Types of Options

Calls

Call options are contracts that give the owner the right to buy the underlying asset in the future at an agreed price. You would buy a call if you believed that the underlying asset was likely to increase in price over a given period of time. Calls have an expiration date and, depending on the terms of the contract, the underlying asset can be bought any time prior to the expiration date or on the expiration date. For more detailed information on this type and some examples, please visit the following page – Calls.

Puts

Put options are essentially the opposite of calls. The owner of a put has the right to sell the underlying asset in the future at a pre-determined price. Therefore, you would buy a put if you were expecting the underlying asset to fall in value. As with calls, there is an expiration date in the contact. For additional information and examples of how puts options work, please read the following page – Puts.

American Style

The term “American style” in relation to options has nothing to do with where contracts are bought or sold, but rather to the terms of the contracts. Options contracts come with an expiration date, at which point the owner has the right to buy the underlying security (if a call) or sell it (if a put). With American style options, the owner of the contract also has the right to exercise at any time prior to the expiration date. This additional flexibility is an obvious advantage to the owner of an American style contract. You can find more information, and working examples, on the following page – American Style Options.

European Style

The owners of European style options contracts are not afforded the same flexibility as with American style contracts. If you own a European style contract then you have the right to buy or sell the underlying asset on which the contract is based only on the expiration date and not before. Please read the following page for more detail on this style – European Style Options.

Exchange Traded Options

Also known as listed options, this is the most common form of options. The term “Exchanged Traded” is used to describe any options contract that is listed on a public trading exchange. They can be bought and sold by anyone by using the services of a suitable broker.

Over The Counter Options

“Over The Counter” (OTC) options are only traded in the OTC markets, making them less accessible to the general public. They tend to be customized contracts with more complicated terms than most Exchange Traded contracts.

Option Type by Underlying Security

When people use the term options they are generally referring to stock options, where the underlying asset is shares in a publically listed company. While these are certainly very common, there are also a number of other types where the underlying security is something else. We have listed the most common of these below with a brief description.

Stock Options: The underlying asset for these contracts is shares in a specific publically listed company.

Index Options:  These are very similar to stock options, but rather than the underlying security being stocks in a specific company it is an index – such as the S&P 500.

Forex/Currency Options: Contracts of this type grant the owner the right to buy or sell a specific currency at an agreed exchange rate.

Futures Options: The underlying security for this type is a specified futures contract. A futures option essentially gives the owner the right to enter into that specified futures contract.

Commodity Options: The underlying asset for a contract of this type can be either a physical commodity or a commodity futures contract.

Basket Options: A basket contract is based on the underlying asset of a group of securities which could be made up stocks, currencies, commodities or other financial instruments.

Option Type By Expiration

Contracts can be classified by their expiration cycle, which relates to the point to which the owner must exercise their right to buy or sell the relevant asset under the terms of the contract. Some contracts are only available with one specific type of expiration cycle, while with some contracts you are able to choose. For most options traders, this information is far from essential, but it can help to recognize the terms. Below are some details on the different contract types based on their expiration cycle.

Regular Options:  These are based on the standardized expiration cycles that options contracts are listed under. When purchasing a contract of this type, you will have the choice of at least four different expiration months to choose from. The reasons for these expiration cycles existing in the way they do is due to restrictions put in place when options were first introduced about when they could be traded. Expiration cycles can get somewhat complicated, but all you really need to understand is that you will be able to choose your preferred expiration date from a selection of at least four different months.

Weekly Options: Also known as weeklies, these were introduced in 2005. They are currently only available on a limited number of underlying securities,including some of the major indices, but their popularity is increasing. The basic principle of weeklies is the same as regular options, but they just have a much shorter expiration period.

Quarterly Options: Also referred to as quarterlies, these are listed on the exchanges with expirations for the nearest four quarters plus the final quarter of the following year. Unlike regular contracts which expire on the third Friday of the expiration month, quarterlies expire on the last day of the expiration month.

Long-Term Expiration Anticipation Securities: These longer term contracts are generally known as LEAPS and are available on a fairly wide range of underlying securities. LEAPS always expire in January but can be bought with expiration dates for the following three years.

Employee Stock Options

These are a form of stock option where employees are granted contracts based on the stock of the company they work for. They are generally used as a form of remuneration, bonus, or incentive to join a company. You can read more about these on the following page – Employee Stock Options.

Cash Settled Options

Cash settled contracts do not involve the physical transfer of the underlying asset when they are exercised or settled. Instead, whichever party to the contract has made a profit is paid in cash by the other party. These types of contracts are typically used when the underlying asset is difficult or expensive to transfer to the other party. You can find more on the following page – Cash Settled Options.

Exotic Options

Exotic option is a term that is used to apply to a contract that has been customized with more complex provisions. They are also classified as Non-Standardized options. There are a plethora of different exotic contracts, many of which are only available from OTC markets. Some exotic contracts, however, are becoming more popular with mainstream investors and getting listed on the public exchanges. Below are some of the more common types.

Barrier Options: These contracts provide a pay-out to the holder if the underlying security does (or does not, depending on the terms of the contract) reach a pre-determined price. For more information please read the following page – Barrier Options.

Binary Options: When a contract of this type expires in profit for the owner, they are awarded a fixed amount of money. Please visit the following page for further details on these contracts – Binary Options.

Chooser Options: These were named "Chooser," options because they allow the owner of the contract to choose whether it's a call or a put when a specific date is reached.

Compound Options: These are options where the underlying security is another options contract.

Look Back Options: This type of contract has no strike price, but instead allows the owner to exercise at the best price the underlying security reached during the term of the contract. For examples and additional details please visit the following page – Look Back Options.