What LEAPS are, in plain English

LEAPS (long-term equity anticipation securities) are listed options with more than one year to expiry. They work like standard options, just over a longer timeframe.

A LEAPS call gives you the right, but not the obligation, to buy 100 shares of GLD at a fixed price (the strike) up to expiration. You pay a premium upfront. If the option finishes out of the money at expiry (for a call: GLD is below the strike), it expires worthless and the loss is limited to the premium paid.

This article focuses on calls, as they are commonly used by investors to express a constructive long-term view with defined downside.

Why investors sometimes use long-dated calls

Long-dated calls are typically considered for three investor-oriented reasons.

• First, they reduce upfront capital compared with buying 100 shares, while still maintaining exposure to potential upside.
• Second, they make risk explicit. With shares, losses depend on how far the price falls. With a long call, the worst-case outcome is known from day one.
• Third, they encourage discipline. Options force you to think in scenarios: what needs to happen, by when, and what would cause you to reassess.

The trade-off is that options introduce time and volatility sensitivity that shares do not have.

Important note: The strategies and examples provided in this article are purely for educational purposes. They are intended to assist in shaping your thought process and should not be replicated or implemented without careful consideration. Every investor or trader must conduct their own due diligence and take into account their unique financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment objectives before making any decisions. Remember, investing in the stock market carries risk, and it's crucial to make informed decisions.

A worked example from the current GLD chain

To make this concrete, the screenshots below show one long-dated GLD call. This is a worked example used to explain mechanics, not a suggestion.

• Underlying: GLD last traded around 427 at the time of the snapshot.
• Expiry: 15 January 2027.
• Strike: 400.
• Call price shown: about 66.
• Indicative delta: roughly 0.70.
• Open interest at this strike: over 10,000 contracts.

Because one contract represents 100 shares, a price of 66 corresponds to about 6,600 USD premium paid. That amount is the maximum loss if the option is held to expiry and finishes out of the money.

At expiry, the breakeven level is the strike plus the premium paid. Using the numbers above, that is around 466.

Three mechanics that matter for investors

You do not need to master option theory to follow the logic, but three concepts are worth understanding.

• Delta. Delta describes how sensitive the option is to moves in GLD. A delta around 0.70 means the option may behave somewhat like holding roughly 70 shares, though this will change over time.
• Time decay. Options lose value as time passes. LEAPS decay more slowly than short-dated options, but they still lose value if GLD moves sideways for long periods.
• Implied volatility. Option prices reflect expected future variability. If volatility falls after a sharp pullback, an option can lose value even if GLD rises modestly.

The part investors often underestimate

Outcomes at expiry are clean and intuitive. The path before expiry is not.

Even if GLD eventually rises, a long-dated call can be uncomfortable to hold during extended sideways periods or renewed volatility. That does not make the idea wrong, but it means position size matters.

A useful self-check is simple: if the premium were marked down materially for several months, would you still be comfortable holding it as the cost of staying exposed.

Strike and expiry choices, briefly

There is no single “best” LEAPS contract.

Longer expiries give the thesis more time to work, but cost more. Lower strikes behave more like shares, but require higher premiums. Higher strikes are cheaper, but more dependent on a strong move.

These are trade-offs, not optimisations.

Key risks to keep in mind

Long-dated calls are conservative relative to many option strategies, but they are still options.

• Time risk: the option expires.
• Volatility risk: implied volatility can fall.
• Liquidity risk: spreads can widen.
• Sizing risk: a defined maximum loss is only helpful if the premium is proportionate to the portfolio.

A simple decision checklist

• What is your long-term reason for owning gold exposure.
• What would change that view.
• How large is the premium relative to your portfolio.
• What would make you reassess the position before expiry.

Closing thought

LEAPS on GLD are best viewed as a risk budgeting tool, not a forecasting tool. They can help investors stay exposed after a sharp pullback while keeping downside explicit.

As with any option, the discipline lies less in choosing the “right” contract and more in sizing it appropriately and understanding what you are paying for.