Options trading has become an appealing option for many investors today, particularly as trading volume continues to rise and investors have decided to try new types of investments. If you want to make the most of this type of investment and are interested in trying options in lieu of or in addition to other types of investments, you’ll benefit from gaining a full understanding of options and how they work.

When it comes to boosting your portfolio, you’ve got options! Looking for a new way to flex your investing muscle? Look no further! Options Trading For Dummies offers trusted guidance for anyone ready to jump into the versatile, rewarding world of stock options. And just what are your options options? This book breaks down the most common types of options contracts, helping you select the right strategy for your needs. Learn all about the risk-reward structure of options trading and reduce your risk through smart mixing and matching. Today’s markets are more topsy turvy than ever before, but there is also more potential for everyday investors like you to profit, regardless of economic conditions. Options are great for broadening your retirement portfolio or earning a little extra scratch through shorter-term positions. Options Trading For Dummies is your plain-English resource for learning how! Demystify the world of options contracts and how to trade them, including index, equity, and ETF options Use technical analysis to create a solid trading strategy that limits your risk Protect your assets and avoid the pitfalls common to first-time options traders Learn about covered calls, butterfly positions, and other techniques that can enhance your gains Thinking of trading options, but not sure where to start? This latest edition of Options Trading For Dummies provides you with step-by-step advice for boosting your income under today’s market conditions.

WHY SOME PEOPLE ALMOST ALWAYS MAKE MONEY IN FUTURES AND OPTIONS Uncertainty and risk go hand in hand with money-making opportunities. Services, goods, and basic materials will probably undergo major price swings at one time or another during the next 20 years. The markets are volatile, and they will only keep increasing. The chances for sustainable trends that last for decades, and the way the stock market rallied in the ‘80s and ‘90s are now less likely than they were a few years ago. Trading options and futures is not gambling. It is speculating. It is also about gathering information, and making judgment calls on circumstances that are unfolding. Futures and options trading is a process of self-protection, and continuing education. What you will learn in this book The futures markets are resurging. They are also likely to be hot for many years, given the political landscape. The emergence of India and China as economic powers and consumers, and the changing world demographics, and the changing politics in the Middle East are likely to fuel the increasing prominence of these markets. This ebook will introduce you to these markets, and equip you with the necessary tools for: strong”Trading, analyzing, or simply gaining a better understanding of how money works, and impacts your daily life. strong”Getting started in improving your knowledge on how markets work. strong”Learning that time is on your side in bond and stock markets, but your enemy in the futures and options markets. strong”Remembering that measuring your return of money is more important than the return on your money.Investors in the past could afford to buy and hold stocks or mutual funds for a long time. Today, the world calls for a trader. The futures and options markets, despite the high risk involved, offer some of the best profit-making opportunities during volatile times. You need to get ready to work as a trader, a geopolitical analyst, an expert in the oil markets, and a money manager. You will learn to keep up with news on economy, weekly oil supply trends, disruptions in oil supply, weather patterns, and the stock market, both in the micro and macro universe. As a futures and options trader, you need to do the same with your contract. You must also learn to pay attention to time factors, especially the expiration dates and how much time you have left to decide whether to exercise your option. Always remember that successful traders: strong”Design a solid plan, follow it, and make adjustments to fit changing conditionsstrong”See trading as a businessstrong”Are disciplined in both their professional and personal livesstrong”Understand the game they are playing, including the risksstrong”Accept that they will make mistakesstrong”Learn from their mistakesstrong”Never trade without having an exit strategystrong”Never risk money that they cannot afford to losestrong”Never allow a bad trade to result in a margin callYou may see yourself as a dummy in the world of futures and options markets. After reading this ebook, however, you will learn how trading options and futures is done, and how to stay in the game for as long as you want. You will realize that the more knowledge you have, the better you can position yourself in the game, and play with confidence. Download this book now!

The days of buying and holding stocks and mutual funds for years are gone; nowadays, futures and option markets offer some of the best opportunities to make money trading in volatile times. But like all investments, high risk is involved, and in order to become a successful trader you must be prepared to work as a geopolitical analyst, a money manager, and an expert in all types of commodity markets. Futures & Options For Dummies will show you how trading is done and how to survive and succeed in these ever-changing markets. Filled with nuts-and-bolts advice, you’ll soon discover how to manage the risks involved and reap the rewards of futures and options trading. This straightforward guide gives you the tools you need to understand: Ins and outs of trading futures and options How to analyze the markets and develop strategies Interest-rate futures and speculating with currencies How to stock up on indexes The direction of commodity futures Organizing your financial data and calculating your worth Developing strategies now to avoid pain later The execution of successful trades Trading takes an iron-cast stomach and nerves of steel to perform, and this book features ways to keep yourself sane and secure. It also lists resourceful Web sites, commodity exchanges, books, newsletters, and magazines to assist in your trading endeavors. From technical analysis to finding a broker, Futures & Options For Dummies has all the information you need to capitalize on these markets!

