Basic Training: The Wheel Trade A great trade for novice options traders. Our friends at RCM call this the "triple income trade" or "the wheel of fun." What is it? Write a put to get long equity, then immediately write a call to sell equity. When should you use it? When should you not use it? This is a great way to add some extra bang to your covered call trades. Mail Call: Fabulous questions, insightful answers. Question from Bit Tim: You recommend closing out your shorts when they go your way....
Jan 24, 2014•51 min
Options Bootcamp 37: Our Holiday Wish Lists Basic Training: Options Boot Camp Holiday Wish List John - Consolidation in the exchange market place. Mark - Better spread execution in the options market in 2014. Dan - Continued growth in the options business. Mark - Financial/mainstream media would abandon its perception that options are dangerous, complex risk-additive instruments. John - Customers close every expiring position. Dan - Continued growth in options education. Mark - Brokers would mak...
Dec 20, 2013•53 min
Basic Training: Here is a rundown of the major topics from the show over the past year: Greeks Pros/cons of buying premium Pros/cons of selling premium Speculating with an ATM/OTM call Hedging with a protective put Stock replacement strategy Pros/cons of basic vertical spreads Ratio spreads Front spreads/back spreads Stock repair strategy Straddles/strangles Spreads with wings: Condors, Flies, etc. Volatility skew Basic calendar and diagonal spreads...
Dec 18, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Basic Training: Lessons from the Trading Floor Paper flow rules all - Go with the flow! Being obstinate and refusing to adjust to changing market conditions will only cost you money. Don't step in front of the train! When in doubt, palms out!! There is such a thing as an upside crash. Calls are puts and puts are calls. Mail Call: Schooling traders, one question at a time. Question from George: Why were puts so expensive when TWTR options launched? Question from Niles F., Montgomery, AL - I saw a...
Nov 26, 2013•1 hr
Mail Call: All Mail. All day long. Question from Benjammin - I am currently a law student and have always been interested in options. I have read about options and am now listening to all of the Options Bootcamp podcasts, which is a great show, to prepare to start trading options! SCENARIO: Assume I sell a naked put option and collected $500 in prem. 1 week prior to expiration the value of the underlying has increased and it looks like the option will expire worthless and I will get to keep the ...
Nov 20, 2013•58 min
Basic Training: Trading VIX and Volatility Products What is the VIX? How is the VIX calculated? How are VIX options priced? How do the Greeks work with VIX options? What is the difference between VIX cash and VIX futures? The VIX is NOT a perfect hedge that offers pure inverse correlation of the S&P? VIX can be used as a kicker for extreme events. Beware of VIX settlement process. Remember to understand the context with which the VIX is being represented. Mail Call: How may we be of assistan...
Nov 04, 2013•1 hr 2 min
Basic Training: Let's talk fundamentals What is Implied Volatility and how it is derived? Why is understanding implied volatility is so important? Historical volatility versus implied volatility. What is skew? Why does skew exist? What is the put wing? What is the call wing? What is investment skew? What are other types of skew? #1 Options question from newcomers - I bought a call option then the stock rallied and my call lost value. Why? How do you evaluate skew? How is skew measured? What is r...
Oct 24, 2013•1 hr 4 min
Basic Training: Stock Repair Strategy Review Have a downturn in your account? Options can help make that money back. When do you use this? How does this differ from just holding the stock outright? Is there a better alternative to doubling down? Mail Call: Tell us what you want to know. Question from Nick - Can you explain the difference between a front spread and a back spread? Thank for the program. It has a regular spot on my podcast playlist. Question from Avalon 360 - I have heard a lot of ...
Oct 03, 2013•51 min
Basic Training: It's that time of the year again. The kids are back to school, so let's go back to school as well, and refresh our listeners on the options basics. What is an option? How do options work? What is a multiplier? What are the greeks: Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega. Long premium vs short premium. Option Drills: A review of the basic positions: Long call - Short call - Covered call - Long put - Basic vertical spread - Collars. Others can be found in previous episodes. Mail Call: Question f...
Sep 17, 2013•1 hr
Basic Training: Trading Diagonals What is a diagonal? Why would you put it on? What adjustments need to be made? How is it performed? How does it differ from a typical horizontal calendar spread? Why would you use a calendar vs. a horizontal spread? How do the greeks differ? How do you choose the strikes? Mail Call: Fall in, recruits! Question from Richard D: I think a whole boot camp show on skew could be very helpful! Thanks! Question from Hawkeye6: Love the pair of calendar spread shows. Can ...
