What this page gives you
This page lists every active futures and options recommendation from the ATS derivatives desk — including index futures, index options, stock futures and stock options. Each call carries the instrument, strike, expiry, side (long/short, CE/PE), entry, target, stop-loss and recommended lot size.
What is F&O trading?
F&O stands for Futures and Options — together they form the derivatives segment of the NSE. A derivative's value is "derived" from an underlying instrument like Nifty 50, Bank Nifty, or an individual stock.
Futures
A futures contract is a binding agreement to buy or sell the underlying at a pre-agreed price on a future date. You pay upfront margin (typically 15–25% of contract value), not the full notional. Profit or loss is the difference between entry and exit, multiplied by lot size.
Options
An option gives the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy (Call / CE) or sell (Put / PE) at a pre-agreed strike price. The buyer pays a premium upfront. Maximum buyer loss is the premium paid; maximum profit is theoretically unlimited (calls) or capped at the strike (puts). Option sellers collect the premium but face larger margin and undefined risk if naked.
Lot sizes, expiry and contract value
Indian F&O contracts trade in fixed lot sizes set by the exchange. Some indicative numbers (verify on the NSE website at the time of trading — lot sizes are revised periodically):
| Instrument | Lot size | Expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Nifty 50 | 75 (revised in 2024) | Weekly + monthly |
| Bank Nifty | 30 (revised in 2024) | Monthly (weekly discontinued by SEBI Nov 2024) |
| Fin Nifty | 65 (revised in 2024) | Monthly |
| Stock futures / options | Varies — see NSE FO bhavcopy | Monthly only |
Contract value = Spot × Lot size. So one Nifty futures contract at spot 22,000 represents ~₹16.5 lakh of underlying exposure — even though the upfront margin is much smaller.
How ATS analysts pick F&O calls
Our derivatives desk combines positioning data, volatility analysis and price-action structure:
- Open Interest (OI) build-up: rising OI with rising price = long build-up; rising OI with falling price = short build-up. The combination is more informative than price alone.
- Max Pain & PCR: max pain identifies the strike at which option writers lose least; the put-call ratio (PCR) reflects sentiment. PCR > 1 is bullish bias, < 1 is bearish.
- India VIX & IV percentile: high IV = expensive options, favours selling strategies; low IV = cheap options, favours buying.
- FII derivative data: daily FII index futures, index options and stock futures positioning is published by NSE and is a leading indicator.
- Option chain skew: heavy CE writing at a strike = potential resistance; heavy PE writing = potential support.
How to read an F&O call
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Instrument | BANKNIFTY / NIFTY / FINNIFTY / specific stock |
| Type | Futures / Call (CE) / Put (PE) |
| Strike | Strike price (only for options) |
| Expiry | Weekly or monthly expiry date |
| Side | Long (buy) or Short (sell / write) |
| Entry | Recommended price for the contract |
| Target / Stop-loss | Price levels for profit-booking and risk control |
| Lots | Recommended position size (varies by capital) |
Margin and cost basics
For futures and short option positions, the broker collects SPAN + Exposure margin upfront. SPAN is risk-based; Exposure is an additional cushion. Hedged positions (e.g. spreads) attract significantly lower margin than naked positions because exchange-recognised hedge benefits apply.
- SEBI peak margin rules require upfront margin throughout the day — intraday leverage on derivatives is now strictly capped.
- STT on options sell-side is 0.10% of premium (a key cost for option writers); on futures sell-side it is 0.0125% of contract value.
- Brokerage on derivatives at most discount brokers is ₹20 per executed order — but exchange transaction charges, SEBI fees and GST add up to roughly 0.05–0.07% of turnover.
Risk management for F&O traders
- Never risk more than 2% of capital on a single F&O idea — leverage means small mistakes become large losses fast.
- Avoid naked option selling unless you fully understand assignment risk. Use defined-risk spreads (vertical, iron condor) instead.
- Be aware of theta decay — long options lose value every day even if the underlying does not move. Time is the buyer's enemy.
- Avoid OTM options on weekly expiries unless explicitly recommended — most weekly OTM options expire worthless.
- Cut losers fast. Holding a losing option to expiry hoping for a reversal is the single most common destroyer of F&O accounts.
Option Greeks — a 60-second primer
- Delta: how much option price moves for ₹1 change in underlying. ATM ≈ 0.5; deep ITM ≈ 1; deep OTM ≈ 0.
- Theta: daily time decay. Negative for buyers, positive for sellers. Accelerates in the last week to expiry.
- Vega: sensitivity to implied volatility. Long options gain vega; short options lose vega when IV rises.
- Gamma: rate of change of delta. Highest near ATM and near expiry — gamma blow-ups happen in the final hour of expiry day.