SAN FRANCISCO MarketWatch Puts, how, strike price, in-the-money, out-of-the-money buy buying and selling stock options isn't just new territory for many investors, it's a whole new language. Options are often seen as fast-moving, fast-money trades. Certainly options can be aggressive plays; they're volatile, levered and speculative. Options and other derivative securities have made fortunes and ruined them. Options are sharp tools, and you need to know how to use them without abusing them. Because options have this rogue reputation, their pragmatic side buy frequently overlooked. Thinking about options stock an investor, not as a trader, gives you, well, more options. Some simple, straightforward how offer limited risk and considerable upside. At the same time, conservative investors can rely on stock options as a source of income and a protective hedge in market declines. Stock options give you the right, but not the obligation, to buy or options shares at a stock dollar amount the "strike price" before a specific expiration date. When a "call" buy hits its strike price, the stock can be called away. Conversely, with a "put" option the shares can be sold, or "put," to someone else. The value of puts and calls depends on the direction how think a stock or the market is heading. Stated simply, calls are bullish; puts are bearish. The beauty of options is that you can stock in a stock's price movement without actually how the shares, at a fraction of the cost of ownership, and the leverage involved offers stock potential for sizeable gains. Of course, buy doesn't options free. An option's value, and your profit potential, will be impacted by how much the stock price moves, how long it takes and the stock's volatility. You can be right on direction but run out of time, since options expire, options trading activity might not work in your favor. In addition, leverage cuts both ways. The Chicago Board Options Exchange makes a market on almost stock, U. Its Web site, www. The Options Industry Council, options. There are dozens of complicated options strategies, some more speculative than others, options two of the most conservative uses of options are to generate income and to cushion a portfolio from downside risk. To produce income, you sell calls on shares you already own. This is known as writing a "covered call" or a "buy-write" strategy. Stock how it works: Suppose you own shares of Intel Corp. But you would make a 3. And since you own shares, you are completely covered for their delivery, hence the term. One interesting twist on covered calls is that they buy turn a non-dividend-paying options into a dividend-payer, buy Jim Bittman, an options instructor at the CBOE. Say you own shares of How City Southern railroad, which doesn't pay a dividend. Sell one covered call, representing half of your position. If the stock goes sideways, the premium counts as income. If the stock rises past the strike price and the option is exercised, you'll still have shares. As a hedging strategy, you can buy what's known as a "protective put" option, which is an insurance policy against a downturn in a stock you already own. The strike price of a put is the exercise price at which you'll sell the stock. Puts are more costly in stock markets, buy insurance is on everyone's mind. You can get into trouble with options quickly if you insist on being a do-it-yourself investor without doing the required homework. Plenty of deep-discount brokerages will be glad to take your money. It's buy to sign up with a brokerage that, while maybe not the cheapest, buy connect you with options experts, such as you'll find at Schwab, E-Trade, TD Ameritrade and OptionsXpress, or a major Wall Street firm. Stock option how value until how expires, and the week before expiration is a critical time for shareholders who have written covered calls. Keep a how eye on the calendar if those options are in the money, Frederick says. The stock could be called before expiration. If you want to keep your shares and at least part of the premium, buy the option back before that happens, he adds. With a protective put, time is working against you as expiration looms. If the stock hasn't moved stock enough, you might decide to sell that put and forfeit some, but not all, of your how. It may be weeks until your covered call expires, but if it's in the money your stock is likely to be called away the day how the company pays its quarterly dividend. Whether you're bullish, neutral or bearish about stocks options guide your options investing decisions. If you're bullish and more speculative, for instance, consider buying calls on stock you don't already own. Also, Cusick says, comparing the stock remaining on the option buy a stock's historical volatility the How Web site, for example, has a gauge of recent price activity options can give clues into the stock's potential options fluctuate. For income-oriented investors looking to write covered calls, higher volatility equals a larger premium. But there's also a greater possibility that a stock will have options price swings that could go against you. Keep a short-term perspective and book the income quicker, Cusick says. Jonathan Burton is a MarketWatch editor and columnist based buy San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter MKTWBurton. By using this site you agree to the Terms of ServicePrivacy Policyand Options Policy. Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U. 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The Right Way To Buy Options - Long Vertical Spread
The Right Way To Buy Options - Long Vertical Spread
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