Bought Strangles Identifying Trades – The Greeks

Posted on October 12th, 2010 admin No Comments

Delta

The net delta of a bought strangle is approximately 0 when the bought call and put strike price are even distance from the share price. If the share price is closer to the bought call the net delta will be slightly positive and if the share price is closer to the bough put the net delta will be slightly negative. As the share price increases the net delta will also increase due to the bought call delta increasing and the bought put delta decreasing. So this indicates that the net delta starts of relatively neutral and becomes positive or negative depending if the share price increase or decreases.

Vega

The bought strangle is affected by the volatility of the share price. The bought strangle is implemented when volatility is low and expected to increase. This is a major influence on the strategy pricing as there are two bought options. Information on identifying volatility trends is explained in the technical analysis section.

Theta

Time decay has a very negative effect on the bought strangle. As the strategy is made up of two bought options the impact of time decay is emphasised. One way to reduce the effect of time decay is to buy a long-dated strangle as time decay effects the option prices most in the last three months. The trouble with this is that you have to pay a lot to enter these trades and therefore they have larger risk (maximum loss).

To receive ASX Option Recommendation or to learn more about straddles and strangles please request the complete Straddles and Strangles eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , |

Bull Put Spread: Strategy Risks

Posted on March 17th, 2010 admin No Comments

It is important to always be aware of the strategy risks. The primary risk when placing a bull put spread is when the share price decreases past the sold put and an ever greater concern is if the share price decreases below the bought put (protection). Since you receive a premium to enter this trade there is a required margin. This margin can increase to as much as 1.2 times your maximum loss. For example if you were risk $2,000 the cash margin required in the account can increase to $2,400 (2000 *1.2) which includes the premium received. So it is important to know your maximum risk and make sure there are enough funds to cover the worst case scenario.

Another risk inherent with selling options is volatility. When you open the bull put spread you want the volatility to be high so you can sell the put options for as much value as possible. Once the trade is placed you want the volatility to drop off and time decay to kick in. So even if the share price stays still but volatility increases the position may not profit in the short-term. Increased levels in volatility mean to close out it will cost more to buy back the sold put. If the share price decreases below the sold put prior to expiry there is potentially a risk of exercise.

Exercise

The main risk of credit spreads is the risk of being exercised. If the sold put is exercised it means that you are obligated to buy shares at the exercise price of the sold put. This can have a negative impact in terms of you have bought shares you do not own which means you need to sell them back at the lower level and therefore locking in a loss on the share position. If the share price is below the bought put (protection) when exercised then you can sell the put option which will reduce the loss from being exercised. It is still not possible to lose more than the maximum risk before entering the trade. Another disadvantage of being exercised is the brokerage on the share purchase and sale so it is a good idea to try an avoid exercise. To avoid being exercised you need to monitor your position and more importantly the delta on the sold put. If the share price is below the sold put an indication of the likelihood of being exercised can be identified by the delta. If the delta on the sold call is below -0.95 there is a chance being exercised. If the delta is below -0.98 then it is necessary to implement one of your exit strategies.

To avoid exercise there are two options. If you think the share price will keep decreasing you can close the trade for a loss. If you think you view is correct and the share price will rise from this level and want to keep the position you can roll out to the next month. What this means is you can close the positions you have an open the same position for the next month and do this for no cost or a small credit. Therefore if the share price then increases above the sold put by the next month you can still make maximum profit.

To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bull Put Spread: Identifying Trades – The Greeks

Posted on March 16th, 2010 admin No Comments

Delta

When identifying trades it is essential to look at the delta of the option legs. In particular it is important to calculate the net delta of the bull put spread. The net delta is calculated by the delta of the sold put option minus the delta of the bought put option. The net delta will always be negative. The net delta indicates if the share price increases quickly what the value of the bull put spread will be worth. For example, if a bull call spread had a net delta of -0.20, and the share price decreased by $1.00, the bull put spread would have decreased by 20 cents. Therefore to close out the position you buy back the position for less than the premium received to enter the trade.

Vega

The volatility affect on a bull put spread is positive. When looking to enter a bull put spread you look to sell an out-of-the-money put option. The idea is to sell a put option which has a relatively high volatility and therefore trading above its theoretical value. The bought put even further out-of-the-money and you want to buy this option with low volatility. When entering the trade you want to volatility to be high and decrease throughout the trade.

