SteadyOptions is an options trading forum where you can find solutions from top options traders. Join Us!

We’ve all been there… researching options strategies and unable to find the answers we’re looking for. SteadyOptions has your solution.

How To Protect NFLX Shares Before Earnings


NFLX is scheduled to report earnings on Monday July 19, 2016. I was asked the following question on one of the online forums: "What option to trade to protect NFLX shares being held thru earnings on Monday"? My answer was: "That depends what level of protection you want".

For full protection, buy ATM options ($98 strike) - all you can lose is the premium you pay (around $5 per 100 shares). So if NFLX will lose say $15, your puts will be worth $15, and you gain $15 minus the premium.


If you want just "black swan protection" - against catastrophic loss, you can buy 90 strike. It will cost much less (around $2), but also protects you only if NFLX goes below $90. 

 

Another member suggested another strategy:

 

"Alternatively, NFLX volatility is pretty low. Expected move around $9 - don't know the cost basis, but this is what I would do: AUG +95p / -90p / -110c for zero cost. 

Eg buying bear put spread and financing with 110 call. If NFLX goes down to 90, your loss (assuming 98 cost) is $3. Max gain at 110 is $12. Any outsized move down below 90 has no protection, and above 110 no gain."

 

This is also a viable strategy, but it will protect you only down to $90. If the stock collapses below $90, you are not protected.

 

Here are few other options:

 

Collar

 

Buy July 22 90 put

Sell July 22 105 call

 

You are protected below $90, and the gains are capped at $105.

 

Calendar

 

Buy August 19 90 put

Sell July 22 90 put

 

You basically buying the put expiring in 4 weeks and reducing the price by selling weekly put expiring the next week. 

 

Advantage: reduced cost (only 0.80) and very nice gains if the stock goes down to ~$90.

Disadvantage: the spread will start losing money if NFLX crashes much lower than $90.

 

There is no "best strategy" here. You can construct the trade based on your outlook and risk tolerance. And this is the beauty of options - there are endless possibilities to hedge, speculate etc. It's up to you to decide what to do, based on what you want to achieve.

 

Want to learn more?

 

 

Start Your Free Trial

  

 

 

 

Edited by SteadyOptions

What Is SteadyOptions?

12 Years CAGR of 114.5%

Full Trading Plan

Complete Portfolio Approach

Real-time trade sharing: entry, exit, and adjustments

Diversified Options Strategies

Exclusive Community Forum

Steady And Consistent Gains

High Quality Education

Risk Management, Portfolio Size

Performance based on real fills

Subscribe to SteadyOptions now and experience the full power of options trading!
Subscribe

Non-directional Options Strategies

10-15 trade Ideas Per Month

Targets 5-7% Monthly Net Return

Visit our Education Center

Recent Articles

Articles

  • Optimizing Portfolio Growth: Managing Capital and Liabilities in Modern Tax Planning

    Growing your investment portfolio involves more than just picking winners. While strong returns are the goal, many investors overlook a critical factor that significantly impacts their net worth: tax planning. Managing your capital and liabilities with taxes in mind isn't just about saving money in April. It's a year-round strategy that can accelerate your portfolio's growth and help you keep more of what you earn.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 539 views
  • Expanded Trading Hours for Select Equity Options

    The Cboe Options Exchange will start offering expanded trading hours for select high-liquidity single-stock equity options. The schedule features a morning Global Trading Hours (GTH) session from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET and an afternoon Curb session from 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 629 views
  • How LEAPS Differ From Short-Term Options

    LEAPS stands for Long-Term Equity Anticipation Security. Which is just a long-dated option, typically referring to those with expirations more than a year out. There’s no technical difference between LEAPS and shorter-term options other than the expiration date. They’re traded on the same exchanges and have the same rules surrounding margin and whatnot.

    By Pat Crawley,

    • 0 comments
    • 31205 views
  • Why Not to Hold Strangles Through Earnings

    In my previous article, I described a strategy of buying a long strangle a few days before earnings and selling them just before earnings. In this article, I will show why it might be not a good idea to keep those strangles through earnings.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 6093 views
  • Pre-Earnings Entry Price: What 31,000 Cycles Say

    Every card in the scanner carries a block called How expensive is this entry? It compares what you would pay today against what the same setup cost on the same ticker at the same point in past cycles. I built that block in August. It reads well. But a reading that looks sensible and a reading that predicts something are different things, and until last week I had only the first.

     

    By Romuald,

    • 3 comments
    • 673 views
  • Expensive Compared to What?

    A trader looks at a pre-earnings straddle and asks whether it is expensive. It is the right instinct and the wrong question, because the word carries no meaning on its own. Expensive against what? A $12 straddle on a $200 stock is not expensive or cheap. It is $12.

    By Romuald,

    • 0 comments
    • 553 views
  • Beyond Strategies: What Options Traders Should Know

    Options education almost always begins with structures. Traders learn vertical spreads, calendars, butterflies, condors, covered calls and straddles, study the expiration diagrams, work out maximum profit and loss, and build a sense of the conditions each structure is supposed to suit. That foundation is necessary and there is no way around it.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 1087 views
  • SPX vs SPY Options: Which One Should You Trade? (2026 Guide)

    Both SPX and SPY options give you exposure to the S&P 500. They track the same 500 stocks, move nearly tick-for-tick, and offer the same core strategies — credit spreads, iron condors, butterflies, and 0DTE trades. Yet the two products settle differently, are taxed differently, and carry very different assignment risks.

    By krisbee,

    • 0 comments
    • 5199 views
  • Strike Price Effects Or Pinning Revisted

    Loyal readers of this blog will recall my post from 2019 “Pinning Down the ‘Option Pinning’”. If you have not heard of pinning have a look at that article as – spoiler – everything in it as well as Jeff Augen’s observations in his books which are referenced is still valid.

    By TrustyJules,

    • 0 comments
    • 2346 views
  • Could This Strategy Be The Holy Grail Of Investing?

    This is a reprint of my Seeking Alpha article from 2013. If you have SA subscription, you can read the full article including hundreds of comments here. For the record, the strategy implementation has changed since then, but the principle remains the same. You can read more here

    By Kim,

    • 6 comments
    • 5765 views

  Report Article


We want to hear from you!


There are no comments to display.



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...