Trading options can seem complex, especially if you’re not familiar with the tools traders rely on.
One of the most important tools in options trading is the option chain. It gives you a detailed view of all available strike prices, premiums, open interest, and other data that can help you make smarter trading decisions.
Understanding how to read and use an option chain is a key skill if you want to trade with confidence and reduce unnecessary risk.
In this article, we will break down everything you need to know before trading on the option chain.
What Is an Option Chain?
An option chain is like a listing of all available option contracts for a particular stock or asset. It shows both call options (rights to buy) and put options (rights to sell), organised by their strike prices and expiration dates.
For each contract, the table displays key data such as the bid price, ask price, last traded price, volume, and open interest. Traders use this to compare many options at once and decide which one might suit their strategy.
In short, the option chain gives a complete snapshot of what is tradable for that underlying asset.
Key Metrics and Indicators in an Option Chain
When you open an option chain, such as the Nifty or Bank Nifty option chain, you see many rows (for different strikes) and many columns (with various data). The raw numbers mean little unless you understand what each metric tells you. Below are the key ones and how to interpret them.
1. Premiums, Bid, Ask, and Last Price
The premium is simply the price you pay to buy an option or the value you receive when you sell a contract. In the option chain, you will also see bid and ask.
The bid represents the maximum amount that someone is ready to pay to purchase that option. The ask indicates the minimum price a seller is prepared to accept to sell it.
The difference between ask and bid is called the spread, which reflects how easy or costly it is to trade. The last price is the most recent price at which the option actually traded.
2. Volume and Open Interest (OI)
Volume and Open Interest (OI) are two very useful numbers to understand how active and liquid an option contract is.
Volume measures how many contracts of that specific option were traded during the current session. Every contract bought or sold that day contributes to volume. A high volume number means the market is active.
Open Interest is different. It shows how many contracts are still open (not closed, exercised, or expired) at the end of the day. It tells you how many positions remain active.
When both volume and OI rise together, it can suggest new money entering the market. If volume is high but OI falls, many traders might be exiting positions.
3. Implied Volatility (IV)
Implied volatility (IV) is the market’s expectation of how much the underlying asset’s price will fluctuate in the future, expressed as a percentage. It is not a forecast of direction (up or down), only magnitude.
When IV rises, option premiums tend to increase because greater expected movement means more risk and reward. On the other hand, when IV falls, premiums shrink.
Traders often compare IV across different strikes and expiration dates to see patterns (like volatility skew) and to judge whether options are “expensive” or “cheap.”
How to Use the Option Chain When Trading?
When you know how to read an option chain, the next step is using it actively to plan, enter, manage, and exit trades. Below are practical ways traders use option chains in real trading.
1. Choose the Right Expiration and Strike Range
Choosing the right expiration and strike range carefully is one of the first decisions you should make while scanning the NSE option chain.
Pick an expiration that matches your expected holding time. If your view is for a few days, avoid far-away monthly contracts, because time decay works harder on options as you approach expiry.
Also, narrow your focus to a small band of strike prices around the current market price (for example, within 3 strikes above or below). That way, your trades stay liquid.
2. Filter for Liquidity and Narrow Spreads
When you filter an option chain for liquidity and narrow spreads, you aim to pick contracts you can trade efficiently with minimal cost.
First, check the bid and ask prices. A smaller gap between them (narrow spread) means less cost when entering or exiting.
Then, verify volume (how many contracts traded today) and open interest (how many contracts remain open). High values suggest many traders are active there, improving chances of execution at the desired price point.
In short, pick options with tight bid-ask spreads and solid volume/open interest so your trades face less friction.
3. Use Implied Volatility and Option Greeks as Guides
Implied volatility (IV) shows how much the market expects the underlying asset to move. If IV is high, options become more expensive. If IV falls after you buy an option, your trade could lose value even if the underlying moves in your favour.
The Greeks help you understand sensitivities:
- Delta tells you how much the option’s price will change if the underlying moves by ₹1. For calls, it’s positive, and for puts, it’s negative.
- Gamma shows how much delta itself will shift when the underlying moves. High gamma means the delta is more sensitive.
- Theta measures how much value the option loses each day (time decay). As expiration nears, theta’s effect grows.
- Vega shows sensitivity to implied volatility. If volatility rises by 1 %, the option’s value changes by vega.
- Rho estimates how much the option’s price will change if interest rates move by 1 %. It’s less important for short-term options.
These Greeks help you understand your position’s risk exposure and how much it may gain or lose under different market conditions.
By combining IV and the Greeks, you can pick strikes and expirations where the risk from time decay or volatility shifts is acceptable relative to your expected gain.
4. Compare Strategies Side by Side on the Chain
When you analyse options for trading, open the Nifty option chain to see various calls and puts across different strikes and expirations.
To compare strategies side by side, pick a few possible trades and line them up within that chain view. For instance, check how a near-the-money call, a call spread, or a straddle performs under the same expiry. This can be done by using ready-made options strategies on your trading platform.
You can easily compare cost, strike distance, implied volatility, and risk. Viewing these together helps you choose which strategy offers a better balance between risk and potential reward.
5. Decide Entry, Exit, and Adjustment Plan
Before placing a trade, decide the price level where you will enter, but also fix limits for taking profit and stopping loss.
Use orders (limit, stop, or conditional) so you don’t leave decisions to emotion. After entry, monitor market moves, implied volatility, volume, and Greeks.
If your trade moves strongly in your favour, you might lock in gains or roll to a further expiry. If the trade moves against you, cut losses early or adjust to reduce risk.
Always have a clear exit or adjustment path before you trade.
Conclusion
Understanding the option chain gives traders both clarity and practical control. When you grasp its structure, metrics, and possible risks, decision-making becomes easier. Steady practice combined with thoughtful analysis builds confidence and improves how you approach options trading.
Note to the Reader: This article is part of Mint’s promotional consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. Mint assumes no editorial responsibility for the content.
