Option Moneyness

An option’s exercise value at any time t was shown to be its current payoff. The relationship between the option’s total value and its exercise price expresses the option’s moneyness.  Also, the degree to which an option is in or out of the money affects the sensitivity of an option’s price to underlying price changes. For example, a so-called deep-in-the-money option,…

Option Value relative to the Underlying Spot Price

The non-linear or asymmetric payoff profile of an option causes us to approach these derivative instruments differently than for a forward commitment. When evaluating these derivatives, whose value depends critically on whether the spot price crosses an exercise threshold at maturity, buyers and sellers frequently rely on three measures—exercise value, moneyness, and time value—to gauge…