Option Premium: Definition, Factors Affecting Pricing, and Example (2024)

What Is an Option Premium?

An option premium is the current market price of an option contract. It is thus the income received by the seller (writer) of an option contract to another party. In-the-money option premiums are composed of two factors: intrinsic and extrinsic value. Out-of-the-money options premiums consist solely of extrinsic value.

For stock options, the premium is quoted as a dollar amount per share, and most contracts represent the commitment of 100 shares.

Key Takeaways

  • The premium on an option is its price in the market.
  • Option premium will consist of extrinsic, or time value for out-of-the-money contracts and both intrinsic and extrinsic value for in-the-money options.
  • An option's premium will generally be greater given more time to expiration or greater implied volatility.

Understanding Option Premium

Investors who write, which means to sell in this case, calls or puts use option premiums as a source of current income in line with a broader investment strategy to hedge all or a portion of a portfolio. Option prices quoted on an exchange, such as the Cboe Options Exchange (Cboe), are considered premiums as a rule because the options themselves have no underlying value.

The components of an option premium include its intrinsic value, its time value and the implied volatility of the underlying asset. As the option nears its expiration date, the time value will edge closer and closer to $0, while the intrinsic value will closely represent the difference between the underlying security's price and the strike price of the contract.

Factors of Option Premium

The main factors affecting an option's price are the underlying security's price, moneyness, useful life of the option, and implied volatility. As the price of the underlying security changes, the option premium changes. As the underlying security's price increases, the premium of a call option increases, but the premium of a put option decreases. As the underlying security's price decreases, the premium of a put option increases, and the opposite is true for call options.

The moneyness affects the option's premium because it indicates how far away the underlying security price is from the specified strike price. As an option becomes further in-the-money, the option's premium normally increases. Conversely, the option premium decreases as the option becomes further out-of-the-money. For example, as an option becomes further out-of-the-money, the option premium loses intrinsic value, and the value stems primarily from the time value.

The time until expiration, or the useful life, affects the time value portion of the option's premium. As the option approaches its expiration date, the option's premium stems mainly from the intrinsic value. For example, deep out-of-the-money options that are expiring in one trading day would normally be worth $0, or very close to $0.

Implied Volatility and Option Price

Implied volatility is derived from the option's price, which is plugged into an option's pricing model to indicate how volatile a stock's price may be in the future. Moreover, it affects the extrinsic value portion of option premiums. If investors are long options, an increase in implied volatility would add to the value. This is because the greater the volatility of the underlying asset, the more chances the option has of finishing in-the-money. The opposite is true if implied volatility decreases.

For example, assume an investor is long one call option with an annualized implied volatility of 20%. Therefore, if the implied volatility increases to 50% during the option's life, the call option premium would appreciate in value. An option's vega is its change in premium given a 1% change in implied volatility.

Option Premium: Definition, Factors Affecting Pricing, and Example (2024)

FAQs

Option Premium: Definition, Factors Affecting Pricing, and Example? ›

An option's premium is comprised of intrinsic value and extrinsic value. Intrinsic value is reflective of the actual value of the strike price versus the current market price. Extrinsic value is made up of time until expiration, implied volatility, dividends and interest rate risks.

What are the factors affecting the price of option premium? ›

The main factors affecting an option's price are the underlying security's price, moneyness, useful life of the option, and implied volatility.

What is premium in options with example? ›

Option premium is a term used to describe the price that an option buyer pays to the seller for the right to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price within a specific period.

What is an example of option pricing? ›

For example, let's say an investor owns a call option on a stock that is currently trading at $49 per share. The strike price of the option is $45, and the option premium is $5. Because the stock price is currently $4 more than the option's strike price, then $4 of the $5 premium is comprised of intrinsic value.

What factors could affect the premium paid on a put option describe how each factor affects the size of the premium? ›

Identify the factors affecting the premium paid on a put option. Describe how each factor affects the size of the premium. The greater the volatility of the underlying stock's price, the higher the premium. The lower the stock's existing price relative to the exercise price, the higher the premium.

What are the six factors affecting option premium? ›

Factors Affecting Option Premium - Six primary factors influence options pricing. They are the underlying price, strike price, time until expiration, volatility, interest rates and dividends.

What 4 major factors can affect pricing decisions? ›

Pricing decisions in business operations are influenced by factors such as cost of production, competition, target audience, market conditions, desired profit margin, and perceived value of the product or service.

How does option premium work? ›

The closer the option contract is to in-the-money, the more the chances of a high premium. On the other hand, the premium goes down if the options contract is out of the money. The time left until expiration can also affect the premium. As the contract gets nearer to its expiration date, the premium also decreases.

What is meant by option premium? ›

Option premium is the price of the financial contract with a particular underlying asset and strike price. You must pay the premium to purchase an options contract. On the other hand, you receive a premium on selling or writing off options. A range of factors help decide the premium for an option.

What are the two components of the option premium? ›

An option's premium is comprised of intrinsic value and extrinsic value. Intrinsic value is reflective of the actual value of the strike price versus the current market price. Extrinsic value is made up of time until expiration, implied volatility, dividends and interest rate risks.

How is option premium calculated? ›

In the case of multiple trades, the option premium value is calculated by adding up the average price of all sell orders placed for the specific contract.

What is the option premium pricing model? ›

An option's premium (intrinsic value plus time value) generally increases as the option becomes further in-the-money. It decreases as the option becomes more deeply out-of-the-money. Time until expiration, as discussed above, affects the time value component of an option's premium.

What is a real example of options trading? ›

Example: Stock X is trading for $20 per share, and a call with a strike price of $20 and expiration in four months is trading at $1. The contract pays a premium of $100, or one contract * $1 * 100 shares represented per contract. The trader buys 100 shares of stock for $2,000 and sells one call to receive $100.

What are premium factors? ›

What Is the Basic Premium Factor? The basic premium factor is the acquisition expenses, underwriting expenses, profit, and loss conversion factor adjusted for the insurance charge for a policy. The basic premium factor is used in the calculation of retrospective premiums.

What does the premium depend on? ›

Meaning of Insurance Premium

For deciding the premium amount, an insurance company examines the type of coverage being opted, the lifestyle and health conditions, and the likelihood of a claim being made, among other factors. You may pay an insurance premium in a lump sum or as a regular sum.

Which factors are not used to determine premium amounts? ›

Five factors can affect a plan's monthly premium: location, age, tobacco use, plan category, and whether the plan covers dependents. Notice: FYI Your health, medical history, or gender can't affect your premium.

What two factors have the greatest influence on an option's premium? ›

Factors having a significant effect on options premium include: Underlying price. Strike. Time until expiration.

What happens to options premiums when interest rates rise? ›

The Effects of Interest Rates

Rho measures the sensitivity of an option's price to a change in interest rates. An increase in interest rates will drive up call premiums and cause put premiums to decrease. Thus, calls have positive rho while puts have negative rho.

How premium is decided in option trading? ›

The closer the option contract is to in-the-money, the more the chances of a high premium. On the other hand, the premium goes down if the options contract is out of the money. The time left until expiration can also affect the premium. As the contract gets nearer to its expiration date, the premium also decreases.

How does volatility impact the premium the price of an option? ›

As volatility increases, the prices of all options on that underlying—both calls and puts and at all strike prices—tend to rise. This is because the chances of all options finishing in the money likewise increase.

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