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Learning the Basics of Options Trading for Beginners

Options Trading


Options trading is an appealing way for beginner investors to potentially make money in the stock market. It is important to understand the basics of options trading before taking the plunge.


Options are contracts between two parties with a set of predetermined terms. An “option buyer” pays a premium upfront to gain the right to buy or sell a specific asset (stock, commodity, index, etc) at a predetermined “strike price” within a given timeframe. As an option buyer, speculation is made on whether the value of the underlying asset will go up or down. If the buyer believes the asset will increase in value, they can purchase a “call” option. If the asset’s value is predicted to decline, the buyer opts for a “put” option.


When options trading, there a few terms to be aware of. The “strike price” is the predetermined price the option buyer will exercise their rights to buy or sell the asset, also known as exercising the option. The “premium” is the option buyer’s cost for buying the option. “Expiration date” is the date, fixed in advance by the buyer and seller, when the option buyer will exercise their option or let it expire. “Volatility” is the measure of how much the underlying asset’s value fluctuates over time and largely affects the option buyer’s decision.


Demo accounts exist to give novice traders an opportunity to practice the options trading process. Before deciding to invest actual funds, investors can build their knowledge of the volatile markets before risk large amounts of capital.


Options trading is an attractive option for beginner traders and investors looking to break into the stock market. By understanding the basics of options trading, novice investors can negotiate their way in the market more confidently. With the use of demo accounts, traders can further elevate their knowledge on stocks and options trading before investing their hard-earned money into equities.



UltraAlgo delivers easy to understand Options data to improve your understanding of the stock market with a little help from artificial intelligence. Combined with our industry leading trading algorithms. Our brokerage intergations include: TradeStation, ToS (ThinkorSwim), TD Ameritrade, Interactive Brokers and TradingView. Our products are designed by veteran quants with 20+ years of experience in high frequency trading for hedge funds and banks.


Join our Community with over 17,000 active traders. Our team posts thousands of trading ideas daily covering both interday and intraday trading opportunities. Useful Links | How To Trade What Is Position Sizing When Trading? Is It Effective? What Is Efficient Frontier? Does It Improve Portfolio Performance? What Are Volume Indicators (VWAP, OBV, CMF) for Stock Trading? What Are Volatility Indicators (ATR, Bollinger Bands, Standard Deviation)? What Are Scale-Invariant Momentum Indicators? What Are Momentum Indicators? What Are Trend Indicators? What Is Options Open Interest? What Is The Difference Between Market Depth and Level 2 Data? How To Use Market Depth For Trading Stocks? What Is A Robo-Advisor? What Is Trading Profit Factor? How To Use Profit Target & Stop Loss In Trading? What's Heikin-Ashi & How To Use In Trading? What Is Algorithmic Trading? How To Use Resistance & Support Lines For Trading?

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