|
We know that when we buy options contracts, we use the appropriate strategy and then attempt to make money either on the intrinsic part of the option premium (where Delta matters most) or on the extrinsic part of the option premium (where volatility matters most), beyond that, there are also..... |
|
How to Find Undervalued Options for Buying Strategies |
|
|
|
We know that when we buy options contracts, we use the appropriate strategy and then attempt to make money either on the intrinsic part of the option premium (where Delta matters most) or on the extrinsic part of the option premium (where volatility matters most), beyond that, there are also other factors that can have an enormous impact on the option premium, such as; Strike price relative to stock price, (ITM or OTM), and the stock’s own Beta parameter, Beta measures the volatility of the stock and its correlation to the stock index it’s listed on. A stock with a Beta of 1 will move 1% if the index moves 1%, a stock with a Beta of 2 will move 2% if the same index moves 1%. ITM and OTM options If you are looking to profit from short term movements in the market, you can either, deal with the extrinsic value part of the premium and trade Out-of-The-Money (OTM) options, in which case you trade volatility. Or you can deal with both, by getting volatility on your side and then trading At-The-Money (ATM) options that will become ITM very soon! As soon as options are near the money, that is their strike price is approached by the stock’s price, they become more expensive, and once in the money, they become even more expensive, even if it is for just a day or two! Notice the options in the red circles, on the Call options we have the second option in the money (SP=$36), costs $2.22 to buy and we can sell it $2.19, the second option out of the money (SP=$39), costs $0.73 to buy, and it can easily double its premium in a single day! |
|
As you can see some moves take around 10 days, some other moves take a lot less, the combination of detailed technical analysis and near the money options is a very profitable strategy, of course, you have to adjust your strategy to every specific price move, and stay protected from the effect of time decay, if you trade options with a month or less to expiration, it can be fine for a trade lasting one or two days, but not longer, if you wish to capture a ten day move you have to choose options with more time available, the principle of making money as the option becomes In-The-Money still works on the more expensive, further away from expiration options . The bottom line is, always make sure you have more than 30-35 days to expiration, and always watch the trading calendar, this ensures getting a cheaper deal! The Beta parameter concept Suppose that you find 10 stocks that technically provide excellent trading opportunities, and you are looking to capture a quick movement, within a parallel channel or between some other kind of support and resistance, or you just expect an X amount of points of price move either up or down, in this case you have to analyze the profit margin on all 10 stocks, take into account their current price and potential percentage gain as well, then take a look at their Beta parameter, the stocks that have lower Beta will have lower volatility, lower option premiums, but will still make the expected price move, the same move percentage-wise or point-wise, and that means you will be paying lower premiums. better price! |
|
|
Referrals: CBOE, Options Industry Council. |








