The Bottom Line
You don't need a considerable sum of money to become an options trader. You can start small with a capital of less than Rs 2 lakhs too. However, as you start small, you need to be a careful trader so that you can cut down on the possibility of losses and enhance the return potential of your trades.
$100 isn't going to get you very far. Most options pricing will require at least $1000 or more to even hold one contract unless you go very very deepOTM in which case you pop is very low so not worth it. I would save up till you have at least $2500 or so to make it worth the effort.
25k minimum Margin account is the only way to trade & you can trade all day as many times as you want. Under 25k Cash account & you can only trade settled funds- option trades = T+1, stocks = T+2 Under 25k margin & you only get 3 trades per week if they are bought & sold on same day.
Why Do I Have to Maintain Minimum Equity of $25,000? Day trading can be extremely risky—both for the day trader and for the brokerage firm that clears the day trader's transactions. Even if you end the day with no open positions, the trades you made while day trading most likely have not yet settled.
How much money do you need to trade options? If you're looking to trade options, the good news is that it often doesn't take a lot of money to get started. As in these examples, you could buy a low-cost option and make many times your money.
Like other securities including stocks, bonds and mutual funds, options carry no guarantees. Be aware that it's possible to lose the entire principal invested, and sometimes more. As an options holder, you risk the entire amount of the premium you pay. But as an options writer, you take on a much higher level of risk.
Futures don't lose value over time, unlike options, making them less stressful. The pricing in futures is also straightforward, making it easier to monitor market moves. Want to avoid the Pattern Day Trading rules, especially if you have an account less than $25,000? Then you might consider trading futures instead.
With 0DTE options available every trading day, you have more flexibility in your trading strategy – take advantage of short-term price movements, react quickly to news events and adjust your position based on market conditions.
How Much Money Do You Need to Trade Options? Broker requirements can vary from zero to a few thousand dollars. Most brokers require account sizes of $2,000 or less. However, trading an option account with only a few hundred dollars is not prudent.
For speculators, options can offer lower-cost ways to go long or short the market with limited downside risk. Options also give traders and investors more flexible and complex strategies, such as spread and combinations, that can be potentially profitable under any market scenario.
Mini options provide another way for traders and retail investors to hedge smaller share amounts. They differ from typical options contracts in that they are based on an underlying lot of 10 shares rather than 100.
Well, there is no limit to how much you can make from stocks in a month. The money you can make by trading can run into thousands, lakhs, or even higher. A few key things that intraday profits depend on: How much capital are you putting in the markets daily?
Minimum Value
No matter if we are dealing with an American or a European option or whether it's a call or a put, the option value will never be lower than 0. This is so because the option premium consists of the option's intrinsic value and time value.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett is a proponent of time diversification and firmly believes that stocks are less risky in the long run. Therefore, he often sells long-term put options instead of buying them for portfolio protection.
Who might not want to consider trading options? Buy and hold investors. Individual investors whose investing plan involves buying stocks, bonds, and other investments with a multiyear time horizon may not typically consider trading options (although there can be circumstances where it may be appropriate).
The estimated average salary for an options trader in the U.S. ranges from $65,000 to $185,000. However, retail traders using their own capital may earn more or less (or even lose money) depending on their trading proficiency and trading capital.
As of Jan 6, 2025, the average annual pay for a Day Trader in the United States is $96,774 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $46.53 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,861/week or $8,064/month.
A common approach for new day traders is to start with a goal of $200 per day and work up to $800-$1000 over time. Small winners are better than home runs because it forces you to stay on your plan and use discipline. Sure, you'll hit a big winner every now and then, but consistency is the real key to day trading.
Many people have made millions just by day trading. Some examples are Ross Cameron, Brett N. Steenbarger, etc. But the important thing about day trading is that only a few can make money out of day trading and the rest end up losing their entire capital in day trading.
If you think the stock price will move up: buy a call option, sell a put option. If you think the stock price will stay stable: sell a call option or sell a put option. If you think the stock price will go down: buy a put option, sell a call option.
You need at least $100 to start trading equity, futures and options. There are apps like Robinhood that can help you with that. But to be safe, look at $1000.