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A derivative instrument with underlying assets based on equity securities. An equity derivative's value will
fluctuate with changes in its underlying asset's equity, which is usually measured by share price.

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Investors can use equity derivatives to hedge the risk associated with taking a position in stock by setting limits
to the losses incurred by either a short or long position in a company's shares. The investor receives this
insurance by paying the cost of the derivative contract, which is referred to as a premium. If an investor
purchases a stock, he or she can protect against a loss in share value by purchasing a put option. On the other
hand, if the investor has shorted shares, he or she can hedge against a gain in share price by purchasing a call
option.

Options are the most common equity derivatives because they directly grant the holder the right to buy or sell
equity at a predetermined value. More complex equity derivatives include equity index swaps, convertible
bonds or stock index futures.

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A financial derivative that represents a contract sold by one party (option writer) to another party (option
holder). The contract offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call) or sell (put) a security or
other financial asset at an agreed-upon price (the strike price) during a certain period of time or on a specific
date (exercise date).

Call options give the option to buy at certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go up.

Put options give the option to sell at a certain price, so the buyer would want the stock to go down.

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Options are extremely versatile securities that can be used in many different ways. Traders use options to
speculate, which is a relatively risky practice, while hedgers use options to reduce the risk of holding an asset.

In terms of speculation, option buyers and writers have conflicting views regarding the outlook on the
performance of an underlying security.

For example, because the option writer will need to provide the underlying shares in the event that the stock's
market price will exceed the strike, an option writer that sells a call option believes that the underlying st ock's
price will drop relative to the option's strike price during the life of the option, as that is how he or she will
reap maximum profit.

This is exactly the opposite outlook of the option buyer. The buyer believes that the underlying stock will rise,
because if this happens, the buyer will be able to acquire the stock for a lower price and then sell it for a profit.
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