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Understanding Options
 
 
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Understanding Options [Hardcover]

Robert Kolb (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Book Description

0471085545 978-0471085546 January 23, 1995 1
It's not hard to understand why options trading continues to grow in popularity, especially among sophisticated investors with large stock portfolios. Options are a cheaper and therefore, inherently less risky way of speculating on the price movements of stocks or other under-lying goods, yet, due to their volatility, they provide more price action per dollar than do stocks. And, when traded in conjunction with stock portfolios, options can significantly enhance an investor's ability to manipulate the risk and return characteristics of their entire investment. Yet, despite these and other advantages of options, many investors shy away from this highly lucrative type of speculation because of the seeming impenetrability of many of its underlying concepts and technical principles.

Now in a book that demystifies options for financial professionals, Professor Robert W. Kolb, one of the nation's leading authorities on the subject, provides readers with a solid grounding in the principles and practices of options trading. An excellent resource for investors who need to quickly get up to speed in options, Understanding Options offers a balanced presentation that builds swiftly from the most basic concepts and terms to advanced trading strategies and techniques. Written in plain English and filled with real-life examples and case studies, it schools readers in:
* All essential terms, concepts, principles, and practices
* Popular trading techniques and their payoffs
* Option strategies
* Option hedging
* Formal trading models, including the Binomial and Merton models
* Options on stock indexes, foreign currency, and futures
* Option pricing in both the American and European markets
* The options approach to corporate securities
* And much more


Concise yet comprehensive, authoritative yet highly accessible, Understanding Options gives you everything you need to feel right at home in the lucrative world of options.

Comprehensive, practical, authoritative--the fastest, most accessible route to the lucrative world of options

From the basics of what an option is to advanced techniques for profiting from options in a variety of markets, Understanding Options covers all the bases. Written by a leading international authority on options trading, this practical, hands-on guide offers detailed, step-by-step coverage of option trading techniques and their payoffs, option strategies, European and American option pricing, option hedging, and much more. It also explores options on stock indexes, foreign currency, and futures, and takes a close look at the options approach to corporate securities.

A concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to options for financial professionals
* Gets you quickly up and running with all the essential knowledge you need to break into the options markets
* Featuring a balanced presentation that moves swiftly from basic terms and concepts to advanced trading models
* Packed with easy-to-follow examples and case studies that lucidly illustrate all points covered

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This practical, hands-on text covers all the bases--from the fundamentals of what an option entails to advanced details about profiting from options in various markets. Describes option trading methods and their payoffs, strategies, European and American pricing, hedging and more. Examines options on stock indexes, foreign currency and futures and scrutinizes the options approach to corporate securities.

From the Back Cover

It's not hard to understand why options trading continues to grow in popularity, especially among sophisticated investors with large stock portfolios. Options are a cheaper and therefore, inherently less risky way of speculating on the price movements of stocks or other under-lying goods, yet, due to their volatility, they provide more price action per dollar than do stocks. And, when traded in conjunction with stock portfolios, options can significantly enhance an investor's ability to manipulate the risk and return characteristics of their entire investment. Yet, despite these and other advantages of options, many investors shy away from this highly lucrative type of speculation because of the seeming impenetrability of many of its underlying concepts and technical principles.

Now in a book that demystifies options for financial professionals, Professor Robert W. Kolb, one of the nation's leading authorities on the subject, provides readers with a solid grounding in the principles and practices of options trading. An excellent resource for investors who need to quickly get up to speed in options, Understanding Options offers a balanced presentation that builds swiftly from the most basic concepts and terms to advanced trading strategies and techniques. Written in plain English and filled with real-life examples and case studies, it schools readers in:

  • All essential terms, concepts, principles, and practices
  • Popular trading techniques and their payoffs
  • Option strategies
  • Option hedging
  • Formal trading models, including the Binomial and Merton models
  • Options on stock indexes, foreign currency, and futures
  • Option pricing in both the American and European markets
  • The options approach to corporate securities
  • And much more

Concise yet comprehensive, authoritative yet highly accessible, Understanding Options gives you everything you need to feel right at home in the lucrative world of options.