Sep 03, 2013•56 min
Basic Training: Pro Tips Swap LEAPS for stock when writing covered calls. Everyone, even pros, have losing trades. Never ever ever enter a market order in the options market place pre-market. Swap in-the-money calls for stock whenever possible to utilize trading capital more efficiently. Use implied volatility on all your option trades. Don't base a sale or purchase of an option based purely on the implied volatility levels without understanding the context on the implied. When looking at implie...
Aug 16, 2013•1 hr 6 min
Options Bootcamp 27: Calendar Spreads, the Sequel Mail Call: So many questions, so many answers. Question from Alpha_Dog - Let's say I buy the Ford August Week 1 17 call, and then sell the July Week 4 17 call for a $.07 debit. How does that position make money? I don't get it. Don't both calls make/lose money as the stock goes up and down? Question from Nevin Pierce - What is more important when trading time spreads - gamma or vega? Is vega the source of profit and gamma the source of risk, or v...
Aug 06, 2013•57 min
Options Bootcamp 26: Calendar Spreads Basic Training: Calendar Spreads This builds on the knowledge from episode 13 "Basic Spreads" and episode 14 "Advanced Spreads" from December. What is a calendar spread? Why would you want to use a calendar? Calendars are much more complex that basic textbooks tell you. The delicate balance between gamma and volatility in a calendar trade. Can't use P&L diagrams How do you manage a calendar?...
Jul 19, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Options Bootcamp 25: Using Options in Retirement Accounts Basic Training: What can and can't you do with options in a retirement account. Retirements accounts do not let you use margin. Stick to the covered calls. Mail Call: Listener questions are filling up our inboxes Question from Aman16 - Where does the "Iron" part of Iron Fly and Condor originate from? Question from Tim Phillips, Boston, MA - What is your referred way to express a near-term bullish outlook on a stock? Write an ATM or near A...
Jul 03, 2013•56 min
Basic Training: Alternative Income Strategies: Writing covered straddles vs. covered calls. What are the benefits of writing covered straddle vs. calls? What are the drawbacks? Remember your synthetics: Covered straddle = short two puts. Some additional pros and cons of this strategy. Mail Call: Listeners Take the Mic Comment from Ronald Yuravich: I heard your podcast of the Option Boot Camp episode talking about straddles. I don't like straddles because I would have a gain on one side, but it d...
Jun 26, 2013•1 hr
Basic Training: Getting to know the fundamentals What is a Straddle? Why would you want to use it? Straddle pros and cons. Iron Butterflies and Iron Condors are straddles and strangles with protection. Gamma scalping is the only way to really make long straddles profitable over the long run. Exiting straddle positions is difficult to do effectively. Using straddles pre-earnings Scammers love to pitch straddles, saying "Make money in any market condition." Be careful. Mail Call: Even bootcampers ...
Jun 11, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Options Bootcamp: Exit Strategy Basic Training: Why is it so important to have an exit strategy? What are the rules of thumb when closing out positions? Should you be more aggressive when closing out long or short positions? What are the rules of thumb regarding when to roll you positions vs. closing? Mail Call: Boot campers have so many questions. Question from Teddy Z: Mark - Love the show! I've listened to every episode. I think I'm getting a handle of this stuff now. Just wanted to ask - Wha...
May 29, 2013•56 min•Ep. 22
Options Bootcamp 21: Playing Defense Basic Training: Playing defense with options: it’s very important right now! Basic Defense: Protective Puts (full overview in Ep. 3) How do you hedge your position with protective puts? Intermediate Defense: Put Spreads and Ratio Put Spreads. Covered Calls - (full overview in Ep. 4) How do you generate income with a modest hedging impact? The Power of the Collar: combining the put and the call into a beast of an option. This is the favorite defensive strategy...
Apr 30, 2013•1 hr 1 min
Basic Training: We present two choices for using options in lieu of stock: Stock Replacement Strategy. How does it work? Examples include: An ITM leaps call purchase - requires premium over parity payment Selling a one month ITM put - for the more options savvy trader. By swapping out a LEAPS for an underlying, you get a much more preferable position from a Greeks perspective. Stock Repair Strategy Under the right set of circumstances, it can be very useful and practical. Appropriate for stocks ...
Apr 19, 2013•52 min
Basic Training: The topic this week is margin What is margin? If I have leverage in my options, why do I need margin? Is it possible to not qualify for margin? Why do you need a cash account? What can/cannot you do with a cash account? What are some of the most common risks, mistakes or problems customers run into when implementing margin in their account? What are the benefits of portfolio margin over other, different types of margin? Mail Call: Let our drill instructors answer your questions. ...
