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Options FAQ: LEAPS® & Cycles

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LEAPS® & Cycles Questions

• What are cycles and how are they affected when LEAPS® are listed?
• Where can I find information on LEAPS® options and various strategies based on LEAPS®?
• I recently attended a seminar where the instructor said that some brokers recognize LEAPS® securities as stocks and will allow writing of covered calls against LEAPS®, even in retirement accounts. I have searched since this time and have not found a broker that will allow this strategy in a retirement account. Do you have a suggestion?
• I own a number of LEAPS® options on a specific stock. From what I read in the press, the company is planning to spin off a significant portion of their corporation which obviously will reduce the price of their stock. Can you tell me how option contracts will be treated, if and when this spin off occurs? Will we be given LEAPS® for the new corporation or compensated in some other way for the reduced value of the options for what will amount to a smaller corporation with a lower stock price and consequently a lower value for its LEAPS®?
• When are the exchanges going to list 2012 LEAPS®?
• Why are near-term LEAPS® symbols converted?
• What happens during a LEAPS® ''rollover?"
• Where can I get a complete LEAPS® list?
• The exchanges used to list LEAPS earlier in the year.  When did they change the procedures?   And why do the exchanges list fewer LEAPS than in years past?

LEAPS® & Cycles Answers

Q: What are cycles? And how are they affected when LEAPS® are listed?

A: Options on a given stock are listed according to one of the following expiration cycles:

At any given time, there will normally be four different expiration months trading on a particular stock. All stocks will have options listed for the two upcoming expiration months along with two months from their expiration cycle. The table below illustrates the months listed for each cycle throughout the year, beginning on the first day of the year. The most recently listed months are boldfaced.

At start of calendar year...

...the above months are listed.

After January expires...

...September is added to Cycle 3.

After February expires...

...October is added to Cycle 1.

After March expires...

...November is added to Cycle 2.

After April expires...

...December is added to Cycle 3.

After May expires...

...January is added to Cycle 1.

After June expires...

...February is added to Cycle 2.

After July expires...

...March is added to Cycle 3.

After August expires...

...April is added to Cycle 1.

After September expires...

...May is added to Cycle 2.

After October expires...

...June is added to Cycle 3.

After November expires...

...July is added to Cycle 1.

After December expires...

...August is added to Cycle 2.

When determining the cycle to which a particular stock belongs, pull up a chain of its options match the 3rd and 4th expiration months with the relevant table above, and identify the cycle.

Q: Where can I find information on LEAPS® options and various strategies based on LEAPS®?

A: You can find delayed quotes for LEAPS® here on our site under Quotes. Once you have entered a symbol and selected "Detail Options Chains", choose "LEAPS only" in the "Expiration" dropdown menu. Also in under the strategies section you will find a discussion of various strategies involving options. For a comprehensive list of stocks on which LEAPS® are traded you may want to look at our LEAPS® list (XLS).

Q: I recently attended a seminar where the instructor said that some brokers recognize LEAPS® securities as stocks and will allow writing of covered calls against LEAPS®, even in retirement accounts. I have searched since this time and have not found a broker that will allow this strategy in a retirement account. Do you have a suggestion?

A: Buying a long-term call and selling short-term calls against it, an example of a calendar spread, is a popular strategy. However, while the calls being written are hedged, they are not considered to be "covered." In the event of assignment, because of the 1-day lag between exercise and assignment, using the long-term call to close out the position would require being short the stock for a day. And many brokerages do not allow short stock positions in retirement accounts under any circumstances. We can only suggest that you continue searching for a broker that allows this strategy.

Q: I own a number of LEAPS® options on a specific stock. From what I read in the press, the company is planning to spin off a significant portion of their corporation which obviously will reduce the price of their stock. Can you tell me how option contracts will be treated, if and when this spin off occurs? Will we be given LEAPS® for the new corporation or compensated in some other way for the reduced value of the options for what will amount to a smaller corporation with a lower stock price and consequently a lower value for its LEAPS®?

A: If an upcoming spin off has just been announced, the terms of a possible adjustment may not be immediately known. Although the exact adjustment may not be known, it is safe to assume that existing option contracts will be adjusted so that an option holders' potential equity would not be diluted. There are 4 things you can do that are proactive in locating information regarding adjusted contracts due to splits, mergers and spin offs.

• First, if you want to receive a notice when information is made public about an option adjustment, you may sign up with the OIC’s automated e-mail system at http://optionseducation.org/resources/email_alerts.jsp.
• Second, if you are unsure whether an option has been adjusted, you can visit the OIC Market Data area. This will bring you to the Information Memos section that explains how a contract may be adjusted. (This is also a great place to learn about previous adjustments due to splits, spin offs and mergers.)
• Third, always check with your brokerage firm before placing the option trade.
• Fourth, you can call the Options Investor Services at 1-888-OPTIONS for further explanation of those Information Memos.

If the spin off information is not available at our website, it will be posted as soon as the OCC receives all of the relevant facts from the parties involved in the corporate action and after the vote of the Securities Committee. Generally, a definitive adjustment determination is announced as soon as practical after all pertinent facts become available.

