Since IRONFLY is the flavour these days, sharing my own thread. It has GREEKS incorporated which automatically reduces wing size & risk.

P.S. No one specifically invented ironfly & it's adjustments. A good trader can figure it out on his own. I've been doing it on & off for yrs.

A THREAD

Topic: Why triple straddle has no real benefit.

A triple straddle is essentially an ATM Straddle & one or two step away straddle on either side. The position is almost neutral strategy just like any other neutral straddle or strangle.

1/

We can also view the position as an ATM straddle, a strangle & inverted strangle.

For example

Nifty: 14700

Triple straddle: 14600,14700,14800

Another view:

14700 straddle
14800-14600: strangle
14600-14800: Inverted strangle

2/

So the real question is what is the advantage of an inverted strangle over it's otm counterpart?

The answer is none.

They both have same premiums/theta. Only that slippages will be high in inverted strangle when we do the required adjustments plus liquidity issue.

3/

So isn't it better that instead of a triple straddle, we can just do ATM Straddle & 2* OTM strangle.

So in the above eg. the position will be

14700 ATM straddle
2* 14800-14600 otm strangle.

Same premium received, similar range just that there's no nuisance of ITM options.

4/

The question arises:

Why trade in an ATM straddle & 2* OTM Strangles? Why over-complicate?

Options are in itself a complicated instrument. Wouldn't it be better to stick to one straddle or a strangle & adjust accordingly?

Lesser the strikes, more there will be clarity.

5/

THREAD ON DELTA (The most important GREEK)

Many traders don't indulge in understanding GREEKS because they think they are very complicated.

There are 4 primary greeks:

Delta
Gamma
Theta
Vega

In my experience, understanding DELTA is enough to take benefit of greeks.(1/n)

Delta measures the rate of change of options price based on the directional movement of the underlying.

So this means we can know in advance (theoretically) how much an option will move with the underlying & so we can prepare our strategies accordingly. (2/n)

Value of delta varies between 0 & 1 for calls and -1 & 0 for puts. This figure tells how much an option price will change, when the underlying moves 1 point. So example a delta of .2 of call indicates that for every 1 point change in the underlying, the price will move .2 (3/n)

For option writers who want to trade in neutral strategies like straddle, strangle, ratios, calendar etc, delta can be very helpful. So be it any complex strategy, knowing the NET DELTA can give you an idea of how your strategy will perform in different scenarios. (4/n)

Net delta is just the sum of the deltas of all the bull options (call+ & put-) minus the bear options (call- & put+).

So if we can track this, we will always be in the know of how much exposed our position is. It makes it easier then to adjust our position. (5/n)

FINDING EDGE IN OPTIONS

24/08/15: Nifty gap down 250 points & another 250 after that. Previous few months return gone, but since I'm quick to take my losses, was saved from ruin. Before that my only edge in option selling was adjustments & my forever edge of following PA. (1/n)

I soon realised that theta decay with sound adjustments is not an edge, which i earlier thought was & which gave me good returns over the years. After that i went deeper in understanding volatility behaviour, how/where it manifests & all the discrepancies in option chain. (2/n)

With finding edge in logistics i mean how to keep the greeks in check, SL in place & optimum ways of adjustments with minimum slippages. So the main aim here is to write theta without following vol behaviour & having any actual knowledge of what's going on in the markets. (3/n)

A dedicated trader can learn all this in few years & it is something which is 'obvious' to become successful. But majority can't reach this level, as this also requires consistent hustle in live markets. All the seminar/webinar business teaches you till this level only.(4/n)

If you get passed this level though, the real work starts, when you have to find your real edge. This can't be taught in a webinar. It needs serious introspection of your trading skills, psychology & strategies in use, which ultimately allow you to book excellent profits. (5/n)

@javia_savan You answered it yourself 🙂
Adjustment cost is way too high for bnf. Sometimes bnf does exceed nifty in vol crush, but nifty overall is more consistent.

My previous b'day which fell on expiry day was in 2010. On that day Nifty straddle opened at 45. Day range of nifty was around 30pts :)

(High 5415, Low 5380)

At that time:

•Didn't know the word Straddle though i used to trade them regularly
•Greeks existence wasn't known

•Adjustments felt like a superpower
•Everyday theta decay was a birth right
•Any strategy thought off felt like a personal invention
•Listening to people warning about unlimited loss in option selling was normal
•Making unlimited gain in long straddle seemed a possibility

•Volumes & Oi were closely tracked
•Overnight positions without hedge was a normal routine

All the above points have been changed over the years. But the underlying market psychology & following the price action still remains the same.

Thank you all for the warm wishes 🙏

In this thread, I'll walk you through my set up, absorb it as much as you can.
The instrument that I trade in are Nifty (NF) options
Thanks to @AdityaTodmal @niki_poojary for contributing in making this

How to set your charts:

Lets try to understand what to sell when 50EMA, VWAP & RSI works in different scenarios

What options to sell and how to place the SL

Important to have a birds eye view when trading in NF options as many stocks influences its movement

Quick Options Breakdown

1.Earliest expiry OuttheMoney: Biggest Payout Biggest Risk

2.Earliest expiry IntheMoney:
Big Payout Medium Risk

3. Further expiry OuttheMoney:
Lower Payout Lower Risk

4. Further expiry IntheMoney:
Lowest Payout Lowest Risk

Swings: Buy low IV ✅

Short Strangle

Net credit with a sideways stance

A thread 🧵

#options #trading

1/ Short Strangles

As the name suggests, you need to sell options in this strategy

It involves 2 legs:

Short OTM CE

Short OTM PE

2/ Stance

You expect the market to trade within a narrow range. A narrow range means low volatility and hence lowering option premium due to theta decay

3/ Net Credit Strategy

Shorting options means that you will receive premium

Ex Nifty spot 16200

To create Short Strangle

Short 16300CE @92

Short 16100PE @132

Total premium received = 92 + 132 = 224

4/ Maximum Profit

The max profit is the premium received at entering the strategy, possible when the market expires within or at the selected strikes

In the Ex, expiry at or between 16100 or 16300, means options go worthless due to theta decay and you receive 224 points per lot

**Options Strategies Broaden Your Range of Trades**

1/n

Going Long Calls/Puts are the plays most retail traders use (equity trader strategies, higher leverage/lower margin)

The beauty of options is there are many more ways to profit, beyond pure directional bias.

#MomoTwit

2/n *Quick Review of Options*

Options are a derivative contract which allows the holder to buy/sell the underlying at a determined price by a certain expiration date.

Options Greeks (delta, gamma, vega, theta) affect contract P/L based on changes in volatility, time, & price.

3/n -Covered Calls-

If you have 100 shares of XYZ stock, you could short a call contract, w/ your shares as collateral. Strategy allows you to collect premium.

Either your call expires worthless or it closes ITM. If ITM you sell the shares at the strike price of ur short call

4/n Generally, you employ a covered call strategy when you have a near/short term neutral/bearish view on your position. Thus this allows you to collect money/premium or hedge when the stock is not rallying.

5/n -Straddle-

This is where the trader buys a call & put at the same strike price and expiration date. You would do this when u expect a large move outside the expected range in *either* direction

You will lose on this trade if the stock does not move/stays within a range.