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Options

Notes on options contracts: how they are priced, how they behave, and the language traders use to describe them.

2026

Options basics: delta, calls, volatility, ITM and OTM

An option is a contract on an underlying asset. A call tracks upside above a strike, a put tracks downside below a strike, and terms like delta, implied volatility, in the money, and out of the money describe how sensitive the contract is and where it sits relative to the current price. Options terminology gets messy fast if the vocabulary is not clear. These are the terms that show up again and again: calls, puts, strike, premium, delta, volatility, and moneyness.