Condor (options)

Last updated
Example payoff diagram of a long condor: at expiry, if the underlying is at a high or low value, the buyer of the condor loses the premium, but if the underlying is at a value near or between the inner strikes, the buyer makes a profit. Condor strategy.png
Example payoff diagram of a long condor: at expiry, if the underlying is at a high or low value, the buyer of the condor loses the premium, but if the underlying is at a value near or between the inner strikes, the buyer makes a profit.

A condor is a limited-risk, non-directional options trading strategy consisting of four options at four different strike prices. [1] [2] The buyer of a condor earns a profit if the underlying is between or near the inner two strikes at expiry, but has a limited loss if the underlying is near or outside the outer two strikes at expiry. [2] Therefore, long condors are used by traders who expect the underlying to stay within a limited range (low volatility), while short condors are used by traders who expect the underlying to make a large move in either direction. [3] [4] Compared to a butterfly, a condor is profitable at a wider range of potential underlying values, but has a higher premium and therefore a lower maximum profit. [3]

A long condor consists of four options of the same type (all calls or all puts). [1] The options at the outer strikes are bought and the inner strikes are sold (and the reverse is done for a short condor). [1] The difference between the two lowest strikes must be the same as the difference between the two highest strikes. [1] All four options must have the same underlying and the same expiry date. [1]

At expiry, a condor's value will be somewhere between 0 and the difference between the two higher (or two lower) strike prices. [1] It achieves its maximum profit if the underlying is between the two inner strike prices at expiry, and it expires worthless if the underlying is outside the two outer strike prices (in the latter case the buyer's loss is the premium paid to enter the position). [5] A long condor has a positive theta when the underlying is near the inner strikes, but a negative theta when the underlying is near the outer strikes. [3]

A condor can be thought of as a spread of two vertical spreads, [5] as a modification of a strangle with limited risk, [1] or as a modification of a butterfly where the options in the body have different strike prices. [3] A condor is also known as a "stretched butterfly", as its maximum profit is reached on a wider range of underlying prices compared to a butterfly. [6] Both butterflies and condors are known as "wingspreads". [1]

The condor is so named because of its payoff diagram's perceived resemblance to a large bird such as a condor. [6]

An iron condor is a strategy which replicates the payoff of a short condor, but with a different combination of options. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

In finance, a put or put option is a derivative instrument in financial markets that gives the holder the right to sell an asset, at a specified price, by a specified date to the writer of the put. The purchase of a put option is interpreted as a negative sentiment about the future value of the underlying stock. The term "put" comes from the fact that the owner has the right to "put up for sale" the stock or index.

In finance, a straddle strategy involves two transactions in options on the same underlying, with opposite positions. One holds long risk, the other short. As a result, it involves the purchase or sale of particular option derivatives that allow the holder to profit based on how much the price of the underlying security moves, regardless of the direction of price movement.

In finance, the style or family of an option is the class into which the option falls, usually defined by the dates on which the option may be exercised. The vast majority of options are either European or American (style) options. These options—as well as others where the payoff is calculated similarly—are referred to as "vanilla options". Options where the payoff is calculated differently are categorized as "exotic options". Exotic options can pose challenging problems in valuation and hedging.

In finance, moneyness is the relative position of the current price of an underlying asset with respect to the strike price of a derivative, most commonly a call option or a put option. Moneyness is firstly a three-fold classification:

A barrier option is an option whose payoff is conditional upon the underlying asset's price breaching a barrier level during the option's lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfly (options)</span> Options trading strategy

In finance, a butterfly is a limited risk, non-directional options strategy that is designed to have a high probability of earning a limited profit when the future volatility of the underlying asset is expected to be lower or higher than that asset's current implied volatility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box spread (options)</span>

In options trading, a box spread is a combination of positions that has a certain payoff, considered to be simply "delta neutral interest rate position". For example, a bull spread constructed from calls combined with a bear spread constructed from puts has a constant payoff of the difference in exercise prices assuming that the underlying stock does not go ex-dividend before the expiration of the options. If the underlying asset has a dividend of X, then the settled value of the box will be 10 + x. Under the no-arbitrage assumption, the net premium paid out to acquire this position should be equal to the present value of the payoff.

In finance, a collar is an option strategy that limits the range of possible positive or negative returns on an underlying to a specific range. A collar strategy is used as one of the ways to hedge against possible losses and it represents long put options financed with short call options. The collar combines the strategies of the protective put and the covered call.

In finance, a calendar spread is a spread trade involving the simultaneous purchase of futures or options expiring on a particular date and the sale of the same instrument expiring on another date. These individual purchases, known as the legs of the spread, vary only in expiration date; they are based on the same underlying market and strike price.

