Entry 18 Feb 23: Choppy Seas Ahead

By: nic

Choppy seas ahead! Well, actually also behind us but there are many signs that the big bully wave we have been riding on since the beginning of this year is slowly breaking. Winds are getting stronger, and we are already seeing some cliffs around us. The ride may get bumpier.

This week I could trade some more short premiums with volatility coming back, but we are still in lower volatility regions. I am still waiting for this to change since I like trading delta-neutral short premium a la Tastyworks (‘Tastytrade’ now) volatility much better. And I seem to be more successful doing that.

In the past two months, I changed my short premium options (volatility) trading strategy to a more directional long mean (price) reversion trading kind of strategy.

I started off with a nice $350 P/L YTD on January 1 and saw my account grow quickly to close to $600 in the middle of the month, which is close to the $700 per month I need to earn on average during the year to reach my financial targets. But it went down very quickly in the past four weeks. I cleaned up my losing positions and switched strategy and direction and ended last week at a P/L YTD of around $100. Last week was even minus $110. This week I slightly recovered and am now $15 in the positive.

This week again I had to adjust long positions going wrong and saw several going into the 50% loss zone. I added bear puts to bull calls going wrong based on my debit spread adjustment rules ( see below).

I have to keep on revisiting and sticking to my playbook, and better prepare for the different moves I make. I realized I hadn’t been doing much backtesting anymore.

A kind of recklessness has taken over in the past few weeks. Mainly driven by the fact that I do have not much time to trade during weekdays due to other preoccupations I have.

I am also still too much jumping into trades without thoroughly analyzing all criteria. I also need to start immediately writing down what my thoughts are when opening, adjusting, or closing positions. And capture Greeks and other data on such moments! Not wait until the weekend, what I am doing now.

Adjustment and Exit Rules

As the fundamental component of my risk management, I have described my exit rules in my playbook, and I use them for my trading plan.

In general, they boil down to some important main principles.

Firstly, I should set alerts on break-evens and 1% of short strikes.

Secondly, for each adjustment, I must follow the same rules as for opening a new position.

I should close a position (or part of an iron condor/butterfly: the put or call wing of a credit spread) if:

  • either the position/wing is at 21 DTE if the position cannot be adjusted (rolled);
  • or, if the loss percentage of the play goes above 50% (of the original premium);
  • or, if PoP goes below 33% and we are close to 21 DTE and 50% loss target.

whichever occurs first.

For vertical debit spreads (price direction!): if none of the above but after 15 days still flip-flopping: and signal deep red: retrofit with the opposite debit spread.

And IS my Beta-weighting Exercise Going?

I told myself last week I needed to start monitoring beta-weighted delta! Because my strategies are too dependent on the directional move of the market.

I can use Tastyworks’ beta-weighting deltas indicator to benchmark individual positions and sum them to understand the directional exposure of my whole portfolio.

This is where I was last week when I started buying more positive delta:

And this is where I ended up this week:

Again not much progress due to the fact I still have (too?) many call debit spreads in the equation. I repeat: this game of keeping my portfolio neutrally beta-weighted is not so easy, it seems.

And as a last note again: I am still reading what is considered the bible for options traders: Options as Strategic Investment, 5th ed. by Lawrence G. McMillan.

Options as a Strategic Investment

The book is over 1000 pages, and I am now at page 800.

Choppy seas
Choppy seas

Table of Contents

Last Week’s Options Trading

In the past few weeks I have had to increasingly manage my positions for the following reasons:

  1. The decreasing volatility disallowed me to continue with short premium strategies.
  2. Unexpected bull rallies caused some of my positions to go deep ITM, so had to be closed with a loss.
  3. I was opening bull calls market was going up, and the market then decided to go down again.
  4. And vice versa.
  5. I was not strictly following my >33% PoP, max 50% loss, and other rules.
  6. I completely stopped backtesting (just forgot about it)
  7. Diverting my attention and little time I have to learn Python for algotrading which gives me less time to focus on options trading.

So let’s repeat the rules again

Options Strategy Risk Management Rules​

  1. In high volatility (VIX >20) sell high vol (IVR>30) options to collect premium income while spreading the risk over various expiration dates (staggering dates to avoid expiration density); the higher the volatility, the more of your account you can allocate to short premium strategies.
  2. Sell options at high IVR (>30)  to extract high (overpriced) premiums (‘overpriced’, since predicted volatility is nearly always overestimated, and stocks are less volatile than predicted, so implied volatility implosion or IV reversion to the mean allows for profits to be taken early when stocks fail to be as volatile as predicted). ​
  3. In low volatility (VIX < 20) buy low vol (IVR <30) debit options (you pay the premium) and lower the total allocation; the less volatility, the less money you should allocate to options trading.
  4. Sell and buy options on underlyings that are liquid in the options market (to open and close positions easily and ensure trades can be filled with narrow bid-to-ask spreads for optimal option pricing ​).
  5. Sell and buy options across tickers with broad sector diversity across uncorrelated sectors to spread risk (too much concentration into any given sector runs the risk of stocks auto-correlating in the same direction and potentially jeopardizing all trades within the sector-specific bucket of trades).
  6. As much as possible (given a small account) stick to risk-defined trades (put spreads, call spreads, and iron condors) to mitigate risk and reduce the amount of capital required for any given trade.
  7. Probability of success (P50 in Tastyworks platform)> 70% to ensure a statistical edge
  8. Closing the trade and realizing profits at >50% premium early in the option lifecycle (21 DTE) and re-invest the capital made free towards additional trades.
  9. Closeout trades prior to expiration (before strike price gets challenged just before expiration (high volatility and higher loss probability!).
  10. Maximize the number of trades to allow the expected probabilities to play out (trade small, trade often).
  11. Size position/portfolio allocation to manage risk exposure (worst-case scenarios always need to be considered therefore I conservatively use small allocations to options trades, so only 4% of my portfolio should only be used for any given trade). 
  12. Keep an adequate amount of cash on hand (~40% in my case) to protect your portfolio against any major market downturns (i.e., Covid-19 and Q1 2022, 2023 recession(?). Cash also gives me the possibility of buying stocks/long equity at heavily discounted valuations. ​

Alternatives for Short Premium Strategies

I prefer short premium strategies so high volatility. But volatility is still relatively low. I need to be able to enter trades in all market conditions.

Historically, implied volatility has outperformed realized implied volatility in the markets. For this reason, we always sell implied volatility to give us a statistical edge in the markets. While I often search for a high IV rank at order entry, the market does not always accommodate me.

