What is an option?

Answer 1

An option is the right to buy or sell the underlying commodity (e.g., stock) during a specific future time at a predetermined price. The price or cost of an option is called a "premium". The factors which determine an option's value are: 1. Price of the underlying 2. Time to Expiry 3. Strike of the option 4. Volatility of the underlying General Electric stock is currently trading at $34.00. You purchase a Call option ("right to buy") X shares of GE stock at $30.00 on 17 Nov 2006. Underlying = X shares of General Electric Stock Strike = $30.00 Expiry = 18 November 2006 Option Cost: $4.70 (1) At expiry: GE Stock is $40.00. You "exercise" your option: Buy the stock at $30.00, then sell the stock at $40.00, to make $10.00 on the exercise. Your profits are: $10.00 - $4.70 (cost of option) = $5.30 per share (2) At expiry: GE Stock is $28.00. You could buy the stock at $30, but then you'd lose $2.00 per share! Your options expire worthless, and you have lost the money you paid for the options. If the price of GE is only $34.00 today, why would you pay $4.70 for the right to buy it at $30.00? ($34.00 strike - $30.00 current price = only $4.00!) The answer is that we don't expect a stock price to remain constant over time. This is where uncertainty comes into play. Uncertainty has value. A stock price is volatile. Think about it: would you expect GE share price in a month to be exactly the same price it is today? No. So there is a good chance that the price will be above $34.00 (or below $34.00). Along these same lines, the more time there is between now and expiry, the more uncertainty there is. Therefore, time and volatility play a big role in how an option is valued. Going back to GE, we can easily see the time value reflected in the price of an option with the same strike but different expiry. The extra month of time is worth $0.30 upfront cost. Underlying = X shares of General Electric Stock Strike = $30.00 Expiry = ** 18 November 2006 ** Option Cost: $4.70 Underlying = X shares of General Electric Stock Strike = $30.00 Expiry = ** 18 December 2006 ** Option Cost: $5.00
An option grants the holder the right but not the obligation to buy or sell the underlying stock at a fixed price by a fixed date.

As options only cost a fraction of the price of the underlying stock, it is commonly used as a speculative leverage instrument.
that you think what you think