CHICAGO, IL -- 07/27/10 --
The Options Industry Council (OIC) announced today its back-to-school schedule for investors and financial advisors. Classroom-style seminars focusing on basic, intermediate and advanced options topics such as volatility will be offered at select locations across the US.
These free educational seminars are taught by experienced instructors from the various options exchanges and OIC professionals with the goal of educating investors on the responsible use of options in different market environments.
The fall schedule will offer seminars from September 15 through November 4 in the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Boston/Cambridge, MA; Detroit, MI; Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; NY Downtown, NY; Parsippany, NJ; Pasadena, CA; Philadelphia, PA; San Jose, CA; Schaumburg, IL; and St. Louis, MO. Each seminar runs from 6-9pm and registration is required.
Those interested in attending can obtain a detailed schedule (including dates and locations) and also register via OIC's website http://www.optionseducation.org/seminars/default.jsp or by calling 1-888-OPTIONS (1-888-678-4667).
Course descriptions:
Basic: Getting Started with Options
This basic seminar focuses on options fundamentals for the novice options investor. An options professional will cover essential concepts and terms of options contracts as well as their risk/reward characteristics. Attendees will learn about buying and selling calls and puts, how to work with an expected up or down movement in a stock's price with limited risk, and how to revive a stock already owned that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Options questions will get straightforward answers. A basic knowledge of stocks, and some experience with stock investing, is recommended.
Intermediate: Managing Your Portfolio with Options
This intermediate-level seminar extends beyond the fundamentals of buying or selling calls and puts. After a review of basic concepts, an options professional will guide the classroom into the world of spread strategies including vertical spreads and time spreads. This class will demonstrate how truly flexible options are, and how these limited risk spreads might fit into even the most conservative portfolios. Participants will learn about straddles and strangles, and the nature of volatility. They will also learn about ways to repair existing stock positions. An understanding of the basics, as well as limited experience trading options is recommended.
Volatility: Measuring Volatility and Understanding Its Significance
OIC's Volatility seminar begins where the Basic and Intermediate seminars left off. In this seminar, an options professional will cut through the complexities of volatility and clarify any misconceptions about this important topic. Investors will learn how volatility is measured, what that measurement means, and why it is a factor in an option's price. Investors will gain an understanding of implied volatility and its impact on various options strategies. A solid understanding of option fundamentals, comprehension for options pricing, and experience with both buying and selling options is recommended.
About OIC
OIC is an industry cooperative funded by BATS Options, Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, NASDAQ OMX PHLX, NASDAQ Options Market, NYSE Amex Options, NYSE Arca Options and The Options Clearing Corporation. OIC was formed in 1992 to educate investors and their financial advisors about the benefits and risks of exchange-traded equity options. OIC's resources include: The Options Industry Services Help Desk at 1-888-OPTIONS, educational websites at www.OptionsEducation.org, www.OptionsEducation.org/advisor and www.OptionsEducation.org/institutional, live seminars throughout the continental United States and Canada, instructional DVDs and educational literature and software.
Jim Binder
312.322.9853
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Angela Kotso
312.322.6267
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