What is a Put Option
A put option is a contract that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to sell one bitcoin at a specified strike price at a specified expiration. The buyer pays a premium to a seller for this right.
- Investors may purchase a put option because they believe the price of bitcoin will decrease and want to benefit from a decrease in the price of bitcoin below the strike price. Put options are often used to hedge the negative impact of declines in the price of bitcoin.
- Investors may sell a put option to collect premium or because they believe bitcoin will increase in value or not decline below the strike price.
Example: You think the price of Bitcoin is going down. You could buy to open a put position. Buying a put option gives you the right to sell Bitcoin to the option seller for the strike price.
You buy one put option at a strike price of $10,000 with a premium of $1,000 that expires in six months. The premium is the cost to purchase the put option.
To buy the option, you will need to fund your account with $1,000. Upon executing the trade, the $1,000 will be transferred from your account to the seller’s account and you will now hold one open put position.
Fast forward six months to expiration of the contract and the current market price of bitcoin is $8,000. Six months ago, you paid for the right to buy bitcoin at $10,000. To exercise your option, you will need to fund your account with 1 bitcoin.
You have now sold one bitcoin at $10,000 when the market price for Bitcoin is $8,000, giving you a profit of $1,000 (factoring in the premium you paid for the option).
Fast forward six months to expiration of the contract and the current market price of bitcoin is $11,000. Your put option will expire worthless and you will have lost the $1,000 in option premium you paid six months earlier.