The stock market appeals to people for many reasons. Some see it as a quick way to make a nice nest egg to tuck away for their eventual retirement. Some see it as a way to live out their fantasies of being a powerful, corporate type. And some are actually more logical about it, seeing the stock market as a potential way to make money, if they play their cards right. They know that there are no sure things in life and nowhere is that more clear than in the stock market. But options trading is a opportunity for the small investor too.
Options trading has grown in popularity, especially with the smaller investors over the course of the past ten years. Unlike other forms of trading that can require large amounts of venture capital, options trading can be accomplished with often a very small initial outlay. Of course, because they can be easily started, it can allow the uninitiated or poorly informed to get in well over their heads in a matter of a very short time. Not allowing yourself to understand the market before you make the first trade is financially foolhardy and personally dangerous.
First of all, as the name implies, option trading is not buying actual stocks, but rather busying the right to own or sell them. The options trader can make the same profit with stock options that he would make as if the owned the outright stocks, but that also means that he would face the same risks if that stock did not do well on the market. As with other forms of trading, options trading will require that you learn some facts and make some decisions before hand. Know everything you possibly can about options trading, as well as trading in general. Know how to track stocks for movement and know how to watch for trends.
Know what the basic types of options trading is- and understand how each works. And, as with any other type of trading, make sure you know and adhere to your personal limits, including your absolute loss cap. Do not overextend yourself, even if you just got a tip on a great stock.
Options trading can focus on stocks that are heading in one of two directions, up or down. Call options will focus on rising stocks, while Put options focus on those on the decline. Both allow you the right to buy the option on a stock at a fixed price, but do not force you to do so. Knowing how to work this system to your best advantage is key. Invest in yourself, learn the basics and expand on that to become profitable in options trading.
At conservativetrader.com they have many tools and resources to help the small investor and trader become more profitable.
by William Oedge
