Online trading sites are now providing the opportunity for all investors to pursue option trading in the stock market. There is a broad range of availability, but an individual should understand the difference between the existing types prior to choosing this type of investment. There are three main options available; puts, calls and warrants.
Option trading has become available through a wide array of online investment sites. Using a retirement or investment account,
a person now has the capabilities to trade these types of securities. There are several different types of options available to the consumer such as puts, calls and warrants. In order to trade these devices on the stock market, it is important to understand what they are.
A contract that states the seller of an asset will agree to do so at a stated price on a certain date is what is known as a put. This type of contract is created by an individual and then purchased by another at a fee, after which it is traded on the stock market. People buy the contracts, gambling on the directional movement of the price of the good. The final purchaser hopes it will increase, so they can buy for less than market value.
When a person purchases a call, they anticipate that the price of the underlying asset will fall. This is because a call is an option to sell a good or security. They will then collect more than the worth of the underlying items.
A warrant is slightly different in that it is usually issued by a company allowing the contract holder to purchase a security at a given price for a set period of time. So, during that time frame, if the market price of the security increases, the owner can buy the stock and sell it immediately for a profit.
It is not required that the underlying asset be purchased by the buyer. The buyer is the person holding the contract and that has the right to purchase the items if they choose to. The seller, maker, or writer, as the contract creator is called, must sell or buy the asset if the buyer elects to use the terms that were set forth.
To trade these types of contracts is very similar to that of regular stocks or mutual funds. The risk associated with options is great because the investor must accurately guess price movements. However, due to use of leverage, it can be a very profitable means of trading as well with enormous potential for gain. In fact, puts have unlimited gain potential.
Listed on the Philadelphia, CBOE, Pacific and AMEX stock exchanges, most online investment institution now grant individual investors the opportunity to trade options. They must state their interest and claim to have the appropriate knowledge first, however. Placing them on an exchange enabled expiration dates to be standardized so that they are on the third Friday of the month.
There are numerous types of assets for which options are written. These include exchanges, stock indexes, debt securities, and currencies. The buyer is then making a call as to whether the price of each of these is going to move in a certain direction based upon whether a put or call has been bought.
An investor stands to realize a good amount of gain potential, if they can also handle the risk associated with potential loss in option trading. By making it available through brokerage accounts of online banking institutions, many people now have access, but they must first understand how to use it.
