Skip to main content

ABC of Options trading

I remember several years ago when I asked one of my brokers to explain what 'Options' was, he told me so many things which made no sense at all to me at that time. Talks about option premiums, calls and puts can be extremely confusing for somebody who has no idea at all about all these things. I will now try explaining it to you using the simple principles of learning things the Happionaire way.

In the past as soon as I learnt about options, I got tempted and traded in them. Since the returns possible are quite high, a lot of us get tempted very easily. Sometimes we made huge profits trading in options and sometimes we made losses. In the end I don’t think I made any substantial amount of money trading in options. Luckily I didn’t risk too large an amount and learnt a lot from the mistakes I made.

'Options' explained in a very simple way by sharing a small story below.

Let us say you want to buy an apartment. After searching a lot you find a nice apartment that costs Rs 10 lakh. (I know many of you might be wondering where we can get Rs 10 lakh apartments.

Since you like the flat so much, you speak to the builder and tell him to block the flat for you. You want to consult with your family and will tell him for sure in one month. The builder tells you that you will have to give him Rs 10,000 to block the apartment. You can either pay him the entire Rs 10 lakh after one month and take the property or alternatively in case your family doesn’t like it you can let it go but you will lose your Rs 10,000.

You think about it, and decide Rs 10,000 is not too big an amount to pay for the flat. You pay the amount and the builder blocks the apartment in your name for a period of one month. Anytime you can pay him Rs 10 lakh and the apartment is yours.

In fact you have fans offering you Rs 15 lakh for the same apartment. You have blocked the flat for yourself at a price of Rs 10 lakh. This means if you sell the flat you will make a profit of Rs 5 lakh. However you have not invested Rs 10 lakh but only Rs 10,000 to block the flat in your name.

You decide to sell the flat at Rs 15 lakh. From that you give the builder Rs 10 lakh and keep the remaining Rs 5 lakh for yourself. This means you have invested Rs 10,000 and in return got Rs 5 lakh in a period of less than a month.

This is a very simple example which tries to help you understand how options work. Your maximum risk in the above case was Rs 10,000 but maximum profit potential was unlimited unlike Futures where the risk can be more than the capital invested.

The above example can be called a Call Option? This type of option increases in value when things go in the positive direction. If you buy a call option for the NIFTY, it will rise as the NIFTY rises. In the stock market, options can be used as tools to minimize risks as well as trading tools.

Options can be traded in a similar way like stocks. For instance you can tell your broker to buy a call option if you are bullish or alternatively you can tell him to buy a put option if you are bearish.

Options need you to be more aware and alert about things happening in the short term. Very few people can do both trading and investing together.

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Your Cibil Credit Information Report

   WE ARE all familiar with the anxiety and uncertainty that we feel when applying for a loan. After all, it's the lender who decides whether we can own our dream home, our first car, or whether our children can pursue higher education. In a nutshell, a better life depends on the lender's decisions.    While other factors do play a part in the lender's decision, the Cibil Credit Information Report ( CIR ) plays a crucial role in a lender's decision to approve a loan application.    Previously, lenders would treat all loan seekers equally. Each applicant, if approved by the lender's internal credit policy, would be charged at the same interest rate for a particular loan size and purpose. The lenders would charge a higher interest rate to all the borrowers, in order to compensate for the possible default of a small portion of the loan disbursed. In other words, it's like a professor (the lender) punishing an entire class (borrowers) for the mischief played b...

How much to invest in gold ?

Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Buy Gold Mutual Funds Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India) Let your motivation dictate the share of the yellow metal in your portfolio Enough has been said and written about gold as an investment option. The latest argument is that the craze for gold among Indian households is endangering our country's balance of payments. The policymakers are busy trying to find ways of discouraging investment in gold, but if households keep the common good in mind, they would be paying the market price for gas cylinders as they do for, say, their mobile phone bills. After all, private decisions are driven by private motives. So, how should a household look at gold from its own perspective? Gold is primarily acquired for its merit as a store of value. Even if the worst crisis hits a family, the gold that it holds could be put to use anywhere in th...

Compared to Bank FDs, Debt Mutual Funds are more Tax-Efficient

It is a security vis-a-vis returns battle between bank fixed deposits and debt funds In the past few months, banks have been consistently increasing their rates of interest on different fixed deposits. And after the Reserve Bank of India's Annual Monetary Policy, even the saving deposit rates are up at 4 per cent. For a six-month fixed deposit, you can easily get a rate of anywhere between 6 and 7 per cent annually. However, experts feel if one is looking to invest for less than a year, debt funds could make a better choice. The reason: Liquid funds and ultra short-term funds are giving annualised returns of 8 per cent. Financial advisors suggest retail investors opt for mutual fund schemes as they are more flexible and give higher post-tax returns. Opt for fixed deposits only if you are comfortable being locked-in for the tenure as a premature exit can attract a penalty. If your main aim is to ensure liquidity, debt funds are preferable. Though a fixed deposit gives you a...

Right Size your SIPs in terms of tenure and amount

Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Mutual Funds Online Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)    Systematic investment plans ( SIPs ) are here to stay. Going by the growing number of SIPs, it does look like investors have taken to them in a big way. Today as much as . 1,000 crore flow into SIPs every month. A SIP, as the name denotes, is a method to invest a fixed amount in a mutual fund at regular intervals --generally monthly or quarterly. It is easy to do and the minimum amount with most mutual funds is a mere . 1,000 per month. You can write post-dated cheques for your investment, or give an auto-debit facility from your bank account. In fact, most investors today prefer setting up an auto debit for their SIPs, since writing cheques is cumbersome. Also, you can choose any tenure that you want for your SIP — six months, one year, five years, 10 years or even opt for a perpetual SIP which will continue forever till you stop it....

Good Loan

Why Is It A Good Loan?: Loans against gold are cheaper and better than personal loans as the former are available at lower interest rates. In contrast, the interest rates on personal loans are not standardised and can vary from bank to bank. Also, a personal loan depends on a host of factors including, the borrower's salary, profession and the purpose for which the loan is being taken.      For instance, the interest rate on a personal loan of 5 lakh falls in a wide range of 15-30%. But loans against gold are available for as low as 11%. Secured borrowing such as a loan against gold, investments or property is cheaper because it is backed by some assets, which command a good value at any point of time. If the borrower defaults on the loan, the banks can liquidate the assets to settle the loan account.    Being a secured loan, the risk of default and credit losses is significantly lower in this loan compared to other forms of loan for personal use. Given the lower risk, gold loa...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now