Archive for November 2009

Trading calendars spreads and strategies-1

Calendar spread strategy & Option Spread TradingSpread trading is a technique that can be used to profit in bullish, neutral or bearish conditions. It basically functions to limit risk at the cost of limiting profit as well.Spread trading is defined as opening a position by buying and selling the same type of option (ie. Call [...]

Options Trading Strategies – Book Review – Sheldon Natenberg, Option Volatility and Pricing

As with most books on the topic of how to trade options, the amount of material to get through can be daunting. For example, with Sheldon Natenberg’s Option Volatility & Pricing, it is about 418 pages to digest.  There are adequate reader reviews on Amazon and Google Book Search, to help you decide if you [...]

How to Calculate Gains and Losses in Financial Spread Trading

It is easy to understand how financial spread trading works when the user of this investment option knows how to calculate the gains and losses that can occur. This helps to give potential investors an idea of how this can be both a valuable investment option and a risky option. Here is a look at [...]

Options Trading Strategies – Book Review – Guy Cohen, The Bible of Options Strategies

Most trading literature on option strategies tend to lean towards mathematical formulas to define the construction of a spread.  Guy Cohen has chosen to use pictorial logic, even with the Greeks unique to a particular strategy, to piece together the legs of a spread with diagrams.Diagrams that connect with each other are a much more [...]

Crude Oil Spread Trading Predictions

 
Are all the analysts still predicting a rise in crude oil prices? Which way should you bet on Oil to go next, up or down?
 
We have scoured the financial press for reputable sources predicting a drop in oil prices. There are not many. Of course the negatives with this sort of research [...]

Options Trading Lesson: The Butterfly

I am sure many of you have heard of a sophisticated sounding strategy called the Butterfly. For some reason, it seems to be the darling strategy of many of those ‘teach-you in five hours’ type option companies. They publicize the ‘mystical magical Butterfly’ and the ’sophisticated Condor’ as if they were going to unlock the [...]

How to Trade Options – Diversified Trading Stock Options but Still Suffering Concentration Risk

Applying a more complete definition of diversification can help retail option traders diversify their portfolio profitably, beyond equities.A buddy started online options trading from home, in the last 6 months. He was trading a mix of Verticals, Calendars and Iron Condors using highly liquid Indexes but was failing to get consistent profits.  Naturally, I asked, [...]

Knowing the Best Forex Option Strategies For Forex Options Trading Success

One of the secrets that smart traders utilize to make a success of their foreign exchange market trading is the use of a tried and tested system composed of methods and strategies geared at maximizing profits and minimizing losses. One such method is Forex options trading. Options trading are one way a speculator can lower [...]

Option Credit Spread Trading – Limited Risk with Limited Profit

I started trading options in the late 90’s. After selling my first option and collecting an immediate credit I and became an option seller for life. I became a student of option selling strategies and started selling covered calls on stocks I brought and owned. I was doing OK collecting premiums month after month until [...]

A Sample Option Trading Strategy

When you feel you understand a bit about the Options Trading Market, and are ready to give it a try, you need to spend a bit of time developing a strategy to guide your investment decision. It is important in doing this to understand the basic difference between a strategic decision and a tactical decision.
Your [...]