The decline in the broad equitymarketmeasures in the summer of offers case in point. Finally, if we factor 10 drop in volatility into the same 100point rally in the futures, profit would increase to 4,001. When bottom is finally achieved, the collapse in highpriced options following sharp drop in implied volatility from extreme highs, the one strategy that works thebest is called reverse call calendar spread. The reverse calendar spread is not neutral and can generate profit if the underlying makes huge move in either direction.
The plan of reverse calendar call spread is to close the position before expiration of the shorterterm option trading setup that has profit potential in both directions. So even if you are correct in timing market bottom, there be little to no gain from big reversal move following capitulation selloff. By deploying selling strategy when implied volatility is at extremes compared to past levels, we can at least attempt to minimize this risk. Trade with risk capital only.. There is risk of loss trading futures and options.
Having covered the concept of normal and reverse calendar spread, lets apply the latter to S&P call options. But another way to use calendar spreads is to reverse them buying the nearterm and selling the longterm, which works best when volatility is very high. This presents dilemma for buyers of options whether of puts or calls because the price of an option is so affected by implied volatility that it leaves traders long vega just when they should be short vega. The details of our hypothetical trade are presented in figure below.
BiographyJohn Summa is founder and president of OptionsNerd. com and registered commodity trading advisor CTA with the National Futures Association. The plan of reverse calendar call spread is to close the position before expiration of the shorterterm option the solid line, the maximum loss for this trade would be slightly more than 7,500. More important, though, is the added benefit that comes with sharp drop in implied volatility however, it is possible for implied volatility to go higher especially if the market goes lower, which leads to potential losses from still higher volatility.