What is Put-Call Parity?
Put-Call Parity is a fundamental no-arbitrage relationship between European call and put prices with the same strike and expiry. If put-call parity is violated, a risk-free arbitrage exists. The relationship shows that a portfolio of a long call plus the present value of the strike is equivalent to a long put plus the current stock price. In practice, American-style options, dividends, and transaction costs can cause apparent violations that are not true arbitrage opportunities. Traders use put-call parity to derive synthetic positions: for example, a synthetic long stock is a long call plus a short put at the same strike.
Formula
C − P = S − K × e^(−rT)
Rearranged: C = P + S − K × e^(−rT)
Rearranged: P = C − S + K × e^(−rT)
C = call price, P = put price
S = stock price, K = strike price
r = risk-free rate, T = time to expiry (years)
Calculator
How to Use
- 1Enter call price (or put price): From your broker's option chain.
- 2Enter stock price, strike, expiry, rate: Same inputs as Black-Scholes.
- 3Compute the fair put (or call): The calculator solves for the missing leg.
- 4Compare to market price: If the computed put differs significantly from the market put, check for dividends or early-exercise factors.
Worked Example
Example: Check parity for ATM options
Call
$4.65
S
$150
K
$150
T
30 days
r
5%
PV(K) = 150 × e^(−0.05 × 30/365) ≈ $149.39. Fair put = C − S + PV(K) = 4.65 − 150 + 149.39 = $4.04. If the market put is at $4.20, the difference may reflect dividend expectations or bid-ask spread, not a true arbitrage for most retail traders.