Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc fka ARIA

[biomaven0]

I see that all the experienced investors here use option to trade with while holding their core position

Not me - and my day job involves valuation of complex option instruments, so it's a subject I am well versed in.

Think of options trading as going to Las Vegas - the options bid/ask spread plays the part of the zeroes in the roulette wheel. You have about as much chance of winning in the long run playing with options as you have playing roulette.

The only time I use options is if I believe I know something the market does not - like the size of a potential move in response to an FDA action. Mostly the options market is very efficient though, which means no free lunches.

Peter