Get a handle on option spreads to hike profit and squash loss The Complete Book of Option Spreads and Combinations is the definitive educational resource and reference guide for using option spreads and other common sense option strategies. This useful guide shows readers how to select the right strategy for their market outlook and risk/reward comfort level by describing the inner workings of each strategy and how they are affected by underlying market movements, implied volatility, and time decay. Even more importantly, readers will understand where each strategy performs well, and the market conditions where each should be avoided. Once the proper strategy is selected, readers will learn how to identify the best options to use based on "moneyness" and time to expiration. The companion website features tools including an option pricing tool and implied volatility calculator to help all traders implement these concepts effectively. There are many different types of spreads, and while less risky than other option strategies in general, they are more complex, with more variables to monitor. This guide serves as a handbook for the trader wanting to exploit options to the greatest possible benefit. Generate monthly income by selling covered strangles Use call spreads to recover from a losing stock position Protect an existing stock position using put diagonals Discover the best strategies for directional market plays Option spreads are a great tool for traders who would rather be an option seller but who need to limit their risk. The Complete Book of Option Spreads and Combinations identifies those strategies that benefit from option erosion but that limit risk. If managed properly, spreads can provide both novice and experienced investors with the potential for a large return while limiting risk. Electronic trading platforms and reduced brokerage commissions have increased option spread trading, which should occupy a spot in every savvy investor's toolkit. Comprehensive and authoritative, The Complete Book of Option Spreads and Combinations provides a valuable manual and lasting reference.

"Educational resource and reference guide for using option spreads and other sophisticated option strategies. Covers vertical spreads, calendar spreads, ratio spreads, diagonal spreads, butterflys, iron butterflys, straddles, strangles, condors, and iron condors. Describes how strategies are impacted by movements in the underlying market, implied volatility, and time decay. Identifies conditions where each strategy performs well"--

A practical guide to the math behind options and how that knowledge can improve your trading performance No book on options can guarantee success, but if a trader understands and utilizes option math effectively, good things are going to happen. The idea behind Options Math for Traders + Website is to help retail option traders understand some of the basic tenants and enduring relationships of options, and option math, that professional and institutional traders rely on every day. This book skillfully highlights those strategies that are inherently superior from an option math point of view and explains what drives that superiority while also examining why some strategies are inherently inferior. The material is explained without complex equations or technical jargon. The goal is to give you a solid conceptual foundation of options behavior so you can make more informed decisions when choosing an option strategy for your market outlook. Topics covered include the volatility premium, because over time, options will cost more than they are ultimately worth; skew, wherein far out of the money put options may seem cheap from an absolute term, but are very expensive in relative terms; and the acceleration in option price erosion. The book also has a companion Website, which includes links to those sites that can scan for the best strategies discussed in the book. Explains, in a non-technical manner, the mathematical properties of options so that traders can better select the right options strategy for their market outlook Companion Website contains timely tools that allow you to continue to learn in a hands-on fashion long after closing the book Written by top options expert Scott Nations Most independent traders have an imperfect understanding of the math behind options pricing. With Options Math for Traders + Website as your guide, you'll gain valuable lessons in this area and discover how this information can improve your trading performance.

Strategies, tools, and solutions for minimizing risk and volatility in option trading An intermediate level trading book, The Option Trader Handbook, Second Edition provides serious traders with strategies for managing and adjusting their market positions. This Second Edition features new material on implied volatility; Delta and Theta, and how these measures can be used to make better trading decisions. The book presents the art of making trade adjustments in a logical sequence, starting with long and short stock positions; moving on to basic put and call positions; and finally discussing option spreads and combinations. Covers different types of underlying positions and discusses all the possible adjustments that can be made to that position Offers important insights into more complex option spreads and combinations A timely book for today's volatile markets Intended for both stock and option traders, this book will help you improve your overall trading skills and performance.

