FMAN

There are three regular option cycles: FMAN, JAJO, and MJSD. FMAN stands for February, May, August, and November, which is the pattern for when option contracts on one cycle expire.

If you need a refresher, options are securities that are bets on other securities. For instance, you can place a bet that a certain ETF, index, or other asset will hit a certain price (a “strike price”) by investing in an option. That’s why expiration dates for options are so important: they determine who wins and who loses in the options game.

Unlike long-term investors, options investors are always on their toes. Before an option expires, the options holder can “exercise” the option (which means buying or selling the stock at the strike price, for call and put options respectively) or not, whichever they choose. FMAN is the time when options holders have to choose what to do, like a real MAN.