For investors who want to bet on market declines, one of the easiest ways is to use bear put spreads.
Strategy description
A bare put spread consists of two options, a long put and a short put. Combining the two options forms a “spread”. The idea behind such a put spread is to make a profit on the long put option while losing money on the short put option. Because the short put is covered by the long put, the long put option has a higher intrinsic value and is profitable at expiration than the short put.
Here’s a simple example: Suppose you are observing XXX stock, which is currently trading at $25 per share. You believe that future earnings releases may fall short of expectations and the stock price may fall significantly. You have decided that the best way to play out such potential moves is with a bearish put spread.
If the stock is at $25, we choose to initiate a bearish put spread with strikes of $24 and $21. Therefore, you buy a put of $24 and sell a put of $21 at the same time for a net premium of $0.50. You have 60 days until the option expires. The maximum profit potential for this spread is the spread between strike prices ($24 minus $21 equals a spread of $3.00) minus the 0.50 premium paid for a maximum profit of $2.50. calculated as
The maximum risk of a position is the premium paid plus commissions and fees. So in the example above, the maximum risk would be only $0.50.
The stock should fall below $21 at maturity to generate maximum profit. If the market has fallen, but not below $21, the breakeven point may be calculated as the long option strike price of $24 minus the payout premium of $0.50 at the breakeven level of $23.50. Fluctuating between the breakeven point of $23.50 and $21 gives you profit per point. For example, if the stock price at maturity was $22, the profit would be calculated as the breakeven point of $23.50 minus $22, resulting in a profit of $1.50.
Of course, not all deals go according to plan. Now suppose that your prediction for the stock price is completely wrong and the stock price goes up instead of down. In this case, if the stock is above the long-term strike price of $24 at expiration, he loses all of his $0.50 of premium paid.
Bear put spread profit and loss chart
When to Enter a Bear Put Spread
Bear put spreads can be used for either bearish forecasts of stock prices or very low levels of implied volatility. If you believe that equities or other asset classes will fall, a bearish put spread is a great way to limit your risk and deliver on that statement with ample profit potential.
Since options are also affected by the level of implied volatility, bearish put spreads can also be used to express an opinion on implied volatility levels. In this case, the market does not necessarily have to go down to generate profits. Trades can potentially benefit from increased IV, which can lead to higher option values.
Advantages of the Bear Put Spread Strategy
A bearish put spread has many potential advantages. Perhaps the biggest advantage of this type of spread is that the risks are clear. No matter what the market does, investors will never lose more than the premium they paid for their position.
Selling a put option with a lower strike price helps offset the cost of buying a put option with a higher strike price. Therefore, the net outlay of capital is lower than buying out a single put.
This type of spread can also yield a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to trading the underlying stock or contract. This is because shorting a stock requires margin, and an investor may have to commit much more capital to short the stock compared to buying an option spread. is.
Disadvantages of the Bear Put Spread Strategy
Because spreads use options, they are exposed to many of the risks associated with long positions in options. Options have a finite lifetime and expiration, so they lose value over time if all other inputs remain constant. If the put spread is bearish, you may suffer losses even if the market drops due to a sharp drop in implied volatility levels.
Options are influenced by several key factors such as IV level, time and price. This means that traders not only have to be right about the direction of the market, but also about timing and other factors.
crisis management
There are different schools of thought when it comes to managing a bearish put spread. The risk management techniques used can be based on price, time and value. For example, a simple way to manage risk is to close a position when its value drops by half. Using the example above, if you bought the put spread at $0.50 and it fell to $0.25, you would close the position and move on.
Otherwise, it will take longer to expire. He puts 90 days until expiry If he buys the spread, when he has 30 days left, he can choose to close the position with a win, a loss, or a draw.
Appropriate risk management techniques depend on the investor’s risk tolerance, market conditions and other factors. Whatever method you choose, the most important thing is to have a plan and stick to it.
possible adjustments
Bearish put spreads may also adjust as trades unfold. For example, if the market starts to move in your favor but there is only a short amount of time left before your option expires, you may choose to “roll out” your position. This includes selling the current spread and buying the same spread or using a different exercise for a later expiration.
If you get a large percentage profit on a spread that still has plenty of time left, you can choose to take profit and buy a new spread further away (even with a lower strike price).
The bearish put spread is a simple yet very powerful strategy that even novice options traders can use. With defined risk and solid profit potential, this tool should be a vital tool in any trader’s toolbox.
Conclusion
of bare put spread offer An excellent alternative to shorting stocks or buying puts when a trader or investor wants to speculate on a lower price but does not want to put a lot of capital into the trade or necessarily expect a significant price decline It will be a means.
In any of these cases, traders may benefit from trading bear put spreads rather than simply buying spreads. put option.
About the Author: Chris Young has a degree in Mathematics and 18 years of experience in finance. Chris is British, but he has worked in the US and most recently in Australia. His interest in options was first sparked by the “Trading Options” section of the Financial Times of London. He was determined to pass this knowledge on to a wider audience and in 2012 founded Epsilon He Option.
Join SteadyOptions today and experience the full capabilities of options trading right away. Click the button below to get started.
Join SteadyOptions Now!