Hi
Now we have a simple idea about how an OTM, ATM and ITM option is priced. It is important to know that when we will choose the strike levels we want to use for our option trades. If you want to go deeper in to the subjects of pricing of options, you will find a link at the end of this post for your self studies. (*)
As we still spot on Theta, we have to know some more facts about it. Every option has an expiry day (**) and as nearer we come to this day, as faster the option looses time value. This is very important to know. Why? If you trade an option near expiry day and market not moves in your favor, you quickly will be in loss with your option trade as the time decay eats away value from your option in a rapid way. So be very careful when you try to trade with such short before expiry options.
You now may ask your self: Is there a way to ship around this higher risk with this fast option time decay? Yes there is. First have a look at the following picture:
That blue line visualizes the risk and as you see; in the last 30 days the blue line rapidly starts to fall and at the end it falls like a stone to the earth. If we now choose options with a longer life time for our trades like 30 days and more, we can ship around the highest risk and lower the risk we have from time decay. There are other ways to ship around this risk and we will look at this subject again when choosing the strategy and the strike levels. There then we also will start to combine Vega with Theta.
This was now a small excursion in to the world of options theta. Some of you may ask why he did that as the subject is:Time frame of our option trade?
I first wanted to be sure, that you have some kind of understanding what time means in pure option trading. In future trading you do not deal with that problem as a future not will lose from time decay.
When we plan our time frame for our option trade, we mainly have a look at our chart to spot this time frame. If we are in a side way market and want to play the support and resistance lines with a certain strategy, we count how much time the market needs to finish this swings. If we recognize a time frame of five days and we choose an option with a time frame of three days, we never will be able to finish this strategy. Sounds very logically but how many do really look at such things in option trading?
If we are in a trendy market and we want to have an idea about our exit point, we check how long the market needed in the past to make a move for example of 200 points.
These observations do not take much time. They are just one more little stone in the whole mosaic and for those of you, which plan to be pure directional option traders on a shorter time frame like a few hours or one day, these little observations also will be very helpful for the exit strategy. For strategically option traders it is of use for choosing certain strategies and in more advanced levels for the leg in strategies.
Now let me give you an example with the crude oil chart. It is done on a daily chart and you can do that on any time frame you like to trade.
http://i39.tinypic.com/iz4vp1.png
As you see, the daily chart shows a downtrend with a clear range game. If we now plan an option trade, we have many ways to do so. Let me show just two easy to understand trades. One is for the pure directional option trader and one is for the strategically option trader. Please read the risk disclaimer before continuing. (***)
For the pure directional trade we count only the days from Resistance to Support. Trend is down and we only trade in the direction from the trend. That is why from R to S and not from S to R! We could do that with a put. We recognize that the market needs between two and four days for the distance from R to S. If we would plan a trade for the full distance, we would take an option which at least would have a five day and longer live. So we know: Time frame of our trade is around one week.
As a strategically trader we could count the days which are needed from R to S and back to R. Why? A strategically trade could be a long strangle. If we want to implement it leg by leg, we need to be aware of how long it takes to finish the whole strategy. We could start with the put buy at R and if market is at S, we could buy the call. As it takes the market between four and six days to close this range, we would need a put which has a live of at least seven days and more.
http://i40.tinypic.com/25tjcd4.png
Hope you get a bit an idea about this subject.
Fourth subject closed.
DanPickUp
(*)
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/optioninvestor/07/options_beat_market.asp
(**)
http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Expiration+Date
(***) Risk disclaimer: The ideas are only shown for academically purpose and are in no way meant as any recommendations. If you trade any of these ideas, the risk you take is fully on your side.