***Closed***SPY calendar spread initiated on 23 Sep 2009
6 Oct: Close Trade
SPY (Standard & Poors Dep Rec) Calendar spread initiated on 23Sep 2009
Trade Type: Bonus Trade
Trade Summary
6 Oct 2009
SPY at 105.13 (+1.12)
10 days to Oct, 45 days to Nov
Action: Close entire trade
Sell to close SPY Nov 107 Put
Buy to close SPY Oct 107 Put
For a net price of $1.67-1.70 credit or better. [All TOS autotrade participants were filled at $1.67.]
Profit or Loss: +$13 per entry
Analysis
This trade wasn’t looking too good a few days ago when the SPY was hovering around 103. After 2 days of steady climb, we decided to lock in however small the profit before it slips away.
We initiated this trade on 23 Sep for $154 debit per entry. We’re closing it today for $167 credit. This makes a small profit of $13 per entry. This represents a profit of about 7.8%. After commission, the profit is even tinier. With just 10 days to expiration, we hope we can make a last minute short trade to take advantage of the momentum.
*****Trade History*****
23 Sep: Initiate Trade
SPY (Standard & Poors Dep Rec) Calendar spread initiated on 23Sep 2009
Trade Type: Bonus Trade
Trade Summary
23 Sep 2009
SPY at 107.33 (+0.26)
23 days to Oct, 58 days to Nov
Action: Buy a calendar Oct/Nov spread.
Buy to open SPY Nov 107 Put
Sell to open SPY Oct 107 Put
For a net price of $1.53-$1.54 debit or better. [All TOS autotrade participants were filled at $1.54 debit.]
Net margin required: $154 per entry
Analysis
This is our first trade for Oct. Volatility has been low lately and that is why we can’t get a good price for iron condors. This calendar spread is initiated to take advantage of the low volatility.
This trade will make money if the SPY hovers around the 107 level or volatility goes up.
We’re looking to enter 1 or 2 more trades for Oct before the expiration comes even closer. With the VIX looking poised to spike, we may be able to good prices for a few iron condors.
We’ll be in touch.
Good trading,
Gary
Gary:
Is there any benefit in doing a double diagonal calender with the SPY vs the single calender spread? I was told the double gives you non directional safety?
Thanks,
Joules
Hi Joules,
A double diagonal rolls to become a vertical spread on both sides forming an iron condor after the roll. An iron condor is non directional in nature. A calendar on the other hand (depends on how far the back month is) rolls into another calendar or simply closes for profit or loss. So in a way, to answer your question, yes, a double diagonal is non directional in nature.
Please let us know again if you have any more questions.
Thanks,
Gary
Gary:
Thanks…I have been doing iron condors with a delta of .10 on the call and put side which covers a large nondirectional span on both the DIA and the SPY. The only thing is the credit is like 20 cents, which does give you a good 10 to 12% gain. However, I think I would have to do like 50 contracts to make a $1000 monthly income. The risk in only 10% of a loss, but the margin requirements are high. I dont know how an adjustment would work on a delta that low once the price hits the breakeven points.
Do you think its better to write the condors with a higher delta like .25 on each side and just adjust and roll it out and tighten it up if the price gets near the break even point on either side of the iron condor? I may try each strategy on the TOS paper account, but I would appreciate your insight into this.
Thanks,
Joules
Joules