best ways to go long/short volatility...

[cdcaveman]

Quote from marameo:

So, that is how dec12 options look like after the market rally.

how are you expressing yourself with those options ?

 

[marameo]

Quote from cdcaveman:

how are you expressing yourself with those options ?

the then-fly now is pricing differently.

(just edited my previous message)

 

[cdcaveman]

Quote from marameo:

the then-fly now is pricing differently.

(just edited my previous message)

be specific.. which fly and whats then and now pricing??? i'm thinking volatility should increase as we top out somewhere here... not calling a top but things can look toppy for a while...

 

[marameo]

Quote from cdcaveman:

be specific.. which fly and whats then and now pricing???

I am sorry, the following should clarify more!

SPY DEC12 options as of september 10:

SPY DEC12 options as of today:

The strategy was +p143 -2p144 +1p145 look then and now pricing (hit the market or mid price).

 

[sle]

Quote from newwurldmn:
your welcome.

You certainly could neutralize your initial exposure to gamma by trading a gamma-neutral calendar and in this case you have a near-clean Vega exposure.

 

[cdcaveman]

Quote from sle:

You certainly could neutralize your initial exposure to gamma by trading a gamma-neutral calendar and in this case you have a near-clean Vega exposure.

so like short 2 front month long a back month at same strike... which strike do you pick in relation to the fly you have on? how do you make sense of this..

 

[sle]

Quote from cdcaveman:
so like short 2 front month long a back month at same strike... which strike do you pick in relation to the fly you have on? how do you make sense of this..

No, you need to buy more of the back month to be flat gamma, usually do these ATM strikes.

 

[cdcaveman]

Quote from sle:

No, you need to buy more of the back month to be flat gamma, usually do these ATM strikes.

aahh your ratioing ATM ... your wanting the fronts to deflate while the backs hold... that doesn't seem like a high return strategy ...

 

[newwurldmn]

Quote from sle:

You certainly could neutralize your initial exposure to gamma by trading a gamma-neutral calendar and in this case you have a near-clean Vega exposure.

but then you increase your exposure to term structure, etc.

And term structure becomes a meaningful part of your pnl.

 

[sle]

Quote from newwurldmn:

but then you increase your exposure to term structure, etc.

And term structure becomes a meaningful part of your pnl.

Well, your exposure is forward vol (you are long root-time vega, unlike in a calendar), so the main exposure is the overall level of vol. The slope of the term structure is going to be influencing the level of the specific forward vol, but unless you are trading an event in single stock, you are mainly exposed to the overall level of the implied vol.

While it sounds like a great deal, it's not necessarily so - when overall level of vol is low, the term structure is steep and you are buying forward vol at a higher level and rolling down to spot. When the term structure is flat, the roll-up is in your favour, but you are usually buying forward vol at a pretty high level.