How Much Does Unusual Option Activity Cost?

Combination positions are positions in more than one option at the same time. Spreads and straddles are two types of combination positions. A spread involves being both the buyer and writer of the same type of option (puts or calls) on the same underlying interest, with the options having different exercise prices and/or expiration dates….

Adjustments may be made to some of the standardized terms of outstanding options upon the occurrence of certain events related to the underlying security. The determination of whether to adjust outstanding options in response to a particular event, and, if so, what the adjustment should be, is made by OCC, taking into consideration policies established…

A closing purchase is an order that you place to offset an existing short position. For example, If you sell a call option to open a new position, you would then need to offset or close that position with a closing order to buy. In other words, you would buy-to-close.

A binary option is a cash-settled option having only two possible payoff outcomes: either a fixed amount or nothing at all. Some binary options are referred to as “fixed return options.” As of the date this product was approved for trading, the only binary options approved for trading (other than credit default options, as defined…

In the case of a physical delivery option, the exercise price (which is sometimes called the “strike price”) is the price at which the option holder has the right either to purchase or to sell the underlying interest. EXAMPLE: A physical delivery XYZ 40 call option gives the option holder the right to purchase 100…

This is basically any spread where the premium paid from buying part of the spread is greater than the premium received for the other part of the spread. For example if you bought the GOOGL 95.00 Calls for 8.00 and sold the 100.00 Calls for 5.50 the debit would be 2.50 See also: Credit Spread,…