This website has been archived for historical purposes.
The Membrane Domain
Options -- Putting Your Calls Where Your Mouth Is
Options
Now to business; the art of making money. Frequently I speak of a stock
that has
"attractive options," or kiddingly, "voluptuous options". Since you can't
see them you
may believe that I am leading you on a financial Snipe hunt. Perhaps you
expect me to
show you how to trill your voice properly for the mating call. Such is not
the case. To
understand options better, call 1-800-952-8665, and order for free "The
Options Tool."
It's a dry but short video about options made for you. It's not as much fun
as renting "Die
Hard," but then, I never found any financial benefit from viewing gratuitous
violence,
either. I'll leave options teaching to the video, but explain the results of a
"real life" options
situation. The prices reflect those of the day this particular example was
taken a few
months back, and are the "real" net values to the investor. Say I was your
broker (now
say it again) and you bought Structural Dynamics (NASDAQ: SDRC) at $13.87 per
share
(it was my darling because of their fundamentals and they have attractive
options). If you
sold the July@$15 call options, you would receive .94 per share. Like I
said, we are
going to SELL the option and RECEIVE money; like buying a car and selling
the spare
tire. If the stock goes up and stays over $15 by July 21, you will have to
sell your stock at
$15, and thus receive $14.73 per share. If the price remains close to where
it is, and there
is no change in the fundamentals, you hold the stock. That's no big deal to
a long term
player who intended to hold it at least that long anyway. Here it is as a
balance sheet:
Spending, per share
13.87 (stock "buy")
you sold)
Total $13.87 (spent by you)
Receive, per share
.94 (premium from option)
14.73 (stock "sell")
Total $15.67 (received by you)
If this stock goes above $15, you will net about 13% on your investment in
roughly five
weeks. If it doesn't, you have received the equivalent of 6.8% of the value
of your
investment. Either way, it crushes CD rates. So you ask, Is the hand really
quicker than
the eye?
This is not sleight of hand, anamolies like this occur daily, and options are
not the
exclusive domain of the foolhardy. Consider that for every gambler, there is
a vig. It's all
a matter of which side of the equation you are on: as the gambler who bets,
or the house
who takes in his money. Most people dismiss this as financial alchemy. So,
let me draw
an analogy: When manned flight was first developed, it was widely believed
its only use
would be to speed up mail delivery. But, it has since been adapted for
passenger travel,
space exploration, crop dusting, and yes, mail delivery. Options are not
new, and for
anyone to pass it off as voodoo economics means he may be leaving a lot of
money on the
table.