Understanding Option Trading

Covered calls have always been a popular options strategy. Indeed for many traders, their introduction to options trading is a covered call used to augment income on an existing stock portfolio. But this strategy is more complicated, and riskier, than it looks.

By Chris Young, Tuesday at 04:34 PM

Learning how options work is a key skill for any trader or investor wanting to add this to their arsenal of trading weapons. It’s really not possible to trade options well without having a thorough grounding of the mechanics of what these derivatives are and how they work.

By Chris Young, May 27

The protective put (sometimes called a married put) strategy is one of the simplest, but most, popular, ways options are used in the market. Here we look at this defensive strategy and when and how to put it in place. Options provide investors and traders with an extremely versatile tool that can be used under many different scenarios.

By Chris Young, May 24

During a discussion about my trading system, the question arose regarding the ability to exit positions entirely and mitigate substantial drawdowns during a crash-style event. This particular circumstance has caused concern about the effectiveness of the trading method. The common response to such concerns is often centered around the concept of maintaining a properly diversified portfolio.

By Karl Domm, May 18

Options can be an extremely useful tool for short-term traders as well as long-term investors. Options can provide investors with a vehicle to bet on market direction or volatility, and may also be used to collect premiums. A long options position is simple to use, and has defined risk parameters.

By Chris Young, May 12

We are pleased to announce that Market Chameleon is offering SteadyOptions members a 2 week free trial for their premium tools. Market Chameleon is a premier provider of options information, using both stock fundamentals data as well as options analytics to provide better insight for those who wish to make informed investment decisions.

By Kim, May 11

Everyone should be investing. After all, there’s no better way to increase your retirement savings and boost your spending power than by putting your money to work. Many people believe that investing is something that only wealthy people or financial experts can do, but that’s not the case.

By Kim, May 11

The bull call spread is a simple strategy that can be used by novice options traders to bet on higher prices. Options can be an extremely powerful tool in the trading arsenal of those that know how to use them, and long options positions can be used to bet on a market rise or decline, with limited risk and potentially unlimited profit potential.

By Chris Young, May 9

The option strike price (also known as the exercise price) is a term used in options trading. Options are derivatives. These financial instruments are ‘derived’ from another underlying security such as a stock, and give the right (but not the obligation) to buy or sell the underlying at some point in the future.

By Chris Young, May 5

Growing a small trading account with options can be a challenging task, but it is definitely achievable. When I began my journey in trading options, my goal was to double my small account every three months. However, I quickly learned that taking excessive risks without proper risk management would only lead to starting over again and again by adding new funds to my account.

By Karl Domm, May 4