How does trading options on a single stock differ from trading a basket of 500 or even 2,000? Is it just settlement style and exercise/ assignment limitations – or are there other market nuances investors should be aware of? Join seasoned options pros Mark Benzaquen and Roma Colwell as they discuss the differences (and similarities) of trading index options versus their single-stock counterparts. Topics to be addressed include:

• Cash-settlement vs. physical delivery
• AM vs. PM settlement
• European vs. American-style exercise
• Using index options for portfolio protection

When markets become volatile, some investors see risk whereas others, opportunity. And thanks to the flexibility of trading options, investors can avail themselves of any number of strategies to potentially take advantage of these volatile markets or protect themselves from the uncertainty. Join seasoned options pros Mark Benzaquen and Ken Keating as they discuss the ins and outs of volatility as well as metrics such as IV rank, IV percentile, and strategies for both low and high IV situations.

Even though more than 70% of all options are typically closed out ahead of expiration, there are still millions of contracts being exercised and assigned each month. Knowing this, it is important for investors to understand not only the benefits and risks of exercise and assignment, but also the rules surrounding the processes. Join seasoned options professionals Mark Benzaquen and Ken Keating as they take a deep dive under the surface of exercise and assignment to see that oftentimes, there is more than meets the eye.

Topics to be discussed:

• Basics of exercise and assignment
• OCC's rules of Ex by Ex
• Early exercise (calls and puts)
• Ramifications of trading halts
• Risks from afterhours trading

Picking up from last month's topic of "Trading Options for Income", OIC further explores the concept by focusing on two popular selling strategies—the Covered Call and a variant of the strategy, the Poor Man's Covered Call. Tune in as Wide World of Options host Mark Benzaquen and OIC instructor Roma Colwell breakdown the setup, strike selection, and position management of these two strategies.

Option investors may have a range of investing objectives, including hedging, leverage, speculation and income generation. Wide World of Options host Mark Benzaquen and OIC(SM) Instructor Mat Cashman explore the details of trading options for income. Tune in as they dive into special risks of option sellers, frequently used selling strategies such as covered calls, cash secured puts, credit spreads and considerations for position management.

What are earnings and why are they important to investors? Join Wide World of Options host, Mark Benzaquen and OIC (SM) instructor Ken Keating for an insightful discussion on earnings season. They will cover important topics like the impact of earnings on option investors, ramifications of earnings on implied volatility and considerations for option strategy selection and trade management.

Tune in as host Ed Modla and OIC Instructor, Ken Keating, discuss the long straddle, a strategy for an investor that believes there is going to be a large market move in either direction. Then, Ed will answer your listener questions and discuss how you can calculate potential profit from your options trade.

Wide World of Options 74: What is the Option Collar?

In this episode you'll hear from host Ed Modla and Patrick Ceresna, Founder and Chief Derivative Market Strategist at Big Picture Trading.

The duo will break down the construction of the option collar and talk position management. Then on Looking Back, Ed will return to the year 1973 to discuss the launch of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) and how over-the-counter options were handled prior to being listed on the exchange.

On Strategy Spotlight, host Ed Modla chats with Parkwood Capital's Kerry Given, a.k.a. Dr. Duke, about the Iron Condor. They discuss how the strategy is constructed, the impact of market conditions and differences to consider when comparing stock to index options. Later in the show, Ed answers listener questions about implied volatility and option exercise.

On Strategy Spotlight, host Ed Modla sits down with Todd Salamone, Vice President of Schaeffer's Investment Research, to discuss the upside and downside risks associated with holding a long call position. They will analyze market direction, provide insight for selecting a strategy and explore management and exiting techniques.