Survey: 37% Of Traders Have Purchased Options During The Pandemic

Every week, Benzinga conducts a survey to collect sentiment on what traders are most excited about, interested in or thinking about when they manage and build their personal portfolios.

This week we asked:

During the pandemic, have you purchased options?

• Yes, I have purchased call options.
• Yes, I have purchased put options.
• Yes, I have purchased both call and put options.
• No, I haven’t purchased options.

What Are Options?

An option is a contract to buy or sell a stock, usually 100 shares of the stock per contract, at a pre-negotiated price (also called the “strike price”) and by a certain date (also called the “exercise date”).

While learning how to trade options can be a great tool in diversifying the ways you trade, like any investment vehicle it’s important to understand the risks involved.

Options Trading During The Pandemic

Overall, 37.1% said they’ve traded options contracts during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Among the 37.1% who’ve made options trading part of their investment plan: 18.7% of respondents said they’ve only purchased call options, 3.2% said they’ve only purchased put options and 15.2% have purchased both call and put options.

Meanwhile, a majority of those surveyed (62.9% to be exact) said they haven’t purchased options whatsoever since the onset of the pandemic. 

Here’s the full list of results from this week’s study:

During the pandemic, have you purchased options?

• 18.7%: Yes, I have purchased call options
• 3.2%: Yes, I have purchased put options
• 15.2%: Yes, I have purchased both call and put options
• 62.9%: No, I haven’t purchased options

This study was conducted by Benzinga in September 2020 and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 300 adults.