Stock Option Symbology

The symbology for a stock option symbol is the symbol root followed by a space, the expiration date, option type, and strike price.

[Option Root]<space>[YYMMDD Expiration Date][C or P][Strike Price]

For example, the symbol for a MSFT January 2011 27.5 Call is “MSFT 110122C27.5"

• MSFT is the option root symbol for the underlying asset MSFT.
• Placing a '7' after the option root (i.e. SPY7) designates a mini option (1/10 of a standard sized contract)
• 110122 is the expiration date in YYMMDD format for January 22, 2011
• C represents a call option
• 27.5 is the strike price

 In the Symbology expressions given in this section, [x] denotes a parameter that should be replaced with a value. The brackets ([ ]) are not a part of the expression. For example, [Symbol root] should be replaced with a symbol, such as ORCL. Items in italics are optional.