Calendar Spread – A Must Have Strategy For Every Option Trader
A cash flow option technique that is used by both professional traders as well as retail traders is the Calendar Spread. This technique is a favorit...
A cash flow option technique that is used by both professional traders as well as retail traders is the . This technique is a favorite among option traders who use options as a way to generate reliable monthly cash-flow.
The calendar spread is an option strategy that makes it’s money from the fact that options are an evaporation asset that loses it’s value over a period of time. decaying value. This is how the trade makes money. As expiration day approaches, the premium that was sold in the near month option loses it’s value – allowing the option trader to buy it back much cheaper than it was sold for.
To construct a calendar spread trade, we need to sell a closest month option while buying a later month option at the identical strike price. During the trade, the time premium in the closer month option (the one that was sold) loses it’s value at a much brisker rate than the option that was bought. This difference is how the profit is generated.
Here’s a sampling of a calendar spread position: Sell 10 April 35 put. Purchase 10 May 35 put.
In the sample trade given, the trade was built using option strikes on conjoining months – however – this isn’t necessary. Calendar spread trades can be created using options with varying lengths between them.
To prove this point, instead of using the December options in the trade example above, January could have been used. Or even February.
Ideally the the calendar technique is used with stocks or options that are trading in a range without a lot of movement. However, they can also be profitably traded in trending markets as long as the strikes who were bought and sold are near where the underlying ends up trading at expiration.
When you talk with some option traders, some will tell you they prefer the strategy because they believe they are easier to manage than some of the other strategies like the iron condor, credit spread, or the butterfly spread. Regardless, the calendar spread is a great strategy to learn and have ready to use in your ‘option trading toolbox’.
Looking for more info on how to go about correctly trading the , then visit www.calendarspread.org to find the best strategies – as well as mor info on trading the .