• This means an option buyer can pay a relatively small premium for market exposure in relation to the contract value (usually 100 shares of the underlying stock). • An investor can see large percentage gains from comparatively small, favourable percentage moves in the underlying product. Leverage and Risk • Leverage also has downside implications. • If the underlying stock price does not rise or fall as anticipated during the lifetime of the option, leverage could magnify the investment's percentage loss. • Options offer their owners a predetermined, set risk. • However, if the owner's options expire with no value, this loss can be the entire amount of the premium paid for the option. • An uncovered option writer may face unlimited risk. In-the-money, At-the-money, Out- of-the-money
An option’s strike price, or exercise price, determines
whether a contract is in-the-money, at-the-money, or out- of-the-money.
If the strike price of a call option is less than the current
market price of the underlying security, the call is said to be in-the-money. (Market Price > Strike Price)
This is because the holder of this call has the right to
buy the stock at a price less than the price he would pay to buy the stock in the stock market. In-the-money, At-the-money, Out- of-the-money Likewise, if a put option has a strike price that is greater than the current market price of the underlying security, it is said to be in-the-money,
because the holder of this put has the
right to sell the stock at a price greater than the price he would receive selling the stock in the stock market. Out of the Money • The inverse of in-the-money is out-of-the-money. • If the strike price of a call (right to buy) option is more than the current market price of the underlying security, the call is said to be out-the-money • This is because the holder of this call allows the option to expire worthless.
• Likewise, if a put (right to sell) option has a strike price
that is less than the current market price of the underlying security, it is said to be out-the-money. • This is because the holder of this put allows the option to expire worthless. At the money • If the strike price equals the current market price, the option is said to be at-the-money. Equity Call Option • In-the-money = strike price less than stock price • At-the-money = strike price same as stock price • Out-of-the-money = strike price greater than stock price Equity Put Option • In-the-money = strike price greater than stock price • At-the-money = strike price same as stock price • Out-of-the-money = strike price less than stock price Option Premium • Intrinsic Value + Time Value Factors having a significant effect on options premium include: • Underlying price • Strike • Time until expiration • Implied volatility • Dividends • Interest rate Main Components of an Option's Premium • An option’s premium has two main components: intrinsic value and time value. Intrinsic Value (Calls) • A call option is in-the-money when the underlying security's price is higher than the strike price. Intrinsic Value (Puts)
• A put option is in-the-money if the
underlying security's price is less than the strike price. • Only in-the-money options have intrinsic value. • It represents the difference between the current price of the underlying security and the option's exercise price, or strike price. Intrinsic Value • The amount that an option, call or put is in- the-money at any time is called intrinsic value. • By definition, an at-the-money or out-of- the-money option has no intrinsic value. • This does not mean investors can obtain these options at no cost. Intrinsic Value • Fluctuations in volatility, • interest rates, • dividend amounts and • the passage of time • all affect the time value portion of an option’s premium. • These factors give options value and therefore affect the premium at which they are traded. Time Value
• Time value is any premium in excess of
intrinsic value before expiration. • Time value is often explained as the amount an investor is willing to pay for an option above its intrinsic value. • This amount reflects hope that the option’s value increases before expiration due to a favourable change in the underlying security’s price. • The longer the amount of time available for market conditions to work to an investor's benefit, the greater the time value. Time Decay
• The longer the time remaining until an
option's expiration, the higher its premium will be. • This is because the longer an option's lifetime, the greater the possibility that the underlying share price might move the option in-the-money. Time Decay
• Even if all other factors affecting an
option's price remain the same, • the time value portion of an option's premium will decrease (or decay) with the passage of time. • The intrinsic value of an option is defined as the maximum of zero and the value the option would have if it were exercised immediately. • For a call option, the intrinsic value is therefore max(S – K, 0). For a put option, it is max (K - S, 0). An in-the-money American option must be worth at least as much as its intrinsic value because the holder can realize the intrinsic value by exercising immediately. Often it is optimal for • the holder of an in-the-money American option to wait rather than exercise immediately. Payoffs from Long and Short Call Positions • Consider an example. • Suppose you have a call option to buy the stock of XY Z corporation at a strike price of K = 100. • What will you do on date T ? • If the price ST of XY Z is less than 100, it is obviously best to let the option lapse: • There is no point paying K = 100 for a stock that is worth less than that amount. • The call is said to be out-of-the-money in this case. • If ST = 100(stock price), then you are indifferent between exercising the option and not exercising the option (although transactions costs, which we ignore, may push you towards not exercising). • The call is said to be at-the-money in this case. • Finally, if ST > 100, it is very much in your interest to exercise the call: the call allows you to buy for 100 an asset that is worth ST > 100. • The call is said to be in-the-money in this case. The profit from exercising the call is ST −100; the higher is ST , the greater the profits. • What about the short position who sold you the option? • The short position has only a contingent obligation in the contract; the decision on exercise is made by buyer with the long position. • So to identify the payoffs to the short, we must see when the option will be exercised by the long position and calculate the consequences to the short. Long Call Pay offs / Short Call Pay offs Payoffs from Long and Short Put Positions • Consider the payoffs to a long position in a put on XY Z stock with a strike of K = 100. • If the price ST < 100, it is in the long position’s interest to exercise the put; • The put enables the long to sell for K = 100 an asset that is worth ST < 100. • The put is in-the money in this case. • The payoff from exercise is 100 − ST . The lower is ST , the greater the profit from exercising the put. Long Put • If ST = 100, the long is indifferent between exercising and not exercising the put; • Either action leads to a payoff of zero. • The put is said to be at-the-money in this case. • If ST > 100, it is obviously best to let the option lapse: there is no point in selling for K = 100 a stock that is worth more than 100. • The put is said to be out-of-the-money in this case. Short Put Pay offs • The payoffs to the short position are the reverse of the payoffs to the long; • IfST < 100, the short position buys for K = 100 an asset that is worth ST < 100. • The short loses 100− ST . For example, if ST = 90, the short is buying for 100 a stock worth only 90, so loses 10. At ST = 80, the loss climbs to 20. And so on. • If ST = 100, the payoff to the short is zero. • If ST > 100, the put lapses unexercised, and the payoff to the short is once again zero. Pay offs Long Put / Short Put