Debit Spread

Also called a net debit spread.  A strategy involving a investor simultaneously buying an option with a higher premium and selling an option with a lower premium.  The investor is said to be a “net buyer” and expects the premiums of the two options (or the...

Credit Spread

An options strategy involving the purchase of one option and the sale of a second option in the same class and expiration but with different strike prices.  This is designed to make a profit when the spreads between the two options narrows.  Investors receive net...

Bull Call Spread

An options trading strategy designed to take advantage of a stock’s limited increase in price.  It achieves this by placing two call options to create a range consisting of a lower and upper strike price.  This helps limit the losses (but also caps the gains). ...

Bear Put Spread

An options trading strategy used by a bearish investor to maximize profit and minimize loss.  When the trader expects the decline of a security or asset price, a bear put spread may be implemented by purchasing put options while also selling the same number of puts on...

“Greeks”

A way of understanding the risk exposures related to an option or a book of options.  Options traders will refer to the delta, gamma, vega, and theta of their option positions, referring to measurements of the sensitivity of an option’s price relative to...