The over-the-counter market (or OTC, to its friends) provides a place to buy and sell not-quite-ready-for-prime-time stocks. From large foreign companies that can't quite get listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ, to up-and-coming firms who can't make the listing requirements for the big boys yet, to downright sketchy situations that any honest broker would advise you to stay away from, the OTC exists as a place for, let's say, more offbeat equity selections.
It does the same thing for options. In basic definition, an OTC option is an option contract that trades on the over-the-counter market rather than the more prominent option exchanges. These contracts offer far more...well, options.
OTC options are worked out individually between buyers and sellers. There are no standardized expiration dates or pre-set strike prices. Because these options are so specific, they don't trade on a secondary market. However, the freedom the OTC offers provides more flexibility and a wider range of possibilities for exotic structures.
See: OTCQX.
Related or Semi-related Video
Finance: What is Over The Counter (OTC)?3 Views
finance a la shmoop what is over the counter or OTC alright buy drugs LVM
non-prescription kind yeah those nyquil tylenol preparation-h well then you buy [Doctor filling out prescription]
them over-the-counter prescription drugs yeah those are different much more
highly inspected regulated structured and stocks work the same way when you
trade over-the-counter you're generally trading within a network of other
dealers all trading stocks think of it like everyone on Facebook had a trading [Facebook posts appear]
account nothing really is supervised door regulated or controlled it's just
the transaction happening among two strangers passing in the night [People walking around with smartphones]
exchanging glances get a fair deal on this trade well on the exchanges Amazon
was offered for fifteen hundred two dollars a share but on the OTC deck
network while it was offered at 1507 maybe you'll have overpaid five bucks a [Amazon share prices appear]
share for Amazon if you buy it here rather than on NASDAQ which is a normal
securities exchange well stocks bonds commodities derivatives they all trade
OTC and also on exchanges so why are there both methods of trading in the
first place well demand if everybody was happy with the trades they made from
9:30 to four New York time well then there wouldn't be a whole lot of demand [Stocks transferring from wall street]
for trading outside of those hours and in other places but there is so there is
an OTC trading accommodates after-hours trading as well which can be a really
big deal when a company announces earnings at 4:30 p.m. New York time and [Newspaper of record earnings for company appears]
the street either loves or hates the numbers that the companies printed the
stock can move a lot in a short period so a lot of investors are happy to be
able to either dump or scarf up positions in whatever calm at 4:32 p.m.
after the numbers have been published not wanting to wait the dozen in change [Clock rapidly ticks forward]
hours until the market opens again in the morning the basic idea behind OTC
trading is that the world of OTC is kind of the wild wild west of stock exchanges
unlike trading on the NYSE where companies have to meet very high
standards to be accepted for trading on the exchange qualify for OTC trading
while companies basically just have to spell their name properly fill out a few [Person signing a document]
forms and feel that belonging thing and even then
well you know there's a lot of flexibility
Up Next
What is a put option? A put option is a type of contract that lets the investor sell shares of a stock at a certain price and within a window of ti...
What is a call option? A call option is a type of contract that lets the investor buy shares of a stock at a certain price and within a window of t...