noob question

So I'm looking at QQQQ and SPY option chains in yahoo finance. Why are there multiple prices for options at the same price?

For example, for QQQQ Call options there are three rows with a $58 March 11 strike prices, which have different prices.

Why? Aren't they the same? Why would anyone buy the more expensive one?

 

No, what he means from the Yahoo chain is like this:

57.00 QQQQ110304C00057000 0.88 0.08 0.86 0.88 4,368 7,427
57.00 QQQQ110319C00057000 1.25 0.11 1.26 1.27 3,999 79,634
57.00 QQQQ110331C00057000 1.53 0.09 1.51 1.52 1,378 8,270

The answer I think is that 2 of them are the 'weekly' options. The other one is the standard - 3rd Friday of the month one.

JJacksET4

 

How can you tell which ones are weekly?

Also, why does it say they expire on March 30th? I thought it was 3rd Friday of the month.

 

But what you just showed those are different strike prices.

 

It shows that expiration date because Yahoo isn't a very detailed place to look for options.

Actually, I think 1 is a weekly and another is a quarterly. I looked at the chain in my optionsXpress account and it shows it much better. I am at work here and lunch is about over so I can't show too much more, but that is the basic idea anyway - sometimes you see options that aren't "standard". And you should never trust Yahoo as the final word in anything options wise.

JJacksET4

 

That picture was asking about the March 30th expiration date. That's why it was circled.

Another poster gave an example of multiple options with the same strike price.

 

All the info is in the quote itself:
"QQQQ110304C00057000"
QQQQ = symbol
110304 = date (March 4, 2011)
C = type (call)
00057000 = strike price (57)

The 3 quotes listed here are the March 4 weekly, the March 19 standard, and the March 31 quarterly (I think).

 

Usually when it is 4, it something like high low open close. Or some variation.

 

correct. tomorrow the next weekly will become available and there will be 4 March expirations to trade.