The Analyst's Path

Glossarytaught in DV1.02, DV1.05, DV1.03

Call and put options

Also called call option, put option, call options, put options, options contract, option contract, option premium.

Contracts that give the holder a right, but no obligation, to trade an asset at a fixed strike price. A call is the right to buy and a put the right to sell. The buyer pays a premium for the right; the seller collects it and takes on the obligation.

A call with a strike of ₹1,000 on a share trading at ₹1,080, priced at ₹110, has ₹80 of intrinsic value, the gain if exercised now, and ₹30 of time value, the price of the chance that the share rises further before expiry. If the share were at ₹950, the call would have no intrinsic value and its whole price would be time value.

A buyer's loss is limited to the premium and the gain can be large. A seller's position is the reverse, so selling options earns steady income until a large move erases it. Indian index options are among the most traded contracts in the world.

Price the time value before buying it.

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