Options: The Power Lies in Their Versatility

Most investors invest in stocks, ETFs, mutual funds and bonds. How about adding another type of security called Options to your portfolio ? If you are new to the world of options trading, read on...

The power of options lies in their versatility. They give you the power the adjust your position according to the present situation. However just like any other security, options have their own set of problems. Options are complex securities and can be sometimes extremely risky. Option trading is therefore not for everyone.

However before you decide not to trade in options, you should atleast understand them. Not learning how options function is as dangerous as jumping right in it.

What is an Option
Option is nothing but a contract that gives the buyer the right to buy/sell an asset at a specific price on/before a certain date. So what is the big deal about that ? The big deal is that the buyer is not obliged to buy/sell. Now that sounds interesting....isnt it ?

Example
Say, that you discover a house that you'd love to purchase. Unfortunately, you won't have the cash to buy it for another three months. You talk to the owner and negotiate a deal that gives you an option to buy the house in three months for a price of $200,000. The owner agrees, but for this option, you pay a price of $3,000.

Now, consider two theoretical situations that might arise:

It's discovered that the house is actually the true birthplace of Elvis! As a result, the market value of the house skyrockets to $1 million. Because the owner sold you the option, he is obligated to sell you the house for $200,000. In the end, you stand to make a profit of $797,000 ($1 million - $200,000 - $3,000).