The iron condor is an options trading strategy utilizing two vertical spreads – a put spread and a call spread with the same expiration and four different strikes. A long iron condor is essentially selling both sides of the underlying instrument by simultaneously shorting the same number of calls and puts, then covering each position with the purchase of further out of the money call(s) and put(s) respectively. The converse produces a short iron condor.

In finance an iron butterfly, also known as the ironfly, is the name of an advanced, neutral-outlook, options trading strategy that involves buying and holding four different options at three different strike prices. It is a limited-risk, limited-profit trading strategy that is structured for a larger probability of earning smaller limited profit when the underlying stock is perceived to have a low volatility.

Option strategies are the simultaneous, and often mixed, buying or selling of one or more options that differ in one or more of the options' variables. Call options, simply known as Calls, give the buyer a right to buy a particular stock at that option's strike price. Opposite to that are Put options, simply known as Puts, which give the buyer the right to sell a particular stock at the option's strike price. This is often done to gain exposure to a specific type of opportunity or risk while eliminating other risks as part of a trading strategy. A very straightforward strategy might simply be the buying or selling of a single option; however, option strategies often refer to a combination of simultaneous buying and or selling of options.

Options spreads are the basic building blocks of many options trading strategies. A spread position is entered by buying and selling options of the same class on the same underlying security but with different strike prices or expiration dates. An option spread shouldn't be confused with a spread option. The three main classes of spreads are the horizontal spread, the vertical spread and the diagonal spread. They are grouped by the relationships between the strike price and expiration dates of the options involved -

The backspread is the converse strategy to the ratio spread and is also known as reverse ratio spread. Using calls, a bullish strategy known as the call backspread can be constructed and with puts, a strategy known as the put backspread can be constructed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Option (finance)</span> Right to buy or sell a certain thing at a later date at an agreed price

In finance, an option is a contract which conveys to its owner, the holder, the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying asset or instrument at a specified strike price on or before a specified date, depending on the style of the option. Options are typically acquired by purchase, as a form of compensation, or as part of a complex financial transaction. Thus, they are also a form of asset and have a valuation that may depend on a complex relationship between underlying asset price, time until expiration, market volatility, the risk-free rate of interest, and the strike price of the option. Options may be traded between private parties in over-the-counter (OTC) transactions, or they may be exchange-traded in live, public markets in the form of standardized contracts.

Rainbow option is a derivative exposed to two or more sources of uncertainty, as opposed to a simple option that is exposed to one source of uncertainty, such as the price of underlying asset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Credit spread (options)</span>

In finance, a credit spread, or net credit spread is an options strategy that involves a purchase of one option and a sale of another option in the same class and expiration but different strike prices. It is designed to make a profit when the spreads between the two options narrows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strangle (options)</span>

In finance, a strangle is a options strategy involving the purchase or sale of two options, allowing the holder to profit based on how much the price of the underlying security moves, with a neutral exposure to the direction of price movement. A strangle consists of one call and one put with the same expiry and underlying but different strike prices. Typically the call has a higher strike price than the put. If the put has a higher strike price instead, the position is sometimes called a guts.

A jelly roll, or simply a roll, is an options trading strategy that captures the cost of carry of the underlying asset while remaining otherwise neutral. It is often used to take a position on dividends or interest rates, or to profit from mispriced calendar spreads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladder (option combination)</span> Combination of three options in finance

In finance, a ladder, also known as a Christmas tree, is a combination of three options of the same type at three different strike prices. A long ladder is used by traders who expect low volatility, while a short ladder is used by traders who expect high volatility. Ladders are in some ways similar to strangles, vertical spreads, condors, or ratio spreads.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Natenberg, Sheldon (2015). "Chapter 9". Option volatility and pricing: advanced trading strategies and techniques (Second ed.). New York. ISBN   9780071818780.
  2. 1 2 "Condor Options Explained". www.theoptionsguide.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Saliba, Anthony J. (20 May 2010). Option Spread Strategies: Trading Up, Down, and Sideways Markets. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 132–143. ISBN   978-0-470-88524-6.
  4. "Condor Spread Definition". Investopedia. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 Nations, Scott (13 October 2014). The Complete Book of Option Spreads and Combinations. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 191–194. ISBN   978-1-118-80545-9 . Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. 1 2 Beagles, W. A. (2009-03-25). Equity and Index Options Explained. John Wiley & Sons. p. 189. ISBN   978-0-470-74819-0 . Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  7. Natenberg, Sheldon (2015). "Chapter 14". Option volatility and pricing: advanced trading strategies and techniques (Second ed.). New York. ISBN   9780071818780.