Zomma

Urban dictionary will tell you something different, so...make sure you have your context right when you’re trying to figure out what “zomma” means.

In economic-land, zomma is one of those strings of Greek letters that make your eyes burn a little bit because you don’t know what they means, like some cruel, cryptic code.

In finance, zomma is the third derivative of an option value. Options investors with gamma hedged portfolios (ones that are strategized to reduce risk through fancy mathematical means) keep their eyes on zomma to help them predict if their options are still a good idea to have based on changes in volatility.

If you hear, “Wow, that zomma is really smart in the way that she uses her porfolio’s zomma,” you’ll know what at least one of the “zomma”s means.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is a Derivative?23 Views

00:00

finance a la shmoop what is a derivative? well it's derived it's a something taken

00:10

from something else like a derivative of hot weather is thirst a derivative of [Girl takes sip of glass of water on a beach]

00:16

hunger is well you know crankiness that's diva thing you get there...

00:20

derivative of a 1/32 quarterback rating in the NFL is like serious wealth yeah

00:26

yeah discount double shmoop yeah look for it be on there with aaron

00:30

and a derivative of a stock or bond or other security is a something which

00:35

derives its value based on the performance of that underlying security

00:40

there are basically two flavors of derivative put options ie the right to [Ice cream flavors appear]

00:44

sell a security at a given price over a given time period and a call option, ie

00:49

right to buy a security at a given price over a given time period

00:52

well the price of that option is derived from the price of the security and a few

00:59

other factors like strike prices and duration and all that stuff

01:05

colonel electric the downgraded new version of General Electric is trading [Colonel Electric appears in a suit]

01:10

for 25 bucks a share a derivative of its share price is sold in the form of a

01:15

call option with a $30 strike price expiring about 90 days from now on the

01:19

third Friday of the end of that month well investors pay a price albeit

01:24

probably a small one for the right to then pay 30 bucks a share for colonel [Call option appears for colonel electric]

01:29

electric at any time in the next 90 ish days until that option expires making the bet

01:34

that the stock will go well above 30 bucks a share in that time period that

01:39

call option is thus a derivative of the colonel electric primary stock price got

01:45

it if you really want to get personal well here's the ultimate form of

01:49

derivative [Baby laying down]

Find other enlightening terms in Shmoop Finance Genius Bar(f)