Everybody talks about it—how much you can save , and earn, when you start an online investment program. If you’ve decided you’re ready to find out what all the excitement’s about, you’re in luck. Investing Online For Dummies has been completely revised and updated with the latest tools, Web sites, rule changes, and tips that can make online investing easy and profitable. To be a successful online investor, you need to know your way around the Web and you also need to understand something about investments. Investing Online For Dummies can help you make sound financial decisions by: Outlining basic investment fundamentals Explaining how stock options work and helping you determine the value of your employee stock option plan Pointing out costly traps and ways to avoid them Directing you to resources that provide information you need and helping you make sense of it Showing you how to use the Internet to become a savvy investor This 5th edition of Investing Online For Dummies provides clear instructions and ample illustrations, taking you from the basics of online investing to making your own online stock transactions to purchasing bonds online. A few of the things you’ll discover: What’s important in an online brokerage and how to locate one that meets your needs How to find Internet resources that help you select mutual funds How to use stock online screens to find investment candidates that will move you toward your financial goals Where to look for direct stock purchase and ShareBuilder plans that let you invest online for as little as $25 a month How Internet tools can help you analyze and choose stocks and bonds The secrets to paying the lowest commissions when trading online There’s so much information available on the Internet that you can easily feel overwhelmed. Investing Online For Dummies leads you through that maze, showing you how to get started, what you really need to know, where to go online to find it, and how to get the process underway. When it comes to choosing which cruise to take to celebrate your success, however, you’re on your own!

This study examines the kind of information ‘informed’ traders have prior to a takeover announcement using options of target firms and elaborates on the cross-sectional relationship between options and stocks around takeover announcements. Financial markets are driven by information and by individuals that generate, process, and disclose this information to the market. Naturally, there have to be individuals who possess more information about a firm or a future event than other market participants. Mergers and acquisitions are particularly interesting events in this regard because they can have significant implications for the firms and stakeholders involved, as well as for the competitive dynamics in the respective market. Because of the large potential price impact of such transactions, traders with private information about a prospective takeover are expected to trade on this information to make a profit. But who are these ‘informed traders’ and what kind of information do they possess? This study tries to give a respond to this question.

Stock Message Boards provides empirical data to reveal how online communication not only impacts stock returns, but also volatility, trading volume, and liquidity, as well as an investing firm's value and reputation.

Do you have a few investments that you would like to develop into a full investment plan? Would you like to know how to strengthen your portfolio? Perhaps you want to roll your 401(k) into a new plan? Whatever your agenda is, nowadays it’s hard to find good advice on where to invest your money. Now you’ll have the ultimate one-stop, no-nonsense guide to investing with Investing for Dummies, Fourth Edition! This updated bestseller provides fresh data and analysis on where to put your money and how to improve returns on IRAs and 401(k)s, as well as investing fundamentals like examining your investment options and considering risks and returns. You’ll have all the tools you need to: Investigate and purchase individual stocks Buy bonds and other lending investments Select the right mutual fund Invest in the best stock, bond, and money market funds Choose a worthy brokerage firm Know when to invest in real estate Start and run your own small business Gather a collection of reliable investment resources This handy reference is packed with tips and advice on how to conquer important investment obstacles and what to consider when selling an investment, as well as how to invest in a down market. With Investing for Dummies, Fourth Edition, you’ll soon have the power to turbo-charge your investment and maximize your returns!

Do financial derivatives enhance or impede innovation? We aim to answer this question by examining the relationship between equity options markets and standard measures of firm innovation. Our baseline results show that firms with more options trading activity generate more patents and patent citations per dollar of R&D invested. We then investigate how more active options markets affect firms' innovation strategy. Our results suggest that firms with greater trading activity pursue a more creative, diverse and risky innovation strategy. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms and show that options appear to mitigate managerial career concerns that would induce managers to take actions that boost short-term performance measures. Finally, using several econometric specifications that try to account for the potential endogeneity of options trading, we argue that the positive effect of options trading on firm innovation is causal.

The global value of trading in index futures is about $20 trillion per year and rising and for many countries the value traded is similar to that traded on their stock markets. This book describes how index futures markets work and clearly summarises the substantial body of international empirical evidence relating to these markets. Using the concepts and tools of finance, the book also provides a comprehensive description of the economic forces that underlie trading in index futures. Stock Index Futures 3/e contains many teaching and learning aids including numerous examples, a glossary, essay questions, comprehensive references, and a detailed subject index. Written primarily for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, this text will also be useful to researchers and market participants who want to gain a better understanding of these markets.