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In today's issue of Talk Wall St. by San Jose Options we are going to discuss the differences between trading stocks and options. First, let's talk about stocks. As most investors know, stocks are directional vehicles. If the price of our asset goes up, we make money. If the price falls, we lose money. Well, that is true if we are long the stock. If we are short the stock, then we can make money when it drops. Anyway, whatever your position is on a stock, it's directional. One direction we make a profit and the other direction we lose. With stocks, we don't focus on time or volatility in the markets, we just worry about the way the price is moving, up or down.
So we all know that stocks are simple, directional investments, but what about options? Well, trading options is actually trading 3 Dimensions...time, volatility and direction. I guess this makes options three times more complex than stocks. Now, let's look at a trading example to compare the difference. Look at this scenario:
Let's say that AAPL moved up 20% in one year. The stock holders would have made 20% in return for holding on to the stock all year long. Now, if an option trader was holding a Call contract all year, he may have just lost his investment.
So why did the option trader lose money if the stock went up? Well, it's quite simple really. The option trader lost the time value of his options. Each option has time premium factored into the option price, and if the move doesn't happen fast, then the option trader will most likely lose money if he is simply buying Calls. Also, the volatility will most likely drop on the asset as the price rises, and this will also cause the price of the option to fall.
For this reason we really need to fully understand options before investing with them. Investors new to options often times buy Calls and Puts, attempting to make money on price direction, but if they fail to understand the 3 dimensions they are really trading, they will most likely never see consistent returns. However, once the understanding is there, one can trade options in any type of market. Options are flexible and allow an investor to be very creative.
So we all know that stocks are simple, directional investments, but what about options? Well, trading options is actually trading 3 Dimensions...time, volatility and direction. I guess this makes options three times more complex than stocks. Now, let's look at a trading example to compare the difference. Look at this scenario:
Let's say that AAPL moved up 20% in one year. The stock holders would have made 20% in return for holding on to the stock all year long. Now, if an option trader was holding a Call contract all year, he may have just lost his investment.
So why did the option trader lose money if the stock went up? Well, it's quite simple really. The option trader lost the time value of his options. Each option has time premium factored into the option price, and if the move doesn't happen fast, then the option trader will most likely lose money if he is simply buying Calls. Also, the volatility will most likely drop on the asset as the price rises, and this will also cause the price of the option to fall.
For this reason we really need to fully understand options before investing with them. Investors new to options often times buy Calls and Puts, attempting to make money on price direction, but if they fail to understand the 3 dimensions they are really trading, they will most likely never see consistent returns. However, once the understanding is there, one can trade options in any type of market. Options are flexible and allow an investor to be very creative.
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