Equity and ETF LEAPS® Contract Specifications

Description

LEAPS® are American-style options on certain equities and ETFs that, upon listing, have terms of greater than 12 months. With the exception of the longer maturity date, equity and ETF LEAPS® specifications are the same as those for regular-term equity options. (Certain Index products may have Long-dated options, and investors should refer to the specifications at the exchange site(s) for descriptions on those.)


Unit of trade

100 of the underlying shares per standard option contract.

options trading

Premium quotations

Option premiums are stated in points and decimals; one point equals $100. The minimum price change for a series trading below $3 is $.05 ($5) and for all other series is $.10 ($10) per contract. Some exchange programs allow for premium quotations in $.01 increments.


Strike price intervals

Initial strike prices are generally set within 25% above or below the underlying stock’s price and cannot be within $1 of another strike for that LEAPS® series. Participation in various exchange programs may exempt a product from the standard listing procedure.


Exercise style

Equity and ETF LEAPS® are American-style options. The option may be exercised any business day prior to the expiration date.


Exercise settlement time

Exercise notices tendered on any business day will result in delivery of the underlying shares on the third (T+3) business day following exercise.


Expiration month and date

LEAPS® options expire on the third Friday in January.


Position limits

Positions must be aggregated with those of any other option on the same underlying security for the purpose of position and exercise limits. Investors may check Position Limit reports from OCC’s website for more information.


Minimum customer margin

Purchases of puts or calls with nine months or less until expiration must be paid for in full. Writers of uncovered puts or calls must deposit/maintain 100% of the option proceeds* plus 20% of the aggregate contract value (current equity price x $100) minus the amount by which the option is out-of-the-money, if any, subject to a minimum for calls of option proceeds* plus 10% of the aggregate contract value and a minimum for puts of option proceeds* plus 10% of the aggregate exercise price amount. Margin requirements for some broad-based ETFs may vary.


(*For calculating maintenance margin, use the option’s current market value instead of the option proceeds.)


TRADING HOURS

9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET for some broad-based ETF LEAPS®


Ready to apply what you've learned?

Content Licensed from the Options Industry Council. All Rights Reserved. OIC or its affiliates shall not be responsible for content contained on Company’s Website, or other Company Materials not provided by OIC.


Content licensed from the Options Industry Council is intended to educate investors about U.S. exchange-listed options issued by The Options Clearing Corporation, and shall not be construed as furnishing investment advice or being a recommendation, solicitation or offer to buy or sell ant option or any other security. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors.

© 2024 Lightspeed Financial Services Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Equities, equities options, and commodity futures products and services are offered by Lightspeed Financial Services Group LLC (Member FINRA, NFA and SIPC). Lightspeed Financial Services Group LLC’s SIPC coverage is available only for securities, and for cash held in connection with the purchase or sale of securities, in equities and equities options accounts. You may check the background of Lightspeed Financial Services Group LLC on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.


Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options


ETFs are subject to market fluctuation and the risks of their underlying investments. ETFs are subject to management fees and other expenses.