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Ironcondor

Opening (IRA): NVDA Nov 15th 83/98/143/158... for a 2.70 credit. Comments: 30-day IV remains fairly decent here at 48.9%. Going wider than I usually do from a delta standpoint, with the short option legs camped out at the 16 delta, but with the wings at standard width (1/10th the price of the underlying), knowing that I will probably adjust the setup at some point given its duration (56 DTE). Earnings haven't been firmly announced yet, but are likely to occur right around mopex (~11/14), so will look to be out of the trade by then. Metrics: Buying Power Effect: 12.30 Max Profit: 2.70 ROC at Max: 21.95% 50% Max: 1.35 ROC at 50% Max: 10.98% Will generally look to take profit at 50% max; roll in sides to delta balance.
NASDAQ:NVDA
by NaughtyPines
Closed (IRA): SMH July 19th 189/199/275/285 Iron Condor... for a 1.17 debit. Comments: Mixing and matching profitable put wing with profitable call wing from iron condors put on at different times (See Posts Below) to de-risk running into NVDA earnings on 5/22. (NVDA is around 21% of SMH holdings). The resulting setup is a July 19th 205/215/255/265 on which I've collected a net 3.23 in credits; delta/theta -.28/3.45. I'll look at doing a delta adjustment post-earnings if necessary.
NASDAQ:SMH
by NaughtyPines
Opening (IRA): SMH July 19th 205/215/275/285 IC... for a 2.17 credit. Comments: An additive delta adjustment to the current SMH IC I have on. (See Post Below). With the original setup's short call aspect converging on -25 delta and the short put converging on +10, selling a skewed IC with the oppositionally delta'd short call/short put (i.e., at the +25 short put and the -10 delta short call) to bring back the position back to net delta flat with 63 days until expiry. 4.40 total credits collected with a current delta/theta of 1.02/5.81.
NASDAQ:SMH
by NaughtyPines
Opening (IRA): SMH July 19th 189/199/255/265 Iron Condor... for a 2.23 credit. Comments: A small engagement trade in the semiconductor ETF (31.5% 30-Day IV). Going somewhat wide here with the deltas, with the short option legs camped out at 16 delta on both sides. I generally like to collect one-third the width of the wings in credit for these, but am going a little more long-dated than usual, so want to give it a smidge more room to be wrong. The assumption here is neutral, with the bet being that it slops around between my short option strikes. I'll generally look to take profit at 50% max and/or adjust sides on approaching worthless or on side test. Metrics: Buying Power Effect: 7.77 Max Profit: 2.23 ROC at Max: 28.70% ROC at 50% Max: 14.35% Delta/Theta: .37/3.01
NASDAQ:SMHLong
by NaughtyPines
Opened: SMH March 15th 169/175/199/205 Iron Condor... for a 2.07 credit. Comments: 30-day IV at 27.8%. (Higher would be better, but you can't have everything). Collecting 1/3rd of the width of the wings in credit. 2.07 credit on BPE of 3.93; 52.7% ROC at max; 26.3% at 50% max. As usual, will generally look to take profit at 50% max; adjust sides on side test. This is probably my last trade in the March monthly, since 45 DTE is kind of the wheelhouse for this stuff, and the March monthly is at 43 DTE. I'll mostly hand sit from here until month end, with most of the trades being adjustments.
NASDAQ:SMH
by NaughtyPines
2
Opening: NFLX 435/445/545/555 Iron Condor... for a 3.45 credit. Comments: Earnings play with the announcement today after close. 3.45 credit on buying power of 6.55; 52.6% ROC at max; 26.3% at 50% max. I'm basically looking for two things here: (1) IV contraction post-earnings; and (2) price to stay within the expected move, which the options market is pricing in to be about +/- 43 handles from current price (i.e., 448 to the downside, 534 to the up). And ... we'll see how that goes.
NASDAQ:NFLX
by NaughtyPines
Opened: KRE March 15th 39/44/50/55 Iron Condor... for a 1.68 credit. Comments: ETF IV > 35% with 30-day IV at 37.9%. Collecting 1/3rd the width of the wings of a 5-wide; 1.68 credit on BPE of 3.32; 50.6% ROC at max; 25.3% at 50% max. It was kind of a toss-up between doing this as an iron fly or as an iron condor due to the size of the underlying, so compromised, going in somewhat aggressively with the short option legs (they're camped out at the 30 delta). This will allow me to adjust the setup somewhat before having to go inverted with the short strangle aspect (now I've jinxed it). Will generally look to take profit at 50% max; adjust sides on side test.
AMEX:KRE
by NaughtyPines
Opening: TSLA Feb 16th 180/190/230/240 Iron Condor... for a 3.55 credit. Comments: Earnings announcement volatility contraction play. I ordinarily put these on right before earnings, but will probably space it out, so am putting it on today. Earnings will be announced on Wednesday, 1/24, after market close. Here, selling the 25 delta short option strikes and buying longs 10 strikes out from the shorts, resulting in 10 wide wings on which I've collected more than 1/3rd the width of the wings in credit, as well as a net delta setup that's about as delta neutral as you can get. I'm using the next available monthly here so that I've got a little time to manage the setup in the event that that the move is bigger than the options market is anticipating here (around +/- 19 handles, which would be around 225 on the call side, 190 on the put, given current price). The basic notion here is that (a) TSLA IV contracts post-earnings; and (b) it stays within the expected move. The Metrics: 3.55 credit on buying power effect of 6.45; 55.04% ROC at max; 27.52% at 50% max; delta/theta 1.00/8.02; 186.45/233.55 break evens. Since this is a defined risk setup, the BPE is the same regardless of whether you set it up in cash secured account like an IRA or on margin.
