VXX - Bear Credit Call SpreadThis is purely my trading journal, not investment advice. Especially with the screwed up and questionable nature of these volatility ETF & ETN created products, risk is even higher. Trading options of one of these products is buying/selling derivatives of an underlying product that is based on futures of a derivative.
I closed my previous call spread. Took the money and ran not risking something crazy happening before expiration. At the same time I opened another call spread expiring 2/16. I lesson the spread, which reduced the income I receive, but also lesson my overall max possible loss should the trade move against me. To me, these near date options are very expensive right now. If price should continue up, even with the options having a short expiration date, I should have the ability to roll or adjust my position early next week if needed.
Spread is 52 - 62.
While is tempting to open another credit call spread as price has moved higher, I don't want to be exposed to additional risk.
Regarding my the bear debit put spread i opened (another post), in hind sight that was a poor decision. The good thing is since I used premium received from the first credit call spread, I didn't use any of my own money for the trade. IF the price moves significantly lower early next week, I should still have the ability to roll & adjust the spread for minimum cost. However, with the current price gap of the first and second month VIX futures, price may not move enough for a roll/adjust to make sense for the put spread.
W:
ATMP trade ideas
VXX - Risky bear credit call spreadOpened bear credit call spread to hopefully take advantage of the high IV% and time premium. As long as market vol remains fairly stable for the rest of the week, I'll be in good shape. The very high time premium on short dated options means I am only at risk for a short period of time. It is atypical to be able to capture this amount of premium for options about to expire. The down side of trading short dated options is it is very hard to make adjustments if the trade goes against you.
VXX 16.77% $50.23
D: .2382
G: .0528
T: -.2314
IV%: 253% (vs. 112.52%)
W:
OPENING: VXX MARCH 2ND 26/29 LONG PUT VERTICAL... for a 2.18/contract debit.
Metrics:
Max Profit: $82/contract
Max Loss: $218/contract
Break Even: 26.82
Notes: Adding some on this little VIX bump we have today. I don't think there's a new weekly opening up this week (monthly expiry), so adding a smidge here in the expiry nearest 45 DTE. As always, staying small, keeping powder dry to add on pops ... .
The Ideal HedgeWith equity and debt markets at all time highs, coupled with slowing growth and a prolonged bull market it may be time to start hedging your portfolio. One way to do this is through the VIX index-tracking ETF:VXX. Attahched is a chart of the actual index and you can see that in times of market pullbacks, the VIX spikes to unbeleivable levels. Good luck! I will be posting more often trade ideas.
Squeezing Some Alpha Out of VolatilityI don't care about the direction of the general market because the market does not dictate when and where I find sheer outrageous value. However, I do believe the diligent investor can leverage volatility in crazy market swings like these in order to generate some alpha for their portfolio.
My latest blog post discusses this volatility trade in short, as well as my general thoughts on market directions and their impact on investment decisions. You can check it out here: rockvuecapital.wordpress.com
Always trying to improve,
Brandon
OPENING: VXX FEB 23RD 25.5/28.5 LONG PUT VERTICAL... for a 2.20/contract debit.
Max Profit: $80/contract
Max Loss: $220/contract
Break Even: 26.30
Notes: This filled immediately at open, so I wasn't able to adjust the price (to be honest, wasn't expecting it to fill right off the bat). You may still be able to get a fill for slightly better than I did or shoot for the 26/29's for less than 2.25/contract ... .
OPENING: VXX MARCH 2ND 25.5/28.5 LONG PUT VERTICAL... for a 2.23/contract debit.
Max Profit: $77/contract
Max Loss: $223/contract
Break Even: 26.27
Notes: My standard Thursday or Friday weekly expiry play. You can probably still get a fill in the neighborhood of 2.25 (or .75 credit for a short call vert) if it doesn't move much come Friday open. Will look to take it off for >15% of what I put it on for ... .