Commodity options are capable of offering the options holder the right to buy and sell commodities at the specified rates within a specific time. The commodity options are offered in several over-the-counter markets and exchanges. Helping people to ensure against the price volatility is the main function of the options.
There are two main varieties of commodity options. These are called call and put options. Over-the-counter markets offer different varieties of them. They can be defined as the contracts that allow the buyers an option, the right not an obligation for buying and selling at specific rate with the specified date. The most important feature of these options is that they do not obligate either of the parties. This can be called as one of the most important difference between a futures contract and an options contract.
Futures contracts are known to obligate both parties to abide by the terms of the contract. The options may be written for the underlying assets including financial indexes and financial instruments. However, if the underlying assets are commodities like precious metals, grain, oil and other agricultural products, the options will be called commodity options.
The main factor that differentiates the options is the criteria whether they offer the ‘buyer of option’, the right to buy or sell the commodity at rates that are specified before their expiration date. The options that offer a right to buy are known as call options whereas the ones that offer a right to sell are known as put options.
An options contract must specify certain things including the commodity being traded, whether the options are call or put, number of units being traded, the expiration date and the strike price fundamentally. In brief, commodity options are a great help to traders as they offer an insurance against the price volatility.
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