Equity and index options expire on the third Friday of each month. As that moment approaches, unusual market forces create option price distortions, rarely understood by most investors. These distortions give rise to outstanding trading opportunities with enormous profit potential. In Trading Options at Expiration: Strategies and Models for Winning the Endgame, leading options trader Jeff Augen explores this extraordinary opportunity with never-before published statistical models, minute-by-minute pricing analysis, and optimized trading strategies that regularly deliver returns of 40%-300% per trade. You’ll learn how to structure positions that profit from end-of-contract price distortions with remarkably low risk. These strategies don’t rely on your ability to pick stocks or predict market direction and they only require one or two days of market exposure per month. Augen also discusses: · Three powerful end-of-cycle effects not comprehended by contemporary pricing models · Trading only one or two days each month and avoiding overnight exposure · Leveraging the surprising power of expiration-day pricing dynamics If you’re looking for an innovative new way to reignite your returns no matter where the markets move, you’ve found it in Trading Options at Expiration. “Learn and profit from Jeff Augen’s book: It clearly explains how to take advantage of market inefficiencies in collapsing implied volatility, effects of strike price, and time decay. A must-read for individuals who are options oriented.” --Ralph J. Acampora, CMT, Director of Technical Analysis Studies, New York Institute of Finance “A fantastic, insightful book full of meticulously compiled statistics about anomalies that surround option expiration. Not only does Augen present a set of effective trading strategies to capitalize on these anomalies, he walks through the performance of each across several expirations. His advice is practical and readily applicable: He outlines common pitfalls, gives guidance on timing your executions, and even includes code that can be used to perform the same calculations he does in the text. A thoroughly enjoyable read that will give you a true edge in your option trading.” --Alexis Goldstein, Vice President, Equity Derivatives Business Analyst “Mr. Augen makes a careful and systematic study of option prices at expiration. His translation of price behavior into trading strategy is intriguing work, and the level of detail is impressive.” --Dr. Robert Jennings, Professor of Finance, Indiana University Kelly School of Business “This book fills a gap in the vast amount of literature on derivatives trading and stands out for being extremely well written, clear, concise, and very low on jargon--perfect for traders looking to evolve their equity option strategies.” --Nazzaro Angelini, Principal, Spearpoint Capital “Instead of considering macro-time strategies that take weeks to unfold, Jeff Augen is thinking micro here--hours or days--specifically the days or hours right before expiration, and harnessing grinding, remorseless options decay for profit. He builds a compelling case for the strategy here. The concept of using ratio spreads plus risk management for as brief a period as one day--open to close--to capture expiring premium is worth the price of admission alone. A superb follow-up to his first book. Must-read for the serious options student.” --John A. Sarkett, Option Wizard software

The first and only book of its kind, Automated Options Trading describes a comprehensive, step-by-step process for creating automated options trading systems. Using the authors’ techniques, sophisticated traders can create powerful frameworks for the consistent, disciplined realization of well-defined, formalized, and carefully-tested trading strategies based on their specific requirements. Unlike other books on automated trading, this book focuses specifically on the unique requirements of options, reflecting philosophy, logic, quantitative tools, and valuation procedures that are completely different from those used in conventional automated trading algorithms. Every facet of the authors’ approach is optimized for options, including strategy development and optimization; capital allocation; risk management; performance measurement; back-testing and walk-forward analysis; and trade execution. The authors’ system reflects a continuous process of valuation, structuring and long-term management of investment portfolios (not just individual instruments), introducing systematic approaches for handling portfolios containing option combinations related to different underlying assets. With these techniques, it is finally possible to effectively automate options trading at the portfolio level. This book will be an indispensable resource for serious options traders working individually, in hedge funds, or in other institutions.

A leading expert unveils his unique methodology for options trading Options provide a high leverage approach to trading that can significantly limit the overall risk of a trade or provide additional income. Yet, many people fail to capitalize on this potentially lucrative opportunity because they mistakenly believe that options are risky. Now options expert Andrew Keene helps aspiring investors to enter this sector by explaining the principles of the options market and showing readers how to utilize calls and puts successfully. Leading options expert Andrew Keene demystifies the basics of options trading Debunks the myth that call purchases are synonymous with being bullish and that put purchases are bearish Lays out in detail two distinct proprietary trading plans readers can follow Explains how to trade using market maker techniques and tricks from the trading floor to help with his probabilities in options trading Andrew Keene is best known for reading unusual options activity and seeing what others don't. Now he shares what he knows in a book that opens the opportunities of options trading to any investor.