SteadyOptions Trading Blog

Options traders are rightfully concerned with the number of days to expiration of an option. At the time the position is opened, whether long or short, the issue of time decay must be at the forefront of risk evaluation. But is this performed accurately?

Leveraged Anchor and its diverse counterpart have been performing above expectations so far this year. In fact, since Diversified Leveraged Anchor launched in April, it is up over 40% while the same index blend (SPY, QQQ, IWM, EFA) are up just over 33%. This has led to a growing increase in interest of the product, particularly given its hedged nature. 

Great emphasis is placed on timing of trade entry and exit, and rightly so. Among the more interesting of selection is the day before expiration, usually Thursday of expiration week. Assuming no earnings announcements or dividends are scheduled for this day, specific time decay attributes are worthy of study.

The interest in volatility for options trading is logical and understandable. However, the nature of volatility in not universally understood or agreed upon. In fact, it is more complex than most people believe. Options traders think of volatility coming in two forms, historical and implied.

My first recommendation to all new SteadyOptions members is to start with paper trading, then start small and increase your allocation as you gain more experience and confidence. Over the years, we had a lot of discussions related to the benefits of paper trading, and this article will discuss some of the pros and cons.

When it comes to calculating likely returns from option activity, traders contend with a variety of variations. Returns may be skewed (with declines in value more likely than increases), or unstable in many forms. Or the outcome might reveal itself in the form of a fat tail.

Investors over the world are struggling with yield in their portfolios.  Government investments are at historically low levels, with thirty-year treasuries basically declining every year for almost thirty years straight:

Options traders may easily fall into the habit of expressing ideas inaccurately. This might seem like a minor point, but in fact. It matters a great deal. Confusing and misleading language may lead to incorrect trade entry, and for those novices following more experienced traders, the use of proper terms is the whole story.

Too often, traders may  make the mistake of associating option volatility with behavior of the underlying issue. However, if you employ a volatility assumption to model how an option is likely to change, remember that pricing models are theoretical. It is only useful for estimating the option risks. It does not indicate how underlying price will move.

Often when we have had some success on the market, investors minds' begin to consider turning their solitary pursuit into a fully-fledged business. One that does not only line their own pockets but can help make some serious money for our client as well. 

When you hear what “the market” did today, what do you think of? Most of us will think of one or more popular US stock indexes like the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, or S&P 500. But how well do these indices actually represent the total stock market? Dimensional Fund Advisors has created an excellent chart to help us answer this question.

Although traders often are attracted to hedged combinations (including spreads), some of the features are misunderstood. The spread may be viewed to manage risk, when in fact selection of an appropriate strategy may provide more potential when picked based on volatility.