I, therefore, will start looking at adding these options strategies that benefit from increases in volatility, as well as more directional strategies to use during low-volatility markets to my playbook:

  1. Long bull call and bear put vertical spreads
  2. Ratio spreads
  3. Long put calendars and call calendars
  4. Long diagonal spreads
  5. Long volatility products

In bull(-ish) markets, as the VIX drops, implied volatility tends to be low in equities. Just like I take advantage of reversion to the mean when IV is high, I continue to stay engaged and do the same when it gets to an extreme on the low end. Therefore, in low IV, I will use strategies that benefit from this volatility extreme, expanding to a more normal value.

This doesn’t mean, however, that, in low IV markets, I stop looking for underlyings in the market that have high IV. Premium selling is where the majority of the statistical edge lies.

Opened POSITIONS

From now on I will use the integers (10, 20, 30) for contract deltas and fractals (0.10, 0.20, 0.30) for the individual legs.

Opened: AMD Mar 24 80/75 Bear Put Opened on Feb 17 for $245 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

78.50

PoP

40%

DTE

34

IVR

13.4

Δ Delta

-5.84

Θ Theta

-1.169

Other

18 Feb 23: $16 in the red

Opened: AMD Mar 24 83/87 Bull Call Opened on Feb 7 for $200 debit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

81.48

PoP

39%

DTE

41

IVR

16.8

Δ Delta

11.43

Θ Theta

-0.495

Other

18 Feb 23: no update

11 Feb 23: PoP is getting very low: 39%. And P/L Open % is now 20%.

7 Feb 23: opened an AMD bull call following my entry rules.

Opened: GLD Apr 21 173/170 Bear Put Opened on Feb 17 for $145 debit

Opened: SHOP Mar 31 46/41 Bear Put Opened on Feb 17 for $260 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

43.61

PoP

49%

DTE

41

IVR

4.1

Δ Delta

-23.8

Θ Theta

-0.24

Other

18 Feb 23: $24 in the green

Opened: RIOT Mar 31 5.5 Short Put Opened on Feb 16 for $49 credit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

6.59

PoP

71%

DTE

41

IVR

41

Δ Delta

26.46

Θ Theta

1.048

Other

18 Feb 23: $6 in the red

Opened: TSLA Mar 31 160/165/255/260 Iron Condor Opened on Feb 17 for $150 credit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

208.31

PoP

63%

DTE

41

IVR

38.6

Δ Delta

0.05

Θ Theta

2.348

Other

18 Feb 23: $10

Opened: SHOP Mar 31 42/48 Bull Call Opened on Feb 16 for $300 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

43.61

PoP

43%

DTE

41

IVR

3.8

Δ Delta

26.37

Θ Theta

-0.431

Other

Running and Closed Positions

Running: TSLA Mar 24 150/155/230/235 Iron Condor Opened on Feb 10 for $170 credit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

208.31

PoP

59%

DTE

34

IVR

37.5

Δ Delta

-2.13

Θ Theta

2.288

Other

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

196.89

PoP

57%

DTE

41

IVR

44

Δ Delta

-0.37

Θ Theta

2.218

Other

18 Feb 23: $ 11 in the red

10 Feb 23: Finally again a short premium play today. TESLA had higher volatility and I was able to construct an iron condor for a nice credit.

Running: SLV Mar 24 21.5/19.5 Bull Call Opened on Feb 8 for $103 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

20.01

PoP

38

DTE

34

IVR

2.5

Δ Delta

63.07

Θ Theta

-0.935

Other

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

20.24

PoP

44%

DTE

41

IVR

7

Δ Delta

66.02

Θ Theta

-0.089

Other

18 Feb 23: $25 in the red

8-11 Feb 23: Opened another SLV position to capture upward price. Not sure anymore why ( I am writing this three days later), so note to myself: I need to record immediately my thoughts and capture those in this journal.

Closed: TLT Mar 17 105/108 Bull Call Opened on Feb 3 for $166 debit and on Feb 9 rolled the 108 to 107 for a $34 credit and again 10 103 on 10 Feb for $157 credit and closed on 13 Feb for $107 debit.

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

PoP

51%

DTE

42

IVR

-3.8

Δ Delta

18.51

Θ Theta

0.010

Other

Date

3/2/23

Underlying

106.87

PoP

51%

DTE

42

IVR

-3.8

Δ Delta

18.51

Θ Theta

0.010

Other

18 Feb 23: See comment below, closed it at $82 loss.

11 Feb 23: What went wrong? I should never have rolled down the short below the long strike, revering the bull call into a bear call. They are different strategies, requiring Greeks to work in different ways. And I should read my own adjustment rules. Never roll short strikes (“(don’t roll the short: this will be at a cost and makes no sense (it will go ATM/ITM, you want OTM)”).

8 and 10 Feb 23: At first sight, it looks nice to keep on plowing in credits. But not if it results in a loss position like this. So I first rolled the short strike down one strike. This gave me some more credit. But then I rolled it further down and I am now stuck with a losing position and I need to close asap.

4 Feb 23: 50% PoP now, -$4 in red.

Closed: FXI Mar 17 33/30 Bear Put Opened on Feb 3 for $160 debit and closed on 17 Feb for $220 credit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

30.14

PoP

65%

DTE

42

IVR

17

Δ Delta

-37.58

Θ Theta

0.679

Other

Date

3/2/23

Underlying

31.08

PoP

56%

DTE

42

IVR

11.3

Δ Delta

-39.47

Θ Theta

0.292

Other

18 Feb 23: Closed the position for close to 40% profit.

11 Feb 23: Going in the right direction (down), volatility as well (up), so PoP is up and P/L Opn% is now at 24.4%.

4 Feb 23: 54% PoP now, no change in P/L.

Closed: GLD Mar 17 176/171 Bear Put Opened on Feb 3 for $240 debit and on Feb 17 for $335 credit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

173.36

PoP

51%

DTE

8

IVR

5

Δ Delta

-28.08

Θ Theta

0.257

Other

Date

2/2/23

Underlying

173.47

PoP

49%

DTE

1

IVR

1.6

Δ Delta

-26.89

Θ Theta

0.172

Other

18 Feb 23: I closed this one down for a $95 profit (40% of premium).

11 Feb 23: not much change but I halved the P/L! Now at -$1!

4 Feb 23: 51% PoP now, -$2 P/L in the red.

Closed: SLV Mar 17 21.5/19.5 Bear Put Opened on Feb 3 for $100 debit and closed on Feb 14 for $122 credit

