Options Trading

What is a market maker, anyway? Market makers are professional traders typically on the other side of retail trades. Here are market maker strategies to learn.

What are puts and calls? Investors can learn the basics, the differences, and how to decide if these options are suitable for their risk level and objectives.

There have been a few occasional stock market bubbles since the beginning of markets. Here’s a look at a few of them, and what today’s investors can learn from these popped stock market bubbles.

Have you ever thought about how to trade options? Consider exploring a covered call options trade. In this article, you'll how to make your first options trade.

Some option traders stick to selling strategies only, but buying calls and puts have their place too. You just have to remember these five tips.

: Interested in trading options but think it’s too expensive? Check out Cboe’s Mini Index Options, XSP & MRUT & how you can start option trading with a smaller portfolio

Diversification isn’t just about stocks, bonds, and cash. When hedging risk for an options portfolio, think price, time, and volatility.

The next time you find yourself in a winning trade and think you can squeeze a little more, consider a few strategies to reduce your risks without giving up on more.

When you’re looking for critical information about your trading accounts, account positions, and how your positions are doing, you want to have the key data points at your fingertips. The Monitor tab on thinkorswim® allows you to access this information.

thinkorswimWeb is a browser based trading platform that offers traders a streamlined experience for trading stocks, futures, forex, and options.

Options data can be difficult to understand, especially if you’re a newbie. But a feature on the thinkorswim® platform from TD Ameritrade allows you to chart options prices to visualize if premium is expensive, cheap, or fair.

thinkorswim Web is the TD Ameritrade streamlined, web-based options trading platform that lets you trade wherever you have an internet connection.

The stock markets have lots of activity every single trading day. These tools can help you stay on top of what's happening in the stock markets: Options Time & Sales and Active Trader.

If you want to invest in a high-priced stock and can only afford to buy a few shares, you may want to consider other investment choices that give you similar exposure without paying the high price tag.

Learn how a long calendar spread can be effective in a low-volatility trading environment.

Once you’ve learned to use the Risk Profile tool on the thinkorswim® platform for single-leg options, you may wish to use it for more complex trades.

Options trading involves risk, but these risks can be analyzed, monitored, and simulated with the thinkorswim® Risk Profile tool.

Learn the difference between implied and historical volatility, and find out how to align your options trading strategy with the right volatility exposure.

Core positions are treated differently among investors and traders. Learn more about leveraging your trading portfolio and managing core positions.

Calendar spreads, an options trading strategy, could be the answer if you are looking for high probability opportunities amid a low volatility trading environment. Learn more about option opportunities in a quiet market.

Are you a long-term investor hoping to use time to your advantage? Don’t chase trends, and especially don’t try to time the market. There are other ways.

Learn how certain order types such as the limit order and stop-loss order can help you implement your exit strategy for options trades.

The DOL has decided to allow trading options in IRAs—learn more about strategies that can be used to manage risk and potentially generate income.

Potential strategies for a depressed VIX—When volatility is low, learn how to hedge a trader's version of "yield" by trading volatility as an asset class.

Use volatility to pick an options strategy to speculate on a given direction, rather than to replace fundamental analysis and charts to determine potential.

Don’t panic and sell your long-term retirement investment. Instead, consider going shopping during a stock market down phase.

Trying to time the market? Add sentiment analysis to your stock trading approach to help narrow the time horizon around an underlying security’s move.

To gauge a stock trend, it's all in the charts. But what about its options? You may not be trading options, but ignore them, and you may be missing the bigger picture.

The CBOE has transformed with technology and major product licenses. It still holds an important place in the world of options, but it finds competition nipping at its heels. Who benefits? Retail investors.

Basic options strategies can help investors protect portfolios against inevitable market volatility and market crashes.

With IRAs, plenty of stop signs tell you what you can and can’t do with options. Are there workarounds?

Short options aren't as scary as you might think. The trick to being on the right side of a short trade starts with the right info.

Who’s the mysterious person behind the curtain who takes the other side of your trade? Market makers are paid to take risk and provide market liquidity. Find out how this helps you.

Options aren’t always for speculation. They can be used for portfolio protection.

Anything can happen in one trade. But over a large number of options trades, high probabilities are what matter most.