A long put profits when the stock falls. You buy a put for the right to sell at the strike; losses are capped at the premium while profits grow as the stock drops toward zero.
Open the Long Put calculator →Buy a put when you expect a stock to fall, or to hedge shares you already own against a decline. Unlike short selling, your risk is capped at the premium and there is no margin call if the stock rises.
A protective put on stock you hold acts like insurance: it sets a floor under your position for the cost of the premium, letting you stay invested through uncertainty.
As with any long option, time decay and falling implied volatility work against you. Puts also tend to carry higher IV than calls because of steady demand for downside protection, so you often pay a premium for them.
Choose the expiration to match your thesis, and consider spreads (a bear put spread) if you want to lower the cost in exchange for a capped payoff.
Use the free OptionProfit Long Put calculator to load a live option chain, build the trade, and instantly see the payoff chart, breakevens, probability of profit, Greeks and a Monte Carlo simulation of outcomes.
Both profit from a decline, but a long put has capped risk (the premium) and an expiry date, while shorting has open-ended risk and no expiration.
Buy one put per 100 shares at a strike that sets your acceptable floor; if the stock drops, the put’s gain offsets the share loss below that level.
A small move can be outweighed by time decay or a drop in implied volatility, both of which lower a long put’s price.
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