Distributions of property other than the underlying security may require different adjustments. For example, outstanding options might be adjusted to include the distributed property.

EXAMPLE: If XYZ "spins off" its subsidiary ABC by distributing to its stockholders 1 shares of ABC stock for each 5 shares of XYZ stock, outstanding XYZ options might be adjusted to require delivery of 100 shares of XYZ stock plus 20 shares of ABC stock at the original strike price in question.

Q: When are the exchanges going to list 2012 LEAPS®?

A: The following schedule will be used to introduce a new series of 2012 LEAPS®:

Cycle 1:

• Monday, May 11, 2009: January 2010 LEAPS® convert*
• Monday, May 18, 2009: Regular January Cycle 1 expirations listed
• Monday, September 14, 2009: January 2012 LEAPS® listed

Cycle 2:

• Monday, June 15, 2009: January 2010 LEAPS® convert*
• Monday, June 22, 2009: February expirations listed
• Monday, October 12, 2009: January 2012 LEAPS® listed

Cycle 3:

• Monday, July 13, 2009: January 2010 LEAPS® convert*
• Monday, July 20, 2009: March expirations listed
• Monday, November 16, 2009: January 2012 LEAPS® listed

As of February 12, 2010, the use of month and strike price codes in the identification of listed option contracts will be replaced by explicit data elements. For more information visit our Symbology Initiative section of the site:

*To convert: change the symbol on a LEAPS® option to that of a 'normal' option. The terms of the option itself do not change.

Q: Why are near-term LEAPS® symbols converted?

A: To facilitate the introduction of new, next year's LEAPS® - 2006 LEAPS® convert to "regular" option symbols and this paves the way for the 2008 LEAPS® to be listed.

For more information on LEAPS®, please refer to the following links:

• LEAPS®: Options for the Long Term
• LEAPS® & Cycles FAQ
• LEAPS® Conversions

Q: What happens during a LEAPS® ''rollover"?

A: This is a procedure where the nearest term LEAPS® symbols change their symbols to those of the nearest term options. For example, the 2007 Harley-Davidson symbol OAI "rolls over" to the near term symbol "HDI." The terms of the contract do not change - they are still January 2007 options. This procedure takes place for each Cycle on the Monday of expiration week during May, June, and July to make way for the next year's LEAPS® - in this case the 2009 options. Because HDI is a Cycle 2 option, this will take place in June. You can read more about LEAPS® and Cycles here:

• LEAPS®: Options for the Long Term

Q: Where can I get a complete LEAPS® list?

A: You can access a complete LEAPS® list here:

• http://optionseducation.org/resources/leaps/complete_leaps_list.xls (XLS)

Q: The exchanges used to list LEAPS earlier in the year.  When did they change the procedures?   And why do the exchanges list fewer LEAPS than in years past?

A: In September 2008, the U.S. options exchanges and The Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) received Securities and Exchange Commission approval to standardize many of the listing criteria found in the Options Listing Procedure Plan (OLPP).  Due to listing of many one-point strikes (16, 17, 18, 19, etc.) as well as other products, such as Quarterly options, the options exchanges decided to list LEAPS only on products that have an average daily volume of at least 1000 contracts.  The dates for next year’s LEAPS listing can be found here. 

The relevant language related to this topic has been excerpted below and can be found on Page 8 of the OLPP (link to the OLPP can be found below):

(e) With regard to the listing of new January Long-term Equity AnticiPation (“LEAP”) series on equity option classes, options on Exchange Traded Funds (“ETF”), or options on Trust Issued Receipts (“TIR”), the Series Selecting Exchange and any other exchange that lists and trades the same option class shall not add new LEAP series on that option class:
(i) Earlier than September (which is 28 months before the expiration), for an option class on the January expiration cycle;
(ii) Earlier than October (which is 27 months before expiration), for an option class on the February expiration cycle; and
(iii) Earlier than November (which is 26 months before expiration), for an option class on the March expiration cycle.

Exchanges that list and trade the same equity option class, ETF option class, or TIR option class are authorized to jointly determine and coordinate with OCC on the date of introduction of new LEAP series for that option class consistent with the above paragraph.
(f) The Series Selecting Exchange shall not list new LEAP series on equity option classes, options on ETFs, or options on TIRs in a new expiration year if the national average daily contract volume, excluding LEAP and FLEX series, for that options class during the preceding three calendar months is less than 1,000 contracts, unless the new LEAP series has an expiration year that has already been listed on another exchange for that option class. The preceding volume threshold does not apply during the first six months an equity option class, option on an ETF, or option on a TIR is listed on any exchange.

Further information on the OLPP can be found here: http://www.optionsclearing.com/clearing/industry-services/olpp.jsp

Confused? Have a question? If you're having trouble grasping a concept or if this page doesn't answer a question, feel free to call 1-888-OPTIONS (between 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. CT), or email options@theocc.com to ask your question. You may also visit our Help Center for more information.