Call options are securities that give investors the right but not the obligation to purchase a certain quantity of the underlying asset at a predetermined price during a specified period of time. This is because they have the right to buy, but not the obligation to do so. Therefore, they are referred to as call options, since investors can call upon the issuer of the options to purchase the underlying asset at the predetermined price.
Call options are used as investments by speculators who wish to benefit from what is known as leverage: the ability to control a large amount of stock with a significantly lower amount of capital. By doing so, investors can leverage their capital and potentially generate larger returns than if they were to simply purchase the stock outright.
The primary benefit of investing in call options is the potential for significant gains. This is because, with call options, investors are able to purchase a stock at a substantially lower price than the market price, allowing them to benefit from leverage and any increase in the market price of the underlying asset.
However, call options also come with associated risks. The most noteworthy is that, if the market price of the underlying asset does not increase at least to the strike price of the call option, the call option will expire worthless and the investor will have lost the money they spent in purchasing it. Therefore, investors should always be aware of the risks they are taking when investing in a call option in order to make sure they do not incur an unexpected loss.
It is also important to be aware of the time-value component of options, which is the difference between the market price of the call option and its intrinsic value. This time-value component increases as the length of time remaining on the option increases, as a longer term option can benefit from greater market price fluctuations.
Finally, investors should familiarize themselves with the basics of option trading before investing in call options. This involves researching the volatility of the underlying asset, the strike price of the option, and the expiration date, as well as understanding the different option strategies such as writing, straddles, and spreads. All of this information can help investors gain a better understanding of the potential risks and rewards associated with investing in call options.