Definition, How It Works, Risks, and Example

Table of Contents

What Is a Temporary Put?

A temporary put refers to when a broker opens an possible choices trade via selling or writing a put selection. The broker who buys the put selection is long that selection, and the broker who wrote that selection is short.

The author (fast) of the put selection receives the highest elegance (selection worth), and the ease on the trade is limited to that high elegance.

Key Takeaways

  • A temporary put is when a broker sells or writes a put selection on a security.
  • The idea at the back of the short put is to benefit from an building up throughout the stock’s worth via collecting the highest elegance associated with a sale in a temporary put.
  • Because of this, a decline in worth will incur losses for the selection author.

Basics of the Temporary Put

A temporary put is often referred to as an uncovered put or a naked put. If an investor writes a put selection, that investor is obligated to shop for shares of the underlying stock if the put selection buyer workouts the selection.

The short put holder might simply moreover face a substantial loss prior to the consumer exercising, or the selection expiring, if the price of the underlying falls underneath the strike worth of the short put selection. 

Temporary Put Mechanics

A temporary put occurs if a trade is opened via selling a put. For this movement, the author (provider) receives a best elegance for writing an selection. The author’s get advantages on the selection is limited to that high elegance won. 

Beginning up an selection trade to open a spot via selling a put is as opposed to buying an selection and then selling it. Throughout the latter, the advertise order is used to close a spot and lock in a get advantages or loss. Throughout the former, the advertise (writing) is opening the put position.

If a broker initiates a temporary put, they most certainly imagine the price of the underlying will stay above the strike worth of the written put. If the price of the underlying stays above the strike worth of the put selection, the selection will expire worthless and the author gets to stick the highest elegance. If the price of the underlying falls underneath the strike worth, the author faces possible losses.

Some patrons use a temporary put to buy the underlying protection. For example, suppose you want to buy a stock at $25, however it for sure at the moment trades at $27. Selling a put selection with a strike of $25 manner if the price falls underneath $25 you’ll be required to buy that stock at $25, which you wanted to do anyway. The convenience is that you simply won a best elegance for writing the selection. Should you won a $1 best elegance for writing the selection, then you have got gotten effectively diminished your gain worth to $24. If the price of the underlying does now not drop underneath $25, you proceed to stick the $1 best elegance.


Temporary Put.

Image via Sabrina Jiang © Investopedia 2020


Risks of Selling Puts

The convenience on a temporary put is limited to the highest elegance won, alternatively the chance can be vital. When writing a put, the author is wanted to buy the underlying at the strike worth. If the price of the underlying falls underneath the strike worth, the put author might simply face crucial loss.

For example, if the put strike worth is $25, and the price of the underlying falls to $20, the put author is coping with a loss of $5 in keeping with proportion (a lot much less the highest elegance won). They can close out the selection trade (acquire an method to offset the short) to understand the loss, or let the selection expire which will goal the method to be exercised and the put author will private the underlying at $25.

If the selection is exercised and the author needs to buy the shares, this will likely once in a while require an additional cash outlay. In this case, for every fast put contract the broker will wish to acquire $2,500 worth of stock ($25 x 100 shares).

Temporary Put Example

Assume an investor is bullish on hypothetical stock XYZ Corporate, which is at the moment purchasing and promoting at $30 in keeping with proportion. The investor believes the stock will ceaselessly upward thrust to $40 over the next plenty of months. The broker might simply acquire shares, alternatively this will likely require $3,000 in capital to buy 100 shares. Writing a put selection generates income instantly, alternatively might simply create a loss in a while if the stock worth falls (as might simply buying the shares).

The investor writes one put selection with a strike worth of $32.50, expiring in 3 months, at $5.50. Because of this truth, the maximum succeed in is limited to $550 ($5.50 x 100 shares), which occurs if the stock closes at $32.5 or higher at expiration. The maximum loss is $2,700, or ($32.50 – $5.50) x 100 shares. The maximum loss occurs if the underlying falls to 0 and the put author is assigned to buy the shares at $32.50. The maximum loss is partially offset throughout the best elegance won from selling the selection.

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