Vishy Dadsetan asked:


A few years ago on a Monday morning, I checked my brokerage account and to my surprise it showed that I had purchased 1,000 shares of AMD for a total cost of $15,000. The payment for this purchase was taken out of my brokerage money market account.

Why surprised you may ask. I had not put an order for this purchase nor did I really intend to buy AMD. I get to this in a little bit.

Had I wanted to sell the stock on that day, I would have received around $14,500, a loss of $500 in just a few hours. In the end it worked out and I sold that particular stock a few months later for a handsome profit.

But on that day I had a paper loss of $500 and if I didn’t have enough money to pay for the purchase, the $500 loss would have been the least of my worries.

So, how did I end up with a stock that I did not necessarily want or order?

Automatic exercise threshold for equity options is the reason.

Today, I received the following message from two of my brokerage firms that reminded me of that day.

“Beginning October 2006, the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) will implement a change to reduce the automatic exercise threshold for equity options. The current threshold of $0.25 will be set at $0.05 for expiring options that are automatically exercised by the OCC. The threshold for index options will remain at $0.01.”

Who cares about a measly $0.20? You can’t even buy a stick of gum with that.

For options traders this could mean a huge potential loss, margin calls and a whole lot of trouble.

Let’s go over a few simple reminders about options trading. Options are contracts that allow a person to buy or sell securities, for example stocks, at a predetermined price called option exercise price and on/or before a predetermined date in the future called option expiration date.

Options represent a reserved right but not an obligation. In other words, the holder of this right, that is to say the buyer, can exercise this right or not.

For example if you own a Microsoft January 25 Call Option, it gives you the right to buy Microsoft for $25.00 on or before third Friday in January. It is obvious that you would not exercise your option if Microsoft is at $20.00. In that case, if you really like Microsoft, you just go to open market and buy it for $20.00.

However, if Microsoft soars to $40, then you want to exercise your right (option) and buy the stock at $25 and turn around and sell it at $40 or keep it for further potential increase.

To exercise your options you need enough money to pay for buying the stock. Each option contract represents 100 shares of stocks, so 10 contracts represent 1000 shares of stocks. In our Microsoft example, for you to exercise 10 options contracts at the price of $25.00 requires $25,000 to be in your account.

If you don’t have that money, well, you may face margin calls and some other not so pleasant consequence. This is where the new change can cause some serious damage.

Options are a right and not an obligation except that you have to deal with automatic exercise threshold. This is the threshold the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) uses to determine if they should exercise your right on your behalf.

In the letter I received from my brokerage firm, they informed me that if the price of the stock is only a nickel ($.05) above the exercise price, that would mean they will automatically buy the stock for me according to this new rule.

So what can options traders do not to deal with unwanted stocks?

First, they can and should watch the stock price and be proactive in the process especially on the option expiration date. Option trading is not by any stretch of imagination a passive approach. They can also call their brokerage firm and find out what other alternatives are available to them.

Seasoned options traders know what they should do and the aim of this article is to bring some facts to the attention of those who are just getting started.

In investing and in life I remember what Robert Grant said, “Men and women everywhere must exercise deliberate selection to live wisely.”

* DISCLAIMER: Vishy Dadsetan, http:/www.MyPersonalFinance.com or My Favorite Shop, Inc. do not endorse any product or company. This article does not provide investment, legal, insurance, or other professional services. If investment or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Although Vishy Dadsetan has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this site, it assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, inaccuracies, or inconsistencies.

© Vishy Dadsetan



Cheryl Goldmans

Wincent Loh asked:


An options trading rolling strategy is a strategy where you move your strike point to a new strike point during the month. Rolling basically means moving. In the world of options trading, this movement happens when you move positions from one strike point to another. That can either happen when you move points vertically (within the same month) or horizontally (to another month) or both.

You see, in order to maximize returns, investors should use the covered call strategy every month for a long time. That requires that the investor move, or roll, the strike position when the option expires. That is where the term “rolling” comes from.

