Start Options: Step up Your Game

What is Options Trading?

Before we get into options trading, let’s see what a stock option is. So, what is an option? An option is a contract that you can purchase. It’s a ‘derivative’ that derives its value from underlying securities such as ETFs and stocks (read about ETFs vs stock picking). A Stock Option gives you the right to buy or sell stock at an agreed price on or before a particular date.

Fresh from the Blog

What is an Options Strangle?

on July 20, 2021 by FinPins

An Options Strangle is created when we buy (or sell) one call option at a higher strike price + one put option at a lower strike price and same expiration date. When we buy the call + put option, we c…

What is an Options Straddle?

on July 18, 2021 by FinPins

An Options Straddle is created when we buy (or sell) one call option + one put option at the same strike price and same expiration date. When we buy the call + put option, we create a long straddle, a…

What is a Bear Put Spread?

on July 15, 2021 by FinPins

A bear put spread is a vertical spread created by buying a put option (long put) at a higher strike price, and selling a put option (short put) at a lower strike price. Both the put options – lo…

What is a Bull Put Spread?

on July 15, 2021 by FinPins

A bull put spread is a vertical spread created by buying a put option (long put) at a lower strike price, and selling a put option (short put) at a higher strike price. Both the put options – lo…

What is a Bear Call Spread?

on July 14, 2021 by FinPins

A bear call spread is a vertical spread created by buying a call option (long call) at a higher strike price, and selling a call option (short call) at a lower strike price. Both the call options &#82…

What is a Bull Call Spread?

on July 14, 2021 by FinPins

A bull call spread is a vertical spread created by buying a call option (long call) at a lower strike price, and selling a call option (short call) at a higher strike price. Both the call options &#82…

Stock Picking vs ETFs

on July 9, 2021 by FinPins

Stock Picking vs ETF – What’s Better for Beginners? If you want to start investing in individual stocks, keep in mind that it is not a walk in the park. There are over 2800 stocks trading …

How the Stock Market Works

on July 9, 2021 by FinPins

How Does The Stock Market Work? Have you ever wondered ‘How does the Stock Market work? Who enables these buy and sell orders? Investors pay a particular price to buy a share, but do you know ho…

Types of Stock Options

Primarily, there are two types of options – Call Options and Put Options.

What is a Call Option?

With the call option, the holder gets the right (but not the obligation) to purchase shares at an agreed-upon price on or before the expiration date.

What is a Put Option?

With the put option, the holder gets the right (but not the obligation) to sell the shares at an agreed-upon price on or before the expiration date.

• Read more about Call options
• Read more about Put options

To sum it up, both types of stock options can be used to bet on price movements in opposite direction. But, there are multiple combinations of buy & sell call and put options that can be leveraged to maximize chances of gains and limit investor’s risks. Options trading is the act of transacting stock options to make financial gains and limit the risk exposure at the same time.

Where to Learn Options Trading?

Let’s discuss where to learn options trading and how long it takes for an average person to learn options trading. In industry, the average amount of time required for a newbie investor to reach the junior trader level of options trading is 6 months to two years. Everyone has their own speed, but one must make sure to fully understand the risks of options trading before even putting a cent into options trading.

You can learn options trading from articles like this one. There are many courses on the internet from which you can learn- both paid and free. On our website, we have attempted to cover all aspects of options in an easy to understand manner. You can also gather a reasonable amount of information to step into options trading from Youtube. YouTube is home to multiple experts who post informative videos regarding options trading with live examples.

Course on Stock Options on SkillShare

In 2 hours, you will have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of stock options. Best thing about it – it is FREE (along with other courses on SkillShare) for 30 days with this referral link.

Why have an Options Trading Strategy?

People purchase stocks in the hope of getting positive returns on their investments. They decide whether they want to day trade it, swing it or hold it long-term. You can hold a stock forever, but ideally, you would want to sell it for a profit. Now, the downside is when the market goes down or sideways, you don’t make money, plus you lose your money when the stock falls.

Generally, you can’t make money with stocks when the market goes down or trade sideways. That is where options come in. Options allow you to make money in any market condition – whether the market goes up, down, or sideways. You can make money in any situation in options by leveraging different strategies.

Options trading offers many advantages if you learn the tricks of the trade. One of the main benefits of options trading is that it lets you commit less capital than purchasing stocks directly.

How to Start Trading Stock Options?

To start trading, you must meet the requirements. You must be approved for options trading through your broker. The broker will ask to fill out a questionnaire. The questions will be about your investing experience, financial status, and knowledge of trading options. Some brokers will NOT allow you access to options trading if they believe you are not knowledgeable enough about risks of investing. We believe this is very good guardrail in place as it prevents you from making an uninformed decision and losing your money.

Read Related

• How to Buy A Call Option
• How to Buy A Put Option

Why is Trading Stock Options Risky?

Options trading carries asymmetric risk. While the gains are accelerated, the losses can be accelerated too. In case of a worthless options expiration, the investor (option buyer) loses all the premium paid for it, losing the entire capital!

There is a limited time frame for the investment to play out in your favor. The options traders need to take advantage of relative price movement within the contract timeframe, i.e. before the expiration date. This requires speculating – deciding when to buy, sell, exercise, or let the option expire.

Options trading is considered risky mostly because of the leveraged capital loss. Some strategies are considered risky because of the complexity involved with them. Due to time difference across borders, international trading options have additional risks.

To avoid letting beginner investors make unintentional mistakes with options, brokerages categorize the investors in different levels. Read about Levels in Options Trading.

When to Buy or Sell Call Options?

The chart below gives a general idea when you might want to either buy or sell a call option.

When to Buy or Sell Put Options?

The chart below gives a general idea when you might want to either buy or sell a put option.

Where can I Buy and Sell Stock Options?

Most stock brokers allow qualified investors, based on the questionnaire as mentioned above, to trade options. Even on newer platforms such as Robinhood and Webull, investors can start with stock options for low or no fees. The legacy brokerages might have better analytics and features, with quick trade execution times, but beginners and intermediates will find the newer brokers a good fit for their needs.