Get started

VXX

THE WEEK AHEAD: CRON, TLRY, CGC EARNINGS; EWZ; VIXHIGH RANK/IMPLIED EARNINGS: CRON (32/82) (Tuesday Before Open) TLRY (50/97) (Tuesday After Close) CSCO (44/27) (Tuesday After Close) WMT (48/23) (Thursday Before Open) NVDA (24/43) (Thursday After Close) AMAT (17/34) (Thursday After Close) CGC (95/87) (Thursday Before Open) JC (30/43) (Friday Before Open) Notes: Looks like it's the "Week of Weed" with CRON, TLRY, CGC announcing and all in states of high implied/high rank ... . If you're hesitant to go into single name here, MJ (47/51) has decent rank/implied metrics, although it's less liquid than I would like. EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS: TLT (56/12) EWZ (47/28) SLV (44/22) GDXJ (37/31) GLD (34/11) EEM (33/16) First Expiries In Which At-the-Money Short Straddle Pays >10% of Stock Price: TLT: January of '21 EWZ: March: 5.64 verus 43.02 (13.11%) SLV: April: 1.72 versus 15.70 (11.0%) GDXJ: January: 3.99 versus 36.33 (11.0%) GLD: January of '21 EEM: June: 4.97 versus 43.68 (11.4%) Notes: Pictured here is an EWZ delta-neutral short strangle camped out at the 20 delta in the first expiry in which the at-the-money short straddle pays greater than 10% of the value of the underlying. Paying 1.61, it has break evens of 35.39/50.61 with delta/theta metrics of -.36/1.49; .40 at 25% maximum; .80 at 50%. BROAD MARKET: Broad market premium selling simply isn't paying here in short duration (an understatement). FUTURES: /6B (72/9) /NG (74/60) /SI (44/21) /GC (34/12) /ZS (32/20) Notes: Natty is frisking up, which should be no surprise. Having put on a bullish assumption seasonality play in UNG way back in August at lows, I'm just waiting for things to top out in January or February before doing something in the other direction. VIX/VIX DERIVATIVES: Term structure trades* in VIX remain viable for the December, January, and February expiries with the correspondent futures contracts trading at 16.05, 17.33, and 18.07 respectively. On the other end of the stick, continue to consider a VXX Super Bull or similar setup to potentially catch a modest volatility expansion running into the end of the year without sticking your entire pickle in the grinder, particularly if VIX continues to trundle along at 2019 lows: the December 20th 16P/-18P/18C/-20C pays a small credit (.17), has a 17.83 break even versus spot of 18.64, and max profit/max loss metrics of 2.17/1.87, with max being realized on a finish above 20, which does not exactly require a massive pop from here. * -- Generally short call verticals with break even near where the correspondent /VX futures contract is trading (e.g., the December 20th 15/18, paying .90, with a 15.90 break even versus the December /VX contract trading at 16.05; the January 22nd 16/19, 1.00, with a 17.00 break even versus 17.33; February 19th 17/20, with an 18.00 break even versus 18.07).
AMEX:EWZ
by NaughtyPines
TRADE IDEA: VXX -16P/+18P/+18C/-20C SUPER BULLI'm not hugely fond of going long volatility, particularly in an instrument that gets routinely battered by contango and/or beta erosion. With VIX closing in on its 2019 low, however, it may be time to consider one. Pictured here is a VXX "Super Bull" made up of a 16/18 short put vertical and a 18/20 long call vertical. As of Friday close, it pays a small .11 credit, has a 2.11 max profit, a 1.89 max loss, and a break even of 17.89 versus 18.87 spot, with max profit assuming a finish above 20. You can also go smaller -- the 17/18/18/19 pays .07, has a max profit of 1.07, a max loss of .93, and a break even of 17.93. Look to manage aggressively starting at 25% max ... .
