Frequently Asked Questions

Simply click on any of the questions to view the answer, or if you want to review the whole list, just scroll down the page.

Options Chains

Why does the bid and ask show zeros for all the strikes of a stock or index?
The market makers will often remove yesterday's prices to wipe the slate clean before the open. However, keep in mind this is not always the case. Sometimes the chains will show yesterday's bids and offers before the open. So a market order entered based on these prices may be filled at a much different price if the stock or index opens higher or lower.
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Does "Days to expiration" refer to business days or calendar days?
Days to expiration are based on calendar days.
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Why is the root symbol (the first 3 letters of the option symbol) sometimes different for the same underlying stock?
If an option has many different strike prices the first 3 letters may differ since there might not be enough letter combinations for each strike to begin with the same first 3 letters.
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Should I check the box that says "Include Adjusted / Non-standard Options"?
If the "Include Adjusted / Non-standard Options" box is not checked, the options contracts should be standard – 100 shares of the underlying stock per contract. If this box is checked, the number of underlying shares per contract may be something other than the standard 100 shares.
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Why don't my options show up on the Option Chains?
The most common reason that an option might not show up under the Option Chains is that it has been adjusted in some way and is now a non-standard option. This could mean that the options have gone through an odd split or a corporate action, such as a merger or buy out. To view non-standard options, click the box that reads Include Adjusted / Non-standard Options and this should bring up non-standard as well as regular options.
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What does it mean when the options are in yellow?
This means that the options are in-the-money.
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When I view Covered Call Chains, what do the different headings mean?
Premium for a call that is out-of-the-money is the bid price of the option. If the call is in-the-money, premium is the bid price, plus the strike price, minus the current stock price.
Premium % of Strike is the premium (above figure) divided by the strike price.
Return Assigned is the percentage that will be made if the short option is in the money and the position is sold at the strike price.
Return Unassigned is the percentage that would be made if the short option expired worthless.
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Why do I only see spreads that are 5 points apart?
You can customize the spread interval by clicking on the Customize link in the upper right corner of the page, and change the Strike Price Interval.
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How can I populate the spread ticket from the Option Chains?
You can populate a spread ticket from the Option Chains by clicking the Bid for credit spreads and the Ask for debit spreads. You can also populate an entire order ticket from any of the multiple-leg order chains.
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I placed an order after market hours and it was due when I placed the order, why wasn't I filled?
After market hours, we display the last bid/ask prices from the previous trading day, so that you may have some idea where the options were trading at market close. This may not be representative of where the prices will open up the next day.
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Why am I not seeing the strike price I want if I know that it is listed?
Make sure that you have selected ALL under Option Range. If you have this set to Near the Money, your strike price may not be displayed.
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How can I change my default settings to show another stock when I open my Option Chains page?
You can click on the Customize link in the upper right corner of the page to modify all the settings on this page. This will allow you to change the default symbol to the Stock or Index of your choosing.
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How can I bring up a detailed quote from this page?
If you click on the symbol, this will bring up the Quote Detail page for detailed quote information.
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