How Long Before Call/Put Options Are Available On An IPO?


How Long Before Call/Put Options Are Available On An IPO?

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All options traders should know about Initial Public Offerings or IPO. Many companies use IPOs to increase their capital gained from investors.

At least five business days need to pass before a company will have options available on an IPO. . There are also several other requirements before a stock can have options. According to Investopedia, the company must have 7,000,000 publicly held shares first as well. 

In other words, the stock must first meet many different requirements before it can trade as an option and waiting for a particular company to release a call and put options can take a few days or a long time. You’ll want to check how far away the stock is from meeting the requirements to allow option trading. 

What Is An IPO?

Private companies don’t offer stock or options to the general public. However, they can if they decide to make their inventory available. 

When they do this, the release date for the stock is known as the IPO.

An IPO or Initial Public Offering is when a private company lists shares for sale on the stock market. This process makes them available for anyone to buy. 

Many traders choose to buy new stock from IPOs since they could potentially earn high profits. When a famous private brand opens up- excitement spreads fast.

By setting an IPO, the company gives early investors a chance to sell for significant profits. Plus, it gathers attention and earns money to improve the brand. 

Overall, companies put a lot of effort, thought, and strategy into their initial public offerings.

How IPOs Relate To Stock Trading

Before a company goes public, there’s not a lot of liquidity in stock trading. However, once the IPO hits, you can turn your shares into money. Since the business is private, there’s no one to sell the stock to until they go public.

You’ll have plenty of time to form a good strategy once the company announces the IPO. It takes about 90 to 180 days for the lockup period to end. During that time, you can’t do anything with your shares. 

However, that doesn’t mean you need to sit around! You’ll want to plan your next move to utilize your shares to their full potential. Take some time to strategize. 

The IPO lockup is in place to prevent early investors from tanking the stock by selling in bulk. It does apply to angel investors, CEOs, employees, and more. In other words, the stock stays put until the lockdown ends.

If you’re an employee currently holding onto some early shares of stock, you’ll want to know what to do with it. This YouTube video can help you figure out how much the shares you’re holding are worth and more information that you’ll want to know:

There May Be Less Risk Associated With IPOs

Additionally, there also may be less risk associated with companies that enter into an IPO date. Private companies don’t necessarily know how much their stock is worth. When they enter the market (and everything stabilizes after), you have a much better idea of their actual value. 

That means you have plenty more information to work with. When attempting to trade private stock, you don’t know if you’re turning a good profit or not. Because you have more details, it’s better to trade your shares after the IPO comes and goes.

You’ll also know how much it costs to sell your shares, as well as how much you’ll need to pay in taxes when you do. This information is essential to making intelligent financial decisions, so you don’t want to do anything unless it’s available to you.

Overall, take your time during the IPO lockup period. You’ll want to make sure that you’re making decisions that aren’t risky to you.

Requirements For Options To Exist

For a company to offer options on their stock, there are five basic requirements that the underlying stock must first meet. Once the stock meets these criteria, you can expect the company to provide call and put options. 

It can take years for companies to meet these guidelines whereas other companies meet them within 5 days.

The five requirements for options include the following:

  • The company has at least 7,000,000 public shares.
  • There are at least 2,000 total shareholders.
  • The stock is on at least one stock exchange.
  • The IPO-issued stock can’t have options for five days after the IPO.
  • The trading volume needs to be at least 2,400,000 traded shares over a year.

For smaller companies, it can take a very long time to meet all of these conditions. Once completed and an IPO date arrives, you’ll need to wait an additional five days. 

After that short waiting period, options should appear- allowing you to trade them as you please.

You’ll want to research companies that you have an interest in. That way, you can determine exactly when they’ll be offering calls and put options. 

Options Before The IPO

Many people also wonder if they can buy options before the IPO date comes. You can’t exercise any options with assets you got before the IPO until the company goes public entirely. 

However, if you already have options before the IPO, you have a few different choices that you can make.

Many traders recommend that you consider exercising your IPO options. That way, you can hold stock in the company before it goes public.

Final Thoughts

In short, you need to wait at least five days before you can start buying and selling options from an IPO-issued stock. It’s well worth looking into! 

Many options traders who arrive early on the scene do exceptionally well with their profit margins.

If you’re interested in call or put options and IPOs, I recommend that you investigate the private companies out there. You never know when one will start considering going public. 

When it does, you can be the first to buy their options!

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