Date

2/2/23

Underlying

20.24

PoP

56%

DTE

34

IVR

7

Δ Delta

-45.66

Θ Theta

0.146

Other

Date

2/2/23

Underlying

20.57

PoP

—

DTE

41

IVR

7.9

Δ Delta

-40.98

Θ Theta

-0.037

Other

18 Feb 23: Closed for $22 profit (before the position going further down).

11 Feb 23: P/L -$13 in the red

4 Feb 23: 54% PoP now, no change in P/L.

Closed: AAL Mar 17 Bear Put 17/15 Opened (2x) on Feb 2 for $187 debit and rolled the 17 strike long put down to 13 on Feb 8 for a $75 credit and closed the 15/-17 strikes on 14 Feb for $70 credit and the -13/15 strikes on 15 Feb for a $16 debit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

17.02

PoP

35%

DTE

41

IVR

1.0

Δ Delta

-58.65

Θ Theta

-0.510

Other

–

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

17.02

PoP

35%

DTE

41

IVR

1.0

Δ Delta

-58.65

Θ Theta

-0.510

Other

–

18 Feb 23: The position went against me and reached 50% loss. In the end a $58 loss also on this one; again too complicated and doesn’t look as if I knew what I was doing.

11 Feb 23: see the entry below: I am keeping my fingers crossed that the underlying will go down to $15 without volatility too much increasing.

8 Feb 23: This position was also going against me so I had to adjust it. It is one of several quirky adjustments I made this week. I don’t have the feeling that I knew what I was doing, and I also completely forget most of the rules I have set for myself. Here I am experimenting with a kind of ‘pendulum adjustment’ I took one of the 17 long puts and moved it to the side opposite of 15, so 13, since I saw AAL was quite bullish. Since there is still one 17 long put and two 15 short puts left, with the 13 long put I now have created an iron butterfly here. But this is such a different strategy (credit-based, high volatility) and with the present low volatility, the position cannot benefit from IV/IVR contraction. Moreover, the underlying is going down, which in this case would be good. In the case of an iron butterfly, theoretical profit is realized when the underlying price is at/close to the short strikes at expiration ($148). Of course, volatility should stay down. Or I could decide to close the bull put wing of the butterfly for a small debit (around $25), and wait for the bear put again to do its work. In general, it shows that I am overtrading, too fast reacting to prices going up and down. With debit spreads, you must be very sure about direction, then stick to it and probably only, and exceptionally, adjust the position when you are again very sure about the (new) direction. Otherwise, just close.

An analysis of the price at$15 21 DTE shows that I can still gain $148 (with steady vega).

4 Feb 23: 35% (!) PoP now, so close to 33% PoP close rule, -$65 in the red which is 35% loss.

Running: BAC Apr 21 Bull Call 35/37 Opened on Jan 27 for $105 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

35.35

PoP

43%

DTE

62

IVR

6.2

Δ Delta

21.87

Θ Theta

-0.159

Other

–

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

35.58

PoP

45%

DTE

69

IVR

14.1

Δ Delta

18.93

Θ Theta

-0.118

Other

–

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

36.43

PoP

53%

DTE

76

IVR

5.2

Δ Delta

18.16

Θ Theta

-0.020

Other

–

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

36.67

PoP

44%

DTE

84

IVR

0.0

Δ Delta

18.83

Θ Theta

-0.101

Other

–

18 Feb 23: $13 in the red.

11 Feb 23: Going the wrong direction! But volatility going up is helping a bit, although P/L is now negative at -$5.

4 Feb 23: Not much change in the underlying price, 53% PoP now, P/L now positive $12.

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I added a BAC bull call.

Closing: FCX Mar 17 Bull Call 43/47 Opened on Jan 27 for $213 debit and on Feb 6 rolled the 47 short strike down to 45 for another $65 credit and added a Mar 17 Bear Call 41/43 for a $102 credit on Feb 10 and closed the 41/43 Bear Call for $115 debit on Feb 14 and on Feb 15 the 43/45 bull call for $65 credit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

42.36

PoP

<1%

DTE

34

IVR

15.1

Δ Delta

0.10

Θ Theta

-0.316

Other

–

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

43.16

PoP

37%

DTE

41

IVR

6.9

Δ Delta

25.22

Θ Theta

-0.590

Other

–

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

45.26

PoP

48%

DTE

50

IVR

-0.9

Δ Delta

22.90

Θ Theta

0.003

Other

–

18 Feb 23: See comment below: very messy plays in the past two weeks and this is one of them. Lost $96 here.

11 Feb 23: What went wrong? I should have selected a bear put, not a bull call. Or I should have just closed the position?

10 Feb 23: With FCX still going down, I needed to adjust again and added a 41/43 bear call to the 43/45 bull call. I now have what is called a short-call butterfly. This was foolish. To be successful this requires the underlying price to move above the highest or below the lowest call strikes at expiration. But it also assumes you received a credit when opening. Which I didn’t, so this is a 100% loss position now and I should start closing down parts or the whole position.

Doesn’t look good 🙂

8 Feb 23: I saw FCX going down, so I first rolled the 47 short strike down to 45 for an extra $65 credit

4 Feb 23: 37% PoP now, so getting close to the danger area, P/L at -$39 (26% loss).

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I added an FCX bull call.

Running: IWM Mar 17 Bull Call 186/190 Opened on Jan 27 for $243 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

193.13

PoP

65%

DTE

27

IVR

0.5

Δ Delta

110.12

Θ Theta

-0.379

Other

V = -2.28

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

190.31

PoP

55%

DTE

34

IVR

16.7

Δ Delta

10.01

Θ Theta

-0.112

Other

V = -1.14

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

196.99

PoP

71%

DTE

41

IVR

5.6

Δ Delta

6.89

Θ Theta

0.271

Other

V = -2.54

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

188.82

PoP

50%

DTE

50

IVR

0.7

Δ Delta

10.12

Θ Theta

-0.243

Other

V = -0.68

18 Feb 23: $2 in the red.

11 Feb 23: Also going into the wrong direction (down). P/L took a blow and now at $11.

4 Feb 23: the underlying price went up, 71% PoP now, P/L now positive $72.

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I added an IWM bull call.

Closed: GDX Mar 17 Bull Call 33/31 Opened on Jan 27 for $110 debit, opened a bear call 29/31 for $86 credit and closed for $40, closed the bull call on 13 Feb for a $40 credit and the bear cal on 13 Feb for a $83 debit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

29.62

PoP

<1%

DTE

34

IVR

8.1

Δ Delta

-5.86

Θ Theta

-0.361

Other

V = 0.95

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

30.32

PoP

32%

DTE

41

IVR

5.2

Δ Delta

19.27

Θ Theta

0.316

Other

V = 0.76

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

32.28

PoP

49%

DTE

50

IVR

7.3

Δ Delta

18.25

Θ Theta

0.017

Other

V = -0.29

18 Feb 23: See the comment last week: a messy play and I closed this position for a $67 loss.

10-11 Feb 23: I bought a short 31 strike and sold a 29 strike on the same expiry date, thus adding to the bull call in a bear call and creating a short call butterfly. This is not a viable strategy I have learned this week (see FCX), so I will also be closing (certain strikes of) this position asap. -$72 in the red.

