HowardCohodas Index Options Credit Spread Trading Journal

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3-4 day move play, may reach the highs, maybe not, but I want a strategy with max risk under control. Naked short put or variations not good. Looking for a tool for repeated use in the future to get long and knowing that usually volatility drops in rallies. As opposed to bear strategies where volat explodes as price drops.

In summary: to play drops I want delta exposure and long vega, for rallies I want delta exposure and short vega.

Some staying power would be nice but can't have everything. Max risk must capped against swans (i.e. Disasters against are a no-no).
 
Quote from eudaemon:

3-4 day move play, may reach the highs, maybe not, but I want a strategy with max risk under control. Naked short put or variations not good. Looking for a tool for repeated use in the future to get long and knowing that usually volatility drops in rallies. As opposed to bear strategies where volat explodes as price drops.

In summary: to play drops I want delta exposure and long vega, for rallies I want delta exposure and short vega.

Some staying power would be nice but can't have everything. Max risk must capped against swans (i.e. Disasters against are a no-no).
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OK, fair enough. Then do a variation of the risk reversal and just sell the put spread to pay for OTM calls. You cap your risk at the long strike and if it's going to be a 3 to 4 day play you'll bank some coin on the move up. This is not as easy as it sounds. Without the risk, the reward gets cut to almost nothing. But if we really explode to the upside, you've got a flyer.
 
Quote from Maverick74:

OK, fair enough. Then do a variation of the risk reversal and just sell the put spread to pay for OTM calls. You cap your risk at the long strike and if it's going to be a 3 to 4 day play you'll bank some coin on the move up. This is not as easy as it sounds. Without the risk, the reward gets cut to almost nothing. But if we really explode to the upside, you've got a flyer.
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Can you explain how buying a risk reversal turns it into a fly when the underly gaps? I cant figure it out. If he opens a free position selling a vertical put spread then use the credit to buy the otm calls, then the market gaps up, he will get limited profit from the put spread credit and unlimited from the otm calls. But how does that make it a fly which are pinned to specific strikes.

thanks
 
Quote from newguy05:

Can you explain how buying a risk reversal turns it into a fly when the underly gaps? I cant figure it out. If he opens a free position selling a vertical put spread then use the credit to buy the otm calls, then the market gaps up, he will get limited profit from the put spread credit and unlimited from the otm calls. But how does that make it a fly which are pinned to specific strikes.

thanks
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A flyer, not a fly. As in a lottery ticket. It's a figure of speech.
 
Well this amateur is learning a few things. Some of it is more involved than I want to get.

Arabian Nights intrigued me with saying the spread should be in his favor. I´m starting to notice the widening between bid and ask, when a move is expected. Trying to figure out how to play it. I´m wondering if there is a way to use the spread between the bid and ask, as a predictive and appliable tool to straight buying?
Anybody want to offer me a tip? THANKS!
 
Quote from Maverick74:

OK, fair enough. Then do a variation of the risk reversal and just sell the put spread to pay for OTM calls. You cap your risk at the long strike and if it's going to be a 3 to 4 day play you'll bank some coin on the move up. This is not as easy as it sounds. Without the risk, the reward gets cut to almost nothing. But if we really explode to the upside, you've got a flyer.
More...

Playing the bull side with options has always been a bitch for me. Can't find a strategy I can live with outside of the simple call spread, and don't like it either. Volatility contraction kills off many possibilities. Maybe I'm not creative enough.

The bear side is much simpler. imho.

Almost better to play the index outright with little leverage for the long side.
 
Quote from eudaemon:

Playing the bull side with options has always been a bitch for me. Can't find a strategy I can live with outside of the simple call spread, and don't like it either. Volatility contraction kills off many possibilities. Maybe I'm not creative enough.

The bear side is much simpler. imho.

Almost better to play the index outright with little leverage for the long side.
More...

The risk-reversal needs to be played "uncapped" IMO. You lose any expectancy as capping would reduce the credit (1200/1250 short put spread) to what you're paying for the call.

It's better to play the index outright or with otm short puts. The 20-25 delta risk-reversal plays the index outright, simply 1/2 size and at a large +expectancy due to the vol-surface. You can earn more that trading ES futures outright(=delta).
 
Quote from atticus:

The risk-reversal needs to be played "uncapped" IMO. You lose any expectancy as capping would reduce the credit (1200/1250 short put spread) to what you're paying for the call.

It's better to play the index outright or with otm short puts. The 20-25 delta risk-reversal plays the index outright, simply 1/2 size and at a large +expectancy due to the vol-surface. You can earn more that trading ES futures outright(=delta).
More...

I must be missing something.

Let's see: If it goes up I'm long, winning but paying time decay with vega dropping(bad). Not so good.
If it goes down I'm long, losing but collecting time decay with vega increasing(bad). Shitty.
If earthquake hits. I'm naked. Not nice.

Imo long symmetrical call spreads have better odds for the long side, no?. (HoCo strategy too!)

Risk reversals play better on the bear side. Imo.
 
Quote from falconview:

Well this amateur is learning a few things. Some of it is more involved than I want to get.

Arabian Nights intrigued me with saying the spread should be in his favor. I´m starting to notice the widening between bid and ask, when a move is expected. Trying to figure out how to play it. I´m wondering if there is a way to use the spread between the bid and ask, as a predictive and appliable tool to straight buying?
Anybody want to offer me a tip? THANKS!
More...

Im saying I almost always intend to buy the bid or sell the ask, or ideally both.
 
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