Option strategies are the simultaneous, and often mixed, buying or selling of one or more
options
Option or Options may refer to:
Computing
*Option key, a key on Apple computer keyboards
*Option type, a polymorphic data type in programming languages
* Command-line option, an optional parameter to a command
*OPTIONS, an HTTP request method
...
that differ in one or more of the options' variables.
Call option
In finance, a call option, often simply labeled a "call", is a contract between the buyer and the seller of the call option to exchange a security at a set price. The buyer of the call option has the right, but not the obligation, to buy an ...
s, simply known as Calls, give the buyer a right to buy a particular
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...
at that option's
strike price
In finance, the strike price (or exercise price) of an option is a fixed price at which the owner of the option can buy (in the case of a call), or sell (in the case of a put), the underlying security or commodity. The strike price may be set ...
. Opposite to that are
Put options, simply known as Puts, which give the buyer the right to sell a particular stock at the option's strike price. This is often done to gain exposure to a specific type of opportunity or risk while eliminating other risks as part of a
trading strategy. A very straightforward strategy might simply be the buying or selling of a single option; however, option strategies often refer to a combination of simultaneous buying and or selling of options.
Options strategies allow traders to profit from movements in the underlying assets based on
market sentiment (i.e., bullish, bearish or neutral). In the case of neutral strategies, they can be further classified into those that are bullish on
volatility, measured by the lowercase Greek letter
sigma
Sigma (; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; grc-gre, σίγμα) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used ...
(σ), and those that are bearish on volatility. Traders can also profit off
time decay, measured by the uppercase Greek letter
theta
Theta (, ; uppercase: Θ or ; lowercase: θ or ; grc, ''thē̂ta'' ; Modern: ''thī́ta'' ) is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet, derived from the Phoenician letter Teth . In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 9.
...
(Θ), when the
stock market has low volatility. The option positions used can be
long and/or
short positions in calls and puts.
Bullish strategies
Bullish options strategies are employed when the options trader expects the underlying stock price to move upwards. They can also use Theta (time decay) with a bullish/bearish combo called a Calendar Spread, when sideways movement is expected. The trader may also forecast how high the stock price may go and the time frame in which the rally may occur in order to select the optimum trading strategy for buying a bullish option.
The most bullish of options trading strategies, used by most options traders, is simply buying a call option.
The market is always moving. It's up to the trader to figure out what strategy fits the markets for that time period. Moderately bullish options traders usually set a target price for the bull run and utilize bull spreads to reduce cost or eliminate risk altogether. There is limited risk trading options by using the appropriate strategy. While maximum profit is capped for some of these strategies, they usually cost less to employ for a given nominal amount of exposure. There are options that have unlimited potential to the up or down side with limited risk if done correctly. The
bull call spread and the
bull put spread are common examples of moderately bullish strategies.
Mildly bullish trading strategies are options that make money as long as the underlying asset price does not decrease to the strike price by the option's expiration date. These strategies may provide downside protection as well. Writing
out-of-the-money
In finance, moneyness is the relative position of the current price (or future price) of an underlying asset (e.g., a stock) with respect to the strike price of a derivative, most commonly a call option or a put option. Moneyness is firstly a thr ...
covered calls is a good example of such a strategy. The purchaser of the covered call is paying a premium for the option to purchase, at the strike price (rather than the market price), the assets you already own. This is how traders hedge a stock that they own when it has gone against them for a period of time.
Bearish strategies
Bearish options strategies are employed when the options trader expects the underlying stock price to move downwards. It is necessary to assess how low the stock price can go and the time frame in which the decline will happen in order to select the optimum trading strategy. Selling a Bearish option is also another type of strategy that gives the trader a "credit". This does require a
margin account.
The most bearish of options trading strategies is the simple put buying or selling strategy utilized by most options traders.
The market can make steep downward moves. Moderately bearish options traders usually set a target price for the expected decline and utilize bear spreads to reduce cost. This strategy has limited profit potential, but significantly reduces risk when done correctly. The
bear call spread and the
bear put spread are common examples of moderately bearish strategies.
Mildly bearish trading strategies are options strategies that make money as long as the underlying asset does not rise to the strike price by the options expiration date. However, you can add more options to the current position and move to a more advanced position that relies on Time Decay "Theta". These strategies may provide a small upside protection as well. In general, bearish strategies yield profit with less risk of loss.