Apr 01, 2013•59 min
Options Bootcamp 18: The Joys of Synthetics Basic Training: Today's topic is Synthetics What is put/call parity? Example of put/call parity. What does it mean for your options trading? What are synthetics? What is a married put? Why knowledge of synthetics is important for successful options trading. Mail Call: Fall in for listener questions. Question from EonJ: Does portfolio margin matter if I am just trading long verticals and ratio spreads? Question from Phil S., Santa Fe, NM: I attended an ...
Mar 06, 2013•56 min
Options 101: The quintessential options debate -- buy options or sell them? Many options professionals lean toward "when in doubt palms out." Simplify the options universe into two segments of risk: directional risk and volatility risk. The use of delta and other Greeks when deciding or analyzing when to buy or sell options. Short premium pros and cons Long premium pros and cons Mail Call: Recruits are asking a lot of questions. Question from Tim Nagerty:Mark and the other drill instructors have...
Feb 26, 2013•56 min
Options Drills: How to play earnings through options plays. There are two basic approaches to earnings trading: long premium and short premium. Long Premium - PROS: Advantageous because you essentially receive free or dramatically reduced gamma with little decay in the weeks leading up to earnings. CONS: All of that decay comes out, and more, after the announcement. Also, much of the movement in the underlying occurs after-hours and is unavailable to options traders. Short Premium - PROS: Higher...
Feb 06, 2013•1 hr 3 min
Basic Training: Exercise, Assignment, and Settlement. There are two styles of options you will encounter -- American and European style. What's the process when your exercises and assignments are determined? When do those contracts settle? How do I determine if my options are going to be exercised or assigned against me? What is pin risk? What is a dividend trade? Mail Bag: Even options recruits get mail privileges. Send those letters in. Email question from Alan P - Michigan: You guys have talk...
Jan 23, 2013•46 min
Basic Training: Spreads with wings. What is a butterfly? Iron butterfly? What is a condor? Iron condor? Mail Call: Even bootcampers get mail privileges Email from Alan Rick: What makes a spread "iron?" What is the difference between an iron butterfly and a regular butterfly, iron condor, etc. Thanks and please keep up the show; I'm learning a ton! Email from Alan Charter: If I think a stock's volatility is elevated going into earnings, should I write an iron condor or an iron butterfly? Which is...
Jan 10, 2013•56 min
Basic Training: A quick review of spreads. What are spreads? Why should we use spreads? How do the Greeks work with spreads? How do you calculate, performance, etc? Why do I want to net reduce my delta and exposure in these elements? What are some of the downsides to spreads? Options Drills: Vertical Spreads Verticals - What are they? Long verticals vs. Short verticals. Credit spreads vs. debit spreads. You'll experience the maximum profit when the underlying moves to or sits at the short strike...
Dec 28, 2012•54 min
Options Bootcamp 12: Weekly Options Basic Training: What are weekly options? How do the Greeks differ in the weeklies? How are the weeklies traded? Option Drills: Selling strategies for weekly options. Diagonal and vertical spreads, straddles, ratios, etc. What are some strategies for selling weeklies around earnings? Mail Call: Taking on your questions. Tweet from @JJacks: Does Sogo trade offer weekly options? What approval level do I need to trade them? Email from Theodore in Houston, TX: How ...
Dec 05, 2012•50 min
Basic Training: Busting Options Myths: 1) Market makers know where the stops are, therefore market makers who take the other side of trades are taking advantage of retail customers. 2) The only way to trade profitably is to be a dark side short premium seller. Plus, credit spreads are better than debit spreads. 3) I only need to be good at one trading strategy. 4) Option trades and spreads in particular are difficult to execute and should only be handled by professionals with years of experience...
Nov 28, 2012•55 min
Options Bootcamp 10: Common Trading MistakesBasic Training: Your COs cover the most common options trading mistakes: Writing long-term options for income. Using market orders in illiquid options. Not closing options offered at a nickel. Buying worthless OTM "lottery ticket" options. Selling when implied volatility is high buying when it's low. Over-adjusting income trades. Believing that sell stops are better than wasting premium on buying downside puts for protection. Mail Call: Answering your ...
Nov 08, 2012•59 min
Basic Training: We're going to bust many of the myth and misconceptions the permeate through the options market, particularly to those new to retail options. Somewhere between 75-80% (or even more) of options expire worthless every month, therefore you should be an options buyer. Selling options is a risk-less, or near risk-less, endeavor. All out of the money options have higher volatility than at the money or in the money options. Calls go lower, stock goes higher - How could this possible be?...
Oct 16, 2012•1 hr 4 min
