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Greek of the Week: Theta

Greek of the Week: Theta

Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, August 28, 2018. So far, we’ve looked at delta and gamma. This week, we’ll turn to theta. Theta: T is for “time decay.” Theta measures how...

Greek of the Week: Vega

Greek of the Week: Vega

Editor’s note: This post, part of a four-part series about options Greeks, was originally published on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. So far we’ve reviewed three options “Greeks,” with memory tricks for keeping them straight: Delta: D is for direction.Gamma: G is for...

The Basics of Options

The Basics of Options

Options are an important tool for many retail investors. They can either replace trading shares, or make it easier to position oneself in stocks. Let's consider the first things options traders need to know. An Option's Price Is Usually Called 'Premium' There are some...

The Structure of Options Trades

The Structure of Options Trades

While options can be traded by themselves, investors often use them in conjunction with other securities. So before going further, let's consider the four basic ways that options trades are structured. You Can Trade Options by Themselves As we learned in a previous...

Buying and Selling Options

Buying and Selling Options

Most clients understand buying and selling stocks. Options are similar, and can be traded in the same brokerage accounts. However, you should know some basic differences. Bid / Ask Spreads Matter A bid/ask spread is the difference between where you can sell a security...

Essential Options Knowledge: Time, Volatility and Different Kinds of Value

Essential Options Knowledge: Time, Volatility and Different Kinds of Value

Options confuse a lot of investors because several factors impact their value. Unlike stocks, they don't just go up and down based on supply and demand. This post will explain three of the most important concepts you need to get started: time, volatility and intrinsic...

Chart of the Day: Royal Caribbean May Be Cruising Lower

Chart of the Day: Royal Caribbean May Be Cruising Lower

Royal Caribbean Cruises drifted higher since the summer, but now it may be rolling over. The first pattern on today’s chart is the level around $61.45, where the leisure stock bottomed in March before proceeding to new lows. RCL peaked around that price on November 15...

Stocks Fall as Fed Drives Fear About Earnings and a Potential Recession

Stocks Fall as Fed Drives Fear About Earnings and a Potential Recession

Stocks fell again last week as the Federal Reserve's tough stance on inflation made investors worry about earnings and a potential recession in 2023. The S&P 500 slid 2.1 percent between Friday, December 9, and Friday, December 16. The Nasdaq-100 fell even more,...

Negatives Are Piling Up in This Year’s Only Positive Sector

Negatives Are Piling Up in This Year’s Only Positive Sector

Energy stocks are the only positive sector in 2022, but they're ending the year under a cloud of negativity. Crude oil futures (@CL) have fallen 13 percent so far in December, putting them on pace for their biggest drop in over a year. They're down in six of the last...