Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 17
Options Terminology
An option is a right to buy (or sell) a given number (if stock then 100 shares) of units of
a particular security at a particular price before a particular expiration date.
The buyer may:
(1) exercise the option
(2) sell the option
(3) let the option expire.
The buyer (holder) of the option pays the writer (seller) of the option for this right.
This is known as the option premium (option price).
Option premium or price: price paid by buyer to the writer (seller) to get the
“right”
Buyers of option purchase rights to transact, whereas the seller has
an obligation to transact.
The Exercise or strike price is standardized. For most stocks with a market price
greater than $25, the strike price is set by the exchange at 5 point intervals nearest to
where the stock is currently trading ( ie. If the stock is trading at $43 then options at
strikes of $40 and $45 may be issued by the exchange). For stocks with a market price
under $25, the strike price is set at increments of $2.50.
Exercise (strike) price: “fixed price”— the per share price at which the security may
be purchased (call) or sold (put) to a writer
Expiration (maturity) date: the last date at which an option can be exercised
Call: Buyer has the right but not the obligation to purchase (call away) a fixed quantity
from the seller at a fixed price (exercise price) before a certain date (expiration date).
Buyers of calls are protected from price increases
Buyers expect prices to rise.
Put: Buyer has the right but not the obligation to sell (put away) a fixed quantity to the
seller at a fixed price (exercise price) before a certain date (expiration date).
Buyers of puts are protected from price decreases.
Buyers expect prices to fall.
How Options Work
Buyers and sellers of options have opposite expectations about price movements
Call buyer (seller) expects the price of the underlying security to increase (decrease or
stay steady)
Put buyer (seller) expects the price of the underlying security to decrease (increase or
stay steady)
At option maturity
Option may expire worthless, be exercised, or be sold
Options Terminology
Option Price is determined on the floor of the exchange
Option Price has 2 components
Intrinsic value (equate option price to market & strike)
Speculative (Time) Premium
Intrinsic Value
Intrinsic value is the value realized from immediate exercise
Options premium rarely trade below its intrinsic value (If it did the investor would
realize riskless returns).
Market is $74
Strike is 70 $4 ($74-$70) Intrinsic value
What is the least you would sell the right to sell ALCOA to you for $75 when
the market is $70.
Market is $70
Strike is $75 $5 ($75-$70) Intrinsic Value
Speculative Value
Prior to option maturity, option premiums exceed intrinsic value
This excess is referred to as time value.
If the market price of security does not change, the option is referred to as a wasting
asset.
The options value approaches the intrinsic value as the expiration date
approaches.
Before expiration date the buyer of an option will often sell the option rather than
exercise the option in order not to lose the time value of the option.
$7 - $4 = $3
Puts:
ALCOA 75 Jan Put at $6.50 and ALCOA’s market price is $70
Speculative Premium:
Option Price - Intrinsic Value
Call: Put:
In M.P. > E.P. M.P. < E.P.
Out M.P. < E.P. M.P. > E.P.
At M.P. = E.P. M.P. = E.P.
Interest rates
higher rates -- premium increase
Buy the option and invest the difference between option price and stock price
into an interest bearing investment
Dividend rate:
Higher dividend
Lower Call Price-- become more attractive to own the stock
Higher Put Price--less attractive to sell short in stock market since short seller
must pay the dividend to the lender of the stock--alternative is buy puts--causing
greater demand for the put
Break-Even Points
Break Even Points:
Alcoa Put @ 75:
Consider the buyer’s cash flows:
Option Stock
-6.50 +75 +75-6.50=68.50
Stock must fall to below $68.50 before profits can be made.
Put/Short Selling
Buying a put is somewhat analogous to selling short.
Short sale - limit on gain but no limit on loss (sell short when you expect the market to
drop).
Attempts to profit if the market price of the underlying securities rises or falls
You think ABC stock at $50/share will increase - option price on ABC call with a
strike at $50 is $5.
Needs to be correct in
(1) direction of the price movement
(2) timing
<1000>
300 O.P.
< 700>
8
6
4 stock with covered call
2
-2 104 106 108 110 112 114
-4
-6 return on stock w/o covered call
-8
With covered call written for $5 and strike price of $110 original purchase price of
stock at $112.
Example:
Buy 100 shares @ $60
Buy 1 60 Put @ $5
Stock price falls to 50
Options Stock BEP Max Gain/Loss
Buy -$5 Buy -$60 65
Sell +60
-$5 0 -$5
Buy stock back if price drops but if prices rise then exercise your call at the strike
price.
Spreads
Being both the buyer and writer of same type of option on the same underlying stock.
(partial hedge (defines risk) rather than a pure one sided option position
or
Straddles: purchasing or writing both a put and a call on the same stock with options
having same exercise price and same expiration date.
Buyer: anticipates a relative substantial change in stock price.
Writer: Anticipates little change in price of stock during life of option.
Buy Straddle
Buy XYZ Jan 50 Call < 400 >
Buy XYZ Jan 50 Put < 300 >
< 700 > Debit (cash outflow)
57 43
Portfolio Insurance
Hedging strategy that provides a minimum return on the portfolio while keeping upside
potential
Buy protective put that provides the minimum return
Put exercise price less or equal to the at expiration or put is exercised.
Problems in matching risk with contracts
Black-Scholes Valuation
Put-Call Parity
Black-Scholes valuation is for call options
Put-call parity shows relationship between call and put options so that riskless
arbitrage is not possible
Price of put =(EP/ert) - CMP +CP
OPTIONS ON FUTURES
Call option on financial futures: grants the right to purchase a futures contract at a
specified price within a specified time period.
Put option on financial futures: grants the right to sell a particular financial futures
contract at a specified price within a specified time period.