, but two long wings?
A combination of two spreads - one is a debit and one is a credit
^ Can be created with either calls or puts