Theta

Credit spreads are set up to take advantage of time decay. The effect of time decay on this strategy varied with the underlying share price level in relation to the strike prices of the long and short options. If the stock price is midway between the strike prices, the effect can be minimal. If the stock price is closer to the higher strike price of the sold put, profits generally increase at a faster rate as time passes. Alternatively, if the underlying stock price is closer to the lower strike price of the bought put, losses generally increase at a faster rate as time passes.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear Call Spread: Strategy Risks

Posted on March 10th, 2010 admin No Comments

It is important to always be aware of the strategy risks. The primary risk when placing a bear call spread is when the share price increases past the sold call option and an ever greater concern is if the share price increases above the bought call option (protection). Since you receive a premium to enter this trade there is a required margin. This margin can increase to as much as 1.2 times your maximum loss. For example if you were risk $5,000 the cash margin required in the account can increase to $6,000 (5000 *1.2) which includes the premium received. So it is important to know your maximum risk and make sure there are enough funds to cover the worst case scenario.

Another risk inherent with selling options is volatility. When you open the bear call spread you want the volatility to be high so you can sell the call options for as much value as possible. Once the trade is placed you want the volatility to drop off and time decay to kick in. So even if the share price stays still but volatility increases the position may not profit in the short-term. Increased levels in volatility mean to close out it will cost more to buy back the sold call option. If the share price increase above the sold put option prior to expiry there is potentially a risk of exercise.

Exercise

The main risk of credit spreads is the risk of being exercised. If the sold call option is exercised it means that you are obligated to sell shares at the exercise price of the sold call option. This can have a negative impact in terms of you have sold shares you do not own which means you need to buy them back at the higher level and therefore locking in a loss on that position. If the share price is above the bought call option (protection) when exercised then you can sell the call option which will reduce the loss from being exercised. It is still not possible to lose more than the maximum risk before entering the trade. Another disadvantage of being exercised is the brokerage on the share sale and purchase so it is a good idea to try an avoid exercise. To avoid being exercised you need to monitor your position and more importantly the delta of the sold call option. If the share price is above the sold call option an indication of the likelihood of being exercised can be identified by the delta. If the delta on the sold call option is above 0.95 there is a chance being exercised. If the delta is above 0.98 then it is necessary to implement one of your exit strategies.

To avoid exercise there are two options. If you think the share price will keep increasing you can close the trade for a loss. If you think you view is correct and the share price will fall from this level and want to keep the position you can roll out to the next month. What this means is you can close the positions you have an open the same position for the next month and do this for no cost or a small credit. Therefore if the share price then decreases below the sold call by the next month you can still make maximum profit. This options is normally recommended unless your analysis, technical or fundamentals, indicate a change is trend or market conditions.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear Call Spread: Identifying Trades – The Greeks

Posted on March 9th, 2010 admin No Comments

Delta

When identifying trades it is essential to look at the delta of the option legs. In particular it is important to calculate the net delta of the bear call spread. The net delta is calculated by the delta of the bought call option minus the delta of the sold call option. The net delta will always be positive. The net delta indicates if the share price decreases quickly what the value of the bear call spread will be worth. For example, if a bear call spread had a net delta of 0.20, and the share price decreased by $1.00, the bear call spread would have decreased by 20 cents.

Vega

The volatility affect on a bear call spread is varied. When looking to enter a bear call spread you look to sell an out-of-the-money call option. The idea is to sell a call which has a relatively high volatility and therefore trading above its theoretical value. The bear call spread can be traded when volatility is high on the call option which allows the spread to be higher above the current share price so the stock would have to increase further before affecting the trade.

Theta

Credit spreads are trades that take advantage of the time decay nature of options. The effect or time decay is a positive for this trade. When the share price is below the sold call if the share price and volatility remain constant this value of the position will reduce and therefore increase your profit. If the stock price is closer to the lower strike price of the sold call, profits generally increase at a faster rate as time passes. Alternatively, if the underlying stock price is closer to the higher strike price of the bought call, profits generally decrease at a faster rate as time passes.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear Put Spread: Bear Put Spread vs. Bought Put Option

Posted on March 5th, 2010 admin No Comments

There are a number of advantaged of implementing the bear put spread instead of buying a put option. A bear put spread has lower risk than strictly buying put options, but limited profit potential. The bear put spread also has a higher breakeven so the share price does not have to fall as far as a bought put option. The advantages of a bear put spread over a bought put is that the strategy reduces time decay and volatility influence on the strategy pricing. This is because we are selling the out-of-the-money options therefore that option benefits from time decay and volatility reducing the opposite characteristic to a bought call option. Bear put spread can be used when volatility is high and buying a put is too expensive as it eliminates the risk of volatility decreasing. Another reason to trade bear puts is that you might have identified a support level; you can sell the out-of-the-money options at that level to reduce the cost and that will be the maximum profit level at expiry. The main benefit to just buying options is large potential profits and a better delta meaning easier to exit the trade earlier. Also if you are expecting volatility to increase significantly a bought positions will improve as a bear put spread would not.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bear Put Spread: Identifying Trades – The Greeks

Posted on March 3rd, 2010 admin No Comments

Delta

When identifying trades it is essential to look at the delta of the option legs. In particular it is important to calculate the net delta of the bear put spread. The net delta is calculated by the delta of the bought put option minus the delta of the sold put option. The net delta of a bear put spread is always negative. The net delta indicates if the share price decreases quickly what the value of the bear put spread will be worth. For example, if a bear put spread had a net delta of -0.30, and the share price decreased by $2.00, the bear put spread would have increased by 60 cents.

