.sigma's butterfly book

So for now I'm "trading vol" based off if I think the straddle is overpriced pretty much... what's the determinant for its expensiveness? No clue bro

How about using a simple formula of :
"expensiveness" = [price of ATM straddle]/[stock price]
and express it as a percentage.


You'll be surprised how effective this can be. I use it a lot when trading various strategies.
 
You should re-read the thread old man, wheres this begging you speak of?

New, just because topics have been discussed before, doesn't mean we can't keep on discussing them and creating new ideas and help each other.

I actually enjoy your posts, new.. but this one was a waste sadly, expected more from you since you know good knowledge when it comes to flies..

So lets keep the negativity outside this thread, shall we? If not, then fxck off.
 
How about using a simple formula of :
"expensiveness" = [price of ATM straddle]/[stock price]
and express it as a percentage.


You'll be surprised how effective this can be. I use it a lot when trading various strategies.

Thank you! This is extremely helpful!
 
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You should re-read the thread old man, wheres this begging you speak of?

New, just because topics have been discussed before, doesn't mean we can't keep on discussing them and creating new ideas and help each other.

I actually enjoy your posts, new.. but this one was a waste sadly, expected more from you since you know good knowledge when it comes to flies..

So lets keep the negativity outside this thread, shall we? If not, then fxck off.

I choose option B.
 
How about using a simple formula of :
"expensiveness" = [price of ATM straddle]/[stock price]
and express it as a percentage.


You'll be surprised how effective this can be. I use it a lot when trading various strategies.

Where did you get this formula from? Of all the time I've allocated to studying butterflies I"ve never come across it.

I came across a quote from a ET vet I follow whos' knowledgable about flies "momoneythansen" or some sh!t.

He said something of the sort, "enter @ a premium of at least 10% of max profit", I want to explore this more, and find out what is an optimal % we should aim for, of course depending on our opportunity cost.

@newwurldmn I would appreciate some feedback if any, I need help man I wasn't born with knowledge like karmic cycles, I'm sorry for speaking about old subject matter, but people are born everyday and this info will keep being asked and cycled. :)
 
Where did you get this formula from? Of all the time I've allocated to studying butterflies I've never come across it.

It comes from a strange and unusual source called - practical experience. :)

It's nothing to do with butterflies as such - it's a general financial principle. No books will have it, and it's far too simply for the macho, quant vomma, vanna brigade to even give it a side-ways look.
Sometimes keeping it simple is all that's needed like I alluded to in this post https://www.elitetrader.com/et/threads/how-do-you-value-vol.341175/page-3#post-5028498

I use this formula for trading calendars, straddles, commodity synthetics and also.....get this....buying properties and renting them out. When I used to purchase real-estate as an investment years ago, I didn't need fancy property valuation techniques to decide if something was a good buy - just a simple [how much rent a year will I get]/[what is the property price].

If I saw an apartment selling for $100K, and I could rent it out for $600 for a month, instantly, I knew the gross yield was 7.2%, and this was a better investment than a similar apartment selling for $90K but which would only rent for $500.

The concept of yield (or profit) vs the investment (capital at risk) is the basis of all investment.



Happy trading.
 
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I want to discuss the duration of fly spreads? What's really optimal, if any?

Anything >30 days is a pure gamma trade, anything beyond that and Vega convexity plays a role.

I see Dan Sheridan initiating butterflies with 45 days to expiration (DTE), also tastytrade advises this. They also advise to trade flies in high iv environments (which I agree on especially ever since the market tanked this year).

I've been trading strictly the weeklies but just recently started trading farther out in the term structure and have been seeing decent results. Also of course the width of the wings plays a huge role.

Guys I really want to dissect this insect (no pun) butterfly inside and out. From the short guts (bodydDgamma) to the outside wings (Vanna/Vomma).

Tinkering with various constructions throughout the term structure AND vol strip.

No I doing have a fancy vol model like @TheBigShort but I hope one day he can show me the ropes of how to acquire one since we're buddies (I think?).

So for now I'm "trading vol" based off if I think the straddle is overpriced pretty much... what's the determinant for its expensiveness? No clue bro, it's just a bet to get some skin in the game and maybe bank some coin! But I definitely would love to trade vol efficiently one day.

I'm thinking a solid strategy would be to have a variety of expiration dates, especially in the higher volatility environment right now. Another consideration is management. A weekly expiration is more likely to require more "Hands on" than a "Place and forget" 6 week expiration. Term structure and personal objectives are other obvious inputs.

My preference right now is weekly OTM directional 'flys because of higher potential returns while still maintaining low risk and potentially no theta cost. I look at this type of position as a synthetic outright that has a stop built in. In the vast majority of my losing trades, my stop is triggered within hours or a day at RR's ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 plus. If my trade idea is invalidated by the movement the underlying, I take a loss, but when the trade goes in my direction over the course of a few days, my profit will be many times my potential loss, yielding a superior RR versus and outright and a stop. Further, there may be some advantages gained by looking at the underlying from a binomial perspective.
 
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