Stock trading is one of the last true meritocracies. All that matters for your investment success are your own decisions. Stock trading is a precision-based activity and one tiny mistake in judgment could send you plummeting right to the bottom and result in a huge loss.
Likewise, the opposite could happen. You may make a great [...]
Written on 15th February 2008 (see below for further updates)
I thought I’d provide an example of a Bull Call Spread (BCS) using the Commonwealth Bank as an example. There is a lot of volatility in the market at the moment. If you have studied my course then you will know that high volatility [...]
Companies, exporters and importers are also very much involved in the forex market as buying and selling of products takes place all over the world thus buying and selling of currencies to facilitate and complete all these transactions are needed. An exporter in the USA might have sold his products to a company in Europe [...]
If stocks can be compared to five-speed automobiles, stock options are F-16 fighter jets. In order to qualify for an options account, you have to state your level of experience, candidly reveal your level of liquidity, and pretty much accept that it’s your fault if you go bankrupt.
There is a reason for this. You [...]
Beginning options traders often make costly mistakes due to either a lack of knowledge or misinformation about the basic parameters of options and their exercise. Examples of common errors include being surprised that one is unable to close an index option position on the Friday before expiration, or being surprised by an unhedged option exercise [...]
Placing iron condor spreads on the broad market indexes is a relatively conservative, non-directional trading strategy that may be used for consistent income generation. This strategy profits as long as the index trades within the channel formed by the two spread positions. It is best used during sideways or slowly trending markets.Condor SpreadsA condor spread [...]
One will commonly hear or read the following “rule of thumb” for options spread trading:When implied volatility is high, sell credit spreads and when implied volatility is low, buy debit spreads.Unfortunately, this is simply not true. The credit spread and its corresponding debit spread at the same strike prices will always have virtually identical returns [...]
What is a credit spread?
Investopedia says… “An options strategy where a high premium option is sold and a low premium option is bought on the same underlying security.”
OK I know that is very vague, so lets see if I can do better.
It is a trading strategy in which you buy an out of the money [...]
For option sellers it is disconcerting to hear people say that selling naked options is extremely risky because it carries the threat of âunlimited losesâ. Nothing is farther from the truth! Itâs a myth! Itâs about time we correct this misconception and put this fear to rest.
While theoretically the selling of naked options carries [...]
As serious and sophisticated investors know, options are a viable and increasingly popular way to enhance their portfolios. Yet even the most savvy investors need instruction.Now in its third edition, The Options Workbook has been updated and reformatted in a larger, more convenient, and user-friendly design. Three all-new chapters explain key trading concepts-volatility, [...]