Neutral or non-directional strategies
Neutral strategies in options trading are employed when the options trader does not know whether the underlying asset's price will rise or fall. Also known as non-directional strategies, they are so named because the potential to profit does not depend on whether the underlying price will increase or decrease. Rather, the correct neutral strategy to employ depends on the expected volatility of the underlying stock price.
Examples of neutral strategies are:
*Guts - buy (long gut) or sell (short gut) a pair of ITM (in the money) put and call (compared to a strangle where OTM puts and calls are traded);
*
Butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
- a neutral option strategy combining bull and bear spreads. Long butterfly spreads use four option contracts with the same expiration but three different strike prices to create a range of prices the strategy can profit from.
*
Straddle
In finance, a straddle strategy involves two transactions in options on the same underlying, with opposite positions. One holds long risk, the other short. As a result, it involves the purchase or sale of particular option derivatives that all ...
- an options strategy in which the investor holds a position in both a call and put with the same strike price and expiration date, paying both premiums (long straddle)
*
Strangle
Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...
- where you buy a put below the stock and a call above the stock, with profit if the stock moves outside of either strike price (long strangle).
*
Risk reversal - simulates the motion of an underlying so sometimes these are referred as synthetic long or synthetic short positions depending on which position you are shorting;
*
Collar
Collar may refer to:
Human neckwear
*Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations
*Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck
...
- buy the underlying and then simultaneous buying of a put option below current price (floor) and selling a call option above the current price (cap);
*
Condor
Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.
They are:
* The Andean condor (''V ...
– combination of two vertical spreads, similar to a butterfly but with a range of underlying values yielding the maximum profit
*
Fence
A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length.
...
- buy the underlying then simultaneous buying of options either side of the price to limit the range of possible returns;
*
Iron butterfly
Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal mus ...
- sell two overlapping credit vertical spreads but one of the verticals is on the call side and one is on the put side;
*
Iron condor - the simultaneous buying of a put spread and a call spread with the same expiration and four different strikes. An iron condor can be thought of as selling a strangle instead of buying and also limiting your risk on both the call side and put side by building a bull put vertical spread and a bear call vertical spread;
*
Calendar spread - the purchase of an option in one month and the simultaneous sale of an option at the same strike price (and underlying) in an earlier month, for a debit.
*
Jelly roll - a combination of two calendar spreads, used to profit from changes in interest rates or dividends
Bullish on volatility
Neutral trading strategies that are bullish on volatility profit when the underlying stock price experiences big moves upwards or downwards. They include the
long straddle,
long strangle In finance, a strangle is a options strategy involving the purchase or sale of two options, allowing the holder to profit based on how much the price of the underlying security moves, with a neutral exposure to the ''direction'' of price movement. ...
, short condor (long Iron Condor), long butterfly, and long Calendar.
Bearish on volatility
Neutral trading strategies that are bearish on volatility profit when the underlying stock price experiences little or no movement. Such strategies include the
short straddle,
short strangle,
ratio spreads, long condor, short butterfly, and short calendar.
Option strategy profit / loss chart
A typical option strategy involves the purchase / selling of at least 2-3 different options (with different strikes and / or time to expiry), and the value of such portfolio may change in a very complex way.
One very useful way to analyze and understand the behavior of a certain option strategy is by drawing its Profit / Loss graph.
An option strategy profit / loss graph shows the dependence of the profit / loss on an option strategy at different base asset price levels and at different moments in time.
Option strategy payoff graphs
Following
Black-Scholes option pricing model, the option's payoff, delta, and gamma (
option greeks) can be investigated as time progress to maturity:
File:Black-Scholes Call.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a call option
File:Black-Scholes Put.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a put option
File:Black-Scholes Collar.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a collar strategy
File:Black-Scholes Bull.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a bull spread
File:Black-Scholes Bear.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a bear spread
File:Black-Scholes Straddle.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a straddle strategy
File:Black-Scholes Butterfly.gif, Payoff, delta, and gamma of a butterfly strategy
Profit charts
These are examples of charts that show the profit of the strategy as the price of the underlying varies.
See also
*
Barrier option
*
Binary option
*
Chicago Board Options Exchange
The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), located at 433 West Van Buren Street in Chicago, is the largest U.S. options exchange with an annual trading volume of around 1.27 billion at the end of 2014. CBOE offers options on over 2,200 companies, ...
*
Options arbitrage
*
Options spread
*
Synthetic options position
In finance, a synthetic position is a way to create the payoff of a financial instrument using other financial instruments.
A synthetic position can be created by buying or selling the underlying financial instruments and/or derivatives.
If se ...
References
External links
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{{Derivatives market
Options (finance)