Imagine that you are holding 5,000 shares of stock, currently selling at $40 per
ID: 2670627 • Letter: I
Question
Imagine that you are holding 5,000 shares of stock, currently selling at $40 per share. You are ready to sell the shares, but would prefer to put off the sale until next year due to tax reasons. If you continue to hold the shares until January, however, you face the risk that the stock will drop in value before year-end. You decide to use a collar to limit downside risk without laying out a good deal of additional funds. January call options with a strike price of $45 are selling at $2, and January puts with a strike price of $35 are selling at $3. What will be the value of your portfolio in January (net of the proceeds from the options) if the stock price ends up at: (a) $30? (b) $40? (c) $50? Compare these proceeds to what you would realize if you simply continued to hold the shares.
Explanation / Answer
a)
At Stock price 30
Per Share
5000 Shares
Loss on shares
10
50000
Put Value
15
75000
Call Value
0
0
Net Value of portfolio
5
25000
At Stock price 40
Per Share
5000 Shares
Loss on shares
0
0
Put Value
5
25000
Call Value
-5
-25000
Net Value of portfolio
0
0
At Stock price 50
Per Share
5000 Shares
Loss on shares
10
50000
Put Value
0
0
Call Value
-15
-75000
Net Value of portfolio
-5
-25000
At Stock price 30
Per Share
5000 Shares
Loss on shares
10
50000
Put Value
15
75000
Call Value
0
0
Net Value of portfolio
5
25000