Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A Brief Overview of Futures and Options



Futures and options can be classified under the derivatives classification for financial instruments. The derivatives were in operation for many hundreds of years and have become significantly more popular during recent years.

This is despite the realization they carry on face a great deal of critique, with accusations that they cause the markets to be vulnerable to lack of stability as a consequence of insufficient transparency.

One of the chief benefits of investing in futures and options would be that the risks management is improved and while doing so liquidity levels will be increased. Values for futures and options will depend on a surplus asset and this is known as the underlying. Generally, this could be a stock or possibly the market index.

The alternative will be a derivative which gives a person the right to trade or purchase the underlying investment. There will be no accountability. There are a couple off forms of options, the put alternative and the call alternative. Call options will give an investor the authority to buy the investment, while the put option will be vested along with the right to trade this underlying asset.

A mutual agreement is involved and this called the alternative contract, which shows the amount for selling and buying the underlying asset. This option contract likewise provides the expiration date when the agreement won't be valid.

It is workable to exercise options in the European and American styles. For the American style, an option is oftentimes exercised before the expiry of the agreement while with the European style options might be exercised all through the expiration date.

Futures make reference to a tradable and standardized contract which will take settlement at specific rates and on specific date ranges. Futures are likely to be more risky when equated with options as it carries a responsibility to purchase. It is also possible to use commodities such as gas and gold as a way to settle a transaction.


Buying and selling in futures maybe carried out in several ways. There is the squaring off approach, meaning taking the reverse option of the contract. Delivery alternative is when the asset will be delivered physically. For example, if your guide involved selling a certain amount of gold, the real gold will be provided to the buyer on the agreed date.

Cash settlement will involve paying the main difference of the spot price and futures founded on cash terms.