Part of options trading rolling strategy also involves knowing when to avoid rolling, though. Occasionally an investor may decide not to roll the strike position. The purpose of that is to allow the capital to appreciate more. That is a rare scenario, however, because, if the call option is exercised when share becomes in the money, it could be called away.

As an option’s expiration approaches, there can be either one of two outcomes. Either the short option could be out-of-the-money or in-the-money. If the option is out-of the-money, it is worthless. The investor simply sells the next month’s call, after letting the option expire. If, on the other hand, the option ends up in-the-money, in order to keep the stock all the investor needs to do is sell the next month’s call after buying the short option back. Even though that sort of trade consists of two trades, buying and selling, it is considered one trade. It is also known as a spread. If you want to roll out your covered call or buy-write, you need to utilize such a spread. That way, you can buy back the short option and keep your stock.

Your second month option would be sold short. Thus, your covered call strategy would be re-initiated. The remaining positions are the short calls and long stock. You have to buy back the option that you are short at the beginning of the month. You would not have a choice for your front month option. However, you would have the choice to sell near term or with a farther expiration date for the next month option.

As you can see, rolling can be a bit complicated. However, you may find it well worth it, in the long run. The trick is to be careful to make the most informed decisions possible. Remember to never risk more than you can afford to lose either. After all, it is not an exact science.

So, now that you understand the options trading rolling strategy better, you may want to consider it. There is something to be said for using options trading rolling strategy to improve your earning potential, after all.



Bill Reinhard

Amar Mahallati asked:


Options are contracts on an underlying trading instrument such as shares of stock, bonds, a commodity, a mortgage loan and many others. However, there are common features among all options. It does not matter if it is a share of stock or a mortgage loan; they all have certain things in common. One such commonality is the contract feature that specifies what the option owner has actually contracted.

Options traders have two situations that may influence their buying and selling: calls and puts. There terms are used to indicate specific behaviors of options at various points of the option’s life.

CALLs

A call bestows on the contract holder the right to purchase an asset at a particular price on or before the option’s expiration date. This is only a right to buy, it is not an obligation. The call owner always has the choice to allow the option to expire. This does mean that all the initial money that was invested in purchasing the contract is lost, but the choice still stands.

Call buyers are gambling on the underlying asset’s behavior; that it will increase in price before it reaches its expiration date. Also that it will not only rise, but will rise significantly enough to show a profit.

In order to show a profit, the price must rise enough to cover the difference between the market price and the strike price. The strike price is that price at which the stock must be bought. But, because the option has a cost attached to it, the price must exceed that amount enough to cover the additional amount. This cost is referred to as the premium.

The premium of an option, whether call or put, is determined by a variety of elements. These include, but are not limited to, the price of the underlying asset, the strike price and the time remaining on the option.

The time remaining on an option is vital. The shorter the time remaining, the greater the risk and vice versa. For example, if there are 90 days left to exercise an option, the risk is somewhat lower than if there was only 1 day left. This is because within that 90 day period the price could rise enough to show a profit. With just 1 day remaining, however, the odds are considerably lower.

For example, on April 1, MSFT (Microsoft) has a market price of $27. Call options for June 30 are selling for $3 with a strike price of $30. One contract for 100 shares is purchased.

If the contract is held until the expiration date, the trader either loses $300 ($3 X 100, the initial price of the contract not including commission) or the trader can purchase the underlying stock at $30. If the current market price was $35, then the trader has profited by $200 ($35 - ($30 + $3) = $2 per share X 100 shares, sans commission).

When the market price of a share rises above the strike price, the option holder is “in the money.” If the market price drops, then the holder is “out of the money.”

PUTs

A put gives the option buyer the right to sell an asset at a particular price by a specified date. Again, like a call, this is a right, not an obligation.

