Options are a very powerful tool that traders use to hedge their risk. Discover your stock options are and how they work!

An option gives its owner the right (but not obligation) to buy or sell a stock at a specific price on a specified date in the future. The value of an option depends on the difference between the current market price of the underlying security and the strike price of the option.

What Are Options?

Options give investors the opportunity to profit when the price of a stock moves in one direction or another. They allow investors to speculate on whether a stock will rise or fall without actually buying the shares themselves.

The Basics of Options Trading

A call option gives its owner the right (but not obligation) to buy 100 shares of a particular stock at a certain price within a specified period of time. If the stock rises above the strike price during the option's life, the holder of the option gets to exercise his right to purchase the shares at the higher price. In other words, he makes money if the stock goes up. On the other hand, if the stock falls below the strike price, the option expires worthless.

Hedging with Options

Hedging is the practice of offsetting one investment against another so as to reduce risk. This is done through the use of derivatives such as options.

This is an online tool that lets you know how much you would make using options. It also provides historical returns from both real markets as well as simulated stocks. Options profit calculator also has a risk level which will let users know how many days they need to hold options before they are able to break even with their investment. There are many advantages of this tool including that it is free, easy to use, and it doesn't require any complicated setup or software installation in order to work properly.

COMPARE THE TOP THREE OPTIONS PROFIT CALCULATOR TOOLS ONLINE?

1. Options Profit Calculator – Free, interesting stats and graphs, access to historical portfolio performance.

2. ActiveProfitCalculator – Has more options and selections, and can be used for a date range, stocks, and variables.

3. Profit Calculator – Only uses current stock price and return on investment to calculate profit.

There are many more options and calculator tools online that will assist in helping you decide how much you would make on your investment. The only thing to watch for is finding the tool that accurately reflects your expectations within the time period required by you.

HOW TO USE THE CALCULATOR TOOLS ONLINE?:

1. Use the option profit calculator to find out how much profit you will make.

2. Compare the simulated stock portfolio against real stocks and see which one is more profitable, rewarding, and lucrative.

3. Review the historical performance of both simulated stock portfolios to see how they were able to perform during major market trends such as recession or heavy inflation.

If you are considering making an investment in any stock or options trading then it is important to know how much money you stand to make on your investment. In order to do this, you will need to utilize options profit calculator tools online that will allow you to accurately calculate how much you would make on your investment.

There are many options and calculator tools online to choose from in order to find the one that best fits your requirements and style of investment. You can also use these tools for searching for potential stocks or for estimating how much money you might make if a certain amount of money is invested in a certain stock.

WHAT THEY CALCULATE FOR YOU:

1. How much is profit for one option contract

2. The risk for the investment.

2. What amount of time is needed to break even on your investment if you choose to sell now?

3. Returns from simulated portfolios of stocks as well as from real markets and stocks that went up or down during their respective years of trading.

4. There are also tools and resources available that will allow you to select which stock or options trading will be most profitable when compared to other market trends such as recession or inflation.

COSTS, BEST FEATURES, NEEDS:

This calculator is completely free to use and download, with no software required to get it working.

The risk level is the highest setting available, so users should be aware that if they had a 100% allocation of their portfolio on stocks, that single dollar would have a great deal of risk due to volatility. The other levels are low, medium, and high option profit calculator risk. The low-option risk calculator is best used for the beginning investor who only wants to use cash for trading. The medium option risk calculator is for the average trader who has a portfolio that is quite well balanced, and the high option risk calculator is for highly experienced investors and traders as they will have a portfolio that has no allocation of cash from stocks because all of their investments are invested in one stock or another.

Simulation results for both the stocks and the options will be clearly displayed so that you are able to review how the different variables and details were able to work out during different market trends such as recession or inflation.

The historical performance of simulated portfolios will show how certain stocks or options traded during specific trading years were able to perform, as well as how well each portfolio did overall within its respective year.

The simulated stock portfolios are based on real stocks and their respective returns, as long as they are publicly traded, and can all be used online for free. In order to use the simulated stock portfolios, you will need to sign up for a free membership in the Options Profit Calculator, and then you will be able to input your portfolio allocation so that it is calculated against the various simulated portfolios.

Tech hungry investors should take a look at the robust TradeStation platform for their stock brokerage accounts. This trade platform offers 3rd party integration, tools that are very original, advanced monitoring, and great help support. The fees can get a little expense if you do not meet minimums, but overall a great platform/brokerage. At this time you can get 90 days of commission free trading when you sign-up.

Parkett-Boerse in Ffm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another Glitch In Option Exchanges

Option trading was interrupted once again following a system glitch, according to the Options Monster website this week. Business was halted for approximately 30 minutes due to technical problems that emanated from the Options Price Reporting Authority (OPRA) that distributes price quotes across the board.

These technical problems saw a big swing in option trading. During the period, trading was at its worst. However, efforts to restore the trading brought relief at around 1.40 p.m EST. These issues demonstrate the significance of option trading, which reduces the losses that arise from big options swings.

Stock chart showing levels of support (4,5,6, 7, and 8) and resistance (1, 2, and 3); levels of resistance tend to become levels of support and vice versa. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Big Options Swings

In this article we will get to know about big options swings!

Every investor or potential investor, who enters the stock market, is looking for maximum performance from any instrument that is purchased. This is more so because of the sheer fact that this usually indicates a greater profitability or return on investment. This is especially true as it regards to swing trading since relatively short term data has to be given proper technical analysis. Investors will go through this entire technicality just to ensure that all data is accurately projected. This done to make sure gains can be made from the stock or stocks being traded. When an investor is privy to this alternative and potential stock as well as potential error, they should be more comfortable diving in. It is a great comfort to truly understand the nature and depth of the market. One must always, as an investor, allow yourself attempt the unthinkable when it comes to options trading.

International Money Pile in Cash and Coins (Photo credit: epSos.de)

Investing And Trading

Looking to put your money into something long term can be very rewarding. However, if you are not careful you can easily think investing and trading are the same exact thing, when they are not the same thing or anywhere close to it. The problem is many people have never thought about the difference between these and think they are the same thing.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Exxon Mobile Corp (XOM) has maintained its value as the overall markets have turned bearish over the past couple of weeks. The oil/natural gas exploration and development company remains near its 52-week as analyst continue to anticipate strong earnings in the coming quarters. Currently the company is valued at $395 billion and offers a dividend of 1.88 or a 2.3% yield.

A Brief Guide to Options to Swing Trade

Option swing trading is advantageous as it enables you to maximize potential rewards while minimizing potential risks. Those involved in option swing trading are able to leverage their investments by purchasing and selling in a variety of combinations. Options are termed wasting assets: time significantly impacts option prices and trade profitability. The value of the options falls as their expiration date nears. Investors must therefore liquidate their positions prior to option expiration if they realized their profits. Unprofitable options expire on the final trading day of that particular option.