An option screener is a tool that evaluates options based on criteria and generates a list of potential trading ideas. Because of the size and liquidity of its market, most option screeners are targeted at U.S. exchange-traded equity options.

Overview

Options, particularly exchange-traded options, are highly liquid securities whose market prices can change rapidly. In addition, the number of options in a market can be large. For instance, as of October, 2006, there are over 185,000 individual equity option contracts, written on nearly 3,000 underlying stocks, that are listed on the various U.S. options exchanges. Each contract is typically listed on multiple exchanges, resulting in nearly 1,000,000 separate option prices that all change in real-time.

Screening criterion

Being able to isolate option plays that appeal to a specific trader is a vital component of a useful option screener. To do this, the option screener needs to allow the trader to define filters that narrow down the ideal options based upon what the trader deems important. Typical filters include, but are not limited to:

  • option expiration
  • historic volatilty
  • implied volatility
  • open interest
  • option price
  • p/e ratio
  • put/call ratio
  • share price
  • stock exchange
  • strike price
  • volume

List of popular screeners

  • Optionistics, Covered &

    Quotes & Research — Stock Screener

    Stock Screener ... ZeccoShare you can learn online about stock trading and get advice on stock trades and options ...

    ...

    Morningstar: Stock Screener

    Morningstar's powerful Stock Screener helps investors find the right stocks to buy. ... Home Portfolio Stocks Options Funds ETFs Hedge Funds Markets Tools Personal Finance Discuss

    ...

    Trading Opportunities & Advice: Stock Screener, Option Education ...

    Optionsource.net is an international, independent group of market strategists offering education, opportunity and support focused on meeting the needs of today's sophisticated ...

    ...

    Wall Street Survivor - Stock Screener

    Fantasy stock market game and simulation for trading stocks, options and forex. Manage your own streaming charts, fantasy stock portfolio and execute trades in real time while ...

    ...

    StockTables Stock Screen Relative Strength EPS

    EPS Relative Strength stock screen. ... Finding quality stocks just got easier. Stock Screen over 10,000 stocks for RS Rank, EPS, PE, VOL %, Industry/Sector, Options, Chart ...

    ...

    Wall Street Survivor - Option Lookup

    Stock Quotes; Stock Talk; Stock Screener; Option Quotes; Option Lookup; Survivor Pro Picks; MSN TopStocks; PSW Leaderboard; Expert Stock Picks; Community Portfolio

    ...

    Options Screener

    Options Screener ... Option Volume: EPS: P/E: Action: SPY: SPDR TRUST SR 1 ETF ... Virtual Stock Exchange; All Things Digital; MarketWatch ...

    ...

    Stock Screener - Free Stock Market Screeners at NASDAQ.com

    Stock Screener - NASDAQ.com offers a free Stock Market Screener to search and screen stocks by various ... Options; Stock Trading; Structured Products; Trading Tools; Market Replay LITE ...

    ...

    stockoptionsignals.com

    ...

    Options Screeners - Covered Calls Screener - Options Screening - News ...

    Our patented SmartSearchXL® options screener technology is not available anywhere else. It's the best way to Find, Compare, Analyze, and Make Money On Stock Option Trading.

    ...