4 Feb 23: The underlying went down, 32% PoP now, P/L $48 in the red which is close to the 50% loss target. So very near to closing this position.

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I added a GDX bull call.

Closing: RIOT Mar 10 Short Put 5.5 Opened on Jan 27 for $60 debit and closing on 15 Feb for $33 debit

Date

11/2/23

Underlying

$5.51

PoP

80%

DTE

34

IVR

22.6

Δ Delta

21.10

Θ Theta

0.999

Other

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

$6.84

PoP

80%

DTE

34

IVR

22.6

Δ Delta

21.10

Θ Theta

0.999

Other

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

$6.33

PoP

60%

DTE

27

IVR

28.4

Δ Delta

33.73

Θ Theta

0.967

Other

18 Feb 23: Closed for a close to 50% profit.

4 Feb 23: 80% PoP now, P/L $23 in the green.

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I here also add a short put in my favorite, and until now very successful, play, RIOT.

Running: DAL Mar 17 Bull Call 37/41 Opened on Jan 27 for $215 debit

Date

18/2/23

Underlying

$38.36

PoP

41%

DTE

27

IVR

2.5

Δ Delta

46.01

Θ Theta

-0.78

Other

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

$39.58

PoP

53%

DTE

41

IVR

0.4

Δ Delta

34.07

Θ Theta

0.34

Other

Date

27/1/23

Underlying

$38.73

PoP

50%

DTE

49

IVR

0.8

Δ Delta

33.73

Θ Theta

-0.278

Other

18 Feb 23: $31 in the red now.

4 Feb 23: 53% PoP now, P/L at $25.

27 Jan 23: To bring more delta-neutrality into my portfolio I am adding some more long debit positions, based on the entry rules I have set for such strategies. This is my second DAL debit position. Airlines are doing fine, so I bet on DAL remaining bullish.

Closed: Opened on Jan 20: EWZ Mar 17 Iron Condor 24/27/32/35 for $98 credit and closed the two wings on 13 and 14 Feb for a $59 debit

Date

21/1//23

Underlying

$29.18

PoP

59%

DTE

55

IVR

30.2

Δ Delta

1.023

Θ Theta

n/a

Other

Short put and call delta still around (-)0.28 and delta now going ‘long’, but still close to neutral

Date

28/1/23

Underlying

$29.82

PoP

64%

DTE

48

IVR

25

Δ Delta

-5.32

Θ Theta

1.173

Other

Negative delta for the position now, v at -3.61

Date

4/2/23

Underlying

$28.63

PoP

66%

DTE

41

IVR

24.1

Δ Delta

7.95

Θ Theta

1.213

Other

18 Feb 23: Closed this positions for overall $39 win

4 Feb 23: 66% PoP now, P/L $24 in the green.

28 Jan 23: Also EWZ moved somewhat up and now $14 in the green at 64% PoP and deltas at 0.20/-0.31

21 Jan 23: Not much change and $3.00 in the green.

20 Jan 23: Opened a second position just below the 1/3 ($98) width of the spread ($300) and the short strikes around 20 delta, seeing not much direction (rangebound/neutral) in the future.

Underlying

$29.29

PoP

57%

DTE

56

IVR

31.6

Δ Delta

-0.05

Θ Theta

n/a

Other

67% P50 (probability of reaching 50% profit)

0.26/0.09 delta OTM put legs and 0.29/0.12 delta OTM call legs

Delta neutral

Closed: Opened on 30 Dec: SPY Iron Condor Feb 17 343/348/411/416 for $128 credit and rolled the 343/348 puts on Jan 24 to 381/386 for a $70 credit and on Jan 27 to Mar 17 for $30 credit and closed the 411 with my other iron condor and the 416 of his condor with the 413 strike of the other condor on 2 Feb for $185 debit and closed the 386/381 bear put on 14 Feb for $55 debit

18 Feb 23: Reached 50% loss so the bear put had to be also closed. This position ended up losing me $200. It went wrong in February.

3 Feb 23: See also above my other Iron Condor. Also, this one came under attack due to SPY rallying upwards this week. Now only the Mar 17 381 /386 bull put is left at an 84% PoP, $23 in the green, and strikes at -0.14 (long)/0.17 (short) delta respectively.

27 Jan 23: since we are now at 21 DTE of the Feb 17 expiration date, I am adjusting the position by rolling the wings out. I cannot roll complete condors, so I have to do that wing-by-wing. In this case, I am rolling out the put side as a bull put spread.

24 Jan 23: same story here as with iron condors: rallies up threatening call wings, so rolling up unchallenged put legs to capture credit.

21 Jan 23: 76% PoP and $15 in the green. The short call still highest delta but only at -0.23. 21 DTE action date (manage/close) next week.

14 Jan 23: 15 days since opening and PoP at 72%, profit to -$2, and the short call is the highest delta still at -0.29.

7 Jan 23: 9 days since opening and PoP went up to 74%, profit to -$8, and the short call is the highest delta now at -0.19.

31 Dec 22: lost $7 euros on Friday when everything went red again. But PoP is still at 70%, and deltas are under 20 (or better: .20).

Running: Opened on 29 Dec: QQQ Iron Condor Feb 17 235/240/294/299 for $138 credit and rolled there 235/240 puts on Jan 24 to 270/275 put wing for a $77 credit and on Jan 27 rolled the 294/299 call wing to Mar 17 for $20 credit and closed this call wing on 30 Jan for a $240 debit, moved the put wing out on 1 Feb to Mar 17 for $30 credit and up to $286/291 on 2 Feb for $45 credit

18 Feb 23: $28 in the red.

3 Feb 23: The Qs also went up again, and given the fact that I really need to start trading more disciplined and actually apply my exit rules, and I was far above the 50% loss target I have set myself, I closed the ITM call wing; by rolling the put wing I can win some money back. What is left from this iron condor play is a Mar 17 bull put 286/291 at 72% PoP, $14 in the red, and put strikes at -21/27 delta.

27 Jan 23: rolled the challenged call wing to March 17 since I still believe this is a bubble and the market will come down very soon. Also here PoP is close to my 35% threshold, and I am $99 in the red.