Put buyers are anticipating the stock prices to fall before the option’s expiration date. Therefore, in such cases, the market price must drop below the strike price in order to show a profit from exercising the option. For simplicity purposes, the cost of the put is ignored. Under those circumstances the option holder is in the money.

Still using the previous example, maintain the same situation, but this time the option is a put. If the market price falls to $25, the profit would be as follows:

First, $3 x 100 = $300 = Cost of put, excluding commissions.

Purchase 100 shares at $25 per share = $2,500 this is to repay the broker ‘loan’ (this broker loan is a part of shorting stock which is borrowing shares you don’t own, then repaying later).

Sell 100 shares at Strike price = $30, 100 x $30 = $3,000

Profit = ($3000 - $2500) - ($300) = $200.

It is the broker who handles the underlying mechanics. All the investor has to do is order the trades at a given time and date.

Wise investors do their homework and research their strategies, no matter if they are investing in calls or puts. Options trading does present risks and is rather complicated when compared to simple stock trading, although all trading contains an element of complication and risk. But investors in this line should study the history, volatility and other vital factors of both the option contract and the underlying asset.

A trader should never enter the market blindly and trade without doing the proper research first. The failure to do adequate research and go into the trade informed puts the trader at a must greater risk of losing money and not showing a profit.



ARCHIE

Jason Ng asked:


After reading the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki, I came to realize that not only is there a rich and poor path in life but also a rich and poor path in options trading as well. Many options traders experience defeat in their options trading career, especially during the first few months, because they are unknowingly walking down the poor path in options trading. There are many differences in the approach winners take in options trading versus the losers and we shall outline and explore some of these in this article.

Rich Options Trading :

1. Speculative directional options trading using direct call or put options buying only with a small percentage of their fund and only on the stocks with the best chances.

2. Extensive use of Option Greeks in order to dynamically hedge a position when conditions change.

3. Always doubt one’s own conclusions and make provisions for losses.

4. Always have a stop loss policy already in place or in mind. Stop loss points can be in the form of contingent orders or trailing stop orders.

5. Understands the exact options trading style that suits them. Emotional options traders should stay out of day trading.

6. Know that there is no one best way to trade every single situation.

7. Do not chase after profitable trades that have been missed earlier on.

8. Satisfied with a steady, consistent gain.

9. Into options trading for the long run.

10. Think options trading education for a start.

11. “Trades” the market.

12. Keeps a trading log.

13. Learn from mistakes.

14. Understands technical and fundamental analysis.

Poor Options Trading :

1. Speculative directional options trading using direct call or put options buying with all their money hoping to hit a “big one” on stock picks taken from the TV or non-professional friends.

2. Has no idea what option greeks are at all.

3. 100% confidence! Full steam ahead!

4. Realize it’s too late only when it’s too late.

5. Follow whatever options trading style that is supposed to produce extra-ordinary gains only to completely break the rules and your pocket.

6. Stick to only one way of options trading for all market conditions and situations.

7. Missed a trade, watched the price go up and then enters it at that new high price only to see prices tumbling like a rock thereafter.

8. Always looking for ways to make more explosive gains from stock options only to have the dynamite eventually exploding in their face.

9. Start options trading with the purpose of quitting after hitting a big profit.

10. Think money making for a start.

11. “Plays” the market.

12. Forgets the last trade made.

13. Hates mistakes and tries to forget mistakes.

14. Mystifies and follows technical analysis superstitiously.

Well, as you can see from the list of differences above, the difference between rich options trading and poor options trading is not only a matter of technique or method but also a matter of attitude and mental approach. Only when the right mind meets the right technique does rich options trading happen. Are you making any of the mistakes that poor options trading makes?



Timothy

Wincent Loh asked:


You could be a money spinner with call option trading. Several traders in the market try to make a difference by adopting complex call option techniques. However, at times when you look around for complex solutions, the solution may actually be one that is absolutely simple.