Comprehensive, practical, authoritative—the fastest, most accessible route to the lucrative world of options

From the basics of what an option is to advanced techniques for profiting from options in a variety of markets, Understanding Options covers all the bases. Written by a leading international authority on options trading, this practical, hands-on guide offers detailed, step-by-step coverage of option trading techniques and their payoffs, option strategies, European and American option pricing, option hedging, and much more. It also explores options on stock indexes, foreign currency, and futures, and takes a close look at the options approach to corporate securities.

A concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to options for financial professionals

  • Gets you quickly up and running with all the essential knowledge you need to break into the options markets
  • Featuring a balanced presentation that moves swiftly from basic terms and concepts to advanced trading models
  • Packed with easy-to-follow examples and case studies that lucidly illustrate all points covered

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 23, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471085545
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471085546
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,338,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert W. Kolb

Kolb holds two Ph.D.s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (philosophy 1974, finance 1978) and has been a finance professor at the University of Florida, Emory University, the University of Miami, the University of Colorado, and currently at Loyola University Chicago, where he holds the Considine Chair of Applied Ethics.

Kolb's recent writings include Understanding Futures Markets 6e, and Futures, Options, and Swaps 5e, co-authored with James A. Overdahl. Edited volumes include The Ethics of Executive Compensation, The Ethics of Genetic Commerce, Corporate Retirement Security: Social and Ethical Issues, Corporate Boards: Managers of Risk, Sources of Risk, and the Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society, a five-volume 1.5 million word work. Bob recently published Lessons from the Financial Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Our Economic Future. Current projects include: Employee Stock Options: Financial, Social, and Ethical Issues and The Financial Crisis of Our Time, forthcoming from John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and Oxford University Press, respectively.

Bob also is the sponsoring editor for the Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance:

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-397613.html

Also, visit Bob's web pages:

Academic and professional: http://www.RobertWKolb.com

Photographic: http://www.kolbphoto.com

 

Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Options, December 21, 2008
By 
Maxim Masiutin (Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Understanding Options (Hardcover)
This book assumes that you have familiarity with the stock market but didn't trade options, so it carefully describes what option is and why it can be useful. It progresses from the simplest to the most complex strategies. The book is mostly theoretic, it doesn't have real-life examples. If you need them, get "McMillan on Options" by Lawrence G. McMillan. An important technique of selling puts as a way of buying the underlying security is also not covered in this book. Warren Buffett obtains most of his stock holdings through selling puts. He got most of his Coca-Cola Holdings this way, and, recently, Burlington Northern Santa Fe. If you are interested in this technique, read chapter 19 of "Options as a Strategic Investment" by Lawrence G. McMillan.

A good characteristic of "Understanding options" is that each chapter ends with a set of review questions and answers that will assist you in absorbing and implementing the material covered. It can also be useful if you are teaching options and would like to prepare a questionnaire for your students. Another book that may also be useful for that purpose is "Profit with Options" by Lawrence G. McMillan, it also have questions and answers for each chapter.

If you are new to the stock market, you may instead get "Options Made Easy" by Guy Cohen or "The Options Course" by George A. Fontanills.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful, August 22, 2007
This review is from: Understanding Options (Hardcover)
A very helpful book for understanding options. I would say a must have for any person dealing with options.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Everyone has options. When buying a car we can add more equipment to the automobile that is "optional at extra cost." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stock price lattice, known dividend adjustment, common exercise price, exercisable proceeds, stock price tree, call pricing model, nondividend stock, terminal stock price, stock price outcomes, critical stock price, known dollar dividends, underlying stock trades, initial cash inflow, insured portfolio, immediate exercise value, call option pricing model, short butterfly spread, higher exercise price, price lattices, long condor, condor position, known dividend yield, various stock prices, junior debtholders, long butterfly spread
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chicago Board Options Exchange, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Finance, Transaction Cash Flow Sell, United States, Fischer Black, Market Statistics, Pacific Stock Exchange, Philadelphia Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Last Vol, New York Stock Exchange, Transaction Cash Flow Buy, Chicago Board of Trade, Financial Analysts Journal, Journal of Business, Pacific Exchange, Commodity Exchange, Dow Jones, Exercise Price Option Premium Long, Function of the Time, Journal of Portfolio Management, Swiss Franc, Annual Report
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