Recent content by motterpaul

Thanks for this insight, yes I did buy just before earnings - the premiums on this have been really high. What you say is completely logical to me, but understanding how to play IV is tough because you can't really track changes in IV for a given stock. Actually, in the end I did pretty close...

I have an options account, and the truth is I can't seem to find a basic strategy that allows me to risk a little and make a lot - except just plain outright buying (long) puts or calls. When you two opposing legs they just cancel each other out. For example. I had call & a put for Beyond...

Thanks for the answers. Options are truly baffling, and never really respond as expected. There are just too many damn factors.

What is more likely to give you more return, a single option at the money with a Delta of 50, or buying two lower priced options with a delta of 25 for a combined Delta of 50? Is delta delta, or does where it comes from make a difference?

Here is your problem - you sold premium hoping the stock price will not change much - BUT it is almost impossible to get short so it just keeps going up. You think your loss is limited to $320 but you have short positions which can go as far as the want. I just checked your positions at up $12...

After spending about 6 months using it every day, I am extremely negative on Tastyworks. Now, I am not experienced enough with options to know if the money I lost was my own fault, or just the fact that their model is to sell premium and we have been facing nothing but a up market with very low...

QQQ is the slowest moving underlying I ever tried. I suggest you try the /NS NasDaq mini futures. Or the /ES SPX futures. These things move fast and you can make buck in a short time if you buy 3 or 4. If you want to be safer, stick to just one position at a time. And DO take profits. these...

Oh - another "option" is to buy the futures /ES (for SPX, for example). These tend to have far less premium decay when you are close to expiration. You can buy/ES (an SPX put or call) for about $250 on the same day as expiration. You will still experience the Gamma in the last couple hours...

My guess is that you are buying puts or calls that are too close to expiration. You are getting hit by GAMMA - which is the time just before expiration when most of your premium is getting taken. If you have good stocks and you want to trade them directionally with options then the best idea is...

Sorry I can' t read all the posts, but I tried the selling premium thing (Tasty Trade). They had me sold on the idea that premium decay is a statistical probability and all I had to do was manage my positions so I did not get too far ITM or over-leveraged. "Trade small, trade often" is their...

Another thing is this - look at the Delta. That is the % of move your option will get for every $1 move the underlying makes. Usually you can find an ITM call that is .90 delta or even better without going that far down. But the liquidity and spread can be a big problem when you get too far in...

OP here, I had not been back in awhile. Thanks for the replies, truly appreciated. I don;t doubt the Sosnoff sincerity, I just often get the feeling there is more to it than what they are telling us. Not because they have anything to hide, but because there is more to it than they even want to...

I am a very experienced swing trader who has been trying options also - it is extremely hard. You need to understand how options prices change depending on so many factors: 1. Most options unless they are ITM are not worth more than a 50% move for each point the stock moves - and if not ATM...

The downsides are these - with options you pay a time premium and you have to be correct on the timing. If you go VERY far out in time (a year) then you do not make anything unless the option goes up and you usually find that extrinsic value and the delta make a not so good deal. Studies show...