24 Jan 23: same story here as with iron condors: rallies up threatening call wings, so rolling up unchallenged put legs to capture credit.

21 Jan 23: 73% PoP, $7 in the green, and the highest leg is the short call at -28.37 delta. 21 DTE action date (manage/close) next week.

14 Jan 23: 16 days since opening and P/L Open down to $7, PoP is now at 71%, and the highest leg is the short call at -0.26 delta.

7 Jan 23: 10 days since opening and P/L Open at $28, PoP is now down to 75%, and the highest leg is the short call at -0.15 delta.

31 Dec 22: I added a Feb 17 iron condor and closed all my other positions (21 DTE rule). As with all my iron condors a high volatility play. My general rules for iron condors are that the deltas of the individual legs should be around 20, IVR above 30, and ideally IV (implied volatility) higher than average HV (historical volatility). I do look at some technical indicators mainly to determine where to position the short strikes. So if I see an upward trend, I will move the put legs up towards the price of the underlying, and I will do the same with the call legs at the same time giving them more ‘cushion.’

Overall condor delta today at 1. Deltas of the legs today are still at or around 16. PoP at 69%.

Note: the Nasdaq-100 is the worst-hit U.S. stock index for 2022, down over 34% on the year.
QQQ also has the highest current implied volatility rank of the 4 index ETFs, around 35%.

QQQ

The investment seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the index. To maintain the correspondence between the composition and weights of the securities in the trust (the “securities”) and the stocks in the Nasdaq-100 Index ® or NDX, which is heavy with technology stocks (50%) and is also concentrated with the top 15 stocks making up 60% of the ETF, the adviser adjusts the securities from time to time to conform to periodic changes in the identity and/or relative weights of index securities. The composition and weighting of the securities portion of a portfolio deposit are also adjusted to conform to changes in the index.

QQQ has US$149bn in assets and managed by Invesco.

QQQ stock breakdown

Closed: Opened on 29 Dec: SQ Iron Condor Feb 17 42.5/47.5/75/80 for $150 credit and the 42.45 put leg rolled on 18 Jan to 57.5/62.5 for a $63 credit and rolled again to 70/75 on 24 Jan for another $99 credit and to Mar 17 for a $56 credit and closed the call wing 75/80 on 3 Feb for $405 debit and added a 75/80 call wing again on Feb 10 for $215 credit, closed the 75/70 put wing for $195 debit on Feb 13 for $195 debit and the 80/75 call wing on Feb 17 for a $207 debit;

18 Feb 23: see comment below; closing down a losing position. First closed the put wing and later in the week the call wing for an overall loss of $224.

11 Feb 23: If you look at the entry for this position you already see I am overtrading again. Trying to get out a nasty situation that I should have abandoned a long time ago. I now have what is called an ‘iron butterfly’ in SQ. The price has to remain close to 75 as it is now. Volatility should not go up (unlikely since earnings will be coming up within 2 weeks). I will still be facing an overall loss.

3 Feb 23: Another position I partially closed this week, after having taken the decision to now actually stick to my exit rules (see above). So I closed the deep Feb 17 ITM call wing for $405. The Mar 17 70/75 bull put should help me to recover some of the loss and is at 70% PoP, $5 in the green, and put strikes at -0.19/0.27 deltas.

27 Jan 23: Since we are now at 21 DTE of the Feb 17 expiration date, I am adjusting the position by rolling the wings out. I cannot roll complete condors, so I have to do that wing-by-wing. In this case, I am breaking up the iron butterfly I had created and rolling out the put side as a bull put spread to Mar 17. The call side is deep ITM, but I am still betting on the market going down soon. If not, I will have to take the loss.

24 Jan 23: SQ is rocketing upwards with each rally and making it harder and harder for me to adjust the ITM call wing. I therefore can only roll up the put wing to get some extra credit in to possibly cover for the loss I will have to accept on the ITM call wing.

21 Jan 23: This position is not happy with me and decided to further deteriorate. Even after I rolled the 42.5/47.5 put wing to 57.5/62.5 for a $63 credit. Especially on Friday things went wrong when – with the underlying price quickly going up, the call leg went ITM (short call closed to -0.59), and my P/L Open ended at -66 $. PoP is now at 42% which is getting very low (33% is my ‘abort position’ level). I may need to manage this position again next week. 21 DTE action date (manage/close) next week anyway.

14 Jan 23: 16 days since opening and $26 in the red and PoP slightly down to 63% now and short call leg highest at -0.44 delta. The underlying is now &71.65 edging closer to the call wing.

7 Jan 23: 10 days since opening and still $1 in the red and PoP slightly down to 64% now and short call leg highest at -0.39 delta.

31 Dec 22: $1 in the red and PoP at 66% now and short call leg highest at 27 deltas.

Running: Opened on 19 Dec: XLE Iron Condor Feb 17 73/75/96/98 for a $59 credit and rolled the 73/75 puts to 84/86 on Jan 24 for a $34 credit and rolled out and widened the 96/98 call wing to 95/100 Mar 17 for $107 credit and rolled and widened the 84/86 put wing to 78/83 for a $32 credit.

18 Feb 23: $89 in the green (at 40% profit) with 66% PoP

4 Feb 23: As long as I can get extra credits along the way to expiration I will do so. The Mar 17 iron condor 78/83/95/100 now shows a 61% PoP and is $66 in the green with now the short put at 0.34 delta since XLE went down in price to 85.96.

24 Jan 23: same story here as with iron condors: rallies up threatening call wings, so rolling up unchallenged put legs to capture credit.

21 Jan 23: 33 days since opening and $21 in the green now with PoP at 79%. The short call is still -0.22 delta.

14 Jan 23: 27 days since opening and $16 in the green now and PoP at 78% now, short call leg highest at -0.22 delta.

7 Jan 23: 20 days since opening and $12 in the green now and PoP at 74% now, short call leg highest at -0.20 delta.

31 Dec 22: $1 in the green and PoP at 68% now and short call leg highest at 23 delta

24 Dec 22: XLE didn’t move much since opening and is now $1 in the red

19 Dec 22: XLE is seeing higher volatility and is slightly bullish, backtested positive.

Closed: SLV Bull Call Mar 17 20/22.5 for $123 debit and on Feb 10 rolled down the short 22.5 to 21 for $30 credit and closed for $41 credit

18 Feb: Another play going wrong (and wrongly played) , so lost $52

10 Feb 23: I bought the 22.5 short and sold the lower 21 strike at the same expiry date for a $30 credit

28 Jan 23: 43 days open, IVR 6,7, PoP 57%, and down to $19 in the green.

21 Jan 23: 36 days open and 61% PoP, $32 in the green.

14 Jan 23: 29 days since opening and $40 in the green now and PoP at 64% now, short call leg at -0.50 delta. No dividend risk here, so I don’t have to worry too much if this leg goes ITM.