Similarly sometimes it is the simple or the basic call option trading that is just right for the prevailing market trends. The below mentioned guidelines would be of great help to make a good profit with call option trading:

The secret to success with call option lies with understanding the pulse of the market. You should be able to correctly understand and predict the direction in which the market would move. Call option trading is actually playing with the direction of the market although your money meter would start ticking only if the market moves upwards. It is being able to predict the movement of the market and capitalizing on the upward movement.

There are many key indicators that can be used to predict an upward movement like for instance the market news, fundamental information like a rise in the dividend of a company, charts and graphs like reverse head and shoulder, upside price breakout to name a few. Some traders use a combination of indicators to understand the market trends. You must be able to predict or estimate the target where the price movement is headed.

The time factor is another important element. You should be able to estimate the time when the upward movement would take place and how long will it take to reach your target price. Deciding your call option expiry would depend on these factors. Your broker can be of great help in providing information regarding the options chains and other market news.

You must be clear about details like which stock exchange you want to deal at. Being able to decide the expiration date is very important. For this you should be able to estimate the time in which your price movement would take place and by when would your target price be achieved.

Study the market scientifically. Make proper comparisons of the Delta, Gamma, Theta and Vega for different target prices in the same expiry.

Keeping a track of the open interest and also the volumes in the market is very important. Choosing the best call option is another important factor. You must be able to rightly estimate the exit point and also the stop loss. Looking at the market dispassionately and scientifically is essential.

Close the position on time keeping track of the market trends. For making a good profit it is very important to monitor the market on a regular basis and understand call option trading perfectly before making any deal. You must not be carried away by the sudden ups and downs and make impulsive decisions.



Alan

Timothy Stevens asked:


What is a Forex Call Option?

A forex option gives you the right but not the obligation to buy or sell a currency pair at a certain price on a certain date. The certain price in this case is called the ’strike price’. That is the option gives you the flexibility of choosing where you want to buy or sell the currency pair. The certain date in this case is called the ‘expiry’ or the expiration date of the option.

If you think that the market is going to go up then you would buy a call option. Likewise, if you think that the market is heading down, you would buy a put option. The seller (or “writer”) of the forex call option is obligated to sell the currency pair should the buyer so decide. The buyer of the call option pays a fee (called a premium) for this right.

The buyer of a forex call option wants the price of the chosen currency pair to rise in the future; the seller either expects that it will not, or is willing to give up some of the upside (profit) from a price rise in return for the premium (paid immediately) and retaining the opportunity to make a gain up to the strike price.

Call options are most profitable for the buyer when the price of the chosen currency pair has moved up past the strike price greatly. When the price of the chosen currency pair surpasses the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “in the money”. When the price of the chosen currency stays at or around the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “at the money”. When the price of the chosen currency pair goes under the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “out of the money”.

However, to be truly profitable, the gains resulting from the upward movement must also cover the cost of buying the forex call option (premium paid). For example, if the cost (premium) of buying a call option expiry in 1 week’s time is 120 pips then the chosen currency pair must move upwards more than 120 pips past the strike price. If it rises 300 pips above the strike price by expiration your profit would be (300 pips - 120 pips) 180 pips!

What is a Forex Put Options?

A forex put option gives you the right but not the obligation buy or sell a currency pair at a certain price on a certain date. The certain price in this case is called the ’strike price’. That is the option gives you the flexibility of choosing where you want to buy or sell the currency pair. The certain date in this case is called the ‘expiry’ or the expiration date of the option.

If you feel that the market is going to go down greatly then you would buy a put option. Likewise, if you think that the market is trending up, you would then buy a call option. The buyer of the put option pays a fee (called a premium) for this right as the buyer expects the price of the chosen currency pair to drop in the future while the seller expects that it will not.

Put options can only make profits for the buyer if the price of the chosen currency pair has moved down past the strike price greatly. When the price of the chosen currency pair falls past the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “in the money”. When the price of the chosen currency stays at or around the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “at the money”. When the price of the chosen currency pair goes above the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “out of the money”.

