Ever wondered how to cushion the blow of losses, or shield your assets during a stormy market?
Think of put options as an umbrella on a rainy day for your investments.
Just as an umbrella protects you from the downpour, put options can be your safeguard in financial downturns. Puts carry the power to introduce approaches rarely achievable with traditional investments.
Whether you’re new to options or seeking to enhance your knowledge, stick around. We’ll guide you through the essentials and facets of put options to ensure you’re well-equipped for the market.
Let’s dive in.
What you’ll learn
What is a Put Option?
A put option is one of the foundational building blocks of options trading. It represents a contract that grants you the right, but not the obligation, to sell a specified amount of an underlying asset at a predetermined price within a fixed time frame. Typically, one put option contract corresponds to 100 shares of the underlying stock. The predetermined price is known as the “strike price,” and the fixed time frame is the “expiration date.”
Unlike buying stocks outright, where you anticipate a rise in value, put options let you capitalize on potential declines. You can also use them as an insurance policy to mitigate losses in a stock you already own. In either scenario, you pay a “premium” to the option seller for this right.
How Does a Put Option Work?
Essentially, a put contract facilitates a relationship between the buyer and the seller, each with their unique set of responsibilities and potential outcomes. It’s like a chess game where each player needs to understand both offensive and defensive strategies.
Buying a Put Option
Buying a put option gives you the right, but not the obligation, to sell stock at a set price over a set period of time. Investors generally use this when they’re feeling bearish. By buying a put, you could potentially capitalize on a falling market, or hedge against potential losses in assets you already own.
To better understand how puts work, let’s look at a payoff diagram for a long (purchased) put:
Long put positions can be taken by investors to protect their portfolio from potential losses or to bet on price declines.
This graph is helpful in understanding the interplay between the underlying price and the value of the option. With long puts, you can see that as the underlying price falls, the strategy enters profit territory, and as the underlying price increases, it heads for the floor, or max loss, which is the initial premium you paid for the put contract.
Selling or Writing a Put Option
On the flip side, selling or writing a put option (a short put), means you’re taking on the obligation to buy the underlying asset at the strike price if the option is exercised. Sellers collect a premium upfront but bear the risk of having to purchase the asset if market prices decline. This strategy can be profitable if the asset’s price remains stable or increases, as the seller gets to keep the premium with no further obligations.
Now let’s look at a payoff diagram for a short (sold) put:
The goal of a short put is to benefit from a rise in stock price by recouping the premium associated with a selling of a short put.
You’ll notice that this looks very similar to the long put graph, only this one is the inverse. Your max profit with these is equal to the initial premium received. You can see that the max loss is equal to how far the underlying price falls.
The mechanics of buying and selling put options are shaped by these roles, providing multiple ways to execute diverse trading strategies. By fully grasping how put options work, you can have confidence in your decisions, whether you’re hedging a position or speculating on market trends.
Put Option Strategies
Navigating the realm of put options requires more than understanding the basics, it’s also about incorporating specific strategies to optimize your market position. These strategies can be as simple as buying a single put or as complex as combining different types of options and assets. Let’s delve into some of the commonly used put option strategies:
Long Put vs. Short Put
A long put strategy involves buying a put option with the expectation that the underlying asset will decrease in value. This is a straightforward, bearish strategy. A short put, on the other hand, involves selling or writing a put option. This is generally a bullish to neutral strategy where you anticipate that the asset’s price will remain stable or rise, allowing you to keep the premium without having to buy the asset.
Covered Put
A covered put is a bit more complex. When using a covered put, you not only write a put option but also short the underlying asset at the same time. This is typically done in a one-to-one ratio. This strategy can provide additional income in the form of the put premium but requires careful risk management. If the asset’s price rises, your loss on the short position could be offset by the premium received from writing the put.
You can see how that’s represented here:
The covered put is used when the trader is neutral or slightly bearish on the market and expects the underlying price to fall to some extent.
If you flip a short puts payoff diagram along the y-axis, you get the above, how covered puts earn profit and incur loss. Keeping premium received until the underlying price starts to rise.
Protective Put
A protective put is essentially an insurance policy for your stock position. By buying a put option for an asset you already own, you’re hedging against potential declines in that asset’s market value. This strategy offers peace of mind by setting a floor on the potential losses from owning the asset, at the cost of the put option’s premium.
Use a protective put to shield against the downside risk of long stock.
This diagram is different from the others we’ve explored because this one involves the underlying stock also, showing the dynamic between the put and the long stock.
In summary, put option strategies offer a versatile toolkit for navigating different market conditions. Whether you’re looking to profit from a declining market, earn extra income, or protect existing investments, understanding these strategies is a pivotal step in becoming a proficient options trader.
