Options Trading Basics
If you're just beginning to learn about options, here is a great place to start. Our Option Basics articles offer an easy-to-follow breakdown on the nuts and bolts of equity options (specifically simple calls and puts), whether you're looking for basic definitions of options terms or a little more detail on the whys and hows.
Find out what stock options are, how they derive their value, and the difference between calls and puts. You'll also discover a variety of different ways you can use stock options to complement your investing portfolio, along with some advantages of trading options over stocks.
Options are entirely different investing vehicles than stocks, and you need to learn the rules of the road before you proceed. In this section, we explain the intricacies of option pricing, including the unexpected impact implied volatility can have on your option's value. Brush up on the benefits of leverage, and learn how stock splits and dividends can affect your option trade.
There's more than one way to enter an options trade -- and there are a few different ways to exit the position, as well. Before you start trading, you need to learn the finer points of buying to open, selling to close, exercise, and assignment ... and that's just for starters. In addition, you'll learn how to adjust an open position to account for changes in your forecast, and we'll also review some important principles of money management to keep you trading options profitably.
Options trading comes with its own unique set of lingo, and the flurry of unfamiliar buzzwords and phrases can be daunting for newcomers. When it all starts sounding like Greek -- even when you're not researching delta, gamma, and rho -- consult our handy glossary to decode the jargon.