How
exactly do options work? We have all heard of call and put options and options
trading. But how to trade options and what are the key features of options
trading in India. Let us first understand what call options is and then let us
get deeper into call options with an example.
What is
a call option?
Options
are financial contracts drawn on an underlying asset, which can be
stocks, commodities, or currencies.
A call
option is a right to buy without an obligation to buy, which means you execute
an option contract when it is profitable.
A call
option is a right to buy without an obligation to buy. So if you have a call
option on TCS then you have the right to buy TCS but no obligation to buy TCS
at a pre-determined price. For example, if you have bought a TCS 1-month 3540
call option at a price of Rs.20. On the settlement day if the price of TCS is
Rs.3700, the option is profitable to you. But if on that date the price of TCS is
Rs.3200 then you are not interested in buying TCS at 3540 when you can buy it in the open market at Rs.3200.
For this right without obligation you pay a premium of Rs.20, which will be
your sunk cost.
A call
option will have a strike price, which is the specific price quoted for the
underlier in the contract and expiration date. Like in the above example, the
strike price of TCS shares is 3540, and the expiry date is 1-month.
To purchase a call option, you need to pay an amount to the
seller/writer, called a premium. If you choose not to exercise the call option,
the seller gets to retain the premium, which in that case will be his profit.
If the call option holder decides to exercise the right in the contract, the
seller is obligated to sell the underlier at the strike price.
The
opposite of a call option is the put options. Put options give the options
holder rights to sell an underlier at a strike price at a forward date. Both
call options and put options trade in the Indian market. Now let's understand
options trading in India.
Key
Takeaways
- Call
options are financial contracts that give the holder rights to buy an underlier
at a strike price on a future date
-
Executing a call option is profitable when the strike price is lower than the
market price at the time of expiry
- A
call option becomes premium when the price of the underlier moves upward in the
market
- The
market price of the call option is called a premium. It is determined based on
two factors: the difference between the spot and strike price of the
underlier and the length of time until the option expires
- Call
options are bought for speculations and sold for income purposes