Real-World Example of a Put Option
Let’s look at an example to help illustrate puts. Let’s say you own shares of Intel (INTC), and it’s trading at $40 a share. You hear that they are going to provide a new capacity corridor for Tower, helping fuel future growth, and you feel that this will benefit them in the long term, but you anticipate an initial, temporary decline in price.
To protect yourself from potential short-term losses, you decide to buy a put option with a strike price of $38, expiring in one month, for a premium of $2 per share. This put option gives you the right, but not the obligation, to sell your INTC shares at $38 each within the next month, regardless of how low the market price may drop.
Fast forward to the end of the month: Intel’s stock price has plummeted to $30 per share due to an unfavorable earnings report. Thanks to the put option, you can still sell your shares for $38 each, significantly minimizing your losses.
Had you not purchased the put option, you would have faced a $10 loss per share. Instead, your net loss is only $4 per share ($10 drop in price minus $2 premium and $4 above the market price of $30).
This example underscores how a put option can serve as a safety net, protecting your investment against adverse market shifts. Sudden shifts happen all the time in the market, and most of us don’t have the time to stare at our investments—beginners and vets alike use options trade alerts to be the extra set of eyes they need to watch for adverse price movements.
Put Option Pros and Cons
On the plus side, put options offer a high degree of leverage, allowing you to potentially earn significant profits without the need to invest a lot in the underlying asset. You are essentially in control of 100 shares of the underlying stock without having to purchase those 100 shares outright. .
Put options also serve as a risk-management tool. By buying a put, you can protect your stock holdings from substantial declines, essentially providing an insurance policy for your investments. In volatile markets, this can be a particularly valuable strategy to minimize losses.
However, there are also downsides to trading put options. One of the primary cons is the cost of the option premium, which you lose entirely if the option expires worthless. This loss can be substantial if you’ve invested in multiple options. Additionally, the time-sensitive nature of options (theta decay) means you have to be accurate not just about the direction the stock will move, but also the time frame within which it will do so. Misjudging either factor can result in financial losses.
Moreover, selling or writing put options carries its own set of risks. If the stock price falls significantly below the strike price, the seller is obligated to buy the stock at that higher strike price, leading to immediate losses. Understanding these nuances is crucial for anyone considering the use of put options in their trading strategy.
Conclusion
In wrapping things up, put options offer investors a unique way to hedge their portfolios, generate potential profits in declining markets, or even acquire stocks at desired prices. They give the holder the right (but not the obligation) to sell stock at a set price for a set period of time. This lends investors an advantage in bearish markets because they could sell stock for higher than it’s currently trading for.
But don’t jump into puts with rose colored glasses. Puts, even if they’re one of the most basic strategies, come with a unique set of risks. Investors need to be aware of those so they don’t end up being one of those sad stories you read about on Reddit.
If you’re new to options, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of financial jargon. But by grasping the basic principles of put options – their purpose, how they function, and the potential rewards and risks – you can have a rock to lean on. Whether used as a strategic hedge or as a stand-alone investment, put options can be a valuable addition to a well-rounded financial portfolio, provided they are approached with knowledge and caution.
Understanding Put Options: FAQs
What’s the Difference Between a Call and a Put?
A call option gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy stock at a set price over a set period of time. Conversely, a put option offers the right to sell an asset under similar conditions. Essentially, call options are used when you expect the underlying asset to rise in value, whereas put options are used when you anticipate a decline.
Can You Lose More than Your Initial Investment in Put Options?
If you’re buying a put option, the good news is the most you can lose is the premium you paid for the option. But if you’re selling (writing) a put, your losses can literally be infinite if the underlying asset skyrockets in value.
How Do I Decide the Right Strike Price?
Choosing the right strike price depends on your outlook for the underlying asset and your investment objectives. A lower strike price is less risky but offers a lower potential return. A higher strike price may offer greater profit potential but comes with increased risk. Conducting thorough research and considering your risk tolerance can guide your decision.
How are Put Options Taxed?
Put options are taxed based on various factors such as the holding period—short-term gains are taxed at your regular income tax rate, while long-term gains are subject to capital gains tax—and whether the option was exercised, expired, or sold.
What is Moneyness in Put Options?
“Moneyness” in put options is all about the relationship between the underlying asset’s current market price versus the option’s strike price. An option is “in-the-money” if the asset’s market price is below the strike price, “at-the-money” if they are equal, and “out-of-the-money” if the asset’s price is higher than the strike price. Moneyness impacts the option’s premium and the likelihood that it will be profitable.
