SPX Credit Spread Trader

I decided to try and take advantage of the low vol and 3 day weekend and have extended my put spread down to 1210 (from 1225/1220) my short is higher than coach's but hoping he and others are right abt Jan...one thing is I never feel comfortable selling the credit spread..I'm getting used to second guessing my self:eek: also I took less (.50) than I probably could..:( Quote from gatorplease

Any thoughts on rolling the put side shorts up?? [/QUOTE]
 
The other thing I've been looking at is buying the straddle for Jan or Feb...initially looking at 1245/1310 I think it was 9 bucks then went down to 7 (few days or week ago)....
 
I've been looking at MARCH for straddles but with QQQQ or SPY so I can scalp gamma if I have to with underlying. Have been trying out XSP over the last few weeks but it seems as bad as SPX for fills, otherwise I would use that and scalp with ES....but this is probably all OT.

Just curious, are you looking at straddles as a long vega play or as a hedge for your credit spreads or to get convergence gains as r/a puts it?

Good luck!

MoMoney.

Quote from DonnaV:

The other thing I've been looking at is buying the straddle for Jan or Feb...initially looking at 1245/1310 I think it was 9 bucks then went down to 7 (few days or week ago)....
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Just a FYI,

Some people that have analyzed option prices w.r.t. theta/time decay, maintain that weekends etc. are not a "free lunch" i.e. buying options on Friday P.M. in anticipation of getting some decay over the weekend by Monday A.M. does not in reality happen. The decay is priced in before the weekend (Thursday/Friday). It's as if the weekends don't really exist for the purposes of theta i.e. theta get's applied elastically - another deviation from common pricing models. I would suggest this is consistent with casual observations.

My personal minimal analysis of this has confirmed the supposition...but that means squat. Suggest folks do their own analysis rather than taking anyone's word for it.

Whether this applies to three day weekends or not. Again, I have no idea :)

MoMoney.

Quote from DonnaV:

I decided to try and take advantage of the low vol and 3 day weekend and have extended my put spread down to 1210 (from 1225/1220) my short is higher than coach's but hoping he and others are right abt Jan...one thing is I never feel comfortable selling the credit spread..I'm getting used to second guessing my self:eek: also I took less (.50) than I probably could..:( Quote from gatorplease

Any thoughts on rolling the put side shorts up??
More...
 
Quote from momoneythansens:

Just a FYI,

Some people that have analyzed option prices w.r.t. theta/time decay, maintain that weekends etc. are not a "free lunch" i.e. buying options on Friday P.M. in anticipation of getting some decay over the weekend by Monday A.M. does not in reality happen. The decay is priced in before the weekend (Thursday/Friday). It's as if the weekends don't really exist for the purposes of theta i.e. theta get's applied elastically - another deviation from common pricing models. I would suggest this is consistent with casual observations.

My personal minimal analysis of this has confirmed the supposition...but that means squat. Suggest folks do their own analysis rather than taking anyone's word for it.

Whether this applies to three day weekends or not. Again, I have no idea :)

MoMoney.
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I don't have any data to back it up but from my experience I tend to agree. My spreads are never quite where I expect them to be come Monday morning. I always figure it is those grinches the MMs making trouble for me :D

ryan
 
I'm sure your right about Fri and theta but any excuse....

Just looking at the strangle more as long vega not as hedge...decided that the otm credit spreads are hedged as they are and as part of over-all portfolio positions.. so I am not going to try and specifically hedge them (the spx credit spreads). However in all honesty I don't think I have the knowledge base to effectively play straddles. It is something I would like to paper trade for awhile...I believe TOS is coming out with a virtual paper trade page so that will be nice.
Quote from momoneythansens:

Just curious, are you looking at straddles as a long vega play or as a hedge for your credit spreads or to get convergence gains as r/a puts it?

Good luck!

MoMoney. [/B]
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Quote from DonnaV:

I'm sure your right about Fri and theta but any excuse....
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I'm sure it will be a winner...

However in all honesty I don't think I have the knowledge base to effectively play straddles.
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Suspect your knowledge base is somewhat larger and deeper than mine but...I still play straddles [EDIT: you may mean strangles]...I guess ignorance really is bliss :)

It is something I would like to paper trade for awhile...I believe TOS is coming out with a virtual paper trade page so that will be nice.
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Yes, I can't wait for the next release (in Jan I believe). I'm almost more excited about it than the upcoming festivities. That's just sad LOL.

MoMoney.
 
WE need to get a life!

Quote from momoneythansens:


Yes, I can't wait for the next release (in Jan I believe). I'm almost more excited about it than the upcoming festivities. That's just sad LOL.

MoMoney. [/B]
More...
 
I may be a bit rusty on my option theory, but...

If on late Friday, the option prices converged to -0- Theta over the weekend, wouldn't that mean you could construct a call-put-underlying position to extract interest? Theta decay in the call and put should not be symmetrical right? Because theta should embed interest as well as vol decay.

If theta is really -0- or too low, buy atm call, sell atm put, sell underlying and assuming you're big enough or a dealer, you earn interest on the short underlying proceeds without a corresponding decline in the credit (or debit) on the options (not sure that's the clearest statement, I really mean excess interest above risk free). Not sure the typical ET trader could do that, but a dealer should.

Would think the advanced models would ignore weekends for vol decay.
 
Anybody contemplating bear calls this week?

The traders I follow made the following point:

"The Santa Claus rally refers to the last five days of the year and the first two days of the next."

Also:

"If Santa fails to call, the bears may come to Broad and Wall." "Typically weakness between Christmas and New Years is a leading indicator of selling to come in January."

I think I 'll wait at least through today and then contemplate some bear calls.
 
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