Evolution, Revolution or Convolution: The Changing Landscape of Exchange Market Structure in North America
Bill Gates once said, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” There is some argument as to which nation created the first exchange....
Understanding Credit Spreads and How They Differ from Debit Spreads
In a previous posting, “Bull Call and Bear Put Spreads, Pairing Option Strategies with Forecasts” we learned how to implement a debit spread for both calls and puts. This week we will examine another form of vertical spreads: credit spreads and how they can be used. Recall that debit spreads are a limited risk transaction,...
Flying with Condors
In a recent article we discussed how to get long volatility with the Long Option Straddle. In today’s piece we will discuss another less costly way to buy volatility with the Reverse Iron Condor. Condor strategies are named for the narrow-bodied and broad-winged bird that is primarily found in California. When diagramed, the...
Reverse Ratio Call Backspread
In a previous article, “Bull Call and Bear Put Spreads” investors learned how to construct a simple 1:1 vertical spread. This week we will discuss how a ratio spread can be implemented and the risks and benefits of this strategy. A ratio spread is similar to a vertical spread in that it involves the simultaneous purchase...
Long Call Neutral Calendar Spreads
In previous submissions we’ve discussed put and call vertical spreads, “Bull Call and Bear Put Spreads”. This week Canadian investors will learn how to construct a calendar spread. The calendar spread is also known as a time spread or horizontal spread. The calendar spread is typically constructed for a neutral outlook...
A Quick Guide to Volatility and Options Skew
In my last article, entitled Understanding Vega, we examined how Vega measures the changes in option pricing relative to changes in implied volatility. In today’s article I will delve a little deeper into volatility and its impact across the options chain. There are actually two types of volatility that option traders need to...
Understanding Options Vega
Prior to understanding Vega, we need to quickly review option-pricing models. The options pricing models are mathematical formulas that help investors and traders remove the guesswork from determining an options price. The models make some assumptions, primarily that stock prices are random and that only one of the option...
Going Long Volatility
No on can accurately predict whether the worst is over or just pausing before stocks make another dramatic move lower. The Long Straddle can be used to take advantage in either outcome. The Long Straddle is composed of a long call option and a long put option. Both options are at the closest At-The-Money-strike (ATM) of the...
Of Mice and Men and Rolling Options
As anyone who has every traded knows, the best laid plans often go awry. Before making any adjustments, the investor needs to dissect what went wrong. Does he or she still hold fast to their original forecast but has simply run out of time, or was the strategy selection itself incorrect? Remember that closing the position in...
Understanding Put-Call Parity
Investors will often hear the term put-call parity without fully comprehending its meaning or how it keeps options prices in line. Put-Call Parity states that for a given underlying price with the same strike prices and the same expiry for both puts and calls, the value of a call at a given price implies a value for the put,...
Alan Grigoletto
CEO
Grigoletto Financial Consulting
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