KomFi. Academy

Put option

Principles of Finance glossary · Time Value of Money

Definition

A contract granting the holder the right to sell an asset at a specified price.

Put option in plain English

A put option is like buying insurance for something you own. It gives you the RIGHT (but not the obligation) to sell an asset at a locked-in price, called the strike price, no matter how low the market price actually falls. Imagine you own a concert ticket and pay a friend a small fee for a promise to buy it from you for $100 anytime this month — if the show flops and tickets crash to $20, you can still force the sale at $100. People buy puts to protect against prices dropping, which is why a put gains value when the underlying asset falls.

Learn these first

Practice Put option

If the stock price is 35 at expiration, what is the net profit?

Sign up free: all 246 Principles of Finance terms as flashcards, plus practice questions with full explanations →

Related Principles of Finance terms

Principles of Finance practice questions · Principles of Finance flashcards · Principles of Finance study guide