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When to use this futures option strategy: A person would buy a call option in the commodities or futures markets if he or she expected the underlying futures price to move higher.

Buying a call option entitles the buyer of the option the right to purchase the underlying futures contract at the strike price anytime before the contract expires. This rarely happens and there is not much benefit to doing this, so don’t get caught up in the formal definition of buying a call option.

Most traders buy call options because they believe a commodity market is going to move higher and they want to profit from that move. You can also exit the option before it expires – during market hours, of course.

All options have a limited life. They are defined by a specific expiration date by the futures exchange where it trades. You can visit each futures exchange’s website for specific expiration dates of each commodities market.

Finding the Proper Call Options to Buy

You must first decide on your objectives and then find the best option to buy. Things to consider when buying call options include:

• Duration of time you plan on being in the trade.
• Amount you can allocate to buying a call option.
• Length of a move you expect from the market.

Most commodities and futures have a wide range of options in different expiration months and different strike prices that allow you pick an option that meets your objectives.

Duration of Time You Plan on Being in the Call Option Trade

This will help you determine how much time you need on a call option. If you are expecting a commodity to complete its move higher within two weeks, you will want to buy a commodity with at least two weeks of time remaining on it. Typically, you don’t want to buy an option with 6-9 months remaining if you only plan on being in the trade for a couple weeks, since the options will be more expensive and you will lose some leverage.

One thing to be aware of is that the time premium of options decay more rapidly in the last 30 days. Therefore, you could be right on a trade, but the option loses too much time value and you end up with a loss. I suggest that you always buy an option with 30 more days than you expect to be in the trade.

Amount You Can Allocate to Buying a Call Option

Depending on your account size and risk tolerances, some options may be too expensive for you to buy or they might not be the right options all together. In the money call options will be more expensive than out of the money options. Also, the more time remaining on the call options there is, the more they will cost.

Unlike futures contracts. there is no margin when you buy futures options. You have to pay the whole option premium upfront. Therefore, options on volatile markets like crude oil can cost several thousand dollars. That may not be suitable for all option traders. And you don’t want to make the mistake of buying deep out of the money options just because they are in your price range. Most deep out of the money options will expire worthless and they are considered long shots.

Length of a Move You Expect From the Market

To maximize your leverage and control your risk, you should have an idea of what type of move you expect from the commodity or futures market. The more conservative approach is usually to buy in the money options. A more aggressive approach is to buy multiple contracts of out of the money options. Your returns will increase with multiple contracts of out of the money options if the market makes a large move higher. It is also more risky as you have a greater chance of losing the entire option premium if the market doesn’t move.

Call Options vs. a Futures Contract

• Limited Risk
• Less Volatility

Your losses on buying a call option are limited to the premium you paid for the option plus commissions and any fees. With a futures contract, you have virtually unlimited loss potential.

Call options also do not move as quickly as futures contracts unless they are deep in the money. This allows a commodity trader to ride out many of the ups and downs in the markets that might force a trader to close a futures contract in order to limit risk.

One of the major drawbacks to buying options is the fact that options lose time value everyday. Options are a wasting asset. You not only have to be correct on the direction of the market, but also on the timing of the move.

Break Even Point on Buying Call Options

Strike Price + Option Premium Paid

This formula is used at option expiration considering there is no time value left on the call options. You can obviously sell the options anytime before expiration and there will be time premium remaining, unless the options are deep in the money or far out of the money.