The Options Trading Body of Knowledge: The Definitive Source for Information About the Options Industry by Michael C. Thomsett

This week's featured book on options trading:

The Options Trading Body of Knowledge: The Definitive Source for Information About the Options Industry
by Michael C. Thomsett
FT Press (August 2009)

From the publisher: For millions of traders and investors, options have become an indispensable tool: not just for increasing profits but also for systematically controlling risk. Now best-selling author Michael C. Thomsett has brought together all of today’s most important options strategies in a single authoritative reference. Using this readable, practical guidebook, you can select the right strategy for any application or market environment, clarify all your risks, and structure trades that accomplish your specific goals. Thomsett covers everything you need to know, from the core principles of options trading to the calculation of returns and taxes. He also provides a complete, easy-to-understand options glossary and extensive resources and links for traders at all levels of experience.

Options offer investors multiple opportunities to enhance their profits. However, options trading is complex, and the sheer scope of available strategies can overwhelm traders. Today, options can support a wide range of strategies, from high risk to conservative. Moreover, options are available not only for stock equities but also for futures, indices, and mutual funds. To trade successfully, traders need an authoritative, up-to-date guide to all the strategies available to them. Now, renowned options expert and best-selling author Michael C. Thomsett has created the definitive reference for options traders at all levels of experience.

Thomsett systematically illuminates each key technique and strategy: how trades are structured, how to assess risk, and when each strategy is most applicable. For most strategies, Thomsett presents detailed tables and illustrations identifying profit zones, loss zones, and breakeven points. This book thoroughly explains how option premium develops based on various elements of value, walks through the calculation of returns on options trading, discusses how federal taxation works in the options market, shows how stocks are picked for options trading, and provides a complete glossary and additional resources for traders.

Also available: The Options Trading Body of Knowledge (Kindle edition). Learn more about the Amazon Kindle, a wireless reading device.

Note: As of the date of this post, Amazon.com was offering the Kindle edition of this book for free!