Parity is basically a set of rules of equality that exist in the options market. For example, long stock and long puts is the as owning long calls.
Parity generally holds, but (all else being equal) puts will often trade at lower prices than calls due to the impact of dividends and interest rates.
Options Ratio is basically the number of puts traded divided by the number of calls. It can be applied to an individual stock, a sector, an index, or an entire market. Put/call ratios are generally used in contrary manner. For example, when ratios reach extremely high levels, put buying is unusually high and it could…
This is the combination of a Bull Put Spread and a Bear Call Spread. The trade is created by selling a Put and buying a lower strike price Put and also selling a Call and buying a Call with a higher strike price. The short options have consecutive strike prices (short strangle).
Front Month contracts are options contracts that have the least amount of time remaining before expiration. For example, on the 1st of August, the front month contract would the contract that expires in the Month of August. Similarly, on August 31st, the front month contract is the September contract is the front month contract because…
This is the process of carrying out the terms of an options contract. A call buyer can exercise his or her right to buy the stock at the strike price. A put owner can exercise his or her right to sell the contract. See also: Exercise Price, Exercise Settlement Value, Automatic Exercise
This is a spread strategy that involves selling options and buying a greater number of out-of-the-money options. Backspreads are often in a ratio of 1 to-2 or 2-to-3 and most traders use them because they work well when there is an increase in market volatility especially when they think the market is about to move…
A capped option will be automatically exercised prior to expiration if the options market on which the option is trading determines that the value of the underlying interest at a specified time on a trading day “hits the cap price” for the option. Capped options may also be exercised, like European-style options, during a specified…