NASDAQ:TSLA
by NaughtyPines
Market Rollercoaster: Harnessing Volatility with StranglesIn this video, titled "Market Rollercoaster: Harnessing Volatility with the Strangle & Iron Condor Combo!", Stock Justice walks viewers through an innovative and potentially profitable trading strategy designed for a highly volatile market environment. This strategy aims to exploit market volatility without being directionally exposed, making it an excellent choice for investors looking for non-directional trading opportunities. Stock Justice starts the video by sharing his observations on the current market scenario, which has been stuck in a range for several weeks. He predicts that the market will soon pick a direction, and timing, as always, will be crucial. He then introduces the viewers to two of his favorite strategies for trading volatile markets - the strangle and the iron condor. For Monday, May 22nd, Stock Justice details his plans for entering a directionally neutral strangle. He talks about scaling into the position slowly to manage risk and ensure optimal entry points. He also warns viewers about the challenges of fighting theta decay, especially as the options expiration date (OPEX) on Friday approaches. The second part of his trading plan involves setting up a directionally neutral long iron condor for Thursday, June 1st. This strategy would achieve maximum profit if either the call debit spread or the put debit spread ends up in the money. Again, he stresses the importance of scaling in slowly to manage risk and optimize entry points. Throughout the video, Stock Justice provides clear instructions on setting profit targets and stop loss areas. He emphasizes that while these strategies can be profitable, they also carry risk, so it's crucial to have a plan for managing potential losses. This trading strategy video offers a comprehensive, engaging, and informative look at how to navigate and profit from a volatile market. Whether you're new to non-directional trading strategies or an experienced trader looking to refine your approach, this video offers valuable insights and actionable advice. Stock Justice concludes the video by reminding viewers that trading, like any other skill, is mastered over time. So while these strategies offer exciting opportunities, it's essential to practice and continually learn to become a better trader.
AMEX:SPY
by StockJustice
High IV sets up premium selling environmentWith VIX ripping on today's bank FUD the IV Rank and IV Percentile of SPY is the highest in a year's worth of trading days. This sets up opportunities for premium selling that have not existed for a very long time. Rules: SELL the 20 Delta Strikes at 45 DTE or greater in monthly expirations. BUY wings at 10 Delta Strikes same DTE That ended up being: SELL May 350 Put SELL May 414 Call BUY May 325 Put BUY May 425 Call For 4.64 Credit. The plan is to "manage deltas" and keep this position delta neutral through the duration until 50% credit received. That means if the sides get tested directionally roll up the untested side, increasing credit, to get the delta back to as close to 0 as is reasonable.
CBOE:VIX
by norok
SPY Iron Condor SetupUndecided whether to be long or short this market? The weekly Bollinger Bands indicated that we are smack dab in the middle of a range-bound stock market. Inflation based on today's CPI indicated that the rate of inflation change is slowing. Talk is now on when will the Fed pivot? Probably more fireworks tomorrow when the Fed takes action and "speaks". The Bollinger Bands indicate an overbought level at 435 and oversold at 340. A five point credit spread on each side out to March brings in $1,80. Filled at 181. Should SPY close somewhere in the middle come March 17, the play brings in $60/month while risking $320. Filled at $1,81
AMEX:SPYLong
by AssetDesign
Opened (Margin): IWM 144/154/182/192 Iron Condor... for a 3.34 credit. Comments: (Late Post). Another "synthetic short strangle" I put on on Friday, with the short legs set up around the 25 delta, the longs out from there to obtain a 50% ROC at max metric. 3.34 credit on buying power effect of 6.66; 50.2% at max; 25.1% at 50% max. Will primarily look to roll paired legs (short call/long put, short put/long call) to delta balance. For example, the short call finished the day in .52/$52 worth of profit, the long put .43/$43, so I would look to roll the short call and long put down simultaneously to lock in that realized gain and to delta balance.
AMEX:IWM
by NaughtyPines
1
Opening (Margin): SPY November 18th 320/338/388/406 Iron Condor... for a 6.13 credit. Comments: Putzing a bit with these so-called "synthetic short strangles" ... . Selling the 25's on both sides and erecting long wings out from there. I had to go oddball width with the wings (18.00) to keep the setup symmetrical, since there's only 5-wides on the put side. 6.13 credit on buying power effect of 11.87; 51.6% ROC as a function of buying power effect at max; 25.8% at 50% max. As with my QQQ setup (See Post Below), will look to roll the pairs of sides (long put/short call, long call, short put) for a realized gain and to delta balance.
AMEX:SPY
by NaughtyPines
Opening (Margin): QQQ November 18th 240/260/314/334 Iron Condor... for a 6.31 credit. Comments: Moving out to November, which is still a bit long-dated ... . Selling the 23's on both sides for my short legs, erecting longs 20 strikes out from there. 6.31 on BPE of 13.74; 45.9% ROC at max; 23.0% at 50% max. Here, I'm looking to manage just the short strangle aspect of the setup to delta balance if necessary, leaving the longs alone to safety tape off max loss as well as keep the buying power effect somewhat fixed. As I adjust the short options, however, the spread on one side or the other will widen, thereby increasing buying power effect, since that is attributable to the widest wing. For example, if I roll the short call down by one strike (1.00) and I get a .75 credit for doing that, the buying power effect will increase to 21.00 (since I've widened the wing to 21). However, I will have received a .75 credit for doing that, so my BPE will increase by 1.00 - the credit received or .25 ($25). As with a naked short strangle, I'll look to adjust just the short strangle aspect of the setup at a delta/theta ratio of >1.00. It's currently .01/17.93.
NASDAQ:QQQ
by NaughtyPines
8