The premium is the current market price of an options contract. Like any market price, it’s influenced by supply and demand:
Market demand for an option is largely driven by two components: intrinsic value and time value.
Intrinsic value is the amount of profit the holder would have if the option were exercised right now. For example, an option that gives you the right to buy a stock at $50 when the stock is trading at $60 has $10 of intrinsic value. In general, the more intrinsic value an option has, the higher its premium.
Time value is the portion of the premium that reflects how much time is left until expiration. More time means more opportunity for the market price to move in a favorable direction, so longer-dated options usually have higher time value - and therefore higher premiums.
Option premiums can be summarized with this formula:
Intrinsic value is also called the “in the money” (ITM) amount. An option is in the money when exercising it would produce a positive return for the holder. Here’s how intrinsic value relates to calls and puts:
Calls:
Go in the money (gain intrinsic value) when the market rises
Go out the money (lose intrinsic value) when the market falls
Puts:
Go in the money (gain intrinsic value) when the market falls
Go out the money (lose intrinsic value) when the market rises
To represent this visually:
| Market | Calls | Puts |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | ITM | OTM |
| — | ATM | ATM |
| ↓ | OTM | ITM |
If a contract is in the money, it has intrinsic value. If a contract is out of the money, it has no intrinsic value. A contract is at the money when the strike price and the market price are the same.
Market prices change every day, so an option can move in and out of the money many times before expiration. Because so much can change over an option’s life, time value is a major factor in what the contract is worth.
*Standard options maintain expirations of up to nine months from issuance. However, LEAPS options maintain expirations of up to 3 years or 39 months from issuance.
Calculating intrinsic value is straightforward once you know three things:
Let’s work through a few examples.
1 ABC Jan 50 call when the market price is $55
This option has $5 of intrinsic value (it’s “in the money” by $5). Now try these.
1 ABC Jan 50 call when the market price is $70. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
$20 of intrinsic value (“in the money” by $20)
1 ABC Jan 50 call when the market price is $40. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
No intrinsic value (“out the money” by $10)
1 ABC Jan 50 call when the market price is $50. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
No intrinsic value (“at the money”)
A call’s intrinsic value depends on the stock’s market price relative to the strike price:
Some test takers remember this as “call up.”
Notice that we haven’t used the premium yet. Being “in the money” or “out of the money” describes intrinsic value only - it doesn’t tell you whether you’ll profit overall. Your overall gain or loss depends on the full premium you paid or received.
Now let’s look at puts using similar numbers.
1 ABC Jan 50 put when the market price is $55
This option has no intrinsic value and is “out of the money” by $5. Try these.
1 ABC Jan 50 put when the market price is $70. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
No intrinsic value (“out of the money” by $20)
1 ABC Jan 50 put when the market price is $40. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
$10 intrinsic value (“in the money” by $10)
1 ABC Jan 50 put when the market price is $50. How much intrinsic value does the option have?
No intrinsic value (“at the money”)
A put’s intrinsic value depends on the stock’s market price relative to the strike price:
Some test takers remember this as “put down.” As you can see, puts move opposite of calls.
Intrinsic value is one part of the premium; time value is the other. The more time an option has until expiration, the more opportunity the stock price has to move above or below key levels.
Suppose you can choose between an option expiring in one week and an option expiring in nine months. If both cost the same, the nine-month option would usually be more attractive because it gives the market more time to move in your favor.
In practice, though, the nine-month option typically costs more (assuming the same option type and strike price). From the writer’s perspective, a longer-lived option creates more risk, so writers generally demand higher premiums. Bottom line: the longer the time until expiration, the more expensive the option tends to be.
Time value isn’t usually calculated directly without more advanced models. But you can find time value using simple algebra by rearranging the premium formula:
Let’s work through a few examples.
1 ABC Mar 35 call @ $5 when ABC’s market price is $36. What is the intrinsic value and time value?
Can you figure it out?
The option has $1 of intrinsic value (“call up”). To find the time value:
In summary:
If you purchase this call for $500 ($5 x 100 shares), $100 ($1 x 100 shares) is paying for the immediate benefit provided by intrinsic value. The remaining $400 ($4 x 100 shares) is paying for time - the chance for the market price to rise further.
Let’s try another:
1 ABC Dec 70 call @ $3 when the market price is $68. What is the intrinsic value and time value?
The option has no intrinsic value (“out of the money”). To find the time value:
In summary:
When an option has no intrinsic value, the premium is 100% time value. If you purchase this option, you’re not paying for an immediate exercise benefit. The $300 premium ($3 x 100 shares) is paying only for time - the chance for the market price to rise above $70.
How about this one?
1 ABC Apr 95 put @ $9 when the market price is $92. What is the intrinsic value and time value?
The option has $3 of intrinsic value (“put down”). To find the time value:
In summary:
If you purchase this put for $900 ($9 x 100 shares), $300 ($3 x 100 shares) is paying for the immediate benefit provided by intrinsic value. The remaining $600 ($6 x 100 shares) is paying for time - the chance for the market price to fall further.
Last one.
1 ABC Aug 20 put @ $4 when the market price is $21. What is the intrinsic value and time value?
The option has $0 of intrinsic value (“out of the money”). To find the time value:
In summary:
Again, when an option has no intrinsic value, the premium is 100% time value. If you purchase this put, you’re not paying for an immediate exercise benefit. The $400 premium ($4 x 100 shares) is paying only for time - the chance for the market price to fall below $20.
When an option is “in the money,” holders may consider exercising their options contracts. Exercising usually involves a phone call or an online request. However, not every option can be exercised at any time. Options can have two different exercise styles: American and European.
American style options allow exercise to occur at any time. Equity (stock) options are American-style.
European style options only allow exercise to occur at expiration. Index options, which derive their value from fluctuating index values, are almost always European-style. This style of option was introduced to reduce the anxiety of option writers. Although an option may go in the money, the writer knows they don’t need to be concerned about an exercise until expiration.
American and European-style options only relate to the ability to exercise a contract. Both allow option trades to occur at any time leading up to expiration. Therefore, an investor who wants to “get out” of a European-style option does not necessarily need to wait until expiration. They can simply perform a closing transaction!
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