7 Jan 23: 23 days since opening and $24 in the green now and PoP at 58% now, short call leg at -0.45 delta. No dividend risk here, so I don’t have to worry too much if this leg goes ITM.

31 Dec 22: PoP up to 59% and $26 in the green.

24 Dec 22: PoP 56% and $6 in the green.

15 Dec 22: opened this bull call based on the set-up described in my playbook. Strikes at 60% (long) and 40% (put). Intrinsic value long strike => net debit to be paid. Debit at around half of the spread width. ROI 1:1 etc.

SLV

The Trust seeks to reflect such performance before payment of the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. It is not actively managed. The Trust does not engage in any activities designed to obtain a profit from, or to ameliorate losses caused by, changes in the price of silver.

End-of-Week Active Positions Overview

Financials

Cash Balance 18 February 2023

A slight improvement compared to last week. I am in the green again. But this should already have been over $1000 by now so I am way behind my year target.

The good news is that after 9 months of trading and especially in the past 6 months, I seem to be able over a longer time to not lose/remain profitable. Which is already an achievement. But the risk/reward ratio is still far too low, so I have to continue sticking relentlessly to my rules and learn more about how to trade options successfully. I have still a long way to go.

I am more and more trading optimally, making full use of my cash, optimizing my positions etc .

The points I have to look at are:

  • In general, my positions are placed on the safe side with low deltas, so less risk, and low profit. I am already increasing risk by widening spreads and picking higher deltas.
  • For a better-balanced portfolio allocation (based on VIX) and I am adding non-short premium and passive income strategies to optimize my portfolio.
  • Except for a small short put undefined risk play in RIOT, I have been only doing a limited number of defined risk strategies which are lower risk but also less profitable: I may need to start looking at adding other defined risk strategies, and once in a while short straddles and strangles based on low prices underlyings.
  • I now select positions with higher premiums compared to the commissions and fees I have to pay and the target profit I have set as a rule (50%).
  • I am now also monitoring the beat-weighted delta of my positions and total portfolio; in periods like this, I need to manage it in such a way that it remains close to 0.
  • BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY: I SHALL ABIDE TO MY EXIT RULES FROM NOW ON!

Find out more about the platform I love to use for my options trading:

If you like it as much as I do, and want to open an account, click here:

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Market Sentiment 18 February 2023

  • Stocks finished mixed Friday, with the S&P 500 concluding its second straight weekly decline, as Federal Reserve officials reinforced the message that interest rates need to rise.
  • A mixed inflation report resulted in a mixed day for the market indices. Following the release of the latest Consumer Price Index report, the Dow and S&P 500 finished the choppy session on Tuesday marginally in the red, while the Nasdaq posted a modest advance.
  • Stocks later fell on Thursday following the release of January’s Producer Price Index, with wholesale costs coming in hotter than expected.
  • For the week, The S&P shed 0.3%, the Dow Jones edged 0.1% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.6%. (Source: Seeking Alpha)

I mostly use eOption’s Closing Bell emails, StockTwits, BarChart, and Seeking Alpha I receive daily as a source.

1. Geopolitical Events and Economic Trends

During the week, I capture the most important news. Every weekend before the new trading week, I review the current markets, the general geopolitical events, and economic trends determining the sentiment in the world of options trading.

  • The war between Russia and Ukraine is still raging on.
  • China had warned of retaliation over the downing of a balloon earlier this month, but the latest salvo in tension-filled U.S.-Sino relations came over arms sales to Taiwan. Beijing imposed sanctions on Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) and a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) by adding them to a so-called “unreliable entity list” that aims to punish firms that jeopardize its national security, (S0urce: Seeking Alpha)

2. VIX Index

  • No real fear ion the market again this week (and month) as the CBOE Volatility index (VIX) is now at 20.01.
  • The VIX Index measures the level of the expected volatility of the S&P 500 Index over the next 30 days that is implied in the bid/ask quotations of SPX options. Thus, the VIX Index is a forward-looking measure, in contrast to realized (or actual) volatility, which measures the variability of historical (or known) prices.
  • A VIX below 15% is very low volatility. A 15% or below VIX is assumed to be a market at rest. Since the intrinsic nature of the Stock Market is to move up, a VIX close to 15% or lower will tell us that the broader market is likely to head higher. 
  • Up to 19% VIX means the market is in ‘lull’ mode. 19% is seen as the ‘steady state’ VIX. This arena is inadequate for short premium plays, which require high volatility. This is where long calls, puts, and debit spreads may be set up. Only when VIX gets closer to 30%, selling options become viable.
  • At 20% or higher means medium volatility.
  • A VIX of 30% or higher means high volatility. When selling options, you want to sell out of stocks when the VIX is near 30. This is where credit spreads, short strangles, straddles, short iron condors, etc., can be played.
  • Above a VIX of 40%, this is still the case, but given the extreme volatility, you should be very careful.

VIX for position sizing

So my maximum portfolio capital allocation for short premium strategies should remain at 35% of net liq.

See also on this subject this Tastytrade video.

VIX

< 15

15-19

20-29

30-40

>40

Volatility

Lowest volatility, all comfortable

Market in ‘lull’ mode

Volatility high

Volatility very high

Volatility and fear levels highest

Maximum portfolio capital allocation

25%

30%

35%

40%

50%

Volatility and the VIX are significant in how I size positions and portfolio allocation. Since my focus is on short premium trading, I must balance exposure to substantial losses and reaching sufficient occurrences.

In 2022 the VVIX Index (VIX Volatility Index) has also traded within a fairly reasonable range (roughly between 83 and 150). The long-term average is 86, and the VVIX is mean-reverting.

The VVIX is nicknamed the “VIX of VIX” because it is calculated using the implied volatility of ATM and OTM options in the VIX itself, using the same calculation method as VIX. The index measures the “volatility of volatility, or the “vol of vol.”

Today, the VVIX went up to 87.97 so close to the long-term average. Really down from last week.

The VVIX/VIX Ratio

See more in this Tastyworks video.

3. Oil and Gas

The following sectors I look at – to understand the market sentiment – are, due to their massive impact on the global economy, metal & mining.

