Calendar Spreads With Leaps
A calendar or time spread is an option spread where the different legs of the trade have different expiration dates.
Calendar spreads with leaps. For example you could. A calendar spread is a strategy involving buying longer term options and selling equal number of shorter term options of the same underlying stock or index. With about 15 minutes of trading left on thursday spy was trading at 131 10 and we bought 40 jul4 11 jul 11 131 put calendar spreads paying 87 per spread.
A rise of 50 could translate into a 300 gain but this strategy comes with risks and the odds are stacked against you. Just like a vertical spread you have both limited upside profit potential and limited risk. But the core principle of this approach remains the same capitalizing on the fact that an option s time value decays at a substantially higher rate on short term options than it does on long term options.
To do this type of trade the stock must offer leaps puts with strike prices well above the current stock price. You can structure your investment with long term equity anticipation securities leaps if you re bullish on a particular company s stock. The calendar spread is useful when you are more uncertain about the direction of the market and want to increase the effectiveness of the hedge during periods of market volatility.
Often traders will use leaps or options with expiration dates longer than a. Then calendar spreads might be for you. These trades provide high leverage but may require some unusual maintenance.
Buy a 50 long call leaps option that doesn t expire for a year or two write or sell a 50 call that expires next month. This is a special type of calendar spread intended for a 9 to 12 month bullish position on stocks that have leaps put options. This type of trading strategy can go by many names calendar spread horizontal spread diagonal spread time spread covered calls with leaps bull call leaps etc.
You enter a diagonal call spread by buying a nov 425 call for 300 and at the same time sell an oct 450 call for 100. What s the rationale for leaps calendar spreads. Deep in the money leaps put calendar spreads.