CBOE:VXXLong
by NaughtyPines
7
THE WEEK AHEAD: BIDU EARNINGS; GDXJ, EEM, VIX/VXX/UVXYEARNINGS BIDU (97/55) announces earnings on Monday after market close, so look to put on a play in the waning hours of the New York session ... . Pictured here is a September 80/120 short strangle paying 1.65 as of Friday close with delta/theta metrics of 1.57/8.07. You can naturally go defined risk, but you'll have to go in a smidge tighter with the shorts to collect one-third the width of the wings and being surgical with your strikes will be tough with 5-wides in that expiry. The September 20th 80/85/110/115 is paying 1.62 with delta/theta metrics of .26/3.20. EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS Precious metals keep on grinding in a high implied volatility state for yet another week, with the ideal rank/implied metrics remaining in GDXJ and nearly ideal ones in GDX: GLD (80/16) GDXJ (77/38) SLV (77/25) TLT (76/17) GDX (72/33) BROAD MARKET EFA (53/17) EEM (52/22) IWM (36/22) SPY (35/18) QQQ (27/22) Since I don't have anything on in EEM, I may consider putting on something longer-dated there. Using the delta neutral at-the-money short straddle test and looking for a setup that pays greater than 10% of the value of the underlying, it looks like I would have to go out to January where the 40 short straddle is paying 4.54 versus 39.54 the shares were trading at as of Friday close. The January 17th 40 short straddle pays 4.54 with break evens at 35.46/44.54 and has delta/theta metrics of 1.96/1.13 and a 25 max of 1.13; the 16 delta 34/44 short strangle pays 1.05 (.52 at 50 max) with break evens of 32.05/45.05 and delta/theta metrics of -.15/.86. I'm fine with either, but there's something to be said for having room to adjust without going inverted with the short strangle. VIX/VIX DERIVATIVES VIX finished Friday at 18.47 with the /VX term structure still in backwardation from September to December, with the August contract settling next week. I will continue to look to add at-the-money bearish assumption setups (short call verticals or long put verticals) in VIX in the front month (September) should we get additional pops to >20 and/or the same type of setup in UVXY and VXX using VIX levels as a guide. As of Friday close, the VIX September 18th 18/21 short call vertical was paying 1.10 at the mid with a break even of 19.10 versus 18.47 spot, but will probably wait for another pop to >20 to put on a similar setup.* * -- Short call verticals: short in the money, long out of the money, paying one-third the width of the spread. Long put verticals: short out of the money, long in the money, paying less than one-third the width in debit. Short call verticals with the same strikes as a long put vertical have the same risk, so it's a matter of taste and/or the practicalities of having a bunch of different plays on in the same expiry as to which you use. For example, you can layer on same strike long put verticals over short call verticals without inadvertently "stepping on" the short call verticals you have on. As compared to VIX options -- which settle to cash, with UVXY and VXX, there's naturally some assignment risk, so I lean toward short call verticals in those particular instruments, since I'd rather be short shares if assigned.
NASDAQ:BIDU
by NaughtyPines
THE WEEK AHEAD: ROKU EARNINGS; GDXJ; VXX, UVXYA real quick and dirty here between checking off items on the honey-do list ... . Here's the cream of the crop: ROKU (83/94) announces earnings on Wednesday after market close and with rank/implied greater than 70/50, it's an ideal play for volatility contraction post-announcement. The pictured setup is a September 20th 75/80/135/140 iron condor, paying 1.67 at the mid price (one-third the width of the wings). Look to take profit at 50% max (.83/$83 assuming a mid price fill). Taking the top spot again this week for rank/implied among the exchange-traded funds is GDXJ (92/37) with the >70% probability of profit September 20th 36/45 short strangle paying 1.31 (.75/$75 at 50% max) and delta/theta metrics of 2.02/3.16. Lastly, with the pop in volatility last week, consider a bearish assumption play in either VXX or UVXY (i.e., either short call verticals or long put verticals) with the short leg in the money, the long out and that pays at least one-third of your spread in credit (or for which you have to pay less than two-thirds the width in debit). For example, the VXX Sept 20th 25/27 short call vertical is paying .67 at the mid price with a break even at 25.67. Conversely, the VXX Sept 25/27 long put vertical costs 1.36 to put on with a 25.64 break even and a max profit potential similar to that of the same-strike short call vertical (.64/$64). For the bolder at heart, the VXX Sept 22/24 long put vertical costs .95 to put on, making it a risk one/make proposition on the notion that volatility implodes fairly quickly back to its pre-pop levels, taking the VIX derivatives with it.
NASDAQ:ROKU
by NaughtyPines
OPENING: VXX SEPT 20TH 20/23 LONG CALL VERTICAL... for a 1.35/contract debit. Metrics: Max Profit: $165/contract Max Loss: $135/contract Break Even: 21.35 Delta/Theta: 21.16/.55 Notes: I don't take long vol product positions very often, particularly those subject to contango erosion and/or beta slippage, but with the market at ATH's and the VIX at lows, taking a small shot here with better than risk one to make one metrics ... . It'll be a money, take, run at 25% max or greater.
CBOE:VXXLong
by NaughtyPines
5