Vega

The volatility affect on a bear put spread is varied. When looking to enter a bear put spread you look to buy an at-the-money put option. The idea is to buy a put which has a relatively low volatility and therefore trading at its theoretical value. The sold put is sold out-of-the-money and the aim to sell puts with higher volatility so you receive a larger premium. The strategy can be traded with high volatility as the volatility does not affect this trade as much as buying a put option. This is because the high volatility is priced into both the bought and sold call options.

Theta

The effect of time decay on this strategy varies with the underlying stock’s price level in relation to the strike prices of the bought and sold options. If the stock price is midway between the strike prices, the effect can be minimal. If the share price is closer to the higher strike price of the bought put, losses generally increase at a faster rate as time passes. Alternatively, if the share price is closer to the lower strike price of the sold put, profits generally increase at a faster rate as time passes.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bull Call Spread vs. Bought Call

Posted on February 26th, 2010 admin No Comments

There are a number of advantaged of implementing the bull call spread instead of buying a call. A bull call spread has lower risk than strictly buying call options, but limited profit potential. The advantages of a bull call spread over a bought call is that the strategy reduces time decay and volatility influence on the strategy pricing. This is because we are selling the out-of-the-money options therefore that option benefits from time decay and volatility reducing the opposite characteristic to a bought call. If a bought call is too expensive due to the high volatility then the bull call spread is a good strategy so the trade does not cost too much to enter and there is still a high percentage return possible. Another reason to trade bull calls is that you might have identified a resistance level; you can sell the out-of-the-money options at that level to reduce the cost and that will be the maximum profit level at expiry. The main benefit to just buying options is unlimited profit and a better delta meaning easier to exit the trade earlier.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Bull Call Spread: Identifying Trades – The Greeks

Posted on February 26th, 2010 admin No Comments

Delta

When identifying trades it is essential to look at the delta of the option legs. In particular it is important to calculate the net delta of the bull call spread. The net delta is calculated by the delta of the bought option minus the delta of the sold option. The net delta of a bull call spread will always be positive. The net delta indicates if the share price increases quickly what the value of the bull call spread will be worth. For example, if a bull call spread had a net delta of 0.35, and the share price increased by $1.00, the bull call spread would have increased approximately by 35 cents.

Vega

The volatility affect on a bull call spread is varied. When looking to enter a bull call spread you look to buy an at-the-money call option. The idea is to buy a call which has a relatively low volatility and therefore trading at its theoretical value. The sold call which you are selling out-of-the-money you are looking for as much volatility as possible. So you are selecting an option that is trading a lot higher than theoretical value. This means you receive greater premium for that option and it makes the bull call spread cheaper to enter. A bought call is best purchased when volatility is low but when volatility is high and the call is too expensive a bull call spread is an alternative strategy. This is because the higher volatility on the bought option is offset by the high volatility on the sold option.

Theta

The effect of time decay on this strategy varies with the underlying stock’s price level in relation to the strike prices of the long and short options. If the stock price is midway between the strike prices, the effect can be minimal. If the stock price is closer to the lower strike price of the bought call, losses generally increase at a faster rate as time passes. Alternatively, if the underlying stock price is closer to the higher strike price of the sold call, profits generally increase at a faster rate as time passes.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about Bull Call Spread, Bull Put Spread, Bear Call Spread, Bear Put Spread Strategies please request the Option Spreads eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Selection Criteria – Buying Options

Posted on February 22nd, 2010 admin No Comments

When buying call options and put options it is critical to have good timing. When buying call options you don’t only need the stock to increase in value you need it to do so before the time decay in the option starts to affect the option value. Selecting the entry point (timing) of the trade can be assisted through technical and fundamental analysis. You can use technical analysis to identify break-out patterns to trade through buying calls or puts. It is important to make sure you buy enough time for expected movements. Also to make sure you buy your option at a reasonable price, you must analyse the volatility and make sure you are buying when volatility is low and expected to increase. Always make sure the option has enough open interest so liquidity is not an issue. If you stick to the blue chips this should not be an issue. Buying out-of-the-money calls is higher risk but potentially has large percentage returns. However, buying at-the-money calls has a higher delta but costs more so percentage returns are smaller.


To receive ASX Option Recommendations or to learn more about trading options please request the complete Introduction to Options Trading eBook by contacting us on 1300 368 316 or info@totaloptions.com.au

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

« Older Entries