Ultimate Options Trading Strategies

Last month we posted some updates to the Anchor strategy that were obtained using an in-depth back testing of the strategy and variations of it using the ORATS Wheel software.  We adopted three conclusions last month:

By cwelsh, Yesterday at 07:08 PM

Do you roll forward to avoid exercise? It seems like an obviously advantageous move. You avoid exercise and generate a net credit. What can go wrong? Actually, rolling incurs more risk, and every covered call writer needs to study the potential roll and compare the advantages of rolling versus closing and taking a loss or allowing exercise.

By Michael C. Thomsett, September 7

Calendar Spreads (including diagonals and ratios) can be a very effective method to “hedge” a portfolio. However, it is not without some complexities.Understanding the Theory and Methodology is important to achieve one’s intended result. In essence, one must understand the whys as well as the hows or they will continuously be faced trying to resolve dilemmas along the way.

By Reel Ken, September 4

Today I want to talk about something that is often ignored, yet has a very large impact on the net performance of our trading and investing: Taxes. To illustrate the importance, I often like to point out both the power of compounding and the impact of taxes with a simple example.  

By Jesse, September 2

Selecting the right broker is one of the most important things for options traders. It becomes even more important if you are an active trader and trade hundreds or thousands contracts every month. Select the wrong broker - and your chances to make money are going down dramatically.

By Kim, August 29

Some ideas are simple at first glance but contain risks that might  not be entirely obvious. Binary options are an example. Some traders love them, just as some roulette players are attracted to the appeal of “red or black” as a 50/50 proposition(or close to it, a 47.4% chance of winning due to the ‘0’ and ‘00’ possibilities).

By Michael C. Thomsett, August 24

One of the greatest benefits to trading options is that you can make money in an up, down, or sideways market. For example: In a bull market you can buy calls, or purchase bull call spreads and bull risk reversals. In a bear market you can profit buying puts, bear put spreads and selling bear call spreads.

By Jacob Mintz, August 22

Nothing impacts stocks prices more than company earnings reports. There are many way to trade those earnings announcements. You can take a directional bet if you believe the stock will move (higher or lower). Or you can play it with some of the non directional strategies.

By Kim, August 21

All traders begin with an introduction to call and put options.  However, it's rare (apart from short puts) that an experienced trader would use these contracts by themselves. Instead, we primarily trade options spreads. There are many benefits to spreads. The variety of spreads are targeted to various market criteria and market environments.

By Drew Hilleshiem, August 17

Almost all passive investment strategies are based on the assumption that younger investors should hold more equities as a percentage of their total portfolio. Likewise, as they age and get closer to retirement, the allocation to fixed income assets should grow while equity holdings shrink.

By Michael Lebowitz, August 17