The Put Seller's Journal

[earth_imperator]

Just wrote this in a PM to a helpful soul:

I must admit that I'm unfortunately facing the danger of an information overload :-( b/c I know of myself that the whole field of options is really too much to know or master for just a single brain. So I came to the conclusion to specializing myself in just a niche field: just Covered Put and optionally additionally to it Long Put and Long Call, and all only in a Cash Acct (to get rid of the IMO complicated margin stuff).
That's my frame, my basis. Then I want to specialize in this niche only. That's my plan

 

[earth_imperator]

Some more important information regarding cash account:
@Illini Trader wrote the following in the other thread:
"In a Cash account if you sell an option that was made in a prior day the proceeds are immediately available to reinvest."

Still unclear whether T+1 (or T+2) applies to cash account.
Today I closed a short position that was opened days before, and the system says "Unsettled cash = $0.00", whereas the TDA support guy said to me that for options T+1 applies and for stocks T+2. I had given him this link of an other broker titled "Avoiding cash account trading violations" and asked how the situation is with TDA, and he said that it's practically the same at TDA.

I'm still confused, but for my planning I need to know it exactly... :-(

Does it maybe matter whether it is a long option or a short option, for this settlement stuff?

Or am I maybe thinking it from the wrong side? Ie. does settlement mean just the opening side, not the closing side? This would fit to the above situation, as well what @Illini Trader said...
But OTOH: at opening the position, the cash required is already fully available in the account, so no settlement is required for it...
Fk these silly & outdated (stone age) & imprecise rules!...

 

[vanzandt]

Still unclear whether T+1 (or T+2) applies to cash account.
Today I closed a short position that was opened days before, and the system says "Unsettled cash = $0.00", whereas the TDA support guy said to me that for options T+1 applies and for stocks T+2. I had given him this link of an other broker titled "Avoiding cash account trading violations" and asked how the situation is with TDA, and he said that it's practically the same at TDA.

I'm still confused, but for my planning I need to know it exactly... :-(

Does it maybe matter whether it is a long option or a short option, for this settlement stuff?

Due respect... but you're selling puts, and you don't know the answer to a basic question like this?
..... Gotta love ET.

 

[earth_imperator]

Due respect... but you're selling puts, and you don't know the answer to a basic question like this?
..... Gotta love ET.

Man, I'm new to cash acct, just learning, and I need to know it exactly so that I can feed it to my program for auto-trading.

If you know the right answer why not post it here? I doubt you know...
...because most people here have margin account, not cash acct, I guess you too, right?

 

[vanzandt]

If you know the right answer why not post it here? I doubt you know...
...because most people here have margin account, not cash acct, I guess you too, right?

What?!
Options settle the next day.
This is not rocket science ok.
I suggest you let it go... it was a VERY basic question on your part.
>>>>They settle the next day. Cash or margin. That's your answer.

 

[vanzandt]

And they are applied against the cash side of your account.... ie your margin buying power, and your daytrade buying power(the next day) is reduced... because the options reduce the cash balance.

Any other questions Ivan?

 

[earth_imperator]

@vanzandt, like I predicted: you just walked into the trap I laid out:
it's about the case in a cash account, not margin account!
Look again. Why does the system say "Unsettled cash $0.00" if T+1 applies?

 

[vanzandt]

@vanzandt, like I predicted: you just walked into the trap I laid out:
it's about the case in a cash account, not margin account!
Look again. Why does the system say "Unsettled cash $0.00" if T+1 applies?

It applies.
I have no idea what you are looking at.
Options are cash settled the next day, unless you're in some foreign f'ing country of which I am unaware of the rules.
But in the US... they settle the next day.
CASE CLOSED.

 

[vanzandt]

https://www.optionstrading.org/introduction/how-options-really-work/settlement/


The meaning of “T+1”
The letter “T” stands for trade date and the number stands for days. So for example:

Let’s say you make an option trade for $AAPL (Apple) 170 calls on Jan 28th 2022.

and sell it the same day.

The day your sell option contracts is “T” and add 1 more day and that’s when your money will be available.

If you bought $AAPL on Jan 28th, and sold the same day. Your money will be ready Jan 29th.


settle funds length = trade date (sell date) + 1 day

>>>> Gotta love ET

 

[vanzandt]

@vanzandt, like I predicted: you just walked into the trap I laid out:
it's about the case in a cash account, not margin account!
Look again. Why does the system say "Unsettled cash $0.00" if T+1 applies?

AND.... if you sell a put in a cash account.... of course they're gonna lock up that money.... ie if you have $50K cash in a cash account and you sell 100 put contracts at $5..... you'll have zero $'s available to trade. Duh.

Do you think the brokers are gonna take a risk on you? What if the stock drops to $25?
Who covers the extra $25,000? Not the broker. And if its not in your account, they're not gonna let you sell those puts. They'll only let you sell the amount you can buy. And they lock up that money. Ie, no buying power until you close the position.,

Got it now?
It's common sense.