  • U.S. crude oil futures settle at $76.34/bbl, down $2.15, 2.74%, but off the lows of $75.06 per barrel, sliding on concerns more U.S. Fed interest rate hikes could weigh on demand, and signs of ample supply.
  • Natural gas ends at lowest since late September 2020, falling -4.8% to settle at $2.275 mln MMBtu amid fears of a glut. 

4. Gold, Silver, and Copper (Metals & Mining)

To understand the market sentiment, I look at the following sectors: precious metals and mining due to their massive impact on the global economy.

  • Gold prices slip  -$1.60 to settle at $1,850.20 an ounce, below last Friday’s closing high of $1,874.50 an ounce as rising Treasury yields and dollar, amid a more hawkish rate outlook, weighed on commodity prices.

5. USD and Other Currencies

The DXY, the symbol for the US dollar index, tracks the price of the US dollar against a basket of six foreign currencies that have a significant trading relationship with the US and are also hard floating currencies. The index will rise if the dollar strengthens against these currencies and will fall if the dollar weakens against these currencies.

  • The US dollar was up on the day as well vs. rival currencies.

6. Bitcoin AND crypto

  • Bitcoin down to 21808

7. Yield Curves

  • The U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield hit a high of 3.93% this morning (briefly), best level since early-November, but ended near the lows below 3.83%, but still posted its 4th straight week of gains. The US dollar also early strength but faded late day.

Understanding yield curves also adds to better reading the market sentiment.

“A yield curve is a line that plots bonds’ yields (interest rates) having equal credit quality but differing maturity dates. The yield curve’s slope gives an idea of future interest rate changes and economic activity.

There are three main yield curve shapes: regular (upward-sloping curve), inverted (downward-sloping curve), and flat. Upward sloping (standard yield curves) is where longer-term bonds have higher yields than short-term ones. 

Standard curves point to economic expansion, and downward-sloping (inverted) curves point to economic recession.

Yield curve rates are published on the Treasury’s website each trading day.”

Source: Investopedia

i. The 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity minus 3-Month Treasury Constant Maturity Yield Curve

The yield curve (T10Y3M) compares the 10-year with the 3-month U.S. Treasury bond yield. It gives insight into bank profitability, which is correlated with economic activity. Historically, the yield curve has been a reliable predictor of economic recessions.

An inverted yield curve has been a good indicator of an economic slowdown ahead. A 10-year-3-month treasury spread approaching 0 signifies a “flattening” yield curve. Furthermore, a negative 10-year-3-month spread has historically been viewed as a precursor or predictor of a recessionary period.

  • For some time now, the indicator has been predicting a recession.

ii. The 2-Year/10-Year Yield Curve

  • The 2s10s curve is still at its deepest level of inversion in forty years. For only the fourth time on record and for the first time since 2009, bearish sentiment has fallen double digits in back-to-back weeks
  • The inversion of the yield curve revisited its widest point since 1981 on Thursday morning, as the spread between the U.S 10 Year Treasury yield (US10Y) and the U.S. 2 Year Treasury yield (US2Y) reached a gap of more than 80 basis points.
  • The separation between the two instruments touched -85 basis points. This came as the 10Y dipped 5 basis points to 3.58% and the 2Y slid 2 basis points to 4.43%.

“An inverted yield curve can be an important economic indicator and a likely precursor to a recession. 

When the curve inverts, the longer-dated bond (I am using the 10-year) will offer a lower annual yield than a short-dated bond (I am using the 2-year). This means that investors have bid up the prices on longer-dated bonds to the point where they yield less than short-dated bonds.

An inverted yield curve results from investor concerns about the economy and the stock market. History shows that investors tend to be right about economic weakness on the horizon when the yield curve is inverted. Since WWII, every recession has been preceded by a yield curve inversion.

Recessions don’t start immediately after the yield curve inverts, however. The inversion tends to precede the recession by 6 to 18 months.”

Source: SeekingAlpha

8. Producer Price Index

The Producer Price Index (PPI) program measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output. The prices included in the PPI are from the first commercial transaction for many products and some services.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

  • See chart above. 

9. Consumer Price Index (CPI)

The measure that is most often used to measure inflation in terms of consumers is the consumer price index (CPI). Tens of thousands of items in several categories are tracked. The basket of products or services is considered each month, and economists and statisticians look for trends. If the CPI rises, prices could trend higher, with inflation on the rise.

  • December monthly CPI was revised from -.1% to +.1%. Bureau of Labor Statistics released benchmark revisions. Revisions include seasonal adjustment factors. Ex food and energy was up +.4% vs +.3%.

10. Consumer Sentiment Index

A low CSI index reflects the general (dis-)satisfaction with managing U.S. economic policies. A high satisfaction rating suggests approval of the current policy management and implies market stability. 

Source: Surveys of Consumers (umich.edu).

  • Consumer sentiment still remains historically low, since concerns over the economy remain, with many consumers stepping up their savings to prepare for a potential recession.
  • Consumer sentiment was essentially unchanged at 1.5 index points above January. Recent developments in the economy, both positive and negative, have led to mixed attitudes among consumers with little net change in February.
  • After three consecutive months of increases, sentiment is now 6% above a year ago but still 14% below two years ago, prior to the current inflationary episode.
  • Overall, high prices continue to weigh on consumers despite the recent moderation in inflation, and sentiment remains more than 22% below its historical average since 1978.
  • Combined with concerns over rising unemployment on the horizon, consumers are poised to exercise greater caution with their spending in the months ahead.
  • Source: Survey of Consumers University of Michigan

11. Put/Call Ratio

  • A Put/call Ratio of below .5 could mean the market is very bullish. Maybe too bullish. It could be an excellent time to sell stocks high.
  • Between 1.0 and 2.0, the Put/call Ratio indicates a bearish market.
  • A Put/call Ratio above 2.0 could mean it is very bearish. It could be an excellent time to consider buying low.
  • Moving sideways if the Put/call Ratio oscillates between 0.5 and 1.0.
  • The put/call ratio went up to 1.084, which indicates more people are buying than selling and the market is moving towards being bullish again (?).

Warning: previous research conducted by tastytrade revealed that the Put/Call Ratio is not a reliable trading indicator. Readers can check out this installment to review that research in greater detail this installment.

12. NASDAQ, DJI, SPX, Russel 2000 Indices, and Main Market Sectors

In general, I look at the leading indices DJIA, SPX, and Russell 2000 (IWM) and the level of volatility or ‘market thrashing’ (excessive volatility with significant rising then near proportionate falling in markets’ values within a trading period): above 1% in any or all of them might indicate indecision in the market.

NASDAQ, DJIA, SPX, IWM

Major Stock Market Sectors

I also follow the major market sectors in Barchart.

