Options
How to Read an Options Table
Column 1: Strike Price - This is the stated price per
share for which an underlying stock may be purchased (for a
call) or sold (for a put) upon the exercise of the option contract.
Option strike prices typically move by increments of $2.50 or
$5.00 (even though in the above example it moves in $2 increments).
Column 2: Expiry Date - This shows the termination date
of an option contract. Remember that
options listed in North America expire on the third Friday of the expiry
month.
Column 3: Call or Put - This column refers to whether
the option is a call (C) or put (P).
Column 4: Volume - This indicates the total number of
options contracts traded for the day. The total volume of all
contracts is listed at the bottom of each table.
Column 5: Bid - This indicates the highest price someone is willing
to pay for the contract.
Column 6: Ask - This indicates the lowest price at which someone
is willing to sell a contract.
Column 7: Open Interest - Open interest is the number
of options contracts that are open. These are contracts that
have not expired nor been exercised.
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