Tag: options
3 Stocks To Sell Now
As impressive as last week’s 6.6% rally in the S&P 500 was, it didn’t change the structure of the entrenched downtrend. Instead, it was a garden-variety retracement returning prices directly into resistance. Those who viewed the rebound with suspicion were vindicated on Tuesday when sellers returned en mass at the declining 20-day moving average. With a new […]
Debunking The Myth That 80% Of Options Expire Worthless
Nearly all of Options360 trades come in a type of spread. I believe it’s crucial for positions to have some element of premium collection in order to generate consistent returns. However, a persistent and pernicious myth regarding options is that 80% of all options expire worthless. The number belies the fact that most options get […]
Roblox Stock May Have Bottomed
For months, the deep discount in Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) has beckoned to bottom fishers. But so far, trying to nail the low has resulted in bruised egos and battered accounts. The selling has been relentless, and there have been too many failed bounces to count. RBLX stock has cratered 85% from peak to trough in the largest […]
The Many Uses Of Option Delta
In an option chain, the delta for a given option strike price can vary from -1 to +1. Call options have a positive delta for option buyers somewhere between 0 and +1. Calls increase in value when the underlying increases in value. Put options have a negative delta somewhere between 0 and -1 as Put […]
Stock Replacement, A Smart Options Strategy For Traders
In 2018, I wrote about a stock replacement strategy when the market was hitting an all-time high. With nothing but clear skies, no visible ‘overhead’ on the charts, and an economy seemingly firing on all cylinders, investors might have rightly viewed advice to temper their bullishness with skepticism. However, that environment and attitude seem worlds […]
Credit Spreads: A Useful Strategy in Volatile Markets
Last week, I started a mini-series on the various aspects of options trading. In the first few articles, I addressed “Calculating Returns” and “Setting up the Proper Risk/Reward.” Today’s focus will be on analyzing profit and probability. In this installment, I’ll cover the use of credit spreads — a useful volatile market strategy — which […]
Understanding Risk-Adjusted Returns When Trading Options
My articles this week on calculating a Twilio (TWLO) profit and Capital One Financial (COF) loss continue generating questions on how profit and loss calculations are applied to overall returns? So, I’ll dive a bit deeper into the topic. It’s a well-known investment maxim that risk is correlated to reward. But, when it comes to […]
Trading Options 101: A Beginner’s Guide
“What is an option?” This may be a question you’ve asked yourself before. If so, options trading might be a suitable investment for you! An options contract offers the buyer the opportunity to buy or sell the underlying asset depending on the type of contract they hold. Unlike futures, the holder is not required to […]
The Synthetic Dividend Option To Generate Profits
Many companies regularly distribute a portion of their profits in the form of a dividend to attract investors and incentivize them to remain long-term shareholders. But most companies, ETFs, and commodities don’t pay a dividend at all. When there’s no dividend, the only opportunity for income or a profit comes from a capital gain (or […]
One Way To Take Advantage Of The Volatility In Tech Stocks
Tech stocks have the started the new year with elevated volatility and quite a bit of selling pressure. The most popular tech index, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), is down 5% for the year and has seen a handful of large percentage moves already. One strategist is looking to take advantage of the volatility by using […]
Death, Taxes, And Time Decay
Few things are certain in life. But as the old saying goes, there is nothing quite so certain as “death and taxes”. As an Options Trader, I would enthusiastically add option time decay to that list. Options offer traders and investors more leverage and risk mitigation than just purchasing shares outright. For example, if I were to […]
Eight Easy Tips That Can Turn Your Trades From Losers to Winners
There are many profitable option trading strategies, but none of them will work unless you are willing to stick to a set of guiding principles. Several rules I employ are helpful in maximizing profits, limiting losses and, most importantly, taking the emotion out of trading. Below, I will go over my basic trading philosophy, why […]
Are You An Options Buyer Or An Options Seller?
Options are an increasingly popular financial product that gives traders numerous ways to manage risk while significantly leveraging capital. They are a powerful trading “tool” that can be bought, sold, and combined in a seemingly limitless number of ways to achieve a specific objective. One of the bigger questions for new — and even experienced […]
Trade of the Week: TIP
Last week, a highly unusual amount of options action occurred in iShares TIPS Bond ETF (TIP). TIP is a popular ETF for investing in TIPS bonds, which are treasury bonds that are indexed to inflation. In other words, as inflation goes up, these bonds go up. While the ETF has $38 billion in assets, it […]
The Unraveling In Pinterest Stock Isn’t Done, So Here’s The Trade To Make
This week’s bounce is likely a ruse — here’s what to do with PINS stock Remember when Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) cashed in on the euphoria surrounding stay-at-home stocks last year? It joined Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM), Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC), Peloton Interactive (NASDAQ:PTON), DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU), and many others on a rocket ship ride for the ages. If you thought the meteoric rise was eye-popping, you […]
Stop Trading Options Like Stocks (Gamestop Example)
“Options are the same as stocks, just cheaper!” Ever heard a pitch start like that? Well, it’s wrong. Crazy wrong. Options trade much differently than stocks, and thus why it’s easier to lose money with options (and this is coming from a 20+ year options trader). One key difference is… Find out here This article […]
How To Calculate Your Impressive Covered Call Returns
Talking about investment yields and returns can be confusing, and actually understanding what happens can be even more daunting. However, we are trying to make money on our money, and understanding potential returns – both as percentages and dollars – helps separate good opportunities from those that are less attractive. If you have dabbled with […]
3 Options Trades To Play Both Sides Of The Market
Low-risk entries await in today’s trio of options trades to consider The S&P 500 just topped off its best October performance in six years. So much for the seasonal headwinds haunting stocks this year. Instead, a powerful bid beneath the surface continues to propel equities to record highs. Just this week, the small-cap-laden Russell 2000 Index finally […]
How Do Options Work? Learn The Lingo, Pros, And Cons
Options trading gets a bad rap for being complicated and risky. But investors don’t seem to care, as options are becoming quite popular. When done right, becoming an options trader can actually ease the risk of owning stocks and generate extra cash for retirement. If your interest is piqued, you might be wondering, “How do […]
Using Options To Help Predict Big Market Moves
Options order flow, particular large or unusual block trades, can potentially help traders predict where a big market move may occur. Large traders will often use options on ETFs in order to take a directional position on a major asset class or industry. For example, using the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF […]
4 Top Stock Trades For Wednesday: F, COIN, CRWD, MU
Here are the top stock trades we’re watching for Wednesday morning It was a quiet session in the stock market on Tuesday, likely as investors tried to position for what’s a busy week. We have an FOMC announcement on Wednesday, along with the start of earnings season. Plus it’s options expiration week. So, with all […]
Which Is Better: Covered Calls Or Cash-Secured Puts?
