Every investor chooses to increase their stock market returns. This is possible through options. However, it is a difficult thing to achieve and requires research and patience. To increase your returns through options an investor has to predict the direction that the stock will go and the time frame in which this move will happen.

If either is incorrectly predicted, the investor can loose their money. If correctly predicted, then the investor's returns can double what they would have made with a normal straight investment in the same stock.

Stock options are financial instruments as they give the investor the chance, but not the obligation to purchase a stock. They come in four different choices. Short or long positions on a Call or Put. Long positions on a Call or a Put means the investor can purchase a Call or a Put. On the other hand, Short positions give the investor the opportunity to sell a Call or a Put.

A Put and a Call are different then the short or long positions. When a stock goes down, the value of a Put goes up. Thus a Put is what profits when the stock declines in price. A Call is the opposite of a Put. When a stock increases in price, the value of a Call increases. Using this information, if the stock price were to go up, the investor should buy a call. However, if the stock price were to go down, the investor should buy a put.

Other than the short or long positions on a Call or Put, there are other parts of an option that are important. The right for the investor to purchase something has a time limit. There is the expiration date. Each option has a date in which it will expire and will be of no use to the investor anymore. Each option is different. Some options are available for a few consecutive months starting immediately, whereas others may be a couple of months starting from a particular date. The expiration date of each option is always on the third Friday of each month. However, if it is a holiday, it will be on the Thursday.

Other than the expiration date, there is another important part to an option. Each option also has a strike price. A strike price is the price that the option will be exercised at. The price at which something is bought is referred to as the strike or exercised price. Each option's strike price is different. This means that there are quite a few choices when wanting to buy an option. From calls or puts to multiple strike prices, the decision to buy an option is difficult.

If an investor can foresee changes in stock prices within a certain time span, it is advised that they use stock options. It can increase their returns which would otherwise be lesser if they were to invest in the same stock without options. A way of predicting changes in stock prices is the use of technical analysis. It allows investors to find patterns in stock prices and by using this they can increase their returns through options.