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….
The rules of the options markets generally limit the maximum number of options on the same side of the market (i.e., calls held plus puts written, or puts held plus calls written) with respect to a single underlying interest that may be carried in the accounts of a single investor or group of investors acting…
A range option is a European-style, cash-settled option that has a payout if the value of the underlying interest falls within a specific range of values (the range length) at expiration. As the underlying interest value increases throughout the range length, the amount of the payout (i.e., the cash settlement amount) of the range option…
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…
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…
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…
No. Investors look to the confirmations and statements that they receive from their brokerage firms to confirm their positions as option holders or writers. An option holder looks to the system created by OCC’s rules, rather than to any particular option writer, for performance of the option he owns. Similarly, option writers must perform their…
If a physical delivery put option is exercised, the assigned writer must purchase the required number of shares at the specified exercise price regardless of their current market price. If a cash-settled option is exercised, the assigned writer must pay the cash settlement amount.
The option writer is obligated—if and when assigned an exercise—to perform according to the terms of the option. The option writer is sometimes referred to as the option seller. An option writer who has been assigned an exercise is known as an assigned writer. Example:If a physical delivery XYZ call option is exercised by the…
The holder of a physical delivery XYZ call option has the right to purchase shares of XYZ Corporation stock at the specified exercise price upon exercise prior to the expiration of the option. The holder of a physical delivery XYZ put option has the right to sell shares of XYZ Corporation at the specified exercise…