Please note that the gains resulting from the downward movement must also cover the cost of buying the forex put option (premium paid) to be profitable. For example, if the cost (premium) of buying a put option expiring in 1 week’s time is 135 pips then the chosen currency pair must move downwards more than 135 pips past the strike price. If it falls 250 pips below the strike price by expiration your profit would be (250 pips - 135 pips) 115 pips!

Forex Options Trading can do a very good model for people who want to do Forex Trading. What you need is a right system, the willingness to work and determination to not give until you reach your goal. If you are willing to take action, then this Forex Trading is suitable for you.



David

Daniel Mollat asked:


 

Let’s be clear on this. There is no other option trading strategy that can outshine or even equal the profit generating potential of the sport of writing naked options. The term ‘sport’ is used here because those who practice this money making trading technique not only turn out fabulous profits but also have fun in the process. It is a fun, profitable but dangerous option trading sport that is mostly played by seasoned and skilled option players. That is, until the sport’s peril’s were tamed with the use of trading techniques that, while offering substantial safeguards to the player, still continued to offer high profitability ratios, albeit at slightly reduced rates. Having made it ‘investor safe’ has only slightly altered the profit potential of writing nakeds and certainly, without doubt, continues to be the premiere money making trading strategy in the options market.

 

The birth of the options market in recent decades spawned the creation of dozens of trading strategies and systems that is today being used not only by individual options traders but also by financial institutions. Stock options as an investment instrument is now widely employed as a safe and sound money strategy. The ability of options to give the investor a wide range of choices in stock market investment is what has made the options market grow by leaps and bounds over the last two or three decades. There are dozens of option trading systems being employed by individual investors as well as financial institutions. Each system is designed to accomplish a specific investment goal. A financial institution may use long put options to hedge its winnings in stocks that have appreciated in value, another investor may buy call options instead of stocks to enter a position in a security that has caught his fancy. Still another may sell calls against his stock holdings to generate income from his stock position, or what is now popularly known as covered call writing.

 

Trading strategies, techniques and systems available to the option trader are so numerous today that it would take a whole book to describe each and that would be just a brief description not a detailed explanation. It would be far beyond the scope of what we could cover in this short article. Most of the strategies are based on the principle of buying calls and puts or, variations of this strategy such as the use of spreads. The reason for the popularity of buying calls and puts and its variations is quite simple; limited or defined loss against the potential for unlimited and fabulous profits. This is what has driven thousands into the options trading game. But like everything else in life there is always a trade off. While the potential for fabulous profits against limited investment exists the reality of achieving such success is restricted. It’s almost like buying a lottery ticket with the potential for winning fabulous riches. Or putting it differently, it’s also akin to going to a casino and placing bets on gaming tables with the hope that at the end of the evening you will come out with more money than you came in. As we all know there are very few winners in casinos and that is why the gaming business offers tremendous profits for the operators.

 

But one can be an option trader and be in a similar position as the casino operator.  How? By being an option writer or seller instead of a buyer. For every option that is bought in the market, there must be a seller or writer of the option. These writers are the casinos in the options business. As the option seller you take the bets from the option buyers and since 75 to 80 percent of all options in the market expire worthless, you the seller pocket the premiums paid by the buyers when the options they bought expire worthless. For the benefit of those who are not familiar with gambling casinos, the winning odds of casinos over the betting player is only around 5 percent and yet they rake in profits from this business. Now imagine this, research and studies have shown that the option writer (seller) has better than 10 to 20 percent odds over the option buyer.

 

Option traders who successfully use the strategy of selling options consider themselves as having found the Holy Grail of Investments. And of all the variations in option selling strategies (just as many as there are in option buying), writing naked options is considered to be the Cadillac division. No other option selling system offers the profit potential of the naked writer.