  • S&P 500: down -1.38% from –1.04% last week
11 February 2023 Barchart
18 February 2023 Barchart

Summary Market Sentiment

Bull market

Bullish

Neutral

Bearish

Bear market/crash

1. Geopolitical events and economic trends

Positive trends, stable supply chains

Minor market issues, minor supply chain issues

National events, market issues, bad economic data, mini-corrections

Negative indicators, international events, serious market issues, broader market correction (-10%)

The total collapse of the global market, deep recession

2. VIX (VIX)

<15

Lowest volatility, all comfortable

15-19

Market in ‘lull’ mode

20-29

Volatility high (down from above 30)

30-39

Volatility very high

>40

Volatility and fear levels highest

3. Oil & Gas (XOP)

Oil & gas

Minor market issues, minor supply chain issues

National events, market issues

International supply chain interruptions, high oil & gas prices

International conflicts involving US, Russia or China, and other main producing countries

4. Gold, Silver & Copper (GLD & SLV & Copper)

Gold, silver, and Copper stable

Minor market issues, minor supply chain issues

National events, market issues

International supply chain interruptions

International conflicts involving US, Russia or China, and other main producing countries

5. US Dollar Currency Index (DXY)

Very weak dollar versus other currencies

Weak dollar

Neither weak/nor strong dollar

Strong dollar

Very strong dollar

6. Bitcoin (BTCUSD)

Bitcoin rising

Bitcoin rising slightly slower

Bitcoin “thrashing” at the same level

Crypto crashes, market corrections

Bitcoin or other cryptos or companies collapse

7. US Yield Curve (T10Y3M and US10Y vs US02Y)

Considerably steep curve

Steep curve

Average but still positive curve

Flattening, inverting, and approaching zero

Inverted curve and negative

8. Producer Price Index (PPI)

Lowest price level

Price level higher than normal

Price levels rising fast

The price level is very high

Highest price level

9. Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Lowest price level

Price level higher than normal

Price levels rising fast

The price level is very high

Highest price level

10. Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI)

High consumer confidence

Consumer confidence is less high

Consumer confidence going down from very high or up from very low

Low consumer confidence

No consumer confidence

11. S&P 500 Put/call ratio (PCR)

Well below 0.5 (very bullish)

Close to 0.5 (bullish)

Between 0.5 and 1.0 (neutral)

Between 1.0 and 2.0 (bearish)

Above 2.0 (severely bearish)

12. Dow Jones (DJI)

S&P 500 (SPX)

Russel 2000 (RUT)

Major Market Sectors (XLE, XLF, etc)

Strong bull market
No real changes in an upward trend

Bullish market
Minor changes in an upward trend

Moving to neutral bullish/bearish market

Increased (positive/negative) changes and “thrashing”

Bearish market (with bear rallies)

In general, going down, many negative changes

Bear market

A deep recession or the market is collapsing, or already did so

Trading style

No restrictions on trading (except for VIX rules)

Closer watch and reduce trades

More caution needed and reduce trades further

Extreme caution and reduce trades even further

Look to close any open positions and no new trades

This Week’s Economic Calendar

Earnings and Dividend Calendar

Earnings season is there again. In addition, there are not many dividend payouts upcoming. In general, I tend to avoid earnings or dividends (and other major events within 30 days of opening a position).

Portfolio allocation

See above: I need to start working on a balance between defined and undefined risk strategies to be added to my playbook.

This Week’s Guidelines

Positions at Beginning Of the Coming Week

I now have tuned down to 14 positions which is below the average I need to have running to maximize my portfolio allocation at 2-3% position sizes and 50% overall allocations.

I am now at below 34% buying power usage of which half is for iron condors and bull puts and which is below the 35% I am ‘allowed’ to use under my portfolio allocation rules based on VIX for such short premium strategies. I, therefore, need to add more positions in the next few days.

I want to have at least a minimum of 30% in cash at all times, so can use 10% more in my account for emergencies or opportunities (so now 30% short premium and 30% debit/long strategies).

Goals and Schedule for this week

Sunday: set up options strategy ideas and perform backtesting; select at least two options strategy ideas.

Until Tuesday: open one more vertical spread or iron condor and a long position.

Rest of the week: start looking at strategies involving buying bills or bonds for the remaining 10% of the 60%.

For short premium strategies, I need high IVR underlyings and underlyings trading in ranges with apparent resistance and support areas.

Underlyings Selected for Trading This Week

This is my selection for this week. I am still avoiding the earnings as much as possible, looking for high IVRs.

And during the week I will monitor stocks coming out of earnings.

For this week, I will continue applying my underlying selection rules and focus on high volatility (IVR >40) and higher premium underlyings that have no significant events (like earnings < 30 days) coming up.

My expectation (or rather: hope) is that this week’s volatility will increase.

Options Buying Power and Portfolio Allocation This Week

Based on my current buying power and portfolio allocation rules, I determine whether I can open new positions to maximize such portfolio allocation.

I use VIX to determine the allocation percentage for short premium strategies. Since I until now only opened short strategies, this is still applicable to my whole portfolio.

However, with VIX going down to 20, I should be looking at using 5% of my total NetLiq for other strategies.

Allocation based on VIX (for short premium strategies)

VIX

< 15

15-19

20-29

30-40

>40

Volatility

Lowest volatility, all comfortable

Market in ‘lull’ mode

Volatility high

Volatility very high

Volatility and fear levels highest

Maximum portfolio capital allocation

25%

30%

35%

40%

50%

In allocating portfolio capital, I need to use Buying Power (NetLiq)

Cash Balance

$9,453.11
(was $10,200.39 )

Buying Power/Net Liq

$10,462.11
(was $10,355.29 )

Max Portfolio Capital Allocation Short Premium (Cash Available for Trading)

35%

$3,661,74

Max Portfolio Capital Allocation Other (low risk, long positions)

25%

$2,615.53

Average Max Position Allocation (BP)

3%

$313.86

Portfolio allocation undefined vs defined risk

All my plays are ‘defined risk.’ I need to add undefined risk positions at a later stage. I will explain why in my blog post on constructing trades.

Since my average maximum position allocation is up to 4% and close to $440, I need to be looking for higher priced underlyings or increasing the number of contracts per position.

This Week’s Rules

This week I will start a post with my entry, adjustment, and exit rules per the options strategy. I will describe how I set up a playbook with all the strategies I want to deploy.

Conclusion

To work on: I still need to get more mechanical and disciplined in entering and adjusting the positions and remembering why I (or the platform) close positions.

The same for exiting.

I am now trading too recklessly.

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