Hi All, I have been following the stock market for a couple years now and previously have invested in stocks. It took me a couple years to get over my jitters and buy and sell stocks without panicking if it went down too much or selling too early on the upside. Thus, I am now at the point where I can buy good stocks and not be so emotionally attached. I know at this point, most of you are probably saying, "......And your point is?" Anyhow, I am 27 years old and currently don't have a lot of money, so I want to get into options, due to the leverage. My problem is, I know the value of the option chains can swing one way or the other quickly and make or lose a good amount of value in a short time. For example, I recently bought a HES Feb '13 $52.50 call option. It worked out okay since I made a profit on it, but I sold too early and now the premium and stock price are higher. So, mainly I am wondering what is a good method to use when trading options chains, so that I don't have an emotional attachment? I have put in stop losses, but I'm not sure the best way to make the profits run, since unlike stocks, option chains expire and over time lose some value the closer they get to expiry. Thanks everyone!
This is the worst reason to get into options. Simply buying calls and puts in anticipation of a stock move is the surest way to destroy your account. Do yourself a favor and read some thick books on options and options strategies before trading them. I can recommend McMillan's "Options as a Strategic Investment" to start.