Underlying Option Security

  

Categories: Derivatives

See: Covered Call. See: Uncovered Call. See: Strike Price.

An option (put or call) has an underlying thing that it's pegged upon. Lots of options on Disney trade all the time. Options or futures on oil and wheat and pork bellies trade, too. Options are just derived from those underlying things of value. They're "synthetically engineered," in that the options themselves carry no real value; they're just a derivative of something else whose value changes all the time. Like your BFF's moods. Cool idea if you could buy and sell options on 'em.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What Is a Call Option?25 Views

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finance a la shmoop. what is a call option? option? option, where are you? okay

00:09

yeah yeah. not phone options, call options. and a close but no cigar. a call option [man smokes in a tub of cash]

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is the right to call or buy a security. the concept is easy the math is hard.

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you think Coca Cola's poised for a breakout as they go into the new low

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calorie beverage business. their stock is at 50 bucks a share and you can buy a [man stands on a stage as crowd cheers]

00:35

call option for $1. well that call option buys you the right

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to then buy coke stock at 55 bucks a share anytime you want in the next

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hundred and 20 days. so let's say Coke announces its new sugarless drink flavor

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zero it's two weeks later and the stock skyrockets to fifty eight dollars a

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share. you've already paid the dollar for the option now you have to exercise it. [man lifts weights]

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so you buy the stock and you're all in now for fifty five dollars plus one or

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fifty six bucks a share and your total value is now fifty eight bucks. well you

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could turn around today and sell the bundle that moment, and you'll have

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turned your dollar into two dollars of profit really fast. and obviously had the [equation on screen]

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stock not skyrocketed so quickly well you would have lost everything. still you

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lucked out and now you're sitting on some serious cash, courtesy of your call [two men in a tub of cash]

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options. as for Coke flavor zero turned out to be nothing more than canned water.

Up Next

Finance: What is a Derivative?
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A derivative of a security is a "something" which derives its value based on the performance of that security... either a put option or a call option.

Finance: What Is a Put Option?
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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...

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