 

So why aren’t there more option writers in the market? For two reasons:

 



There is the general belief that writing options carries the potential for unlimited losses. This has served to scare away the thousands of novice traders and those who have not been long enough traders to recognize the benefits of option writing and the many safeguards available that conquers this so-called risk.



 

 



For many, options trading has become synonymous with making big profits quickly from small investments. Option sellers on the other hand, do not have the potential for outrageous profits from any single trade, and by not being a get-rich-quick proposition it is less popular to traders who are looking for big returns on their small investments.



 

 

It must be noted however, that option writing is fast gaining popularity among serious investors looking to grow their wealth at a steady, consistent and secure manner regardless of market or economic conditions. For those willing to venture into this lucrative field for long term capital appreciation don’t let the first reason above frighten you into inaction. There are many ways one can protect himself and conquer the element of ‘unlimited loss’ in writing nakeds. The author of this article is one of many successful naked option sellers. He has put out an e-book detailing a trading system that uses a three pronged strategy that trounces the so-called risk of loss to be almost neglible. Information about his system can be found at his web site.   

 

 

 



Timothy

Casey Yew asked:


When a person is thinking about investing, and is considering learning a bit about the option market there are a few general things he should consider. The following are a few tips to help you get started.

Learn the Language

Option trading is like almost every other activity of human endeavor in that it has its own unique language. This is no different than bowling, baseball, hunting, or brain surgery. There is a tendency in people to develop their own terminology, and sometimes even slang, that they like to use to speak with others who share their interests. It serves the purpose of separating those in the know from the beginners. When you are new to anything, this can be daunting and confusing. Usually, a little research will sort things out. Often the terminology is merely a complex way of expressing a simple idea. Option trading is filled with such terms: calls, puts, margins, strike prices. It helps to be able to speak the lingo.

Study the Market

There has never been a better time to enter into investing. Information and knowledge are the tools of the trade, and we are living in the information age. There are a lot of facts out there, and you are connected to them on the internet. Take your time, and educate yourself about the market that you are interested in giving a try. Concentrate on facts and figures, and view advice with a bit of skepticism. It is helpful to remember the old adage: Those you can do, and those who can not teach. If someone knows a fail safe way to make money in Option Trading, you can bet he will be out making money, not trying to sell the idea to you.

Dip your Toes

While it is thought by some that the best way to learn to swim is to jump into the deep end of the pool, a lot of people who end up trying that method drown. There is a high amount of risk in any market investment, and the beginner can often be like a lamb going to play with a pack of wolves. On the other hand, you can not be learning option trading without doing a bit of option trading. One idea is to find a “virtual” option trading game, where you can practice and learn with phony option purchases and play money. This can be very helpful, but like combat training, things get a lot different fast when real bullets start flying around. When you are ready to actually take a stab at a real investment, start slow so that you don’t lose all of your investment capital while you are still learning.

Learn to be You

There should always come a time when the student is ready to surpass the teacher. The student does this by absorbing all the teacher has to teach, and then adding their own insight, and talent, and skill. You are going to have to see option trading as an art and not a science. You can learn technique, and you can learn methods. You can learn the language, and the tricks of the trade. You can study the success of others, and their failures. In the end, however, it is going to be you making the decisions. Approach the learning process as a quest to find your way of investing, not to learn to duplicate the ways of other investors. Ultimately, it will be your money, and your profit or loss.

The above is just some basic advice to get you started on the process of learning. Do not despair if option trading seems hard to learn. Remember this quote, “Of course it is hard. If it were easy anyone could do it. It is the hard that makes it great”.



Ralph

Wincent Loh asked:


Option as a strategic investment is fast becoming the choice of many. The benefits that option trading offers are many and we shall discuss the same here. Option trading having many benefits it is actually a wonder as to why it was not a sought after means for investment for so long.

