Options Trading Advice
Having traded stocks for over a decade, I've recently gotten very involved with options. I find these to be a great means of expanding my risk portfolio a little bit, and the rewards of a successful trade are truly a great thing.
I would advise you to study up on options as much as you can before you begin trading them. Too many people learn the hard way by losing the entire amount of their investment. Don't let that be you. Here are a few words to the wise that I hope you'll take seriously.
The first thing I'd like to talk about is the time decay factor. Options tend to deteriorate in value over time due to the fact that as you're further out from the expiration date, the likelihood of volatility is higher.
Let's say you buy a contract for December while we're in the month of April. The stock price is at $13, and the strike price on the contract is $16. Clearly, there's a higher percentage chance that this stock will break $16 between now and December than there is between now and May. As a result, contracts with an expiration date that's further out will sell at a higher price.
You'll also want to hedge your bets whenever trading options. Try buying some puts to the extreme if you've bought calls, and vice versa if you've bought puts. This requires discipline, but it's standard practice amongst the most experienced and successful traders.
A patient and wise investor will generally do this for the protection and the piece of mind.
While it limits your upside marginally relative to what you could have made without this strategy, it gives you the necessary protection from losing the entire amount of your investment. Many options traders are naive in not realizing they can lose it all, and therefore neglect this useful bit of information.
The last thing you want to do is lose your entire investment with options. Sometimes, unfortunately, this happens if your option never surpasses the strike price. - 23159
I would advise you to study up on options as much as you can before you begin trading them. Too many people learn the hard way by losing the entire amount of their investment. Don't let that be you. Here are a few words to the wise that I hope you'll take seriously.
The first thing I'd like to talk about is the time decay factor. Options tend to deteriorate in value over time due to the fact that as you're further out from the expiration date, the likelihood of volatility is higher.
Let's say you buy a contract for December while we're in the month of April. The stock price is at $13, and the strike price on the contract is $16. Clearly, there's a higher percentage chance that this stock will break $16 between now and December than there is between now and May. As a result, contracts with an expiration date that's further out will sell at a higher price.
You'll also want to hedge your bets whenever trading options. Try buying some puts to the extreme if you've bought calls, and vice versa if you've bought puts. This requires discipline, but it's standard practice amongst the most experienced and successful traders.
A patient and wise investor will generally do this for the protection and the piece of mind.
While it limits your upside marginally relative to what you could have made without this strategy, it gives you the necessary protection from losing the entire amount of your investment. Many options traders are naive in not realizing they can lose it all, and therefore neglect this useful bit of information.
The last thing you want to do is lose your entire investment with options. Sometimes, unfortunately, this happens if your option never surpasses the strike price. - 23159
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posted by X - Men @ 4:50 AM
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