Understanding Option Symbols
Option Symbols
Here’s a quick review on options symbols. Each option has its own ticker symbol, which contains information pertaining to the stock,
the expiration, whether the option is a call or a put, and the strike price. Take this option symbol from Apple Inc:
AAPL160115C00130000
The constituent parts of the symbol are as follows:
|
Stock
|
Expiration year
|
Expiration month
|
Expiration day
|
Call/put
|
Strike price
|
|
AAPL
|
16
|
01
|
15
|
C
|
00130000
|
|
|
Apple Inc
|
2016
|
January
|
15th
|
Call
|
130
|
So the option is an Apple Inc. January 2016 call that expires on the third Friday - the 15th - of January. The equivalent put option would be identical,
except the “C” would be replaced by a “P” as shown in the following:
AAPL160115P00130000
This is much easier than the previous method where strikes and expirations were identified by letters.