1. Option trading is not as risky as it seems if traded wisely. In case of option you do not require as much finance as you would do for stocks. As far as hedge is concerned, option trading seems to be the most reliable of them all. In case of option trading you have an insurance throughout he day, all seven days a week and not until the close of the market.

2. Option is very cost effective. You could be in a similar position as you would have stocks but by putting in much less as investment but the catch is that the investor needs to be careful and select the right call option so as to be in the same position as he would be with stocks. This stock replacement strategy is very cost effective.

3. Option as a strategic investment offers to its investors a high return on its investments. The return investors make on the right selection in option trading is far greater than any stock investment. Option can get you about 60-70% and even more on your investments and in the same scenario your stocks may give you a return of only about 10-15%. But there is a flipside to this. When option give you such high rate of return it is only when you have made the right choice but a wrong selection on the other hand can get you back by the entire 100%. So the returns are good but only when you take calculated risks.

4. Option as a strategic investment provides the investor with multiple options so as to attain their aim. Option offers the investors various alternatives if planned and executed well. An example to quote here would be how a margin would have to be paid if short selling is to be done. At times the margin quoted by the brokers is so high that the investor finds it difficult to go ahead with his plans. Then there are those who do not allow short selling by the investor thus again the investor going back to square one as far as his investment plans are concerned. This puts the investor in the back seat as he is unable to execute his plans and here is where the option trading comes into play. You wouldn’t find any broker who says that the investor cannot purchase puts when the market seems to be falling. This would give the option trader an advantage and he would be able to reap the benefits later.

An option trader can invest in the market not only when it moves up or down, when the prices are almost steady, a trader can also use the time factor where the prices are not moving significantly as a profit making opportunity. Thus it is only the option trader who gets a share in the pie in every kind of market.



ARAWN

Jason Ng asked:


Have you ever lost all your money in Stock Options trading?

If you are like most of us, then you might have lost an entire trading account just trading stock options before. No matter how hard you try, you seem to always lose all your money eventually even if you made some initial profits. Why is that so?

The truth is, stock options trading is risky business! Why is it risky business? Stock options trading is risky because you could lose all your money on any stock options trade if the stock eventually close with the options out of the money during expiration! Yes, even stocks that seem to be rising very quickly and steadily could take sudden and unexpected drops near expiration, taking your in the money call options way out of the money before you can react to it! This means that no matter how certain you are in stock options trading, there is always the possibility of a total loss. Stock options are fantastic leverage instruments but if you simply throw all your money into every trade and hope to strike lottery, then stock options trading would one day wipe out your entire account in one fell sweep.

So, how do we avoid such a predicament?

Simply by applying the golden rule of stock options trading! That is:

Use Only Money You Could Afford To Lose!

Yes, if you could afford to lose only 10% of your account at any one time, you should use no more than 10% of your account on any single stock options trade! This rule is especially important if you are trading out of the money options which have an incredibly high chance of expiring worthless.

For example, if you have a $10000 account and you do not wish to lose more than $1000 at a time, $1000 should be the amount you use on any single stock options trade. Simple as that! The obvious drawback of this rule is that you will not make as much money as you would have if you had simply punted all your money on a single trade, however, just like you would never bet all your money on a single gamble, you should also never put all your money into a single options trade no matter how confident you are! In fact, this applies to any form of trading as well. It takes a little discipline to stick to this rule especially if you are “on a roll” and tempted to go for a “show hand”. Let me assure you that there never is a problem with making lesser money but there always is a problem losing more money!

In fact, when you are using only money that you could afford to lose in stock options trading, you sleep better knowing that you cannot lose more money than you have decided to lose! Your holding power becomes greatly enhanced and you could ride out temporary downturns better than those stock options traders who punted all their money in one trade. This consequently translates to a higher chance of a win as most stocks eventually come back profitably after temporary pullbacks!

So, stick to the “Use Only Money You Could Afford To Lose” golden rule of options trading and you will be safe in your journey to financial success with stock options trading!



Maria Long