What is an option?

An option is a type of contract which gives the purchaser the right to buy or sell an underlying asset at an agreed upon price within a specified time period. On Gatsby, options contracts are normally based on stocks or ETF’s as the underlying asset.

What is a Call Option

Call options are financial contracts that give the option buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy a stock, bond, commodity or other asset or instrument at a specified price within a specific time period. The stock, bond, or commodity is called the underlying asset. A call buyer profits when the underlying asset increases in price.

What is a Put Option

A put option is a contract giving the owner the right, but not the obligation, to sell–or sell short–a specified amount of an underlying security at a pre-determined price within a specified time frame. This pre-determined price that buyer of the put option can sell at is called the strike price.

Put options are traded on various underlying assets, including stocks, currencies, bonds, commodities, futures, and indexes. A put option can be contrasted with a call option, which gives the holder the right to buy the underlying at a specified price, either on or before the expiration date of the options contract.