Covered Calls and Cash-Secured puts seem to be the most popular choices among traders in finance and stocks. And for a good reason. The two trades in the same market, just on different terms. That’s right. And it all started with the same idea… Both kinds of trading are pretty much the same, except for […]
Using Options To Protect Gains While Maintaining Upside Potential
The stock market is hitting all-time highs and investors are torn between the possibility of an economic downturn, or entering a new leg of the bull market. Last week’s article noted that money managers were increasingly using call options to gain additional exposure to the stock market. Some of this behavior might be deemed as a reckless […]
3 Stocks To Buy Following Great Earnings
These stocks should keep winning after their impressive reports For many companies, nothing is more important than the quarterly earnings report. Disappoint the masses, and you suffer. Impress them, and you score instant gains. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) was the ultimate example of the latter this season. Months of profits were jammed into a single overnight session. So today, […]
Why Smart Investors Use Covered Calls To Profit
Recent market volatility has both put traders on edge and pumped up the volatility in options. Those two usually go hand in hand and they create a great opportunity for longer term investors with a cooler demeanor to capitalize on the current dislocation. One of the best, and most popular approaches, especially among investors that […]
Will Stocks Continue To Rally Despite The Coronavirus Scare?
The stock market can be a crazy place. The unpredictability of the financial markets is what makes them so exciting and challenging for traders (and investors). While the long-term direction of stocks has always been up, there are definitely significant periods of volatility over shorter time frames. For instance, this year we’ve already had a […]
2 Distinct Concepts That Options Traders Need To Know
Market volatility is starting to tick back up as macro headlines from Iran/Iraq come in. And now we are about to enter earnings season, which not only will cause big moves in the individual names, but over the past few years, has proved to be a volatile first quarter. More specifically, on individual names that are […]
3 Options Trades For The Hottest Stocks On The Street
Compelling setups beckon for BA, NFLX and AMD Earnings season is drawing to a close, and I’m finding it much easier to discover trade ideas for individual stocks. Today we’ll look at three of the best post-earnings setups and build-out options trades to capitalize on. Nothing ignites volatility quite like an earnings announcement, and these […]
Here’s What A One-Year Covered Call In Microsoft Looks Like
In the era of ultra-low interest rates, yield enhancement strategies have become prolific. Actually, let’s take a step back. It used to be that you could generate a reasonable yield from fixed interest investments, like government or corporate bonds. However, with interest rates approaching zero, those types of investments just don’t provide robust yields. So […]
How To Read Options Activity For Clues To A Move
Using option activity as an indicator of impending price moves is difficult, subjective, and unreliable. That being said, it can help confirm other indicators and increase the probability of a profitable trade. Indeed, there have been many situations in which activity in the options pits accurately predicts or presages an impending price move. There are […]
3 Tech Stocks To Play Ahead Of Earnings
Reduce risk into earnings for AAPL, MSFT and AMD stock Tech stocks are running into earnings season with big profits in the bag. Sector leading companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have generated double-digit gains since their last quarterly reports. Shareholders’ hopes are running high that the upcoming earnings will be good enough to keep the rally […]
Is The Low Volatility Market At An End?
2019 can be roughly divided into two market regimes. There were periods of high volatility and market choppiness, notably in June, August, and early October. Then, there were the stretches of low and falling volatility – January through May and mid-October through the end of the year. It certainly seemed like January of 2020 was […]
3 Oil Stocks That Are Worth Looking Into Now
Yesterday’s plunge in oil stocks creates opportunity Saber rattling in the Middle East created a roller coaster ride in asset prices this week. Oil prices initially ripped and then rapidly reversed yesterday, ending with a nasty 4% drop. Energy stocks fell across the board in the wake of the whiplash. While the volatility can be […]
The 6 Rookie Mistakes Options Traders Should Avoid
I thought this would be a good time to review some of the common mistakes traders make when using options. As shoppers have become increasingly savvy in finding online bargains and discounts, we see similar behavior spilling into other aspects of their lives. This includes investment advice and stocks they seek. But sometimes it’s better to […]
What’s In Store For Chipmakers In 2020?
2019 is at an end, and it was undoubtedly a great year for stocks. The S&P 500 was up over 28% for the year. However, semiconductor companies had an even better year. VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) was up nearly 62% over the same period. Granted, SMH did plunge sharply at the end of 2018, so it had […]
